Domes of Elounda is a beachfront resort at Elounda, Crete, on the Mirabello Gulf opposite Spinalonga, and Domes Resorts calls it its flagship property. Its suites take their name and their silhouette from the domed roof, and the estate runs from the hillside down through an olive grove to a white sand beach.
Chora is the part of it set aside for adults. It is a village of stone at the edge of the property, and what it buys is a sightline: these are the closest views of the Venetian fortress on Spinalonga that the resort has.
The stone village
The ground plan runs to 1,400 sq m, completed 2025, and holds 17 free-standing single-storey stone volumes around a communal restaurant and pool. The drawings are Urban Soul Project, Maria Tsaftari partner in charge, and the resort names her as the author of the design.
The volumes are low and blend into the natural terrain, with planted paths between them, so each unit opens onto patios and outdoor rooms of its own. Materials are dark wood, beige and red travertino, off-white fabrics and patterned surfaces taken from Cretan folk work. The reference throughout is the traditional Cretan house: interiors that run out into the open, and a plan built for privacy. At the communal core, the restaurant, bar and reception extend to a terrace, the pool and the olive grove.
Water at every door
Chora holds 17 suites and retreats, adults-only from 16. Each one has water of its own, 5 private plunge pools, 12 outdoor Jacuzzis, so nobody crosses the village for a swim. Antonino’s, the Italian pool bar and restaurant, sits at the centre of it and serves wood-fired pizza and handmade pasta.
Guests at Chora keep the run of the wider estate: the spa, the beach, CORE and the other restaurants are all open to them. Domes placed Chora inside its portfolio-wide development programme for 2026.
The tables
The resort has 5 restaurants and 3 bars, Makris by chef patron Petros Dimas the fine-dining room among them. Makris sits on the terrace above Chora’s pool, and its a la carte degustation menu works from seasonal Greek produce, organic herbs and edible flowers, with Greek and Cretan wines matched course by course.
Thólos, under the domed roof the resort takes its name from, serves the buffet breakfast and a Greek and Mediterranean dinner. Vilebrequin La Plage, on the private beach, runs to seafood and seasonal cooking at lunch and dinner. CORE is the open-air plaza, open from 6.30pm to 10.30pm, where deli stalls and food trucks cook to order, from burgers to vegan and pescatarian plates and handmade ice cream. The bars are the Vilebrequin La Plage Beach Bar on the sand, the Grand Domes Bar in the lobby, open from morning to midnight, and the Neema Pool Bar by the residences.
The spa and the ground
Wellness runs out of Soma Spa “The Refined”, Minoan-referenced rituals, ELEMIS and Codage Paris, in rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows, indoor pools and saunas. Therapists work with microcurrent muscle stimulation and light therapy alongside the two skincare lines, and the same treatments can be taken in a suite or villa instead of the spa. There is a beauty salon for nails, hair and make-up.
Fitness is an open-air pavilion fitted with Technogym equipment, with classes, personal training, a tennis court, mountain bikes, and trekking and running paths through the trees. Water sports go off the beach. Five pools are spread across the resort, divided between families and adults.
The accommodation ladder runs from suites through the Haute Living residences and the villas to Chora, and almost every unit on the estate has a pool or a Jacuzzi of its own.
Who is this for
Chora suits two people who want the day to begin and end behind the same stone walls: a private terrace, a plunge pool, the fortress across the water. The dedicated pool is the centre of the village, with loungers lined with linen towels and drinks brought over. Evenings move to the terraces, where dinner is served by candlelight. Agios Nikolaos and the fishing villages along the gulf are near enough for an afternoon of artisanal shops and tavernas out of the gates.
