Elounda Gulf Villas occupies a hillside at Schisma Eloundas, on the north-east coast of Crete. It has 33 keys on two floors: 18 villas, each with a private pool, and 15 suites. The buildings step down the slope above the Gulf of Mirabello, with Spinalonga across the water. Every suite has a balcony or a terrace and stands close to the main pool, and the Pool Suites add a pool of their own and a private massage room with a steam bath.
A hillside site means there is no shore at the foot of the garden. The private beach club is a 15-minute drive from the resort, with a daily private shuttle on request. One villa is the exception. The Elounda Seafront Villa, which the operating group counts separately from the 18, has four bedrooms, a pool and direct beach access.
The ground
Elounda is 10 kilometres north of Agios Nikolaos, on the site of the ancient city of Olous. The lagoon in front of it forms between Crete and the Spinalonga peninsula, which a narrow strip of land joins to the island. The Venetian fortress of Kalydon, known to almost everyone as Spinalonga island, lies across a short stretch of water from the village of Plaka. Kolokytha, a little further out, has clear water and the Byzantine church of St Phocas. Korfos is the bay the lagoon makes.
The villas
The published ladder starts at a one-bedroom deluxe suite of 60 to 75 square metres and ends at the four-bedroom Royal Spa Villa, 350 square metres, which sleeps eight. That villa has two en-suite double bedrooms with king-size beds, two en-suite twin rooms, four marble bathrooms and a living room with an open-plan kitchen. Outside is a private pool with two in-built jacuzzi tubs; inside, a sauna and a gym. It is one of two Signature Residences, the other being the seafront villa.
Between the two ends of the ladder sit the pool villas and the spa villas, from 100 square metres up to 250. A Spa Pool Villa keeps its wellness rooms indoors: the gym room, the sauna and the steam bath are inside the villa itself, behind the same front door as the bedrooms.
The Elixir Spa
Treatments and full-body massages are taken in the hotel’s Elixir Spa Gallery or in the guest’s own suite or villa, whichever the guest prefers, and the resort’s own therapists work in both. The concierge will set out a spa plan across a stay on request.
Argo
Argo Restaurant serves breakfast from 8.30am to 11am, all-day dining from noon to 4pm and dinner from 7pm to 9.30pm, Mediterranean and international, smart-casual. The Argo Lounge Bar sits by the main pool and is open all day, casual in daylight and smart-casual in the evening. The kitchen takes its fish and produce from organic farms on Crete and from the resort’s own network of suppliers.
How the resort runs
The season is a summer one, and Elounda Gulf Villas is closed from November to March. There is a kids club and a crèche for younger guests. Energy control in the villas and suites runs on magnetic keys, solar panels provide the hot water, and wastewater is reused for garden irrigation. Cleaning products are chemical-free and biodegradable. Staff are hired locally.
Getting there
Heraklion is 65 kilometres away, a little over an hour by road along the north-east coast, and it can be reached by plane or ferry all year. The resort arranges a helicopter transfer on request. Check-in is from 3pm and check-out at 11am.
Who is this for
Elounda Gulf Villas suits a family or a group of friends who want a detached villa with a front door of their own, and who are content to swim in their own pool on most days. The resort will put a traditional caique out to Spinalonga, with a picnic lunch and a swim in the coves beyond, lay on a cooking lesson in the villa, or send Cretan wine and a platter of cheese from local farms down to the main pool. A car helps on the coast road.
