My fiance and I have just returned from a 10 day stay at the Elounda Peninsula All Suite Hotel. We flew in to LGW yesterday and can only wish we were still there!

We both had an amazing time from the point of arrival at the Hotel to our departure. We arrived at around 5am after a very 'good' taxi transfer arranged by our tour operator Sovereign. We were met at the car and taken to Reception where a kind Gentleman talked and walked us through all the details of the Hotel. We were understandably very tired so we were left fresh fruit and a bottle of champagne in our room rather than drinking upon arrival. All water is complimentary throughout the stay so we were able to cool down in the balmy summer evenings. Our bags were taken to the room for us.

We had a Peninsula Collection Suite facing the mountains rather than inland (Beach area). This is preferable as the view is breathtaking. You can see the sunrise every morning and the mountains make for a spectacular view. Our Suite was very spacious and clean (housekeeping was excellent and very thorough) and had 2 storeys. We had a balcony upstairs equipt with lounge furniture and downstairs patio doors with a patio and a private pool which was heated according to the weather. There was a hammock and more lounge furniture. All comfy and stylish. The room was cretan in style but comfortable and elegant. There was air conditioning upstairs and downstairs. A bathroom with shower downstairs and a large marble bathroom upstairs with twin basin, separate shower and jacuzzi tub which is fab! I agree about the lack of English speaking TV channels though, although one goes on holiday not expecting to watch much TV!

The restaurants at the Hotels (Porto Elounda and Elounda Mare) serve very good food (dinner and breakfast) and have commendable service. We had a very special night at the Calypso sitting outside by the infinity pool overlooking the sea. The food is Michelin starred and exceptional and the Restaurant Manager and Semelia named Chania is very attentive. He chose a perfect wine to accompany our meal and also recommended a good champagne as an apertif. The Serene Bar is set in a lovely setting also, right on the sea edge serving great cocktails. We often had our breakfast (we were bed&breakfast) on our patio by the our pool at an extra cost of just 5E.

We had fresh baked goods, wine and fruit brought to our rooms on several occasions as a gesture. We were even given a gift upon our departure by the Management and the General Manager of the Hotel came to wish us well whlist we were waiting for our return departure (whilst sipping cold mineral water)!

The Reception staff were exceptional throughout, always polite and willing to do whatever it took to help and advise throughout our stay. They are a credit to the Hotel and Owners of this amazing resort.

The Beach is also excellent and ideal to have the Private Peninsula Beach away from the Porto Elounda. It allows for a more relaxed and calm atmosphere. Again the helpful gentleman at the Beach secured and reserved our sunloungers for us each day so we had our favourite spot!

My fiance did his 15 minutes of jet skiing which he loved although 50E for this privilidge. Although expected at a 5* establishment. There are 3 boats/yachts moored at the Hotel which are used for events and boating trips. You can go to Spingalonga too which is not very far at all and worth a visit.

A taxi to Elounda is 7E and to Agios Nicolas is 12E. Very reasonable and pretty harbour villages with shops, supermarkets and restaurants a plenty.

We were always offered fresh towels each evening after house keeping had been which was not always necessary but appreciated nevertheless.

Overall the holiday was a relaxing, memorable and wonderful experience. The Peninisula is set in an amazing location with views to match. I would highly recommend a visit and cannot understand the 1* this Hotel was given by a previous guest - although we experienced a similar guest during out stay !!

Relax and Enjoy...!

The Elounda Peninsula is definitely a nice, relaxing resort but unlike some other reviews, I have stayed at many 5-star hotels (outside of Greece) that have executed the service and amenities better.

Maybe the person who greeted us was tired when she gave us the review of the grounds and restaurant options, but we felt that she wasn't genuine in the delivery and was trying to get through this task as quickly as possible. Several other encounters with the personnel at the front desk left us wondering why they were in a customer service position.

Our thoughts on the accommodations are in sync with others, so I won't comment on them except that I noticed a few rooms had a walkway next to them, leaving no privacy at the private pool.

There are a lot of water sports available, but all come with a steep price.

The restaurant food and service was good but quite expensive. Men, make sure you take long pants as it is recommended for all the restaurants.

The beach is great, especially if you have children, as it is sheltered.

When we booked this place, we noticed the reviews really varied. I think it depends on what you have experienced before and how far you traveled to get there. We had a wonderful time but it isn't a place to where we are likely to return.

As we returned from a 4 days stay at Peninsula I felt the need to write a review in order to share the unique experience of Peninsula and as well to respond to some of the impossible to buy after being there reviews(how you can write bad things about such a unique place?). I stayed in a lot of so called 5 stars hotels in Greece sometimes being dissapointed(not what you expect at this category) . By standards of other Greek hotels this one should be rated as a 7plus stars.
The service was perfect, non intrusive but very efficient.The people are very friendly and does not look fake like in other hotels.Prices are high in the restaurants but not higher that the ones in the posh parts of Athens.Service at breakfast is impecable, on the food side you would expect more quality oriented(more creative dishes, quality no quantity).The beach is great, perfect for kids(you can really monitor what they are doing).The staff there takes good care of you.
The rooms are impecable and the view we had from our predidential suite was fabulous.The goodies we kept receiving in the room where exactly what you needed in order to feel that you are treated with special care.
The hotels offers a serenity feeling you do not expect in a summer resort and gives a taste of real hospitality.

Me and my wife returned from this hotel yesterday and I wanted to write my comments whilst they were still fresh in my mind. I also wanted to counter the comments below by the obviously hard to please reviewer that stayed there in August.

To put my comments into context, I (and my wife) have stayed at numerous 5 star hotels around the world on 4 continents, both for pleasure and on business.

From the moment we arrived at the Elounda Peninsula we were treated like royalty. The welcome drinks (after an extremely harrowing taxi transfer) were very welcome. Kiki took us to the balcony overlooking the resort to explain where everything was, whilst our luggage was taken to our suite. We were then escorted to our suite.

We had booked a suite with private pool (No. 48) and were very impressed by the quality and size of it. The fittings were of a good standard. The view onto the beach were excellent.

At breakfast the following morning, we were impressed with the very courteous staff and the panoramic views from the breakfast room.

We then went down to the private beach and were immediately welcomed by Evagelos. He reserved our chosen sunbeds every day and brought us cold water. He was very polite and friendly and always willing to assist. The private beach is very quiet and excellent for relaxation.

During our stay we did have a problem with our suite which resulted in me asking for a room change. In the time I was at breakfast, Yiannis (on the front desk) had arranged a free upgrade to a Presidential suite.(No. 50)

It is the mark of a 5 star hotel as to how they deal with a problem when it arises. I have never been treated with such respect and consideration by any other hotel. The new suite was fantastic. The pool was even bigger and the view even better!

The only slight downside for us was the lack of in room tea and coffee making facilities and a few more english speaking TV channels would have been nice. These are only minor points and should not disuade anyone from coming here.

It would be useful to hire your own car as taxis do work out expensive. The fare to Elounda town is 7 Euros (some good and reasonably priced restaurants here). The fare to Agios Nickolaos is 12 Euros (a bigger more picturesque town with more shops).

We didn't eat at the hotel in the evening as we aren't keen having to dress up to eat. We did have lunch at the hotel which was fine but nothing extaordinary.

To summarise, this is a proper 5 star hotel in the service department. The facilities are also 5 star and I cannot recommend this hotel enough if you want relaxation.

It's a shame more hotels don't consider treating their guests in the same way!