by Heidi Fuller-Love, Amanda Statham and Marc Dubin, The Telegraph, July 13, 2017
An expert guide to the best luxury hotels in Crete, including the top places to stay for glorious ocean views, private infinity pools, peaceful spas, panoramic views, excellent service, trendy bars and tennis courts in locations including Chania, Rethymnon, Elounda, Agios Nikolaos, Heraklion and Georgioupolis.
• The best Greek Island hotels
White Palace Grecotel Luxury Resort Rethymnon, Crete, Greece
8Telegraph expert rating
Scattered over five buildings, the White Palace Grecotel Luxury Resort is built around a sizeable sea water pool linked by paths leading through carefully tended gardens. Striking design touches include the glass-walled reception, which has panoramic views over the resort's pool, the focal point of the resort. Rooms have white-tiled floors, crisp white walls and creamy white curtains, while Yali suites feature wall-to-ceiling sea-view windows, which open out to plunge pools on decks equipped with sun loungers. Honeymooners love the privacy of the spacious beachfront these suites. Staff, who have been here for years, really know how to look after guests and service is impeccable. Read expert review. From £242per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
• The best beach hotels in Greece
Blue Palace Elounda, Crete, Greece
8Telegraph expert rating
The highlight of this modern, whitewashed resort is the breathtaking view of the Cretan Sea and island of Spinalonga. The hotel is within walking distance of the village of Plaka in Mirabello Bay, where there are numerous tavernas and bars, plus a bus service to Elounda three miles away. The private pebble beach, which the hotel overlooks, is a stone's throw away. Inside, contemporary cool mixes with traditional touches, such as pebble mosaics, clay roofs and wood shutters. Suites with infinity-edged pools and bungalows are dotted around the pretty palm and olive tree-filled gardens. A dreamy spa with a hammam and sauna, plentiful watersports and a kids' club ensure there's something for all ages, from tots to honeymooners. Read expert review. From £195per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
• The best family-friendly hotels in Greece
Elounda Gulf Villas & Suites Crete, Greece
8Telegraph expert rating
This boutique-style complex of pool villas are a mix of cubic Cyclades and colonial Mexican architecture, surrounded by palm trees, bougainvillea and other exotic vegetation. It's a favourite among celebrities such as Lady Gaga and Ronaldo. Set on a steep hillside, the complex has panoramic views to Spinalonga, the eponymous island of Victoria Hislop’s best-selling novel. Villas have superb outdoor lounging areas with sea water infinity pools and panoramic views over Mirabello bay. Larger villas also have a sauna, steam room and gym area in the basement. A regular shuttle takes you the 15-minute ride to the resort’s private beach club: a strip of coarse sand with sun loungers and staff serving drinks and snacks. The spa offers a good range of facial and body treatments. Read expert review. From £218per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
• The best all-inclusive hotels in Greece
Daios Cove Luxury Resort & VillasA gios Nikolaos, Crete, Greece
8Telegraph expert rating
This Greek hamlet-style resort sits in a natural amphitheatre that descends to a private sandy beach. Every one of the resort's rooms, suites and villas have wall-to-ceiling windows with views over the dazzling, clear waters of Vathi Bay; larger suites have private sea-view terraces and plunge pools in which to enjoy the view. Overlooking Vathi Bay, Ocean restaurant’s sophisticated Mediterranean cuisine provides a perfect counterpart to the rustic culinary style of the resort’s Greek Taverna restaurant. Snacks and signature cocktails are also served in the Beach Bar, but the best place to party is the glass-walled Crystal Box bar. Facilities include two tennis courts, several outdoor pools and a comprehensive spa, with a Finnish sauna, indoor pool, hydro-massage facilities and treatments. Read expert review. From £302per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
• The best family-friendly hotels in Greece
St. Nicolas Bay Resort Hotel & Villas Agios Nikolaos, Crete, Greece
8Telegraph expert rating
St. Nicolas Bay Resort Hotel & Villas offers superb views over Mirabello bay from its landscaped grounds as well as a host of five-star facilities. Accommodations come in several categories. Suites are the best, with wood/travertine trim, auto-illuminating closets, shower stalls the size of entire bathrooms and private salt water infinity pools. Remote seaside villas have private lidos. Aim for a room with a sea view (in any category). Facilities include the Aphrodite seaside spa-pool, plus a full Elemis/Cinq Mondes spa indoors. There’s also a little cove of sandy coastline and a full watersports programme including a scuba school on-site and charterable 34-foot sailing boat. Read expert review. From £183per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
• The best Greek Island hotels
Amirandes Grecotel Exclusive Resort Heraklion, Crete, Greece
8Telegraph expert rating
Bring your designer togs to wear at this stylish resort that boasts its own Picasso collection. The resort is fringed by a long, sandy beach and built around a large lagoon which gives a sense of space during the day and glitters with candles at night. The gardens and paths are dotted with large fibreglass animals and staff wearing Greek-goddess-style flowing robes. A stunning Olympic-sized sea water pool with lovely overwater gazebos is a major attraction here, as is the lawn near the beach, lined with sunbeds. There is also a private beach with gazebos for the use of villa guests. A small but pleasant spa with indoor pool has a team of Keralan therapists to deliver Ayurveda treatments for adults and kids. Other activities for children include lessons with the Arsenal Soccer School. Read expert review. From £216per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
• The best beach hotels in Greece
Domes of Elounda Crete, Greece
9Telegraph expert rating
Laidback luxury with a big L is the hallmark of this sprawling property divided across a hillside, topped by a helicopter pad and linked by winding paths through well-tended gardens. The stylish resort was built to mimic the colours and contours of Spinalonga just opposite. From the minute you arrive, when staff swoop out to take luggage and hand you a glass of mastiha-infused lemonade, you know you're in for a good experience at this blissfully well-serviced hotel. There are several public pools, including one that's just for adults, a beach shaded by olive trees with plenty of sunbeds and a small spa with an indoor pool and sauna and steam room. Treatments include the resort's signature Cretan therapy using local herbs. There are also spa treatments for kids. Read expert review. From £157per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
• The best all-inclusive hotels in Greece
Anemos Luxury Grand Resort Georgioupolis, Crete, Greece
8Telegraph expert rating
This elegant five-star resort is located opposite an extensive sandy beach and is close to Kournas, Crete's only lake. The focal point of the resort is a large outdoor freshwater pool surrounded by lagoons, and peppered with different relaxation areas equipped with daybeds and sun loungers. Spa facilities include an indoor pool and sauna, and Aura spa-trained therapists offer a first-rate range of treatments, including an olive oil and raki massage that is great for the skin and blissfully relaxing. Staff offer discreet, yet excellent, service and demonstrate an immense willingness to adapt to guests' needs. Rooms have gleaming white and khaki fixtures and fittings, with pops of colour in cushions and covers, and some rather superfluous rococo features. Splash out for a suite, which has a pool or sea view. Read expert review. From £100per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
• The best Greek Island hotels
Domes Noruz Chania, Crete, Greece
9Telegraph expert rating
This stylish design hotel is modelled on the domes of nearby Chania’s Venetian shipyard and has high ceilings and adobe-style walls, which lead on to high-domed rooms and suites clustered around two large pools. It is set on its own stretch of sandy beach and is also close to some of Crete's best beaches, including the pink sand beach of Elafonisi. DJs play chilled house music by the pool, bean bags are scattered on the beach and there are open-air fitness classes. Public areas are immaculate, with scatter cushions strewn over carefully tended strips of grass near two large pools, one of which has a swim-up bar and stunning sea views. The spa has a plunge pool, steam room and sauna facilities, and offers a range of treatments. Read expert review. From £100per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
• The best beach hotels in Greece
Minos Beach Art Hotel Crete, Greece
8Telegraph expert rating
The resort is along a glittering swathe of seafront, half-a-mile from the centre of Agios Nikolaos. The vibe is rather self-consciously 'laid-back boho'. There are bean bags scattered on stone jetties along the seafront and artworks and sculptures dotted around the property. A long stone paved walkway punctuated by jetties loops along the extensive seafront and gives views over the bay. Walt Disney stayed here in 1963 whilst filming Moonspinners and since then the resort has been a haven for art-loving celebrities. There is a large pool with plenty of sunbeds and a spa with a treatment room and small sauna. Restaurants are split into two main areas; Ambrosia and Bacchus restaurants are excellent for sunset sipping as they overlook the pool and offer distant sea views Read expert review. From £205per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
• The best family-friendly hotels in Greece
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