Cayo Exclusive Resort & Spa

High above Plaka with Spinalonga almost directly ahead, Cayo Exclusive Resort & Spa descends through the hillside in a series of stone terraces, private pools and sea facing rooms that make the extraordinary panorama of Elounda Bay part of virtually every moment.

Cayo has been designed around this particular piece of Crete. Its bioclimatic architecture follows the contours of the hillside rather than fighting them, with tiered buildings, planted roofs and local stone helping the resort settle naturally into the landscape. From almost every level, the view opens across the bay towards Spinalonga, whose unmistakable silhouette gives the setting a character all of its own.

There is a strong sense of space throughout. Pools and terraces step between the buildings, water reflects the intense Cretan light and clean contemporary interiors allow the landscape to provide much of the colour. Despite the breadth of the resort, its hillside arrangement creates distinct pockets of privacy, particularly around the private pool accommodation.

Rooms & Suites

Sea views are fundamental to the rooms and suites, with terraces facing out across Elounda Bay and private pools featuring in the majority of categories. Even the Superior Room without a pool retains that wonderful outlook, making the relationship between the accommodation and Spinalonga one of the defining pleasures of staying here.

Superior, Premium and Executive Rooms introduce private pool living at room level, while the Executive Suite adds more generous indoor and outdoor space. The Grand Suite takes things further with an extensive outdoor living area beside its pool, creating a particularly appealing choice for guests who expect to spend plenty of time in the privacy of their own terrace.

Families are exceptionally well catered for, with Superior Family Rooms, the Family Duplex, interconnecting two bedroom accommodation and the Family Retreat all offering private pools and sea views. The three bedroom Prestige Family Pool Suite provides the most substantial family option, giving larger parties room to stay together while retaining the privacy and outdoor space that characterise Cayo.

Dining

Five restaurants give dining unusual breadth, moving from relaxed poolside and beachfront meals to more considered evenings built around contemporary Greek cooking. Ambrosia begins the day with breakfast and returns for dinner, drawing heavily on Cretan ingredients and Mediterranean flavours.

Sage & Thyme sits beside the pool for leisurely à la carte dining, while Kelari takes a more refined approach to Greek cuisine. Filema adds another expression of local and Mediterranean cooking, giving longer stays enough variety to move between different menus and settings without leaving the resort.

Down beside the water, Stone Beach by Cayo makes the most of the coastal setting with a more relaxed seaside atmosphere. It is particularly enjoyable around lunchtime, when a morning by the sea can drift naturally into something to eat without interrupting the pace of the day.

Experience

The resort’s position between hillside and sea gives days a natural change of scene. Three outdoor pools provide plenty of room around the main resort, while Plaka Beach lies below and brings the clear waters of Mirabello Bay into easy reach. Spinalonga remains a constant presence offshore and is an obvious starting point for exploring the history of this remarkable corner of Crete.

Cayo also brings Cretan culture into the experience through cooking classes, local tours, live performances and its amphitheatre, while hiking, diving and windsurfing provide more active ways to experience the landscape and coastline. Plaka itself is close enough for an evening stroll and a change of pace beside the harbour.

There is a particularly satisfying rhythm to moving between the different levels: a morning beside your private pool, lunch near the beach, an afternoon swim in the bay and dinner back above the water as the light begins to soften around Spinalonga.

Wellness

Armonia Spa is a destination in its own right, with sauna and steam facilities, relaxation spaces and an extensive treatment menu encompassing massage, facials, body rituals and beauty therapies. Yoga, personal training and a well equipped fitness centre add a more active dimension, allowing wellness to become as much or as little a part of the stay as you choose.

Where

Cayo Exclusive Resort & Spa rises above the village of Plaka in Elounda, approximately 400 metres from Plaka Beach, with Lake Voulismeni around 16 kilometres away and Heraklion International Airport approximately 60 kilometres from the resort.

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