Elounda Gulf Villas

In the hills above Elounda, Elounda Gulf Villas, a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, is an intimate family owned retreat where individually designed suites and private pool villas look out across the blue sweep of the Cretan Sea.

There is something wonderfully personal about Elounda Gulf Villas. This is a hotel that has grown from a family approach to hospitality rather than a grand resort blueprint, and its villas and suites are scattered across the hillside with gardens, terraces and pools creating their own private corners. From almost everywhere, the eye is drawn beyond the rooftops towards the sea and the mountains of eastern Crete.

The interiors have a character of their own too. Marble, antiques, decorative ceilings and richly furnished living spaces give the villas a more individual, residential personality, with no attempt to make every room look identical. It feels collected rather than prescribed, and that individuality suits a property where privacy and personal service have always been central to the experience.

Rooms & Suites

The villas are the heart of the collection, ranging from one to four bedrooms and combining substantial living areas with kitchens, sun terraces and private pools. The Two Bedroom Elounda Pool Villa is particularly well suited to families, while the three bedroom Prestige Villa gives larger groups more room to spread out without losing the intimacy of a private residence.

The Spa Villas take the idea considerably further. From the one bedroom Imperial through the two bedroom Executive and three bedroom Presidential to the four bedroom Royal Spa Villa, each combines a private pool and sea view with its own wellness facilities, including a gym, sauna and steam bath. It is an unusually generous concept that allows an entire day of swimming, exercising and unwinding to happen without leaving the villa.

Suites offer another way to stay, including the spacious Two Bedroom Deluxe Family Suite and the One Bedroom Serenity Suite with its own private pool and sea view. At the shoreline, the Elounda Seafront Villa adds a particularly special option, bringing the privacy of the villa collection directly to the water.

Dining

Dining retains the personal scale of the hotel. Argo and Daphni serve Mediterranean and international cooking, with Cretan ingredients and flavours woven naturally through the menus, while breakfast on the pool terrace is a particularly lovely way to begin the day with the sea stretching out below.

Argonauts Bar carries things into the evening with cocktails and drinks in a relaxed setting, but villa living is equally well suited to nights spent privately. In villa dining means there is little reason to abandon your terrace when the pool is still warm and the view is doing a perfectly good job of keeping everyone exactly where they are.

Experience

Elounda Gulf Villas works particularly well because it allows the holiday to become as private or as sociable as you want it to be. The hotel’s private beach club is reached by complimentary shuttle, providing a change of scene beside the water, while the main pool and gardens create shared spaces closer to the villas.

Tennis, cooking classes, fitness sessions and organised experiences add plenty to the day, and the coast around Elounda opens up opportunities for water sports and time on the sea. Families have a kids club, play areas and babysitting available, giving the villa format an added layer of hotel service that is especially useful when travelling with children.

Wellness

Elixir Spa Gallery brings together a sauna, steam bath, gym, treatment rooms and relaxation spaces, with massages, facials and body therapies forming part of a substantial wellness programme. Yoga, fitness classes and personal training can also be incorporated into the stay.

The private spa villas remain the real indulgence, particularly for anyone who values being able to disappear into their own space for a while. Having a pool, sauna, steam bath and gym within the villa changes the rhythm completely and makes staying home for the day feel every bit as appealing as heading out.

Where

Elounda Gulf Villas sits in the hills just outside Elounda, with the village waterfront and restaurants within easy reach and Agios Nikolaos approximately 10 kilometres away, while Heraklion and its international airport are around 70 kilometres from the hotel.

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