This is a nice enough hotel but it is definitely not a 4 star. The stunning views and location plus the pools are definitely its highlights . The shuttle is also a nice touch to take you to the rooms. The hills are not to be underestimated- we are all fit and able but at 40 degrees it was a struggle going back up to the room at times. I was very disappointed with our room, it was very dated and nothing like the marketing images (images attached). The balcony was great however with stunning views over Elounda. The quality of the food overall was poor and nothing ever felt very hot even when it was freshly out.. The cross contamination for food allergies is dreadful so be cautious if you have a serious allergy. Our 16 year old (nut allergy) struggled at times with this as it wasn’t always marked clearly and there was no one to ask. He had to completely avoid the ice cream area because the pistachio ice cream was right in the middle and there were traces on it all over the other flavours. Similarly for drinks, there is nothing branded available on the all inclusive and the soft drinks were all incredibly sweet and syrupy. The pools were all lovely and there was no issue ever getting sunbeds. The waterpark didn’t open until 10 which also stopped any sunbed bagging. Our 9 year old loved the kids club once we eventually found it. The information displayed is geared towards other nationalities so took a bit of guesswork. The kids club workers also did the disco in the evening which the kids all seemed to enjoy. We did a boat trip from Elounda to Spinalonga which was easy to arrange on the day down at the harbour. Definitely advise getting there early - we took the 10am boat across and by the time we came out it was absolutely heaving with visitors. Recommend Lena’s Pool Bar near the beach - good priced food and drinks and run by a lovely lady. The little swimming pool was a bonus in the heat for a quick dip. We took a taxi back to the hotel (due to the incredibly steep hill back up) which was €8 and easy to get from the square. Overall we had brilliant weather and a nice stay but for what we paid, we were left feeling a little disappointed. Crete is absolutely beautiful and we will return but just not to this hotel.

We stayed at Elounda Residence for 16 nights as a family of three. After our first full day we were actually looking into moving hotels! However, it did grow on us and we ended up having a good family holiday with some lovely memories. That said, we wouldn’t return. POSITIVES • Views: Absolutely beautiful from many areas of the resort. • Bar staff: Lovely, friendly and welcoming throughout our stay. • Kids Club: Our daughter enjoyed spending time here and made some lovely friends during the holiday. Special mention to Emily, who was fantastic with the children and a real credit to the hotel. • Waterpark: Our daughter absolutely loved it and spent lots of time there. It did the job brilliantly for her, although it is looking dated and could do with some investment. NEGATIVES • Main buffet: Average and repetitive, especially over 16 nights. We spent a significant amount of extra money eating out and buying food and drinks elsewhere despite being all inclusive. • Snack bar: Average fruit and salad, cold chips, chicken nuggets, pizza and spring rolls. They did some delicious sausage rolls for a couple of days which flew out, but then were never seen again! We really missed being able to grab something simple like a fresh sandwich, wrap or light lunch. • “À la carte” restaurants: The hotel describes McCretan Grill and Raki & Meze as à la carte, but both actually serve fixed set menus with no choice. • McCretan Grill: We were expecting souvlaki but were told the meat had spoiled. Instead we had a cabbage heavy salad, dry meatballs, cold chips and bread with no sauce. We didn’t even wait for dessert and went back to the buffet. McCretan is also the daytime snack bar and similar food appeared on the snack menu the following lunchtime. • Raki & Meze: Again, this was a fixed menu with no choice. We were served Greek salad, moussaka and orange pie. My husband ordered a Mythos instead of the hotel’s usual beer and we had to ask more than once where our drinks were because they took so long to arrive. Overall, it didn’t feel like the alternative à la carte dining experience we had expected. • Restaurant booking system: Very dated. There are two stands in the buffet restaurant with pieces of paper showing dates for each restaurant. You write your name down if there’s a space. That’s the booking system! • Crockery & cutlery: Chipped plates, water marked cutlery and scratched glasses. At busy times you could also find yourself waiting for clean items to become available. • Apartment: Small and very dated. Our daughter’s bed was simply the sofa pulled down and made up. • Room location: We were near the kitchen and regularly had a strong smell of grease and cooking meat. • Balcony: The resort has some stunning views, but unfortunately ours was of a small hill with visible water pipes, electrics and utilities. • Bathroom: Poorly designed. The shower screen wasn’t next to where the shower hose was positioned, so the floor got very wet when showering. • Kitchen: There was a kitchen area but no kitchen sink. We could technically have washed cups and plates in the bathroom, but being all inclusive there was no washing up liquid or cloths to clean them properly. We had to ask reception a couple of times when they hadn’t been washed. Reception were mortified and confirmed housekeeping should have been doing them. • Housekeeping: Our cleaner did visit daily, made the beds, changed towels and mopped the floors. However, some of the towels we received were very threadbare and need replacing. • Pool hygiene: A couple of children were sick in and around the pool. The lifeguard seemed surprisingly unfazed and other parents appeared to make more effort to contain the area. One parent actually went to find a yellow warning sign themselves whilst waiting for the cleaning crew. • Entertainment: A lot of it was in French. Obviously we expect an international mix of guests, but we hadn’t expected quite so much of the entertainment to be French speaking. Worth knowing for British families with children wanting to join in. • THE HILL!: Do not underestimate it. The resort is extremely steep and spread out. We were quite centrally located and still constantly walked steeply uphill or downhill between our room, pools, restaurant and bars. Anyone with mobility issues or a pushchair should seriously consider this before booking. • Laundry service: We used the hotel laundry during our stay. One large bag containing around 25 items, 7 of which were underwear, cost €31. Worth knowing if you’re staying for a longer period and planning to use it. • Excursions: We found the hotel’s choice limited. We wanted to visit the caves and Knossos Palace but ended up booking both in town with a local excursion company. We felt the hotel was more interested in suggesting we hire a car and drive ourselves. OVERALL There are definitely positives here. The views are gorgeous, the bar staff were great, our daughter loved the waterpark and Emily at the kids’ club deserves a special mention. The hotel genuinely grew on us and we came home having had a good holiday. However, for somewhere marketed as 4 star, it is simply too dated and needs serious investment. The accommodation and facilities need modernising and, most importantly for us, the food and overall all inclusive offering need significant improvement. A good holiday doesn’t necessarily mean a good hotel. We have some lovely memories, but knowing what we know now, we wouldn’t return.

Our family have just enjoyed a wonderful ten days at Elounda residence. On arrival the staff were very friendly and made us feel welcome. They provide a 24/7 buggy service which was great. The 2 bedroom villa was perfect and the kids particularly enjoyed the private pool. The facilities were great with kids club every day whilst my eldest son making the most of the 3 pools ,water slides, football and basketball court. The food was lovely with plenty of variety for breakfast lunch and dinner. They also had a fully stocked gym, table air hockey and pool tabke which my kids loved. The staff were great with the kids and they loved the Mocktails that were available to them throughout the day. The onsite shop had the essentials if needed and a shuttle was available for runs close to the town. The entire resort is located on a fairly steep hill so the buggy service was handy for the less mobile and lazy customer. I walked up and down the resort on a daily basis with the idea of burning off the food i had eaten. The town was beautiful and we did take the time to explore the area which was beautiful. My family really enjoyed the happy (road)Train from the town which took us high in to hills where we had a lovely greek lunch at a traditional greek village.The internet dropped off frequently which irritated the kids but that is only a minor point . Overall a fantastic holiday at a lovely resort. I would love to return this fantastic resort on the future.