Elounda Mare Hotel, Relais & Chateaux — Hotel in Municipality of Agios Nikolaos

I've edited this review since I am more content with it now.

Rooms: The rooms have nice bathrooms. However, the mattress was a little hard and the floor wasn't even sweeped before we entered. The decor looks very old. Although the view is incredible and our balcony was pretty big. Another plus is the tablet. You can look of menus, activities, a map, and you can make reservations for dinner so you don't have to run down to the reception everytime.

Service: The service was great, although you shouldn't expect the staff to speak perfect English. Sometimes they just stopped talking to you just to shout something in Greek to the other staff, which was a little odd. Don't give your transfer driver in the hotel any tip, if you do he's going to expect a tip from you every ride you're going to take. Other than that, they obviously try to do their best. Even the cleaning staff is friendly.

Food: The food was incredible. It's annoying that most of the restaurants aren't located near the actual hotel - in most cases you will have to transfer to their other hotels close by. The buffet for breakfast could have been larger, but it's fine. The restaurants that provide dinner are really good, but for the price you pay (at least 19€ and more for Pasta, around 150€ for Steak, everything else is between 30-50€) you shouldn't expect large portions. Sometimes you will have to wait for a long time, if the restaurant is full. But the food tastes fresh and the waiters usually make sure to bring you some bread and all that But like I said, depending on what you order the prices are worth it. Literally had the best chicken of my life here! And the atmosphere in all of the restaurants is very unique!

Facility: Pool is okay-ish. It kinda smells weird. The pool in their other facility (that you can also use) is way better but you always have to walk or drive there. (there's a free transfer service.) The beach is very small and it gets crowded pretty quickly in the afternoon, but at least it's clean. There's also a section where the beach is made out of rocks. I wouldn't recommend going to that section with kids because the paths are small, dangerous (right next to a little cliff) and there's no railing. But for adults that just want to take a nice swim it's definitely good enough and it's usually pretty empty.

Comparison between Price and Services: For the price you pay, it's okay-ish. Of course Crete is a tourist magnet, so it's to be expected. You could pay half and get a wayyy better experience in (for example) Turkey.

Do I recommend going? Depending on which season, it's worth it if you're ready to spend a lot of money. I wouldn't recommend going during the busy time in the summer season - it's crowded and more expensive. If you go slightly before or after it's way better. We enjoyed our stay but most likely won't be returning, simply because there are better resorts we can visit that offer the same experience for a smaller price. Except the food (We're fine with stuff like Chicken Nuggets and less "fancy" food ;))- If you care about that you should...

This is one of the very first 5-star hotels built in the area, and the clear foresight of its creator must be acknowledged. |It is beautifully blended into nature, and its buildings are spread over a huge surface in such a way that – unlike other facilities – they are by no means disturbing.|The location, while not offering the very best view of Mirabello Bay and Spinalonga Island – which lies further north – is still breathtaking and its most fascinating feature in my opinion is the secluded, elegant, cozy, reserved, and quiet atmosphere.|Letting my gaze rest on the horizon of dramatic dawns or gentle sunsets, or following birds’ flights in the blue from the balcony of my room, has been highly regenerating for me.|Interiors are luxurious without being showy.|Everything I saw was kept immaculately, with gloss-varnished wooden surfaces and perfectly cleaned floors and furnishings.|A small, spotless and serene church that allows moments of reflection|The staff is highly professional, attentive, and empathetic, yet formal and respectful.|Breakfast was gorgeous, with every kind of excellent food and, though I do not usually indulge in sweets, I could not refrain from noticing eleven different types of cakes (a few of which I guiltily, but more than satisfactorily, tried).|The beach is quite small and the shade of the umbrellas may be insufficient at times, but there is an area under the olive trees that I particularly loved.|A few spots on the cliffs are simply spectacular. |The sea is crystal clear and very salty, so floating requires minimal effort and makes swimming even more relaxing. |Though perfection is not human, and in any case subjective, there were minor features potentially upgradable that I may constructively report.|Noise from a water scooter occasionally present (along with those from the neighboring Porto Elounda Hotel) and the lawnmower was sometimes a pain in the neck.|At least silent lawnmowers might be an easily accessible option.|Housekeepers should refrain from chatting while on duty, or anyway avoid speaking loudly.|Rope railings and/or handrails may be advisable along a few pathways flanking the cliffs or the sea, which may even become slippery.|The glass on the double swinging doors is very useful, but I am not sure it looks shatterproof.|Finally, though guests were overall very polite, they appeared underdressed compared to past standards, and a few behaved frankly inappropriately, so that a behavioral and dress code might perhaps be gently...

DO NOT STAY HERE! I booked this resort for our family trip to Greece because of its relais and chateaux status. This resort is not worthy of 5 stars and I would not consider it luxury by any means. My two main issues were the quality and cleanliness of the rooms and the lack of customer service. |||| We booked a deluxe pool bungalow with private pool. Not only did the room we were given not resemble the online marketing but it was also extremely basic and what I would consider uninhabitable. It was very old, smelled of must and mold, had multiple cobwebs and spiders. The hotel's response was even more abhorrent than the room itself. The front desk attendant initially claimed that this was an upgraded room (which I think is preposterous based on the terrible quality for a so called 5 star resort with relais and chateaux status) but then offered us a nicer room tomorrow. The general manager told us the conditions were "part of Cretan charm" and to just "enjoy ourselves." I asked three times for a room change (once around 7pm immediately after checking in, 8 pm on our way out to dinner, and then 11 pm on the way back to dinner at which point I was told housekeeping had left for the night so it was impossible to change rooms despite my earlier attempts.) Additionally, during my two earlier attempts for a room, I was told they were fully booked despite their website showing multiple rooms available to book. I would like to mention, I was also five months pregnant during this stay and it caused me undue stress to stay a night in this room. ||||The next night, we were moved to a 2 bedroom pool villa with private pool. This room did resemble the pictures online and was improved in the room quality. I did still take issue with the fact that the second bedroom had an ant infestation and that there were mosquitos in the room. When we brought this up to the hotel, they did spray for ants and they gave us a mosquito repellant machine. My mom did get 4 bug bites. ||||Overall, this was a 1-2 star experience and I am upset that I spent so much money on a subpar stay. When I book a relais and chateaux, I expect my spend to be worth it. I also do not expect to be made to feel "extra" or "picky" by hotel staff for wanting a luxury experience at a luxury resort. Even when I am staying at a non-luxury hotel, I expect bare minimums to be met such as cleanliness and a lack of insects...