Well me and my boyfreind (who is now my fiance) have visited crete once before (stayed in Aghios Nicholaos last time) and loved every minuite of it.Elounda itself is very romantic,a lovely place.It a quiet with its lively parts (but not too lively).
The hotel had both negative and positve aspects to it.I must say i went there expecting the worst after reading the reviews on this website so i wasnt dissapointed.Although i am only 19 i have travelled the world alot and have stayed in many hotels from 3*s to 5*s so i know exactly what to expect from each rating.
For a 4* its very poor overal,you will be disapointed.However it is a lovely place,but i would say it was a high 3*.Service is great,food is lovely,a good selection and very tasty.
The room was cleaned daily to perfection and the main part of the hotel is quite modern and classy.However its downsides;the maintennance is very poor!The pool has not got a very good finish and the outside is extreemly slippery( i seen 6 people fall over around the pool) and the paint job could of been done better by my little sister.However its very warm and had a great swim.Also lovely views from the outside i was very impressed.In our room a gap between the bath and the wall had been filled with toilet paper and the curtaiin was hanging of the rails.
Me and my boyfreind counted 15 cockroaches in the hotel,which often suggests hotels are dirty and unclean.However i wouldnt say it was dirty and unclean.Smoking hasnt been banned yet so they still smoke in the public areas within the hotel which is really dissapointing especially because were not smokers,but this wasnt a big deal and didnt affect our stay.
The prices are ridiculous,totally over the top.For a newspaper (the sun) we payed 2 euros for and a bottle of magners we payed 6 euros.When if you walk into elounda you pay half these prices.Infact they were even more expensive then the 5* hotel we stayed in last year.
The hotels beach is dissapointing too its made of black grit and is very small but on the plus side its very clean.How they can call the beach bar and beach bar i do not know.Its 2 fridges full of cans of drinks.The best thing to do is walk to the local beach which takes about 25 mins.It also states in the brochures for this hotel that it has watersports.It only has pedalos,so if your going there expecting blow up rings and jet skis,prepared to be let down.
Another thing they do not tell you in the brochures is its VERY VERY STEEP.Its good exercise for young people or people that do not have health probelms,but for those of you with a disability or are older you will struggle.Infact i wish i had taken a photo of how steep it is walking up to your rooms because i dont think ive ever sweated so much.People arnt exagerating when they say its steep!!!
Another downside is the brochures say there is entertainment within the hotel.unless music being played on a cd player whilst sunbathing is classes as entertainment and 1 bing night,then otherwise there wasnt any.The hotel was full aswell so they cant use the excuse thats it not the height of the season yet.

Although there were many negatives,the hotel is ok,its juts not a 4*,its a 3 at the most.Elounda itself is lovely,so unless you plan to live in your room and in the hotel then you will be dissapointed becuz these small things will afffect your stay.The main thing for me and my fiancee was that it was clean,and it was,it was spotless!!!

I have just returned from the Blue Bay and was thoroughly impressed with my holiday to the resort and its beautiful clifftop hotel. My partner and I were extremely anxious about visiting this hotel as we initially thought we were staying at the Elounda Bay not the Blue Bay. So when we started reading reviews of this hotel the day before we left, we became a little downbeat. My reflection? Travel with an open mind, and make your own mind up.

We arrived in the middle of the night, and although we did get dropped off at the door, not at the bottom of the 'notorious' hill outside hotel, the walk up to our room was difficult. Doubly so in the night. With this in mind, if you are disabled, or have walking difficulties I advise you select a different hotel, as the hotel does not cater to this at all. The walk from reception up to floor 2 [Rooms 300 - 500] is a difficult for the fittest of people, especially in 35 degree heat.

The rooms are spacious and clean, with a daily maid service, and our view was breathtaking.The views are worth staying there alone. The food offered is nice with plenty of variety. Even traditional greek dishes which is nice. The views from the dining rooms are gorgeous. Please be aware of the head waiter, he is fake and will become your best friend right away. Then pushing extras in your face throughout. There too is also an older sour faced waitress who hasnt a clue what day it is. Spilling coffee, dropping it over the floor, bringing tea when asked for coffee, turning her nose up when you dont order wine. She became a running joke throughout but its not something to ruin a holiday. I do give credit to the rest of the staff. The younger waitresses were exceptional.

Elounda itself is pretty and safe and very accesible. Not the hour walk many people on here have quoted. It will take you 15-20 mins, always longer when you stop to take photos of the gorgeous scenery. It really is gorgeous.

If you are looking for club nightlife then malia would be the best bet for the cretan islands. Nearby is Agios Nikalaos, which if you purchase bus tickets from the centre of Elounda, will take you there for 3.00 a return. Ag Nik is a lovely area but isnt as nice as Elounda. The shops in both sell the same stuff, fakes of designer etc...

All in all, Blue Bay is a very good hotel. It does need updating, but it has competent, hardworking staff, clean rooms, a lovely sunbathing and pool area, stunning views and a lovely array of food.

The downside would be the accesibility within the hotel, and the accessibilty of the town of Elounda if you struggle to cope in heat or having walking difficulties.

Me and my boyfriend stayed at Elounda Blue Bay in Aug 08, i have been to crete a few times before (malia and ag nik) and felt that it would be nice to stay in a quiter part. Elounda is very quite along with plaka, but we hired a car for a few days which was very cheap. the receptionists were quite happy to help sort this out for us. By renting a car we were able to go to ag nik to the water parks which are so fun i have been to both of the big ones and would say water city is the best. drive into the mountains to the small villages which have wounderful veiws. However getting a cheap litle atos up that hill was a struggle but alot of fun! our room was right at the top of the resort which was fine for us at only 18 and 21 but i can see how older people could find it difficult as a full belly did make it harder. But the higher the room the better the view!
The beach is great to with a selection of activities to do we hired a pedalo which was lovely and also got taken out on a blow up thingy magigy! and for 5 euros you can get a boat ride to spinalonga i have been there befor but it was amazing to see it again (i would also recomend you read "the island" while you are there)
Now our room was nothing to shout about, medium sized, bathroom was abit messy but it satisfied our needs as a place to sleep and cool off. for those that spend their holidays in their hotel rooms then dont go here but you will pay more and lose the views. We ate out most nights with great resturants in elounda but the food in the hotel is fine is you just want to have a cold bite to eat! The walk to and from elounda is lovely at night the sound of the sea and the breeze. The staff were lovely and always cleaning. the pool was spotless i woke up early a few days and found them cleaning the pool every morning. all in all i think that Elounda Blue Bay is a lovely hotel that is 100% creten and a great holiday.

Fantastic holiday. The hotel is definitely a Cretan 4* so don't expect luxury, but if you want clean, friendly with the most outstanding views this is the place to come.

The staff were friendly and accommodating; the rooms, pool and poolside were spotless and the food extensive.

After all the talk of the 'steep hill' I was expecting a 20 minute climb to the hotel. completely untrue. The walk into Elounda is all completely flat next to the beach. the only hill is the driveway up to the hotel; yes it is steep but very short, I'm relatively fit but it took only 2-3 minutes to walk from the beach to the reception. It is a further climb if you stay in a room which is higher up but all of the rooms have a balcony and face out into the bay and the view is so stunning it is definitely worth it. If you have limited mobility just request a room lower down which is accessible by lift.

Elounda is gorgeous and Agios Nickolos is lovely too. Both are easily accessible by bus from right outside the hotel.

Hiring a car is easy and cheap: about £30 a day for a small car. we explored for a couple of days which was easy to do.

The biggest negative of the holiday was that they stopped serving breakfast at 9.30am. I am not a morning person and was here to relax, so having to set a morning alarm wasn't fun, but everything else was great and i wouldn't hesitate to come back.

PS. don't book your holiday through the Flight Centre. they book you no transfers and don't even let you know resulting in a £50 taxi ride each way!