What an amazing place! I never thought I would find such an amazing gem at Crete. This was my third time on the island but by far the best choice of hotel. Tucked away on the eastside of the island it is a bit away from the nearest city and airport. It takes around 1½ hour to get here from Heraklion Airport but it is worth the drive. The hotel is near the small town of Plaka with plenty of dining and bar options. It is not a party town but a nice semi-authentic place. The hotel itself has plenty of dining options, too, and if you go to bed hungry you are to blame yourself. Anthós Restaurant was the best of the dinner choices at the hotel. The quality of the products and the level of service was amazing. Breakfast at Olea was also great with a lot of choices and high standards in general. Isola was great for lunch near the beach. Blue Door Taverna fell a little short being my last dining place after the other and much better restaurants at the hotel. My room was a one bedroom ocean view with my own little pool. I absolutely loved the room. Great colors and what an amazing view. So glad I upgraded. I just wish I had more time at the hotel to enjoy more of it. The beach area is as amazing as it can be. The beach is rocky but walkways have been created to avoid having your feet torn apart. There's a little pier to jump in the water from to avoid the rocks in the shallow waters. The water was crystal clear and even in October it had a great temperature. I usually don't swim in the ocean but this was just too tempting. Blue Palace, you did great. Don't change what you are doing because this is spot on.…
We are just back from a 10 night stay at the Blue Palace and what a lovely relaxing holiday we had. We stayed in a superior sea view room which was a short walk from the main reception near Asia Blue restaurant. The room was kept very clean by Olga and Maria and it had everything we needed apart from a full length mirror! We loved the walk to reception every morning for breakfast as you could not tire of the gorgeous view looking out to Spinalonga. At breakfast you were met by Nikki (Miss Pretty) who always remembered your name and escorted you to your table, she was lovely. There was plenty of choice at breakfast; all food was replenished constantly; there was always plenty of staff to help - shout out in particular to Despina. We were half board so enjoyed all 5 restaurants. In particular the Asia Blue who was managed by Leonidas and he ran a tight ship. The other staff Romain; Ioanna and Stavroula were wonderful and once again they always remembered your name and were so friendly and professional. The Blue Door had a lovely man as maître de along with Maria and another lovely lady (sorry didn't get your name) we enjoyed the food and the view. At the BBQ we were served by Sophia and Daniel who were first class along with the food. At the beach the staff were always on hand to serve you food and drink and all you had to do was press the bell on your parasol. We had fireworks one night over the bay which was fantastic. We also took the speedboat over to Spinalonga which was a fascinating visit especially after having read the book "The Island". We also visited Plaka; Elounda and Agios Nikolaos which were worth a visit. The reception staff were also very good especially Michael (enjoy Ireland) and Anna who helped us out. The only slight problem we had was on our 1st night when we tried to book dinner on the hotel app and every restaurant was fully booked maybe on check in they could have taken us through that process to ensure we got dinner(which of course we did).…
I liked everything! The hotel was stunning, the staff was incredible, the food was delicious, Everything was clean. The hotel was fully booked but we didnt feel it at all. Everything was perfect!!!!!!
We spent one week in October at the Blue Palace and overall it is a good hotel in a very nice location. Our room was great (very spacious) and overall facilities are quite nice, there are however a few flaws. As others have mentioned the location is very windy which one has to be aware of. The prices at the hotel restaurants are stiff (EUR 60 for lamb racks) and off the charts although the quality of the food is quite good. They charged for Nespresso capsules in a room which cost EUR 800/night - this just irritates your guests while earning the hotel little money - not a good idea. The service at the pools is not good - somebody will come if you ring the bell but other than that there is no attention to your guests. There are not that many restaurants at the hotel so it is not understandable why Isola (the Italian restaurant) is only open during the day but not at night. Leonidas Sifakis really stood out from the staff. Our daughter has a gluten allergy and he bent over backwards to get her a glutenfree dessert beyond ice cream - fantastic!…
It’s hard to fault a property for the weather, but the wind at this spot was so bad it really affected our trip and prevented us from enjoying the beach altogether. I understand from conversations with the staff that this is a reoccurring problem in July and August — so be aware. We ended up spending our days looking for other things to do — visiting nearby towns, took a boat out (nice but really tough with the winds) etc., so all was not lost, but we wouldn’t return. Otherwise, the hotel is nice but too commercial and large to be a true luxury hotel. This was our last stop on our honeymoon and the worst of our island spots — breakfast was mass produced food, buffet style and our plunge pool suite was fine, but the pool could use a deep cleaning and didn’t provide much privacy as the suites are all connected and separated only by a small barrier. If you can get a good deal to be here — alright, but we won’t be back.…
This is our second time to creed and second time to stay at the blue palace. I highly recommend this hotel! Rooms are well appointed, staff is very accommodating, the hotel itself is absolutely beautiful and every room has a nice view. The value is incredible.
We had a great time in Crete staying at the Blue Palace in Elounda. The staff made us feel very welcome and at home. The Concierge staff Kostas and George were very friendly and helpful with recommendations /day trips - always happy to answer any queries we had. The service was exceptional and the Hotel itself was beautiful and decorated in fine taste. Our accommodation was spacious with excellent views. Not to forget the breakfast which was delicious with a great choice of Greek pastries, breads and delicacies. All in all, a wonderful week in Crete with no complaints.
Perfect hotel with amazing stuff! Kostas help to make our stay and birthday celebration amazing! The overall team did a great job all professional and warm Thank you all. Looking forward to come again. The hotel is perfect for family and couples
Stayed a week in a heated pool bungalow. Lovely room, stunning views to Spinalonga, comfortable bed and exceptional cleaning to a high standard. Only thing missing was a coffee pod machine. We ate breakfast in Anthos, great service and warm welcome from Maria. The Blue Door was first class. All the staff were so friendly and helpful.
It’s quite hard to give a comprehensive review of an establishment such as the Blue Palace. However, during a five-night stay during October, we were delighted with our choice. We were there primarily for a cycling holiday, so were perhaps unusual guests in that we made less use of the extensive facilities than most. However, I can offer 8 subjects based on our stay that might assist future guests in planning a holiday in Crete. The Blue Palace is situated 4.5 kilometres north of Elouanda, and about 500 metres south of Plaka, the latter being a small working port village with a pleasing selection of restaurants, bars and coffee shops, as well as boats that make the eight-minute crossing to the popular tourist destination of Spinalonga. We had booked a private transfer from Heraklion, the car journey taking approximately one hour. Our booking was with Jet2’s ‘Indulgent Escapes’ programme; everything went perfectly. The hotel complex is sited on quite a steep hillside, with accommodation on several levels. There is a funicular which runs from the main reception building via a few stops right down to beach level, and this system is supported by a fleet of golf buggies for getting around the site. Our accommodation was of the ‘Bungalow’ type. We had a very large room, superbly appointed and immaculate throughout. We hadn’t booked a private pool (perhaps the pools should be renamed ‘exclusive’ as it seems to some guests that the word ‘private’ means total privacy, and then seem disappointed when their pool can be overlooked by others) as our intent was to swim in the sea prior to breakfast. Which brings us unto breakfast. Excellent. Lots of choice and staff busy restocking and clearing away. Kudos to Niki, who did an excellent job greeting guests on arrival and showing them to a table that suited, either inside or outside. Both had pros and cons. Inside was a little dark and echo’y, and the music, either piped or from a house pianist, could be a little overpowering, very much a personal opinion I know. But it didn’t have the wasps. Outside did, but by turning right through the doors to the outside dining area, we think we were further away from the nest and there were enough tables to attract them before they found ours! And of course outside had the benefits of being out in the fresh air. We didn’t really use the beach as we were on the bikes all day, but we did set the alarm early for a pre-dawn swim. The beach isn’t sandy, but is composed of big pebbles with quite a steep entry into the sea. This is overcome with a jetty / pier, perfect for diving or using steps for a more gentle entry. The swimming area is large enough for any standard of swimmer, with buoys protecting swimmers from surface craft. Furthermore, the island of Spingalonga gives great protection from the open sea, so the water was always relatively calm. Dinner can be taken a number of restaurants, and although the policy seems to be booking through the app (everything seemed to be ‘through the app’, which we kind of resented, as we were also trying to detox from IT), they can be booked face-to-face either at the restaurant itself or at reception. A tip is to try and book the first night prior to arrival as bookings seem to be made a couple of days in advance and reservations are limited. For our first full night, we dined in the Anthos, which seems to be the flagship establishment. We were a little underwhelmed: sorry, we don’t do outrageously huge portions; were surprised to see the dress code being disregarded by guests, and allowed to do so by the staff; and we really didn’t enjoy being vaped on by the guests on the adjacent table. The other nights, we dined at the Blue Door taverna right on the waterfront, which we loved and is subject to another review. The staff there were superb. Throughout, there seemed to be sufficient staff (I’ve travelled a lot recently and have become familiar with the staffing issues within the hospitality business). Throughout, the staff were friendly, efficient, polite and helped to make us feels valued. A special mention to the concierge staff, they never seem to get a mention. But each day, with good humour, they would help us secure our road bikes into the baggage room, and each morning get them out. Maybe they were just amused to see such unconventional use of the hotel! In sum, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Blue Palace. It met our expectations, and would happily recommend to our friends to stay here.…
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