Jutting out into the relentlessly turquoise Aegean Sea, Elounda Peninsula is as chic as a night spent sipping honey raki with Maria Callas. An ‘all-suite’ resort hotel, each lavish room has its own private infinity pool, as well as access to not one, but two private beaches, both within stumbling distance from a selection of cottages and presidential bungalows.
Renovated in 2022, the rooms here are as glossy as you’d expect, with lots of marble and a clean, nautical feel. Jutting out on the peninsula, an al fresco breakfast at Calypso comes with an incomparable sea view. Order the strapatsada (creamy scrambled eggs with feta and tomatoes) and fresh juice while pondering the endless expanse of blue. The on-site restaurants are big, global names, with al fresco branches of Il Borro and Sumosan. There’s also a kids club and football academy if you want to send the sprogs off while you focus on dozing off under a beach umbrella after sinking a cocktail. It’s not cheap, but those views verge on priceless.
Neighbourhood
The dreamy northern coast of Crete. You’ll find Elounda Peninsula next door to Elounda Porto and a very short boat ride from Elounda Mare – all three hotels remain owned by the family that built them.
Nearby
- Six Senses Spa This sprawling ode to treating yourself has steam rooms, a hammam, and an epic outdoor pool, as well as massages and facials. You’ll find it in Elounda Porto and you can take a golf buggy all the way if the walk seems a little daunting in the sunshine.
- Sumosan A high-end sushi restaurant with sites in Courchevel, Dubai, Doha and Montenegro. Order the black cod.
- Il Borro The swish Tuscan trattoria chain owned by the Ferragamo family. This one comes with an enviable waterside location.
Time Out tip
Fancy a day trip with a difference? Take a boat to nearby Spinalonga, a former leper colony where Victoria Hislop’s bestselling 2005 novel The Island is set.