We had a holiday in Elounda last week of October many moons ago and the sea was definitely warm enough to swim in. Everything was open, but it would be better if someone who has been more recently could advise you on this. Suspect Elounda may have changed a little in 25 years...... We loved it there.

(Any swimming pools will prob be too cold though)

Thank you. That sounds encouraging. There are so many conflicting views about Elounda, We are half looking forward and half filled with apprehension! Good to hear you loved it, though.

You should watch this http://www.amazon.co.uk/Who-Pays-Ferryman-William-Slater/dp/9051596529/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1218370432&sr=1-2 Although it looks Dutch, it is in English with Dutch sub-titles. Set entirely in Elounda. We watched it on TV shortly before going there!

Oh and take an anti-mosquito plug-in. I remember we were bitten badly!

I've heard of it,will try and watch before we go-it would be good to see what Elounda is like. We certainly will take all our mosquito stuff, they seem to love me too much! Thanks for your post.

What are the 'conflicting views'? I can't think of anything not to like when we were there......... It was only a small place, but easy to get the bus into Ag Nik, which was bigger. The locals were really friendly. Invited us in to a party as we were walking down the street one evening! Interesting excursions to Knossos and other places.

Hi, some reviews (on other sites), said Elounda was 'touristy' and expensive. I must admit it wasn't our first choice but our holiday to
Chania area was cancelled so we booked Elounda on the rebound! We do prefer quiet places with lots of interesting sites etc. to visit. I must say, Elounda does seem to fit the bill .We loved our first visit to Crete last year (Chania ).

Well, obviously any coastal resort will be 'touristy'. It is their 'raison d'etre'! Can't comment on 'expensive' obviously. However with the current poor euro exchange rate, I suspect everywhere in euroland is expensive......

I 'm just quoting other peoples opinions-don't want to get into definition of 'touristy'. We have spent wonderful holidays in Greece in places which have managed to retain their integrity and hopefully still make a living from tourism. However, thanks for input, we'll look forward to exploring Elounda and the area around it.

we went to elounda last september and had booked up again within 2 weeks of coming back !!! we really enjoyed it and cant wait for next month!!

Thank you, Jane. Glad you enjoyed Elounda,hope you have another wonderful time. Tha more I read about it , the more we are looking forward to October.

Some places will be closed. No doubt - it's the end of the season, but there will be enough places to tempt you. Been to Elounda 7 times in 9 yrs, inc last month. You can spend a lot - but if you drink local wine and beer or soft drinks you can be frugal and still enjoy yourselves. Food prices were on a par with Rethymno - in 206 we were in Teth in June and Elounda in Sept and saw neglible difference.

Where are you staying? In one of the big hotels out of Elounda or a place in the village?

Go to Flickr an put Elounda in the search for some nice pictures or search for the group 'Elounda77 public gallery' for specific shots of Elounda inc some of the bars, tavernas, shops and restaurants.

I think the charm of Elounda is a combination of choice, lovely views, people and people. The locals, both Cretian (&/or Greek) and ex-pats are very welcoming and, in my experience, extremely genuine.

Try http://www.makeitgreece.net for a lively Elounda forum and experienced visitors.

I would imagine you will enjoy. Just ask or PM me if any questions.

DA

We are staying right in the village at Maria Stella Aprtments so very central. We like local beers etc. so that won't be a problem! We usually do a bit of self-catering too, as although we love Greek food, it's good to have a change, especially if the weather is very hot. I have found the Make It Greece site and like it very much, they sound a friendly bunch of people. Thank you for your help - we really appreciate any comments about Eastern Crete and Elounda.

We'd booked to go to Elounda on the 21st October, we've been told today that our hotel, the AquaSol has closed, or is closing, early and we've now rebooked to go to the Rinela Beach in Kokini Hani.

What a shame! Have you visited Elounda before? How do you feel about having your destination changed at the last minute? We had our holiday in Kalives cancelled by Kosmar before they crashed- we were lucky,although at the time we were very disappointed. I don't know much about Kokkni Hani except it is very near Heraklion. I do hope you enjoy your holiday anyway.

No we haven't been to Crete before, we chose Elounda because of it's proximity to Spinalonga, having read The Island I am keen to visit. It was a horrible hour this afternoon when we were waiting for the travel agent to get through to thomas cooks to sort everything out. They had booked us into another hotel, but we didn't like the look of it and it had a rooftop pool which we didn't think was ideal for the 2 youngest children, (I have boys aged 11 and 12, and a 17 year old daughter). Now that we've sorted out the booking and we like the look of the new hotel I feel ok, in fact I think we may possibly be better off now. I'll be interested to hear how your holiday goes, we may try to go to Elounda another year.