This, in our opinion is the best resort we have stayed in in Crete. It is very family orientated. Everyone is very friendly and restaurants do not overcharge. There is a beautiful harbour and lots of very good restaurants. The beach is very clean and not too crowded, you can always get sunbeds and parasols.

very clean with plenty of restaurants,a couple of bars and a bus service into ag nik for a change of scenery. We can recommend this resort for a relaxing holiday with everything close to hand really for couples and young families. Dont go there if you want noisy nightlife.

the resort is so clean, no litter anywhere, plenty of taverna,s to suit every taste, the beach was clean, and ample sunbeds, will definetly be returning to elounda, the people are so genuinly friendly , not just because they want your custom,

If you want the best in Crete then there is only one resort and that is Elounda, it is magnificent with all that you could want from a five star resort,, Hersonosiss and Malia do not have a look in unless you are a teenager!
Elounda is set around the harbour with fine Restaurants,Bars, Tavernas and with the best in Cretan food you could wish for. The Hotels range from 5 Star to Superior Appartments and this is what the Manos is..
You can also take a stroll to the unspoilt Mountain Villages which are close by and have not been touched by time and sip on your favourite cool drink and Photograph the excellent views..
Now we know why the BBC choose this resort for the filming of ''Who Pays the Ferryman'' and later the Lotus Eaters..
Leonardo de Caprio loved his time here as has Prince Philip and many others not to mention the Rock Group U2 who filmed one of there DVDs on Spinalonga..
Yes..we will definatly be back,, not to be missed and a very, very special place indeed!

Elounda is not very exciting but the hotel complex is self-contained and classy. You ca eat int he town and visit the little shops. People in Elounda are very friendly and it is packed with good place to eat or drink, with sea views and little boats bobbing on the water.

We are biased and go to Elounda a lot. But why? Nice and compact, not the best beach but ok. Lots of bars, restaurants, tavernas etc. Nice shops, nice people. Not as busy or large as some resorts, but everything we want.

The resort cleanliness was spotless even down to the beach staff picking up cigarette butts left on the beach every day. Resort entertainment was first class. plenty to do for everyone. Restaraunts spoilt for choice and the service was above and beyond.

We would highly recommend that you visit the resort of Elounda the Cretian people are warm and so friendly nothing is too much trouble for them and they warm to you even more if you attempt basic greek language with them.

Elounda is quiet, picturesque and relaxing. We travelled at the start of the school holidays and could not believe how quiet it was - it was like being off season. The resort is definietly the nicest out of all the resorts en route to Heraklion airport. It has lots of charm, fantastic scenery and a perfect location with proximity to Agias Nikolaos (for your nightlife and shops) and Plaka (a real Greek village). The harbour area is very pretty with a great selection of bars and restaurants.

The only downside is that the beaches are manmade, and although sandy, in the sea it is rocky in places and lots of seaweed in other parts. We found the best spot to be on the municipal beach, just to the right of the windmill as here the water was more sandy and no rocks at all. However, we are real beach lovers and we still loved Elounda and would definitely go back there.

The hotel is about 1.5km from Elounda, about a 15 – 20 min walk along a winding esplanade and about 3.5km from Plaka (where the Blue Palace resides – very nice). The location and the views are exceptional; we did a little driving around the east of the island and didn’t see anywhere that we would have preferred to stay. Elounda was the usual mix of bars, restaurants and shops some of which were good though beware of the fakes! We were there during the world cup so this may have given a false impression of the place. Agios Nikolaos (Please don’t call it Ag Nik) was a little disappointing though we did meet some of the local fishermen, one of whom owned a couple of restaurants (funny old thing). We did go to Taverna Giorgios at Plaka which I can whole heartedly recommend the food and the service was superb, the finishing touch was the complimentary melon and cherries followed by Raki definitely worth a visit.

You can get the boat across to Spinalonga from Elounda or Plaka (cheaper from Plaka - €7 per person) though an organised trip from Elounda which includes a tour of the church, boat trip, guided tour and a barbeque was about €17, didn’t do it so can’t comment but it sounded like good value. Spinalonga (entrance fee) is definitely worth a visit, you can walk all round the island and explore to your hearts content. There are information boards detailing the fascinating history of the island. Hire a car and explore, the mountains and views are breathtaking and the roads quiet and good condition and full of hairpin bends – great fun.

We usually go for a 4* hotel and have almost always been surprised (and embarrassed) at the choice, variety and quality (Lanzarote, Maderia, Menorca to name a few examples). Maybe we have come to expect it and I do appreciate that Greece has its own uniqueness and charm but, the rating is completely off and does this hotel an injustice as it sets expectations that it can only fail to satisfy when compared to other destinations. This is a shame as the location is outstanding but for us the negatives outweigh the positives and there are still so many other places to see. Feel free to ask me anything else if it's not covered here!!

The beach below the hotel is small but a pleasant enough place to while away the time. We were a little peeved to be charged for sunbed and umbrella hire – after all, it is the hotel’s beach. There’s a little kiosk on the beach for cold drinks and snacks, but no toilets. The sea was lovely for swimming and snorkelling.

We would definitely agree that the hotel standards are nowhere near four star though, more like just about a three. However, the cleanliness is good and the linen change exceptional – sheets and towels were changed every two days.

Elounda itself is around a 25 minute walk – on the flat once you come down the hotel drive, and is a pretty town, obviously touristy but pleasant. It is a bonus that it is still a working harbour, so people are also resident in the town, rather than it being a purpose built holiday resort. There is a variety of restaurants, you can literally take your pick according to your fancy.

The only trip we took was a visit to Spinalonga by boat. It’s a poignant place with a chequered history, and very interesting; well worth a visit.

Our return journey to the airport by taxi was cost 55 Euros and was worse than the coach! The taxi driver, rather worryingly, kept crossing himself … and he was driving at 140 km/hour in a 70 limit! To top it all, when we reached the airport we discovered our flight was delayed by 4 hours due to a technical fault …. We were transferred to a Thomas Cook airbus which was only half full and infinitely better than the cramped Mytravel outward flight.

Sadly, our luggage, which was a wedding present last year and far superior to what we would normally buy! - did not fare well (despite having returned from Singapore and Bali last year completely unmarked). One of our cases is damaged beyond repair, it looks as though it was crushed and has a hole in it. Claim in progress ….

All in all, we were pleased with the holiday on a ‘you get what you pay for’ basis. Crete is not particularly cheap for food and drink – a factor to bear in mind if you are taking children.