In June we stayed at the Blue Palace Resort & Spa, a member of The Luxury Collection. The hotel is on the northwestern coast of Crete in front of the wonderful view of Spinalonga, the famous leper island. It’s just a few minutes walk to the small fishing village of Plaka and the town of Elounda.
Our first impressions was the breathtaking scenery the resort is located in: flanked by rugged mountains with its sweeping views of Spinalonga, and the crystal clear waters of the bay. The design of the hotel is large in scale and extremely grand, with a very spacious lobby and certainly befitting for a hotel with the word “palace” in its name! It is luxurious but minimalistic, with very large public spaces and floor-to-ceiling windows revealing the glorious view of the sea.
Since the hotel is built into the mountain, you can travel between levels by using a glass funicular (a transparent cable car from which you can take in the amazing view). At the very top there is a vast terrace, with comfy sofas and a swimming pool, where we often chilled at night enjoying cocktails and live music while taking in the astonishing view.
We were very impressed that every room has a sea view! The resort has a very boutique feel about it, despite having 251 rooms and suites There are suites of varying sizes and villas that can accommodate up to eight people. As you’d expected from a luxury 5-star hotel, you can find almost everything in this hotel complex, with its own private beach, three main outdoor swimming pools, an indoor pool, watersports centre, tennis courts, a kids club and playground area, a boutique, conference facilities, a private chapel and even has its own helipad! There really is something for everyone to enjoy.
Each morning we drew back the curtains to reveal our own private infinity pool, taking in the archeological relic of Spinalonga island which sits directly across the water from the hotel. I highly recommend visiting the island of Spinalonga, a former leper colony. It’s a short boat trip away, and for eight euros you can explore the now deserted houses, church and school on the island.
At the heart of Blue Palace is the award-winning Elounda Spa & Thalassotherapy, where you can treat yourself to signature treatments, facials, massages and body wraps. It is equipped with 24 treatment rooms, a 24/7 fitness centre, a heated swimming pool, Jacuzzis, steam baths, saunas, gym and a hair salon.
The resort has two bars and five restaurants, all with very different cuisines. You can enjoy dinning at the Isola, featuring Italian dishes served up with delicious salads and fresh seafood, and then later head off down to the Isola Beach Club, to enjoy signature cocktails, beers, smoothies and light dishes, while taking in the Aegean sea and kick back to some boho ambience and some chilled out tunes.
We absolutely loved the Anthos restaurant, which serves up traditional Greek cuisine with a contemporary twist. They have their own organic kitchen garden, and an open-air kitchen where you can watch the chefs cook first hand, while taking in the views towards the Spinalonga Island.
Our favourite dining place was at the Blue Door, which was once was an old fisherman’s cottage.. It offers Cretan cuisine, featuring squid, lobster and the catch of the day cooked over an open grill. It was a truly wonderful experience; an authentic old world Greek atmosphere with traditional live music.
One of our highlights of the stay was when we met up with the sommelier for a private Cretan wine tasting experience at the hotel. We learnt about the culture and rich history of producing wine in Crete. The wine was sublime, and the cheese was delicious, but I will strongly deny any accusations of going away just a little bit tipsy! :p
The general atmosphere at the Blue Palace Resort & Spa is as tranquil and relaxed as I could expect from a 5-star resort, melting away all your worries as you can indulge in the serenity and beauty that this Greek island has to offer. Nothing was too much trouble for the staff at Blue Palace, who were so polite and friendly, making every effort to accommodate any requests you may have. Everything has been carefully thought out and designed for the visitors to have a relaxing and charming vacation at the Blue Palace Resort & Spa, and was the most tranquil and relaxing experience as I could expect from a 5-star resort.