Elounda Gulf Villas by Sandglass

We went on a 10 day break - our first holiday with no children since our honeymoon 32 years ago! And what a place to go. From the minute you arrive the welcome is warm from the lovely staff on Reception. We spoke to Maria on arrival, who along with the rest of the front of house staff were excellent. Nothing too much trouble. Little touches with mattered - for example we had one of the ladies who service the room leave some towels on our bed in the shape of a heart with some flowers. Lovely touch. The properties are amazing, beautifully done out, we had a kitchen, fridge, washing machine and fridge freezer, a large sofa, big TV which we logged into our Netflix and Amazon accounts, and a dining room table. Outside a beautiful view - sun beds, and outside dining too. A lovely infinity pool, jacuzzi, sauna, and mini-gym with stunning views. The weather was beautiful, around 25 degrees C and clear blue skies. The only thing I would say is for someone like me with poor circulation the pool was a tad chilly, we plumped for it to be heated the last few days, but it was an extra 90 Euros a day. But worth it. Then there is the breakfast - you won't be disappointed, there is so much choice, English, Continental, Greek plus so much more. Salmon for breakfast every day! And the coffee is amazing, even decaffeinated for me. There was even Prosecco every other day! The staff. First class. Not only in their service, but the way they engage with you and turn eating a meal into an event. Wonderful people, Sofia and her team, I can't name them all, or remember all their names, but Manolis (and his sister!), Vitalis and Michalis, the young guy with them (I forgot your name!) as well as the guy on the bar (sorry forgot your name!) were a credit and a joy to spend time with, all of them. To all of you, thank you for making our holiday even more special! Be prepared on a Thursday night after dinner for some traditional Greek dancing, you have to join in, followed by a jump in the pool fully clothed with Vitalis. He will persuade you! Well, my wife, not me! Σας ευχαριστώ όλους. Neil and Teresa.

Enjoyed 8 nights here We had a 1 bed suite which was huge, with a lovely bathroom and separate lounge Food wise was excellent from the lovely breakfasts, daily lunches by the pool and 2 dinners in the evening Service was friendly and very helpful The villas are around an hour from airport (115 € exec transfer), then in taxis 10 mins from Elounda centre (10€), 15-20 from Plaka (15-€) and 20 mins from Ag Nic (16€) The pool was empty most days as people in pool villas stayed around the villas and others went to the beach club. On a couple of days it was a bit noisy, if family’s were playing in pool, but for the majority of time it was great !!! No probs we reserving beds due to amount of people using pool Beachclub ( located just past Domes hotel) - sea was lovely there on our visit Tip is to ask reception how many people have gone down their in the 15 min courtesy bus, as again it can be busy as only 2/3 working at bar restaurant and took us 1 hour to get lunch So in summary lovely villa, great food and we might be back in the future with our girls !!!

Elounda is such a luxurious experience. The service is impeccable. The suite was sprawling and so well-equipped. We had our own private gym, sauna and steam room in our villa. The pool and hot tub had an incredible dreamy view. The area was beautiful with a quaint adorable town on the water where we found everyone we spoke to very friendly and helpful. Definitely will return!

We recently spent 5 nights at this wonderful place and it was an unforgettable experience for us all ( including our two teenager boys aged 15 & 17). The space of the villas is great, offering lots of room for a family of 4 and lots of privacy. The staff truly make this place special – their 5-star service goes above and beyond. They even went out of their way to cook the fish we caught on a fishing trip (they helped us organise), making our stay feel unique and personalised. Breakfast was fantastic, with a great range of options that provided everything we needed for a good start to the day. While we enjoyed both meals, we found the lunch menus on half board more appealing with teenagers than dinner, as they offered a lighter and fresher selection (they let you choose on the day which one you want to have included). One note for future guests: not all pools can be heated, so choose your villa wisely. I personally loved the refreshing cold dips after doing some Yoga, but our teenagers weren’t as keen! And if you’re visiting on a Thursday, be prepared for dance night – it caught us by surprise but added a fun and lively touch to the stay. Also huge shout out to the beach Club - whilst it seems weird at first that it is 6km away - the shuttle service is really easy - we had a wonderful lunch there followed by a swim (note you do need beach shoes and we only realised on our last day there were snorkels you could borrow at the beach). All in all, we had a fantastic time and would highly recommend this place for families looking for something special, comfort, stunning views, and top-notch service.

We visited in September as the first stop of our honeymoon and immediately felt at peace and relaxed by the team at the front desk when we checked in. They were amazingly friendly and helpful throughout our stay. The accommodations were luxurious, with the private infinity pool & glass ceilinged shower being the highlights. We enjoyed breakfast daily and lazed by the refreshing salt water pool at the hotel. Whilst the property is not built on a beach, it was very easy to get shuttled there and enjoy the day beds with the warm water and amazing food available at the restaurant there. Located a quick 3 minute drive, or 15 minute walk to the town of Elounda, the location was ideal. Private, yet close enough to the nearby town or 10 minutes from the larger town of Agios Nikolas.

Myself, my mum and my 15 year old son spent 4 nights at Elounda Gulf Villas during October Half term and it was the perfect break for all of us. For a 15 yo to go on holiday with his Mum and Nan it had to be something special and EGV ticked all the boxes for us. We had a gorgeous 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom villa so we all had our own space and beautiful outdoor area with large pool. The villa felt like a home from home (albeit much grander than my flat in London!) but what really made our stay special was the staff. Every single member of the team was so friendly, warm and welcoming. Special shout out to Sofia and Giorgos who looked after us at dinner and the fabulous ladies on reception who couldn't do enough for us. The staff obviously take a lot of time to get to know the guests and remember their drink preferences, meal habits etc which makes you feel extra special. The food in Argo restaurant is excellent - we recommend the rooster which we had 3 X and the Angus burger for lunch. The room service menu is the same as the restaurant menu which is a treat as often room service menus are basic; we had a lovely dinner set up on our terrace on the last evening. The shuttle to the beach takes around 15 mins and it's a lovely, private beach to spend an afternoon. We had lunch at the beach which was a nice change from the main restaurant, serving burgers and souvlaki etc. The Greek night was fun and well attended, with Greek dancers who encouraged the guests to join in and a BBQ buffet style dinner. We were very lucky with the weather - end of October and it was 27 degrees and sunny all week! Apart from spending time by our pool and on the beach, we explored Elounda, Plaka and Agios Nikolaos all of which are within easy reach by taxi. We also took the boat to Spinalonga which is worth a visit for a couple of hours. We preferred Elounda to Plaka as although it's pretty Plaka is very small, not a great deal to do apart from take the boat to Spinalonga. For shopping Agios Nikolaos is great. Thank you to Aris the General Manager and the amazing team at Elound Gulf Villas for such a memorable stay ❤️ Having stayed at a number of other hotels in the area, EGV is the number 1.