Phaea Blue
Crete, Greece
Why it made our list: This is Elounda without the grand resort energy. Personal, and exactly the right size.
At a Glance
Bungalows and suites step down the hillside to a private pebble beach, Spinalonga square across the water. Rooms are Cretan and unfussy: natural stone, local art, deep terraces angled at the island. Most have a heated pool of their own. The design stays out of the way, so nothing in the room competes with the view it was built around.
The service is the reason to book. It is personal in a way most hotels this size cannot manage, and it never announces itself. Much of the team has been here for years, long enough to read what you need before you ask, and everyone leaves thoroughly looked after. A caique sails from the hotel’s own jetty, an organic garden feeds the kitchen, and the Farmers Feast has you cooking straight in the soil, in Minoan-era ceramic pots. If that sounds like a gimmick, it isn’t.
Our Take: A family owned hotel over twenty years, 47 rooms and a philosophy based on client first service. Elounda has no shortage of grand hotels. It has very few that pay this kind of attention.
Rooms We Love
The one to book. 54 sqm with a king bed, sitting area, heated pool on your veranda, and sea views that make the morning coffee worth slowing down for. Two marble bathrooms. Sleeps up to four, though it’s best as a couple’s room with space to spread out.
The most tucked-away feeling on the property. Local artwork, two bathrooms, a proper heated pool. If you want privacy and a sense of being slightly apart from everything, this is the room. 60 sqm.
Three bedrooms, a private heated pool with sea views, outdoor dining terrace, BBQ, fully equipped kitchen and a dedicated chef and butler. The master bedroom has a four-poster bed and a fireplace. Connected via a staircase to the Junior Suite and Blue Maisonette below, so it can expand for larger groups. 290 sqm.
Dining
Anthós Greek cuisine led by Executive Chef Giannis Kallivretakis, with a Michelin Hotels key. Seasonal Cretan ingredients, real ambition.
Blue Door Taverna A restored fisherman’s cottage right on the shore. Traditional Cretan cooking, fresh seafood, Spinalonga across the water. The more casual of the two, and exactly right for a long lunch.
Phāea Farmers Feast A communal pop-up in the hotel’s organic garden, available on select evenings. Ingredients harvested that day, cooked in the soil using ceramic pots following ancient Minoan technique. Led by Kallivretakis. Not every hotel experience lives up to the description. This one does.
Votsalo Bar Poolside, all day. Cocktails, local wines, Spinalonga views.
Breakfast at Anthós, daily from 7:00 AM to 11:30 AM. Cretan buffet with à la carte dishes to order.
Essentials
Check-in:
3:00 PM
Check-out:
11:00 AM
Rooms:
47 rooms, bungalows and suites (plus one villa)
Open:
April 26 to October 31
Children:
Welcome
Parking:
Free valet parking on site
Accessibility:
Hillside property with stepped pathways; buggy service available
- Outdoor swimming pool
- Private beach (Blue Flag)
- Spa
- Gym
- Indoor and outdoor yoga decks
- Organic garden
- Outdoor cinema
- Caique boat excursions
- Watersports
Small dogs only (one per room, max 8 kg) at €30 per day. Dogs must be trained and kept on a leash in public areas. Not allowed in restaurants, the pool area or on the beach. No cats or other pets.
The beach is pebbled, not sandy. Pontoons with steps provide easier access to the water.
The property is built into a hillside. Walking between the main building and the beach involves steps; a buggy service runs throughout the day.
Between the fishing village of Plaka and the port of Elounda, on Crete’s north-eastern coast, directly across from Spinalonga Island.
Address: Plaka, Schisma Elountas, Elounda, Lasithi, Crete 720 53
Plaka village: 10-minute walk
Elounda: 5 km / 10-minute drive
Agios Nikolaos: 12 km / 20-minute drive
Heraklion Airport (HER): 70 km / approximately 1 hour drive
Getting Here:
Direct flights to Heraklion from most European capitals, with seasonal connections from the US and UK. 35-minute flight from Athens. Private transfers recommended; the hotel can arrange.
Connects well with:
Chania (western Crete for a two-centre stay),
Santorini (2-hour ferry),
Paros (3 hr 40 min ferry)
Naxos
Mykonos
Let us get you here, no stress
