The Resort That Defined Elounda

Drive along the coast road from Agios Nikolaos toward Elounda, and you will see it from a distance — a cascade of whitewashed buildings tumbling down the hillside to the water's edge, terraced gardens of olive and palm, and a sweep of beach that curves around a bay so calm it might be a lake. This is Blue Palace, and for over two decades it has been the resort that defined luxury on Crete.

Elounda, on the island's northeast coast, is Greece's answer to the Côte d'Azur — a stretch of Mirabello Bay where the hotels are five-star, the yachts are substantial, and the guests are the sort of people who could be anywhere but choose to be here. Blue Palace sits at the heart of this coast, and it is here that the Elounda formula was perfected: low-rise architecture, private pools, direct beach access, and views across the water to Spinalonga — the island that was once a leper colony and is now one of the most hauntingly beautiful sights in the Mediterranean.

The resort is now part of the Luxury Collection — Marriott's portfolio of the world's most distinctive hotels — and it wears that designation lightly. This is not a corporate luxury hotel. It is a Greek resort that happens to be world-class, and the difference matters.

The Layout: A Village by the Sea

Blue Palace is not a single building. It is a village — 251 rooms, suites, bungalows, and villas spread across a landscaped hillside that descends to the water in a series of terraces. Stone paths connect the clusters. Oleander and jasmine frame the walkways. The scale is large but never feels overwhelming, because the architecture is broken up into small blocks, each with its own character, and the landscaping is so mature that the buildings seem to grow from the gardens rather than sit in them.

The result is a resort that rewards exploration. You might discover a hidden path to a private cove, a quiet terrace with two sun loungers, or a viewpoint where Spinalonga floats in the bay like a vision. The resort is designed to be walked — and the walking is part of the pleasure.

The Rooms: Bungalows With Private Pools

The accommodation at Blue Palace ranges from comfortable double rooms to extravagant private villas — and it is the middle categories that are the sweet spot. The private pool bungalows are the reason most guests come here.

Each bungalow is a standalone unit set in the gardens, with a bedroom, a marble bathroom, and a private terrace with a plunge pool. The pools are not decorative — they are large enough to swim in, and they are positioned so that you cannot see or be seen by your neighbours. The effect is extraordinary: you have the privacy of a private villa with the infrastructure of a five-star resort.

The Suites

The suites escalate in grandeur. The Presidential Suite occupies the best position on the property — a promontory above the bay with 360-degree views, a 70-square-metre pool, a private chef, and interiors that read like a masterclass in Greek luxury: handwoven textiles, carved wood, local stone, and art by Cretan artists.

But the suites that most guests covet are the Spinalonga Suites — positioned on the terrace closest to the water, with views directly across the bay to Spinaloga Island. The terrace of a Spinalonga Suite is one of the great hotel balconies in Greece: a private pool, a daybed, and a view of one of the most evocative islands in the Aegean.

The Villas

For the ultimate in privacy, the resort offers a collection of standalone villas — two, three, and four-bedroom properties with private pools, gardens, and dedicated staff. The Villa Nafsika, with four bedrooms, a 100-square-metre pool, and a full-time butler, is the sort of address that attracts prime ministers and royalty. It is, quite simply, one of the finest private residences available for rent in Greece.

The Beaches: Three Bays, One Resort

Blue Palace has something that almost no other hotel on Crete can offer: direct access to three separate beach areas, each with its own character. The main beach is a crescent of sand and gravel backed by the resort's beach club, with sun loungers, parasols, and a beach bar serving everything from Greek salads to fresh seafood.

To the left of the main beach, a path leads to a smaller, quieter cove — more private, more sheltered, with water so clear you can see the pebbles on the bottom at three metres. To the right, a wooden pontoon extends over a deeper section of the bay, with platform loungers for those who prefer to swim in deep water and sunbathe over the sea.

The water in Mirabello Bay is remarkably calm — protected by the headland and by Spinalonga Island, which acts as a natural breakwater. The sea temperature is warm from May to October, and the water is so clear that snorkelling along the rocks at the edge of the bay reveals a surprising variety of marine life.

The Beach Club

The Blue Palace beach club is the social heart of the resort. Fresh towels are laid on your lounger before you arrive. The staff bring cold water, fruit skewers, and frozen towels throughout the day. Lunch is served at the beachside restaurant — grilled fish, Greek mezze, and a lobster pasta that is worth the trip alone. The atmosphere is relaxed but refined — the sort of beach club where people wear proper swimming costumes rather than shorts, and where the volume of the music is calibrated to allow conversation.

Spinalonga: The View That Tells a Story

From every terrace, every pool, and every beach at Blue Palace, you can see Spinalonga Island. It sits in the mouth of the bay, a small fortress-topped outcrop that is one of the most historically charged pieces of land in the Mediterranean.

Spinalonga was a Venetian fortress, then an Ottoman settlement, and then — from 1903 to 1957 — a leper colony. The lepers who lived here were exiled from the mainland, confined to this tiny island, and left to build a community of their own. And build it they did: a village with streets, houses, shops, and a cinema, all within the fortress walls. The story of Spinaloga is one of the most moving in Greek history — a tale of dignity, community, and survival in the face of abandonment.

Today, Spinalonga is a UNESCO-protected site, and boats from Elounda make the short trip across the bay several times a day. Walking through the ruined village, past the houses where people lived and loved and died, with the blue water of the bay lapping at the fortress walls, is an experience that stays with you long after you leave Crete.

From the resort, Spinalonga is a constant presence — a reminder that this beautiful bay has a history as deep and complex as the water is clear. At sunset, when the fortress walls glow gold and the water turns to glass, it is one of the most beautiful views in any hotel in the world.

Dining: The Tastes of Crete

Blue Palace has four restaurants, and the standard across all of them is remarkably high. The flagship is Anthos, which serves modern Greek cuisine with a focus on Cretan ingredients. The menu changes seasonally, but the philosophy is constant: the olive oil is from the resort's own groves, the vegetables from local farms, the cheese from Cretan producers, and the seafood from the morning's catch.

Anthos

The lamb with stamnagathi — a bitter wild green that grows in the Cretan hills — is a signature, the bitterness of the green cutting the richness of the meat. The dakos — a Cretan salad of barley rusk, tomato, feta, and olive oil — is the best version of this dish you will find outside a Cretan grandmother's kitchen. And the kalitsounia — small cheese pies made with mizithra cheese and mint — are the kind of thing you order a second plate of without hesitation.

The Beach Taverna

For a more casual meal, the beach taverna serves grilled fish by the water. The fish is caught that morning and displayed on ice — you choose, the chef weighs, and twenty minutes later it arrives at your table, grilled over charcoal with olive oil, lemon, and sea salt. It is the most elemental form of dining, and on a warm afternoon with your feet in the sand and the Aegean lapping at the shore, it is the best meal you can have in Greece.

The Wine

Cretan wine is among the most exciting in Greece, and the hotel's cellar reflects this. The island's indigenous grapes — Vilana (white), Liatiko (red), and Kotsifali (red) — produce wines of surprising depth and character, shaped by the island's extreme sunshine, mountain winds, and limestone soils. The Assyrtiko from neighbouring Santorini is also well represented, and the sommelier team can guide you through the Greek wine renaissance with genuine knowledge and enthusiasm.

The Spa: Mediterranean Wellness

The Blue Palace spa is one of the largest in Greece — a 1,500-square-metre complex set in the gardens above the main beach. It has an indoor pool, a thermal suite, a fully equipped gym, and twelve treatment rooms, including two couples' suites with private plunge pools.

The treatments draw on Cretan traditions — olive oil massages, honey and herb wraps, and a signature Cretan salt scrub using sea salt from the bay. The spa also offers a 'Blue Palace Ritual' — a four-hour programme that includes a body scrub, a massage, a facial, and a meditation session in the spa's quiet room, followed by a light lunch served on your private terrace.

The Hamam

The spa's hamam is a genuine Turkish bath — a marble-lined steam room where the traditional ritual of kese (exfoliation) and sabun (soapy massage) is performed by trained therapists. It is the perfect preparation for an evening in Elounda — you emerge scrubbed, steamed, and soothed, your skin softer than it has been since childhood.

Exploring Crete: Beyond the Resort

Crete is the largest Greek island, and one of the most diverse. It has mountains, gorges, ancient palaces, Venetian harbours, and beaches that rank among the best in the world. Blue Palace is the perfect base for exploring the east of the island.

Agios Nikolaos, the nearest town, is a charming harbour town with a lake (the bottomless Lake Voulismeni, where Athena is said to have bathed), excellent restaurants, and a vibrant market. A drive into the mountains takes you to the Lasithi Plateau — a high-altitude plain surrounded by peaks, where windmills turn and apple orchards flourish. Further afield, the Palace of Knossos — the centre of the Minoan civilisation, and the oldest palace in Europe — is a two-hour drive but absolutely worth the journey.

The Elounda Gulf

The resort can arrange boat trips around the Elounda Gulf — visiting Spinalonga, the sunken city of Olous (visible through the clear water), and the fishing villages of Plaka and Kolokitha. The water in the gulf is some of the calmest in the Aegean, making it ideal for swimming, kayaking, and paddleboarding. A half-day on the water, with a picnic from the hotel, is one of the great Cretan experiences.

Who Will Love Blue Palace

Blue Palace is for those who want the full Mediterranean resort experience — beach, pool, spa, dining, and views — without compromise. It is a large resort, and it does not pretend to be a boutique hotel. But within its scale, it achieves a level of intimacy and attention that most boutique hotels would envy.

It is perfect for couples seeking a romantic escape, for families who want a resort with activities and a children's club, and for groups who want to take a villa and make it their own. It is for those who want to wake up, walk to the beach, swim in the clearest water in the Aegean, and then spend the afternoon in a spa that rivals anything in the Middle East.

And it is for those who want to fall asleep looking at Spinalonga — that small, haunted, beautiful island that sits in the bay like a reminder that the best views are the ones with a story behind them.