Aquila Elounda Village Resort, Suites & Spa

“A truly luxurious holiday exceeding all expectations.”

I have visited Elounda many times so I knew the region was beautiful and the standard of hotels is generally high in this region. Aquila Elounda did not disappoint in fact it exceeded my expectations on many levels. Firstly I have to say how fantastic the staff are here. We were welcomed with open … more

I have visited Elounda many times so I knew the region was beautiful and the standard of hotels is generally high in this region. Aquila Elounda did not disappoint in fact it exceeded my expectations on many levels. Firstly I have to say how fantastic the staff are here. We were welcomed with open arms like family in the reception. Treated like royalty with champagne and taken to the concierge desk where Maria explained everything in the hotel and showed us on the hotel map where everything is. She gave us a lovely welcome gift keyring and told us they had upgraded our room to a pool room. Such a fantastic surprise. Our luggage was taken to the room and we were given welcome flowers, bottle of champagne and a bottle of rose. Our room had beautiful decor and spotlessly clean. A huge veranda which opened out to a stretch of pool which we had private access to. Lovely views of the sea. Couple of loungers outside and some chairs and a table. All perfect for relaxing. The bathroom is separated by a huge sliding door. Quite heavy to push but we managed no problem with it. The toilet is separate in the bathroom area but only by a swing door, lacking any privacy but we noticed with it being an adult only hotel most guests were couples so likely to not be a problem for most we were sisters so would have preferred a bit more separation of the bathroom and toilet to the main room. We explored the grounds of the hotel which is laid out like a mini village. Paths lead down to the various pools (three) and at the very bottom the private beach with loungers and beach bar. Views of the sea are spectacular at many points on the way down to the beach. The main pool area infinity style. At end April there were people swimming but it was incredibly cold. We were half board but as we stayed in the mythica room we had a number of extra benefits. We could use the a la carte restaurant which was located near the little church. It was lovely food and service although probably more suited for couples with candlelit tables. The beach restaurant was not part of half board but the food was very nice and reasonable prices. The menu similar to room service which we also tried a couple of times. The club sandwiches were huge and very tasty. We went down to the private beach which was lovely amazing views very relaxing a bit windy in April but very pleasant. Drink service at the beach and pool was useful although not always easy to find a staff member, understandable as it's a large hotel and was early season. I was a bit surprised that the hotel used paper cups for cocktails and drinks for the pool and beach. I understand that safety and also being eco conscious was important to them. However it did dampen the experience of enjoying an expensive cocktail. I didn't feel it was worth the 12 euros I was paying for a small paper cup of cocktail. When filled with ice it made the cup soggy and difficult to drink out of. Reusable non glass would have been preferred when paying for expensive cocktails which could fit a full size tall drink. There is an app which you can download for the hotel which is useful for booking a la Carte and any of the events available. We booked cocktail lessons and wine tasting these were free to book. The cocktails is not make your own but just observe and you get a small shot glass to try a taste of each of three cocktails they demonstrate. Only a half hour session for cocktails not long but the wine tasting was an hour so certainly worth booking. The main restaurant was one of the highlights, the food is exceptional. Themed foods and the quality of dishes were some of the best I have experienced in Greece. It's not a huge restaurant but the level of detail in the dishes was outstanding and it made us want to try everything. The gala night was my favourite, they had staff offering welcome drinks and special tables one with cured meats with a huge manual meat slicer where staff made little meat dishes for you and next to that another staffed table with a huge chocolate fountain with various foods to dip in it. All beautifully presented. The restaurant staff were all amazing too serving drinks and friendly. Greek night was also special with a welcome drink of raki! It's certainly a culinary experience to stay at Aquila Elounda! I booked a spa treatment while staying and the staff here were also very friendly. There's an indoor pool and sauna free to use and there are other spa experience rooms which they offered me with my treatment but I didn't use due to my respiratory health. The treatment however was pleasant and enjoyable. The onsite shop was fantastic, with snacks and lots of souvenirs we found it very useful on the rainy days when we stayed inside the hotel. The jewellery shop has beautiful pieces the owner was very friendly and informative about the area and hotel. The jewellery is as you'd expect for a five star hotel very expensive but we enjoyed admiring the pieces on display. The lobby bar is quite a huge imposing room which really is spectacular with high ceilings and beautifully furnished with large pieces of furniture and decor. A truly relaxing environment and the service is superb with snacks brought with drinks. Evening drinks after dinner was a must each evening. One evening we also attended cinema night in the lobby. A gigantic inflatable cinema screen was put up and they showed the greatest showman movie. This was fantastic and we also were brought out popcorn too. A really lovely unique experience. We visited Elounda square for the afternoon one day and it was nice problem to book a taxi at the reception. Around 15 euros around 15 mins from the hotel and having been to elounda before I enjoyed revisiting the square and exploring the harbour and enjoying a spot of lunch at Babel Bar. A wonderful afternoon. Overall we were blown away by the whole experience at Aquila Elounda it really does feel like a sanctuary get away. Truly relaxing and great for a detox unwind. I would definitely return but with it being an adult only hotel I would come back with my husband as it certainly had a Romantic vibe to it for couples. I've already joined the Aquila club and I can't wait to return to this little oasis paradise! Thank you Aquila Elounda for making our visit so special!

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