Elounda Palm Hotel & Suites

If your ideal evening involves a proper meal, a drink by the pool and somewhere cool to put your feet up, Elounda Palm Hotel & Suites has the right sort of outline. This family-run hotel sits among palm gardens above the Gulf of Elounda, with rooms and suites aimed at couples as well as families.

The mood is more comfortable base than all-action resort. You have a large seawater pool, a lounge bar, gardens and a spa, while the village is close enough for an outing when you fancy a change of scenery. The website is available in English, Greek and French, which makes checking the essentials before arrival rather less of a puzzle.

You are in Elounda, on Crete's north-eastern coast, with the hotel set on a hill overlooking Elounda Gulf and Spinalonga Island. It is described as being by the sea, but the nearest named beach, Elounda Beach, is about 1.5 miles away; Skisma Beach is around 1.5 miles away by road and about 1.6 miles on foot. So this is a sea-view base rather than a hotel where you step straight from your room onto the sand.

Elounda village centre is 1 km away, giving you restaurants, bars and an evening change of scene without committing to a major expedition. Agios Nikolaos is 7 km away, with the Archaeological Museum about 6 miles from the hotel and Lake Voulismeni around 6 miles away. Spinalonga Fortress is about 3.5 miles away, and the ancient remains of Olous are roughly 1 mile away.

The room choice matters here because the hotel covers several very different ways of travelling. For two people who want a straightforward base with a view, a sea-view room or the Deluxe Palm Suite puts the emphasis on the Gulf rather than on extra family logistics. Rooms open onto balconies facing either the Mediterranean gardens or the deep blue water of the Elounda Gulf.

Travelling with children or a larger group calls for one of the family suites or the two-bedroom villa, where separate sleeping arrangements and private-pool options make more sense than trying to organise everyone around a single room. The Classic Room Garden View can sleep three, while the family categories extend to four or five guests. The cards below give the exact layouts, so you can compare the sleeping arrangements without having to perform hotel-room archaeology.

For the practical business of a diving holiday, the basics are in place: air conditioning for the return from a hot day, soundproofing, a refrigerator for cold drinks and an electric kettle for the first coffee of the morning. Daily housekeeping, free WiFi, a desk, wardrobe space and a television cover the less glamorous but useful details. The hotel also highlights comfortable beds; after a full day in the water, that is the sort of specification that earns its keep.

Breakfast is a buffet with continental, American, Greek and local choices, served in the Main Restaurant. It is the useful kind of start for a diving day: something familiar if you want to get moving, with local flavours available when you feel like making the morning more Cretan. The Main Restaurant also serves lunch and dinner in an air-conditioned indoor setting.

For lunch, Dacos A la Carte Restaurant takes you beside the pool, with local specialities, lighter snacks and views over the sea. Dinner gives you two routes: Greek and international flavours from the Main Restaurant's buffet, or a Cretan-inspired meze menu at Dacos. The latter is designed for sharing and pairs neatly with a bottle from the wine selection. There are three restaurants in total, although the named dining offer centres on these two restaurants and their different settings.

The Mellow Bar is the pool bar, and its signature is cocktails built around Cretan herbs and spices, freshly squeezed fruit juice, handmade syrups and liqueurs. There is also a snack bar and a coffee house on site, plus room for special-diet menus on request. In other words, you can keep things simple with a coffee, or make the evening last a little longer without leaving the property.

The large seawater infinity pool is the centrepiece, surrounded by palm gardens, sun loungers and umbrellas. The seawater gives it an ocean-like feel without asking you to pack a towel and head for the coast. A children's pool and outdoor play equipment keep the family side of the hotel occupied, while table tennis, darts and billiards provide low-effort competition for anyone whose legs have already done enough work for one day.

The 260-square-metre spa offers massage, hammam, sauna and jacuzzi facilities, with a relaxation area for the part where nobody wants to discuss tomorrow's plans. The same-sized fitness room is available if you still have energy to spend, which is either admirable or suspicious depending on how early the boat left. Boat excursions and cultural excursions add options beyond the property, and bicycle rental is available on site.

Heraklion International Airport is about 37 miles from the hotel by road, with a driving time of around 58 minutes. Sitia Public Airport is farther by road at about 44 miles, with a journey of around 1 hour 20 minutes. If you are driving from Heraklion, follow the signs towards Agios Nikolaos, continue towards Elounda and look for the hotel sign after the road climbs and descends above the Gulf. The hotel has free private parking, including an electric-vehicle charging station.

Check-in starts at 15:00 and check-out is by 11:00. You need to provide photo identification and a credit card at check-in, and the hotel asks you to share your expected arrival time. The front desk operates around the clock, with a tour desk, currency exchange, car hire and wake-up service available. Free WiFi covers the hotel, air conditioning is also present in public areas, and packed lunches can be arranged for days spent away from the table.

Children of all ages are welcome. Cots for children aged between 0 and 2 can be requested, subject to the selected accommodation and availability; extra beds are not available. Pets can stay on request, and cash is accepted for payment.