A celebration of the good life

By Editors of Resorts & Great Hotels

updated 3:07 p.m. ET April 22, 2005

Flush with new energy from the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, the chic Elounda Beach Hotel & Villas, set on the idyllic northeastern coast of Crete, continues to attract savvy travelers.

All 260 rooms, suites, and villas offer exceptional comforts befitting a member of The Leading Hotels of the World. A butler or villa manager comes standard, as does champagne and fruit upon arrival. The in-room features range from custom furnishings to marble bathrooms with Aerospa tubs and steam baths, heated floors, CD and DVD players, and business amenities.

Guests select from one of four levels of superb to over-the-top accommodations. Comfort VIP Club guests enjoy luxurious rooms and one-bedroom villas. Premium Club guests settle into waterfront suites, some with private platforms leading directly to the sea or a shared heated pool. Exclusive Club guests luxuriate in villas and suites with private pools and expansive decks.

Designed to rival the finest Mediterranean homes, the Platinum Club Suites surround guests with unmitigated opulence. All provide dining areas, fireplaces, oceanfront terraces, gardens, and private pools and gyms. Some feature fully equipped kitchens. Private chefs, personal trainers, sommeliers, and Learjet or helicopter transfers make the experience even sweeter.

The Platinum Club’s Royal Suites come equipped with a luxury car—and even pianists on call to perform on custom grand pianos.

The resort’s sprawling outdoor swimming pool provides a perfect place to bask in the abundant sunshine. Sunbathers walk just a few short steps to order food and drink at the Neraida Pool Bar.

Five waterfront restaurants, all recipients of Five Star Diamond Awards from the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences, stimulate the senses with Mediterranean flavors—as well as Polynesian, Japanese, and Italian. All feature award-winning wine lists with premium vintages from around the world.

Daytime pleasures of the sea range from scuba lessons to waterskiing, windsurfing, and yacht rental. Land-based facilities include a fitness center, clay and artificial grass tennis courts, badminton, volleyball, mini golf, table tennis, basketball, a children’s playground, and a new spa for rejuvenating treatments.

The resort, a staple on Condé Nast Traveler’s Gold List, continues to gratify traveling sophisticates with its Olympic standard of hospitality and its celebration of the good life in a land steeped in ancient history.

For more information: www.eloundabeach.gr

Resorts & Great Hotels - The Connoisseur’s Guide to the World’s Best. Published annually, it’s the ultimate upscale travel resource for luxury accommodations worldwide. The 2005 Edition  of Resorts & Great Hotels showcases over 270 feature articles in nearly 500 glossy pages of stunning photography and detailed profiles.

MORE FROM LUXURY

Luxury Section Front

World's coolest hotel pools Tasty (hidden) bites of the Big Apple High fashion carry-ons Despite tough times, Shanghai promotes luxury Top U.S. seaside inns Is this the world’s best hotel? Circle the globe in luxury — at discount prices Meaty luxury for your taste buds World's top hotel mini-bars add luxury to nuts Top of the world: The 10 best hotel balconies Luxury Section Front   Add Luxury headlines to your news reader: