Domes of Elounda, Autograph Collection

I don’t understand why this gets a five star rating we are currently here right now and it’s been one thing after another The check in process was painful. You check in you sit and wait for a colleague whom by the way is also doing the travel acting as the concierge. So that takes about an hour and then we get to our room and the door doesn’t work and they say it its going take at least 30 minutes for maintenance to come and look at it. We went to dinner told them to fix it and come find us at dinner mind you if you’re not staying here for seven days there’s no guarantee that you will get a reservation in the restaurant. You’re just stuck with the buffet. Read the fine print on the website. we go back to the front desk after dinner and the solution is a physical key.. There’s a trick to lock in the door, which we learned later after another call to the front desk Today we go out come back the cleaning people never even locked our door nor shut it properly so the air did not kick in. They apologize because the cleaning staff did not know that the door was broken ???? we attempted to shut the door numerous times to get the air conditioner to work on call the front desk. They’ll talk to somebody after about 10 minutes of us trying to close the door of the air finally kicks in. how in the world does hotel get a five star. maybe it’s just us and we have bad luck but nothing about checking or staying in this hotel has been easy. I’d say this is because we’re in a foreign country but this is the third place we stayed and nothing has been like this.

Our favorite things about the Domes: - The setting is lovely. Beautiful views of the turquoise bay and Spinalonga island. - The room was fantastic. Very spacious and tons of storage space. Large patio space with a couch and loungers and an umbrella. Plenty of shade during the day. The bed was very comfortable. Plenty of towels and pillows. - The beach area stretches out along the bay. However, it’s not the type of beach you can take a beach walk on. There are many trees and umbrellas to provide excellent shade. Sitting and watching the boats go by was delightful. The beach itself is a combo of sand/dirt. The water has a sandy bottom but with some rocks. Water shoes were helpful. There are plenty of loungers at the beach - Good playlists at the beach and main restaurant! - Nice free tour of olive oil farm - We enjoyed a dinner at Core on one of the nights they offered a street food/food truck experience. There are a bunch of good vegetarian options. The service was extremely friendly Things to know: -There are lots of families - You need to make dinner reservations ahead of time - You’re probably aware that the resort is built into the steep hillside. You get around via staff-driven golf carts. If your room is not low on the hill, you’ll be at the mercy of the golf carts to move around the property. Usually it’s not an issue but once we waited over 10 minutes for a ride. We stayed in room 119 which was low down and therefore easily walkable to reception and the main building, but still high up enough to have a good view. The tradeoff is that the suites higher up the hill have even more dramatic views. - The individual suite pools are not heated. This is fine because they are small and warmed by the sun. - The resort pools are not heated in July and August. We were here the last week in August. With 20 to 30+ mph winds and air temps in the high 70s to mid 80s, the pools felt cold. - In general, things closed down early. The pools close at 6pm, including the spa pool, where the only “public” hot tub is. The pool bars and Dome bar stop serving food at 5pm. So there’s no option for getting a casual bite for dinner aside from room service. Just the resort’s (not cheap) restaurants. Some nights there are ala carte food trucks at Core. - Seems like smoking is allowed everywhere. Didn’t see designated areas - The store adjacent to the family pool was closed despite the fact that posted hours indicated otherwise. - We had a few minor customer service issues: Front desk was friendly but it took two requests for them to remove the mini bar items from the fridge so we could keep our own drinks cold. Lunch order at beach bar was wrong. Valet parking will park your car for you but you usually need to retrieve it yourself Overall, we had a great stay and were sad to leave.

Once again, this magical hotel exceeded our expectations. We have been going for many years now, sometimes twice a year. We are unable to fault it. The staff cannot do enough for you, you feel so cared for, as if nothing is too much to ask. Thank you George, Stella and your wonderful team for another truly perfect holiday. See you next year! Xx

We spent a week at Domes of Elounda and it was an unforgettable experience. The hotel itself is of the highest standard from the reception to housekeeping, everything was exceptional. However, the real highlight of our stay was the kids’ club, which is by far the best we’ve ever experienced and we travel about five times a year, mostly with Club Med. The manager, Eleni, took incredible care of us and our 13 month old son. She gave him personal attention, updated us daily on how his day went, and created an environment where he could express himself in the best way possible. Thanks to the care, comfort, and peace of mind the kids’ club provided, we even booked another week for next year! There is truly something magical about this place. All the staff, including Depi, were warm, communicative, and connected with the children on their level. Their professionalism, kindness, and genuine passion for working with kids set a new standard for service. Many places could learn from the way this team creates such a special atmosphere. Highly recommended for families we can’t wait to come back!