Elounda Orama

The beautiful views, and how clean and tidy it was!

Cold meats and cheeses for breakfast maybe could be covered with clingfilm to avoid things getting in!

The hotel was in a great location to the harbour and Elounda bay. Great access to the main street, restaurants and bars. The hotel staff were very friendly and welcoming. Our room had a lovely view of the sea and Spinalonga, with a balcony and additional garden with sun loungers. The buffet breakfast was excellent, very fresh with plenty of choice and the restaurant had lovely views of the harbour and sea. The pool was clean and had comfortable sun loungers, the grounds were well maintained. The hotel had lifts as there were several floors and this helped with getting luggage to the rooms. Overall the hotel was generally clean, airy and the reception area was welcoming.

When I chose this 4 star hotel I looked at all the facilities it had to offer. This included a spa, gym, rooftop cocktail bar, reception bar and pool bar. As this was a special treat for my friend this offered us additional facilities to treat ourselves and have a greater experience. Although the pool bar was open, albeit at 10:30 there was limited food available, only half stated on the menu and no cocktails were available. The pool opening hours were 10:30-18.30 which is too late, and after a couple of days they changed the opening time to 9:30. You were able to lay on the sun beds earlier however could not get in the pool until 9:30. The rooftop cocktail bar was not open and when we went to find it, the furniture was stacked up, the area was very dirty and abandoned, there were no signs this would be open in the near future. We were told the spa was not open and again looked unused and that the gym would not be open this season. The reception bar was almost empty and not inviting to sit in. Our room was cleaned daily but not thoroughly and we only had one change of towels, which I had to ask for on day 3. As I based my search for a hotel that provided other facilities and they claim they are a 4 star hotel based on the facilities available it was very disappointing that several areas were not available to us. If I was aware of this I would have chosen a cheaper alternative accommodation that provided basic services and saved some money. I am interested in how a hotel retains the 4 star rating if all the services and areas are not available to all customers from the beginning to the end of the season. The cost of the week was based on the hotel facilities and type of room and board, this should be the same for all hotel residents who have access to all the facilities. I have never had issues with any accommodation I have booked through booking.

We splashed out on a Superior Double with Sea View which had a fantastic view of the bay, see photo. The room was well equipped but had a very strange bathroom setup - see comments below. The room, being at the top of the hotel was also close to the pool and parking. Breakfast was excellent with a good variety of options, although those options didn't really change. The staff were excellent, friendly and helpful. Always with a smile and a 'hello'. The hotel is ideally located close to the town centre with a good range of restaurants and boarding points for boat trips, including to Spinalonga Island which is well worth a visit.

The bathroom! You really need to know the person that you're sharing the room with! The bathroom had no door at all. It was open plan with 2 sinks, a separate toilet and shower behind semi opaque glass doors. However the glass door on the toilet didn't shut and there was no way of making it close. The toilet also has the challenge of a very loose and wobbly seat! I did mention it to staff and they said it would be fixed but never was. I also heard another guest tell someone else that they had a similar 'dynamic' toilet seat. The bathroom looked great in photos but it was rather a case of 'design over function'. The hotel is built into the hillside over 8 floors with 3 sets of lifts, all to get the best out of the views. However it can take a while to get used to and can become wearing over a week. The car parking was also a challenge! It would be very helpful if you were a qualified rally driver. To reach the car park you drive towards the main town square, find a left turn up a steep hill. Take a left turn up an even steeper hill then quickly turn right, then left to reach a plateau on the same level as the hotel pool. All doable but a challenge!

Location

Poor amenities and bedroom