We were disappointed after our 2 week stay commencing 20/5/8 mainly because we thought the whole ethos of the hotel was based on taking as much money from us as possible.

Obviously a 5 star hotel is not going to be cheap, but the prices for food and drink were exorbitant . Most cocktails about 10 Euros, water at pool bar 3.20 Euros ( bottle states recommended price 0.80 euros.) Game of pool 4 Euros. Internet access 12 Euros per day! Mini bar prohibitive.

Also note the “private pools” are not actually private – there is only a low wall between the pools. The elevator is a bit of a pain. It is hot, slow and can’t really cope with the traffic - the alternative being a steep and hot walk.

That said, rooms, cleanliness, room service and quality of food were all excellent. Grounds are attractive and well kept, with pleasant garden areas. Pool bar service was very good with friendly staff. Main bar nearly as good. Reception staff were 50/50 depending on who you dealt with. Generally the staff were helpful and attentive.

A welcome drink would have been nice but there's no
profit in that!

We have just returned from a week at The Blue Palace and found the hotel to be perfect for us.

The hotel is about an hour from the Airport and the taxi drivers can be a little erratic, so be warned, but it is worth the journey once you arrive.

When we got to the hotel, we were welcomed with a handshake from the hotel "concierge" who ushered us to reception. Checking in took all off five minutes before we were put on a golf buggy and transferred to our room. The room was fab, we had booked a room with the private plunge pool and they had upgraded us to one with a heated pool. Probably a good thing, because I think an unheated one would have been too cold. We were shown all of the amenities, including the walk in shower and free standing bath, not to mention the TV in the bathroom!!!

The hotel on the whole is lovely, all be it a little expensive, but the prices don't seem to change too much when you leave the hotel, so you may as well stay there.

There are five restaurants: Blue Door - Greek Taverna - very nice, friendly people and fresh fish, can't go too far wrong! Asia Blue - Chinese,Thai, Japanese etc - not too bad for Greek Asian! Olea - the hotels main restaurant for breakfast and half board dinner - had breakfast there most mornings and a good selection of breakfast goods - lots of cold meats and cheeses etc but also the usual eggs and bacon. L'Orangerie - the hotels "Haute Cuisine" restaurant -OK but menu a little fussy and not perhaps what you would want in Greece and Isola - Italian - which we did not go to, but looked OK. The bar area is nice, with lovely views but a little on the expensive side. Room service is great, very quick and the people who bring it are professional and pleasant.

About a ten minute walk away is the village of Plaka, which has about eight or ten tavernas and bars, plus a little shop selling just about everything. All the restaurants are the same, fresh fish, prawns and specialities. The fish is priced by the Kilo so be careful if they offer you a particularly big one!!

Elounda is about 3km away (5-10 mnutes by taxi and about 7 euros) Loads of restaurants, too many really, but it looked like the best ones were by the sea front. The Ferryman was good and well worth a try.

All in all i would highly recommend this hotel to anyone, although the hotel is built into the hills so if you have any disability beware, although there is a lift which goes from reception to the spa and pool which is handy.

If the food was a bit better in Crete we would be back to the Blue Palace in the blink of an eye!

We have just returned from a very enjoyable stay at the Blue Palace. Whilst a large hotel, we felt it is well laid out and doesn't feel overpowering. The quality of service was very good with both reception and guest services extremely helpful. Unfortunately, during our stay I needed to obtain some antibiotics and via Guest Services, I was able to speak directly with a doctor within minutes. In addition, my prescription arrived in my room within 2 hours (it would have been sooner but the pharmacy wasn't open at the time !). The hotel is well decorated in a modern style and the views of Spinalonga island from almost anywhere in the hotel is just fantastic.

We stayed in a bungalow in the new wing which is a 3-4 walk from the main building (although a taxi ride in the golf buggy could be requested). The room was spacious, had a large balcony and sea view and provide a plasma TV and sizable bathroom with his & hers sinks. bath and separate shower. The maid visited twice a day (with chocs in the evening !), would replace towels at your request and provide free bottled water.

We generally enjoy dining out so only ate in the buffet restaurant during our stay but the food and service was very good with plenty of choice. Yes, it is more than you will pay if you venture outside but considering the quality of the hotel it wasn't excessive. We ate several times in Plaka (a 10 min walk away) and tried three of the taverna's - all were very good and we certainly enjoyed our meals. We also ate at both Vritomartes & The Ferryman in Elounda - again both were very good, providing both good food and tables situated at the waters edge. It must be said that we ate at the Ferryman on three separate occasions and although not the cheapest in town the quality of their fish and the service provided by the Greek couple who run it (along with Gareth even though he supports Spurs) was fantastic. We thoroughly enjoyed our evenings there and would recommend anyone to try them out.

Just to ensure this review is balanced. On the downside, you can wait 4 -5 mins for the lift to take you to the SPA / Beach and in very busy times perhaps longer. Equally, the beach has no sand at all and whilst not a problem for most couples it wouldn't go down well for younger children. I do agree with a previous point that the word 'bungalows' used by the hotel to describe some of their rooms is very misleading - they are just rooms albeit very nice !

We did get out and about visiting Vai, Lerapetra & the Lassithi plateau - the drive to each of them including some stunning scenery but it was a long way to Vai (approx 2 hours drive) and there's only a pretty sandy beach and restaurant when you get there - it was a long time in the car for a sandy beach !

Over all we had a very enjoyable holiday in Crete and would certainly return to the Blue Palace when we decide to visit Crete again..

This hotel is extremely misrepresented, they are NOT bungalows, if you ever stayed in a Travel Lodge then that is what you get albe it larger and a nice bathroom nevertheless a ROOM not a BUNGALOW, all of which directly over look the ones below which have a plunge pool NOT a PRIVATE pool ! the only way to the beach is via a glass lift, if you are claustrophobic or vertigo then you face a down hill walk of over 150 steep steps consider how you will get back ! all restaurants are situated down the steps ! the walls of the rooms are paper thin, we spent every night listening to the folks next door unzipping their cases a million times a night ! This is not for the aged or the infirm. Restaurant prices are HORRENDOUS menus very limited, you can not walk to Elounda which requires a taxi, you can walk the short fifteen minutes to Plaka but the food is not great! The breakfast is a bun fight very noisey with far too much clattering not the relaxed leisurely event you may expect. This hotel would suit the young who havent had a great experience of world travel, I would rate it four star maximum, there is no sence of luxury the public areas are not cleaned that well, unsuitable for children and the elderly or disabled. Viewed from afar the hotel looks like a concrete bunker, very horrible drab and depressing. The view across the bay to Spinalonga is not as magnificent as you might expect as the hills are very barren and the whole out look is grey and lacks any semblence of lush greenery there are numberous large ceramic pots but they dont have any green plants in them creating a feel of desolate, the flower beds around the terrace pool do not have flowers but do have large grey bolders with lots of weeds inbetween !