Crete and Domes of EloundaWeds morning:
We woke up early (actually pretty much didnt sleep all night since we were very jetlagged). We left the hotel at around 4:30 to make the 6:45AM flight. The hotel was nice enough to prepare us 'breakfast boxes' to go since our stay included free breakfast. Obviously, nothing in the box ended up being kosher aside from the apple and banana. It was the thought that counted.
The taxi to the airport was 42 Euro. There is no uber in greece and everything is a set fare. Be aware also, that from Midnight to 5AM the cost for a taxi is significantly more, i believe around 60 Euros. Again, this is a set fee, so even if the driver wanted to, he could not lower it.
The price is based on arrival time, NOT pick up time.
I recommend paying for your bags online, as with Aegean and Olympic Air the price is about double online. We paid for 32kg bag and a 25kg since it was only like 10 euro's more or so for the 32kg and we didnt want to have to deal with any overweight issues.
Upon landing, we first went to
Knosses Palace which is about a 15 min drive from the airport. We rented a car at the airport through our hotel. We needed an automatic car, and the hotel was the cheapest price for 2 days (Around 130 Euros). Knosses place reminded me of Athens. Allot of walking and historical sites. Not what I enjoyed. The lines were really big to get in and it was very, very hot outside.
If you are a student, bring your student ID since the price will be much cheaper. We left after about an hour since the place didnt interest us. After this, we were done with historical site seeing for the rest of our trip.
Domes by
Domes by
Domes by
The drive to the
Domes of Elounda is about an hour and half to two hours. Although it was a long drive, parts of it were very scenic and we stopped to take some pictures
Domes by
zagguru 2,
Domes by
zagguru 2, on Flickr
Domes by
zagguru 2, on Flickr
Domes by
zagguru 2, on Flickr
And finally we arrive.
Domes by
zagguru 2, on Flickr
As soon as we pulled up and the gate opened, there were bell boys waiting to take our car with all the suitcases. The check-in process was the best that I experienced. Although there is a front desk, they bring you to there outdoor terrace, sit you down with a drink, and someone comes to you with all the papers you need to check in. They take your passport and credit cards and to the front desk for you and process everything. It was the most relaxing check in experience I have ever had. We were platinum members, so we got free drinks at checkin, 1 free dinner at the restaurant (no limit - but does not include drinks), and of course breakfast.
This is where we sat and our view while we were being checked in
Domes by
zagguru 2, on Flickr
Domes by
zagguru 2, on Flickr
Domes by
zagguru 2, on Flickr
Domes by
zagguru 2, on Flickr
I cannot stress how incredible the entire check-in process was. As soon as you enter the hotel and you see the views, you will be amazed. Its simply nothing I have seen before.
Domes by
zagguru 2, on Flickr
Domes by
zagguru 2, on Flickr
The hotel is entirely on a hill. Everything is spread out and all the rooms are outside. The grounds are so big that it would take way too long to walk from your room to the lobby or room to pools.
Therefore, the hotel has golf cars and drivers who take you around. You simply dial concierge from your room, and someone is there to pick you up within 10 minutes. The rides were fun too and added to the experience.
We were upgraded to a 2-bedroom villa with private pool. They said it would be about an hour and a half for our room to be ready since it was only around 10AM. We were exhausted at this point so we just hung around and toured the hotel
Domes by
zagguru 2, on Flickr
Domes by
zagguru 2, on Flickr
Domes by
zagguru 2, on Flickr
Domes by
zagguru 2, on Flickr
Domes by
zagguru 2, on Flickr
Domes by
zagguru 2, on Flickr
The room was really nice and modern. Everything up to date and electronic. The pool was private enough from us. There was a separation between our room and the next, but if someone were to climb over, then you can see. I overall thought the privacy was great. The only negative, and this would apply to all of greece,
the pools arent heated. Some hotels will heat for a crazy fee of 100 euro +. In Aug, there isnt as much of a needed to be heated, but it still would have been nice.
For the rest of the day as well as the next day, we spent most of the time by our pool and the beach and just relaxed. The grounds also features a really nice tennis court which we used as well.
A hotel like this, you are not going to want to leave. We only had two days here and did not want to sacrifice another one by touring the island. I hear there isnt much to do unless you want to check out historical sites, and we did not. The hotel grounds are amazing and we wanted to make the most of our time on it. Two days was enough, but another day would not have hurt. I dont think I can ever get bored or ready to leave this hotel
The beach was not your typical beach, and I liked it more than the standard beaches you find. Very little sand, and not your regular white sand. It was more of a black sand feel. The water was shallow and pretty warm. The scenery around was nice since it was surrounded by mountains. Water was calm. No real waves. Was very nice to go for a dip, swim, and walk around. The hotel has beach chairs and beach beds. Beach beds were included with platinum status.
Domes by
zagguru 2, on Flickr
Domes by
zagguru 2, on Flickr
Domes by
zagguru 2, on Flickr
Domes by
zagguru 2, on Flickr
Domes by
zagguru 2, on Flickr
As far as meals. Breakfast, the F&B Manager made arrangements with Chabad to get us kosher breakfast.
Domes by
zagguru 2, on Flickr
Domes by
zagguru 2, on Flickr
They got us kosher bread, cheese, and also bought a brand new frying pan and spatula and made us eggs with oil from Chabad of Athens. They even got us Chalav Yisrael milk.
As far as
dinner, we had one free dinner and the hotel was also very accommodating. They double wrapped salmon with vegetables and threw it on the grill and everything was brought out in paper plates. They also gave us fresh fruits for deserts. The second night we had Sea Bass double wrapped. Couldnt ask for anything more. The hotel will accomodate in any way they can your kosher requests. You could have turned on the fire and watched them cook it as well.
Domes by
zagguru 2, on Flickr
Domes by
zagguru 2, on Flickr
Domes by
zagguru 2, on Flickr
Domes by
zagguru 2, on Flickr
Domes by
zagguru 2, on Flickr
The hotel also has Kosher wine available.
Platinum status also included an hour and half pass to the
spa where they had different baths and tempered rooms. We took advantage of it
Domes by
zagguru 2, on Flickr
Domes by
zagguru 2, on Flickr
Domes by
zagguru 2, on Flickr
Domes by
zagguru 2, on Flickr
Domes by
zagguru 2, on Flickr
Some more photos of the hotel grounds
Untitled by
zagguru 2, on Flickr
Untitled by
zagguru 2, on Flickr
Untitled by
zagguru 2, on Flickr
Untitled by
zagguru 2, on Flickr
Bar at the lobby
Untitled by
zagguru 2, on Flickr
There also was another big pool together with a kiddie pool, we didnt go there since we spent time at our private pool and the beach.
Bottom Line: I think that after reading this you will realize how much I loved this hotel. This one was def one of the highlights on my Greece trip. I highly recommend staying here. To be continued - Up next: Santorini and Vedema