Domes Aulus Elounda, Curio Collection by Hilton

We have just returned from a lovely week at the Domes Aulus Elounda. We have stayed here a few times over the years and never been disappointed. This time we travelled with Jet2 as TUI didn't have the availability we wanted. As Jet 2 have a lot of hotels in Crete the transfer looked somewhat longer than TUI (2.5hrs+) so we arranged a taxi transfer direct from the airport which took just over an hour and made that part of the trip stress free. We stayed in the main hotel, not too far up the hill so getting to the bar / restuarants / beach was quite easy. We had a sea view overlooking the island of Spinalonga. The balcony was quite small and exposed compared to similar rooms, but wasn't a problem as we spent most of our time on the beach or in the bar. The room was clean and up to date with coffee/tea making facilities and fridge. The cleaners were really good and towels changed regularly. The food had improved since last year, we thought there was much more variety and more greek dishes (which is one of the reasons we like coming here). I was particularly pleased to see lamb chops on the menu one evening, but we also had pastitsio, moussaka, beef stifado, bougatsa, spanakopita etc etc. We mostly ate in the Island Restaurant and were looked after by the lovely Christina most days. All the staff in the restaurant and bar worked very hard and were very helpful. There are other la carte restaurants which are included in the AI package and can be booked giving an alternative to the buffet. We ate in the Ampitheatro one night which was fine. Drink selections are brilliant, with branded options (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), a selection of cocktails and some decent wines. Compared to last year there was a bit more entertainment - a couple of jazzy/easy listening evenings, a disco and a Cretan Dance night. There was also a movie night. Panos at beach bar was very friendly and remembered us from last year. There is also a "grab and go" fridge where you can help yourself to a bottle of water, can of soft drink or a beer or light snacks for lunch. We spent most of the time on the beach, no problems getting sunbeds and they have have quite thick mattresses on them. Generally all the staff we came across were very customer focussed and always happy to help. We will definitely return again!

This is advertised as a 5 star hotel which it most definitely isn’t, more like a low 4 high 3. Good points are the staff they are lovely, and the a la carte restaurant that serves lunch. It’s a strange concept with 2 levels of service, 1 with people walking round with beach bags saying VIP and then others not given the same curtesy, surely everyone in a hotel is a VIP or am I missing the point. Anyway we were not, we stayed in a cozy room, which to be fair was small and compact but served us just fine, it was clean and completely functional. Every room sea view and it’s a lovely outlook The drinks area in the bar remind of a Premier inn, glasses not collected, un cleared tables, one staff plus barman for a full bar. Chairs hard and uncomfortable, the outside bar area upstairs a lot better. The beach is self service apart from doughnuts a 4. They also let outsider in to use the beach which is not really acceptable. The dinners are very repetitive and dry though the salad selection was good, however the food is not covered. The staff are overworked, and their uniforms might be practical but are completely unflattering, looking like there are in green khaki hospital scrubs, some were stained. There is no freshly cooked food at breakfast such as eggs or pancakes which you would expect at a 5 star hotel. The entertainment is limited. Activity not sure if there is anything as nothing was advertised though seen a yoga class one morning by the pool but only 2 attended probably due to the above comment. Service can be incredibly slow in the specialist restaurants up to 20 minutes to clear plates, longer for a glass of wine, just under staffed. On 1 day our room was not cleaned and we made 2 calls over quite a long time in the end we had to go on a trip to source and track down the housekeeper ourselves to get some towels. One point to note is that on checking out there is a 10 euro a day tax towards the climate . Would I stay again, no, but you couldn’t wish for more welcoming people who run the hotel. Extra info not hotel related There is a small village near by named Plakia which is really lovely and accessible by taxi for 10 euros. You can all get transfers from the airport with a local company for around £68 and takes an hour. There were lots of complaints from people who were saying the transfer took nearly 3 hours with the travel companies they had to wait for people and then drop off at many hotels

We spent the most perfect romantic and relaxing week at this stunning resort. The whole experience from beginning to end was more than we could have expected. The Food was delicious with so much choice, I would add to avoid disappointment you need to be organised with your restaurant bookings. All of the Staff were so helpful and friendly. We had a particularly good experience with Christina and the team at the Island Restaurant which was always organised with such a wide variety and choice of amazing food. . The atmosphere was always relaxed with a Beautiful view of spinalonga Island. (Make the effort to go it’s worth it) We would also like to Mention Aliona and Olion from the blue bar for their delicious Cocktails friendly and chatty Demeanour and welcoming smiles. Attention to detail throughout was always on point and this was upheld by Giannis Kraniotakis and his hardworking team, he always had time for a chat and was always smiling an asset to this resort. We also loved to spend time relaxing at the beach where you can be served beverages and delicious snacks, taking in the views. We will be returning to this Beautiful Resort again to unwind and relax.

What can we say? Wonderful 5 night break at this delightful hotel. Even though this is the last week of the season, nothing is too much trouble for this wonderful staff team. Fabulous suite with amazing views, easy, laid back styling and entertainment offerings, and superb food at all of the restaurants. Special mention to Christina and all of the team at the Island buffet restaurant and the amazing chef and his team at the sushi meze restaurant. Thank you Vicky and all of your team...and definitely see you again next season!

So we are just back from a short break (4 nights) at the Domes Aulus and I have very mixed reviews. Firstly the staff are fabulous, and absolutely 5 star but the resort is not. We booked a Sapphire Cozy Suite with private pool and private terrace, comes with Cool Living but the description and room layout given by Hilton is not the reality. As we had booked Cool Living we expected to be at the top of the very steep hill as that is where Cool Living is situated but we were not as it appears that they have not built any Sapphire Cozy Suites up there…instead they have renovated a few of the old hotel suites at the bottom so anytime we wanted to use the facilities we paid for we had to either walk up the very steep hill (its half a mile)or get a golf cart from reception and that is for breakfast, lunch, dinner or to sunbathe, so a bit of a pain. We were in block 1, next to the normal restaurants, just above reception and the car park. So noisy, overlooked and not private. Our deck and pool were not private, they were on a public walkway, surrounded and overlooked. If we had been staying longer I would have complained but the alternative, as I found out, would have been a move to block 5 which is neither near the beach or cool living, instead stuck half way up the hill. All the new Cool Living blocks are stunning, relatively private with fabulous views. The original hotel at the bottom of the hill (non cool living) is quite rough in places, like the pool needs an overhaul, the loungers are not great and there is broken tiles and decking and generally not that clean. The new cool living part is beautiful, stunning pools, great loungers, lovely bar area and good food but that all comes at quite a premium and even if you’ve paid for cool living you may not be roomed there. However its not all good because the hotel appears to upgrade anyone who complains about the normal facilities to cool living as compensation but that means those who have paid for cool living don’t always get what they have paid for. We couldn’t get a restaurant booking for a couple of the nights and couldn’t get a lounger one of the days. It sounds petty but when you’ve paid just under $4K for 4 nights and been promised 5star it’s not really that great. The food in the Griglia is lovely but I wasn’t impressed by the food in the Island restaurant (very basic buffet). So would I go back, no, not 5 star and definitely not value for money which is a shame as Crete is beautiful and the staff are fabulous.