Domes Aulus Elounda All-Inclusive Resort, Curio Collection by Hilton

This is a lovely hotel, built into the hillside, between Elounda town and Plaka village, with glorious views over the bay and towards Spinalonga. However, what sets this hotel apart is the staff who are absolutely fantastic. I apologise in advance for the length of my review, but wanted to give my honest and constructive opinion on this hotel and its facilities. There have been mixed reviews on Trip Advisor and obviously some of those depend on what type of room you have booked. However, what is very noticeable is that when the General Manager responds he does not address the issues raised, just picks up on the favourable comments. There were issues whilst we were there, most of which were addressed by Chrisa Chazden, but the General Manager needs to seriously take on board the points raised by various guests in order to make the hotel an even better place to stay. We arrived 1st May 2025 shortly after the hotel had re-opened for the season, some of the facilities did not appear to have opened yet (including the Spiritzeria Bar), there was limited staff and it was relatively quiet and peaceful. Guests were encouraged to download the QR code to obtain hotel information and you could also make reservations at the various restaurants. Unfortunately, the restaurant booking system was causing problems particularly as some of the restaurants were not open yet partly due to the mixed weather. Towards the end of our stay, there was a dedicated desk and laptop near reception which seemed to resolve many of the issues. We were more than happy to eat at the main Island restaurant and thoroughly enjoyed our breakfasts and evening meals there. There was always a huge selection of hot and cold food, fresh fruit, pastries, salads and the dishes were regularly replenished. We cannot comment on what was available to eat during the day as we chose to only eat breakfast and dinner. In fact, we ate at the Island restaurant every day except for one evening when we celebrated our 25th Wedding Anniversary and were very fortunate to eat at the Greco Levante. The various rooms are provided in 10 separate blocks which are on different levels as you go up the hillside. The hotel provides a shuttle bus, cars and golf carts to help guests get around the property but obviously there can be a delay due to heavy demand. We were fortunate to be in block 5 so could walk using the crazy-paved pathway but it was still quite steep and didn’t get any easier throughout our 2-week stay! We spent most of our days around the main pool which was deep cleaned early every morning (we would watch this taking place whilst we enjoyed our leisurely breakfast) and the pool man would return later with his net to catch the various insects/leaves/debris which had accumulated during the day. There are two showers by the side of the pool which guests are asked to use prior to going into the pool but weren’t widely used, which meant that the cleaner had to scrub extra hard at the water line l

Disappointed. Not worth the ‘cool living’ upgrade. The ‘private pool’ is a plunge &, in room 622, is in the shade all day. El Greco roof bar / restaurant is ok, and if you are lucky enough to get a bed by the pool, it’s quite nice. Food is good. The staff are SUPER! Everyone, adorable! Sadly, the alcohol selection is atrocious. Luckily there are fabulous bars & restaurants within 20 minutes walk of the hotel in Elounda; thank goodness we found a few of them! I would return to Elounda without a doubt, fabulous village but I won’t be going back to the Doumes sadly.

On arrival we were impressed at the warmth of the welcome. We had booked the Cool Living, and were very happy with our room which was opposite the Levante restaurant and pools. Views are wonderful and we looked forward to a lovely, relaxing 5* break. HOWEVER, this was not what we experienced. We had arrived early evening, so once unpacked etc, we had a later dinner, taking the transport to the buffet restaurant, which was fairly quiet and the food average. As advised, the following day we tried to book for dinner at the other restaurants, only to find nothing available for the next 6 days. Although we could have lunch at the Manetee restaurant that day (which was absolutely delicious and the staff were excellent). Dinner that evening in the buffet restaurant proved to be the turning point for us, it was dreadful, there were men barging around with overloaded plates of food and the table manners of chimps, that is once they had sat at any empty seat the saw. The poor staff (who were absolutely lovely) were overwhelmed by the sheer numbers and did their best in awful circumstances. We left, retreating to the bar area. BIG MISTAKE, this was awful too, it was as if we were on something between “boys holiday” and a stag party. Again the poor staff were overwhelmed. We came to learn this was a booking of 120 Slovakian men who drank the bar dry on their first night, partying into the early hours in their rooms (other guests unable to sleep), and skinny dipping in the pool. We were very grateful that we were not in the hotel area where they were staying. The remainder of our relaxing holiday was marred by having to fight to get better quality food in a civilised environment, being sent to a “sister” hotel and also to a lovely restaurant in Plaka. All in all, it was not a 5* experience, and that is a dreadful shame for the hardest working hotel staff from the lady who cleaned our room, the drivers, waiting staff in the restaurants and the bar staff who I cannot praise enough for their cheerful perseverance and warmth. A big thank you to you all. Perhaps whoever thought it would all be fine to book in 120 men to a couples hotel, and none of the actual couples would find it unacceptable, might like to reassess that decision, or perhaps they don’t care.

We had an exceptional stay, the staff were amazingly, the resort is so beautiful and the view is exceptional, I have never experienced anything like it. I would highly recommend the vatanee for a la cart tapes dishes, truly wonderful. A little bit of heaven.

We arrived on private mini bus transfer as there were 6 of us on my big birthday family trip. We were allocated 3 rooms but one of them was VERY musty and we asked to change it. She said she'd arrange for it to be re-cleaned but it but it wasn't that type of smell so we insisted on a different one. All of this took about an hour in total and we had to move our bags etc. It was annoying as I've read other reviews about this room so they knew about it. We wasted all of the time we had saved on our private mini bus transfer! Most of the staff were some of the hardest working i've ever come across in a hotel. Special shout out to Jordi at the beach bar and the bar man in the main bar who were amazing (sorry I didn't make a note of your name!) They worked solo most of the time. Eleni was also very helpful and Angela in the restaurant very sweet! We absolutely loved our classes of yoga and pilates every day with the gorgeous Alkistis. The best teacher, she was so patient and her love for the job shone through. She is one of the best instructors and a lovely person🧘‍♀️ Deck chairs were very nice and thick and the beach was pleasant. We never struggled for a deck chair anywhere. The problem was when we came to try and book all of the restaurants promised in the description of the holiday! A NIGHTMARE! (this is the main reason we had chosen this hotel for the variety of food). Hardly any bookings available as we realised most of them had limited staff until the weekend. We ended up making a complaint to the management and we were shipped to the sister hotel down the road for a meal. Food was nice there but a lot of hassle in getting it! We eventually got a table by the skin of our teeth in the Sushi bar which was also excellent. The man who ran it at the weekend was a true pro. The food was nice everywhere and buffet good quality. Views from there were beautiful. I would go back if they sorted out the restaurants but not until then.

We have just visited this hotel and had an amazing time. We Truly enjoyed our stay and the experience we had with them as they were so welcoming. There is a wide selection of Food available. I was very impressed with their hospitality and was looked after as a Diamond member. The only one thing I would state, is that the rooms are on a Hill, but transport is provided at all times. A very special thanks to Mr George the Operation Manager who was absolutely fantastic and no request was too small for him. He personally made every thing possible for us.