Aristea Hotel

Dommage pour la literie si dur mais pour le prix, hôtel très propre et proche de tout

I found this hotel last year when staying further out of town and was determined to stay there this year so booked directly with them by e-mail for 11 nights and could not have been happier. It’s typically Greek and the oldest established hotel in Elounda. All rooms have a balcony or terrace but ask for a sea facing room and you’ll get a view to die for. Breakfast is the usual continental and certainly enough to keep me going until dinner. You won’t get a full English but you can find that elsewhere if that’s what you need. Staff all helpful and polite. Rooms cleaned and bed linen and towels changed regularly. This was my second solo trip to Elounda and there was a lovely mix of couples and solos at the hotel. There was always someone to sit with at breakfast if you wished and I had dinner out with a couple of similarly solo ladies. Being so central in the town is a bonus as everything is on your doorstep and there are lovely walks all around. The owners also have the floating restaurant directly in front of the hotel, the Poulis just further along the front and a restaurant in Plaka which are worth a visit. I’ll definitely stay here again; booked this trip a year last June and may just get in there early again!

I had an amazing week in the Hotel Aristea! It has the best location, right on the harbour in Elounda. Elounda itself is so pretty and being on the harbour made it easy to take boat trips- I went over to Spinalonga twice and on a five hour boat trip swimming in the most beautiful coves. I met people staying in much more expensive hotels who were taking long and tiring excursions to get to Spinalonga- this hotel really does have the best location! Other highlights of my stay included swimming off rocks from a little headland tucked away near the Kolkythia peninsula- easy walking distance and clearly where the locals went to swim- and the four hour road train trip up to the mountains. The hotel itself is simple and was perfect for my stay - it was immaculately clean with bedding and towels changed daily, my room facing the inner courtyard was very quiet and the air con worked perfectly and was so welcome in recent heat! I had planned to go B and B but switched to half board when I got to Elounda and saw how stunning the restaurant is, right on the waterfront. Dinners were delicious- a starter such as stuffed vine leaves followed by a large salad and a main meat dish with vegetables, then a lovely dessert, sone times served with complementary raki! The staff in the restaurant were so friendly and made me feel very welcome every evening- something I valued as a solo traveller. Yes, the bathroom and breakfasts are basic, but perfectly adequate, especially given the extremely competitive price of this hotel. I had a perfect week in Elounda and will be returning to the Hotel Aristea!