Elounda

Introducing Elounda

There are magnificent mountain and sea views along the 11km road north from Agios Nikolaos to Elounda (el-oon-da). A cluster of luxury resorts occupy the lovely coves along the coast. The first elite hotel was built here in the mid-1960s, quickly establishing Elounda as the playground for Greece’s glitterati and high flyers – soon after, the world’s rich and famous followed suit. Elounda boasts some of the most exclusive resorts in Greece.

Past the resorts, the once-quiet fishing village of Elounda now bristles with package tourists, though it’s quieter than neighbouring Agios Nikolaos. Busloads of day-trippers rock up on their way to Spinalonga Island. The pleasant but unremarkable sandy town beach, to the north of the port, can get very crowded. Elounda has limited appeal unless you are lucky enough to be staying in one of the posh resorts. While there are some nice places around, Elounda is not particularly good value in peak season and many hotels are booked out by tour operators.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009