The price included the return coach, a tour guide for the day who took us round the Palace of Knossos and entry into the Heraklion Archaeological Museum.

We also visited the Palace of Knossos and the archaeological museum in Heraklion; both worth doing.

Yes the coach transfer from Heraklion airport is a fair duration of 2hrs+,

10 minute taxi. Transfer - 1 hour + transfer time from nearest air port (Heraklion)

We felt that other excursions include a very long transport by bus or taxi (We went to Santorini for a day which included for both ways 4h by bus to Heraklion and 5h by ferry to Santorini..).

The nearest places to go are Ierapetra for the Chrissi Island trip, Spinalonga and  Heraklion for the visit to Cnosso palace and Museum.

We went into Elounda which is walkable and trips over to Spinalonga, the Palace of Knossos and Heraklion so lots to do and see.

I’m sitting in the lounge at Heraklion Airport and can’t wait to review this hotel 5* Experience no restrictions on a la carte dining the food in the buffet and beach bar were fab and the 2 Restraunts culinerium and Mirabello were exceptional the themed Greek and Barbecue nights were fantastic and as for the hotel facilities rooms views and Staff well !!!!!

We paid for the departure lounge on the way out of Heraklion, definitely worth it.

Airport: from Cardiff to Heraklion
Cardiff airport was fine.

The journeys out and back worked well apart from the check in procedures at Heraklion airport which can only be desribed as a total utter shambles.

Would also recommend for anyone going to Crete that a visit to Heraklion to the Knossos Palace and Museum is a must.

- We had the option of going on TUI trips and so we went to Spinalonga island and Heraklion (including Knossos).

We did the excursion to Knossos and came away with wonderful memories thanks to Maria who held our hand through the palace and the museum in Heraklion.

We did purchase the V.I.P service for our flight home from Heraklion and that was well worth the money.

On your return, if you are charter flights, the queues to get into Heraklion and through security etc are horrendous - you can pay for TUI VIP check - in which avoids all queues and lets you stay in an air conditioned lounge with drinks until just before departure - well worth it.

Location - Quiet, relaxing, by the beach - an hour [by taxi] from Heraklion Airport.

The Hotel is about 1 hour from the Heraklion Airport , or 1h 30mins with a transfer .

It is worth knowing that the hotel is a long distance from Heraklion Airport.

Well placed for visits to Spinalonga, Heraklion and Knossos if you can tear yourself away from the sybaritic lifestyle.

but the return flight from the Heraklion airport was horrific.

While others may enjoy a minimum of a 2 hour ride from the airport (Heraklion) I found this a little frustrating, if you can afford private transport take it.

Cannot praise this hotel enough firstly the staff are very attentive and friendly from the moment you arrive and always happy to help with  Maria at guest relations and reception team particularly Elenani and Sophia in the lobby bar, Zia in the beach bar and Georgia in the culinarium and
Have been to this hotel now 6 times and was concerned things may  have changed since covid

Waiter/waitress service  , so no need to go the  beach bar  and they delivered exceptional service and very chatty too which is brilliant.

but a few really stood out to us, Christos in the pool/evening bar, Despina and Xenofon in the Callanirium.

The food and service is outstanding and well worth a visit

We often went to the beach bar which does great bar snacks and a special mention to Zia who was always so polite and friendly.

The staff absolutely make this place feel so special, Zia on the beach bar and Eleni on the lobby bar are absolutely stand outs and each deserve a pay rise!

but I found one that was really great we called it the Charmaine special, Charmaine is the lady that works in the jewellery shop in the Hotel and the bar make up this lovely cocktail for her, which we adopted, made of Ginger ale, lime juice, soda water and sugar syrup with pepper, I had this every night, and it was so refreshing.

Food was great at breakfast and at teh Pool Bar.

- Maria at the Beach Bar who makes a mean drink (in the best way possible!!

A special mention to Zia in the beach bar who greeted as every morning with a smile and a chat.

The staff in the beach bar were amazing, in particular Zia and George.

Football fans check out Babel bar in Elounda.

For half-boarders a beer or house wine will set you back 10EUR at the bar or in the restaurant.

Also the à la cart restaurants and the sea bar.

the service in the bar and all the restaurant was delightful.

The Bar staff headed up by Eleni are fantastic and extremely helpful, and Eleni and her team are super quick on their service and they are very polite and courteous every time, the drinks are fab.

The beach bar staff were amazing and always serving us drinks by the pool.

A lovely place with a beach and pools,rooms with view to the pool and the sea, good and plentiful food in the dining room, two other restaurants and also the pool bar, courteous and wholehearted service from the staff, we enjoyed every moment, I'm sure we'll come back here again

However, I felt so welcomed and looked after by all of the staff from the reception team, to Housekeeping, to the wonderful restaurant team, the TUI reps, the beach/pool and bar staff and the aegos Spa staff, everyone was beautiful!

The pool was checked regularly, the room was cleaned and the mini bar was replenished daily.

There was a birthday cake, bottle of wine and bottle water, as it was a surprise holiday for my husband a lovely gesture.

Checking out was very straightforward and we were able to use the Spa to have a quick shower and change before the coach picked us 

So thank you for a fantastic holiday, we completely relaxed!

Thank you for another fantastic holiday and we cannot wait to see you all again soon.

If you want to relax completely and enjoy the most of your holiday, go visit the spa center.

Another great holiday at this lovely Hotel, food is excellent as always with plenty of choice, service by the staff is excellent.

We have been on several Greek Island holidays and this one tops the lot!!

Lastly, re: context, I came here for my first big vacation since COVID, and had realistic expectations

So if you're after a nice relaxing holiday I'll recommend it.

I would 100% recommend this hotel to anyone wanting a chilled relaxed break.

All in all we had the most relaxing holiday in a stunning location, the views are breathtaking.

What a fantastic hotel, it is everything that you could want for a great holiday.

I would absolutely come back to the spa if I have time in my holiday or if I get to come back here another day.

We decided that the hotel was so lovely, we weren’t going to hire a car and instead had THE most relaxing holiday enjoying the beautiful hotel and it’s fab location instead.

Would recommend visiting the spa whilst you’re here on holiday.

The whole morning has made me feel a lot more relaxed, and less tense, and helped me enjoy my holiday even more!

Family holiday with our 16 year son here was fantastic.

Theres a small museum and renovated dwellings on the island and its very easy to walk around.

We did a day trip to Knossos and spent much of it on the coach; the historic site and the museum were well worth seeing even in the heat.

If you like history visit Knossos Minoan village and the museum in the town along with Spinalonga Island which was a leper colony until 1957

Only downside to our trip was the long delay on the tour coach from the airport to the hotel.

), and we were also able to go into the museum, which houses many items take from Knossos.

We took Thomson's tour to Knossos and visited the archeological museum as well (which definitely added flavour to the ruins).

Be prepared to have a view from your cheap room that is not a view, you will see either the old abandoned hotel next door, or other cheap rooms.

but have found a few that do it well without the millionaire price tag and/or the tackiness so many seem to have.

However, for lunch and dinner, there are not many gluten options in the main buffet restaurant. We also did find the spa a bit pricey 

Overall a nice hotel and lovely stuff :)

In a nutshell, you spend a lot and you don’t get the level you pay.

but then got a more expensive bottle of still water.

The thing that annoyed my wife and I is that when we booked all inclusive we weren't aware that 80% of drinks you have to pay for them as well as the meals.

The Spa: In our opinion the spa was slightly overpriced. We visited to enquire about a massage

Finally, after 15 more minutes we gave up asked to pay the bill 65 euro for no food that is stupid!!

For example, if you wanted the more popular dishes on the menus 'Pork Spare Ribs, Flank Beef steak, Salmon filet, Beef Tenderloin, then you would have to pay.

but as an all inclusive guest you can choose from the menu certain items  at no charge or you can pay an additional amount for the other items on the menu.

For example, most of the popular cocktails like Mojito and Cosmopolitan will cost you over €7 even if you are all-inc.

The senior management have a real presence at this hotel we saw the executive chef at every venue, saw him serve people and pay real attention to people’s needs.

but we were hoping for a little more privacy so after a sleep and a lovely breakfast we asked if we could pay for an upgrade on our first day.

If you want to go to the BBQ or Greek evenings you have to pay extra for this, now sure why when you have already paid for your meals if you are on half board or all Inclusive basis.

but if you are half board it is not cheap and you miss out on the best parts.

I would say that the drinks were quite expensive, therefore for those who do like a few drinks it would be worthwhile going for the all inclusive option!

Above everything we had a really relaxing and enjoyable time at Elounda Village.

We had a relaxing time especially at the spa.

Location slightly off the main track so go for all inclusive as you can get everything you need on site which makes for an excellent relaxation experience.

The resort itself is very beautiful with amazing scenery, its piece full and very relaxing, one if the things we love most about this resort.

The way the bungalows are arranged we never seemed to hear any noise at night and it was so peaceful and quiet.

Elena and Georgia gave the most relaxing massage; I felt like a new person walking out of the spa.

We had a wonderful and relaxed experience.

Overall it's a really nice hotel, with a very relaxing atmosphere.

The spa was relaxing and had a fantastic ambience.

Inviting and incorporating feedback into an excellent, relaxing, and rejuvenating experience.

Amazing massage, very relaxing and had the best time while Katerina did a gentle mild treatment!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It felt so classy and relaxing, the staff and the guests were all so lovely.

even though it was windy, waves weren’t getting too big, and there’s also a small protected area for swimming 
- really nice and  relaxing SPA, I really enjoyed my massage from Fotini

The hotel vibe was very relaxing and a good range of activities if you felt like it.

The larger one has a great infinity view and is more peaceful

Both of us were super relaxed, Giorgia and Fotini made us very comfortable and made the experience very relaxing.

It's some of the best food we've ever had!

The food was fantastic with 3 places to eat two of which are al a carte with unlimited visits.

The disappointment if you can call it that was a week of very mediocre and samey food, not the gastronomic style that the brochure promised, and the so called Greek Night a free feature on our previous visit came as an additional cost which we did not appreciate or take up.

The hotel and its amenities are brilliant, so clean, food excellent plenty of choice.

We enjoyed the Mirrabello restaurant also for lunch and dinner,

We ate  in one of the a la carte restaurants which was the Culinarium.

The staff is so nice and proffesional, great food and surroundings.

Great service, wonderful facilities, excellent food.

The food is outstanding, you must try Greek night!

The staff are so friendly and genuine, the facilities are great (though the baths are too narrow), and the food and drinks are superb.

Food is really reach and varient with emphesize on quality.

Food so delicious and so many different choices.

Food variety, quality and amount outstanding!

Our room is beautiful with a view over the sea, and all of the food has been delicious.

We loved our stay and enjoyed everything: the comfort of the stylish rooms, the character of the village ambiance, tasty cuisine and especially the service.

100 percent recommend going here, even for just the spa alone.

My 70 minute Cretan massage followed by a mini facial was an exquisite experience not to be missed if visiting this beautiful resort on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea.

Elena and Katerina   are a credit to the spa they are so  professional

One of the highlights was visiting the Aegeo Spas and the treatment from Elena and Georgia.

We booked one hour in the spa and a cretan massage.

I'd also recommend the cretan message from the spa, the facilities and service there were great.

I had a really nice back & neck massage from Fotini.

You do have to try the cretan massage here, Eleana did a great job!

There is a little shop in the Hotel, where you can buy most things that you may need, plus a lovely Spa.

Excellent massage, seaweed mask and mini facial from Katerina.

The Cretan massage and seaweed wrap was second to none.

Special thanks to Eleana and Georgia in the Aegeo Spa for a fantastic couples treatment!

If you have the opportunity the Spa is beyond worth it.

Also highly recommend is the spa with Cretan massage and treatments, we were superbly treated by Eleana and Georgia.

Tui Blue Elounda Village by AQUILA

price

museum

Heraklion

Archaeological

restaurant

relaxing

holiday trip

If you do plan to go to Knossos, you can get a combined tickets for this site and the Heraklion Archaeological Museum for cheaper (bought from the museum).

Meaning we saw the Archaeological Museum in Heraklion one evening and the Knossos palace a separate morning for just 35 euros each.Saving money on the 70 euro coach trip they offer which take all day.

They also have a shop there and you can buy the local bus tickets there for 1.5 euros which will take you into Heraklion one way so you need 2 tickets per person for return trip.

A few recommendations:

-Take beach shoes as the beach is quite stony/rocky
-Consider hiring a car or getting the bus or a taxi to Heraklion and the ruins at Knossos
- Agia Palagia is the most beautiful place for a day out - it's 20 minutes (25 euros) in a taxi.

Bus stop right outside with short ride to local town or city of heraklion and the excursions with TUI were fabulous.

If you are unable to walk the distance a bus stops just outside the hotel which will take you into Amadoura and also onto Heraklion where you can find more of a city centre vibe.

but there are some pleasant shops in Ammoudara (20 min walk) or you can get the bus to Heraklion (20 min journey).

Very easy to get in to Heraklion centre and the bus stop is just outside the hotel.

I went vacation with my mom snd my girlfriend we really had fun and we enjoyed so much so much’ hote’ is very accessible to heraklion center because the bus stop is just infront of the hotel’ the problem is the bad signal of wifi’

The town on Heraklion is a taxi trip away,

There is a small town within a 20/30 minute walk with shops and restaurants or a taxi to Heraklion is around 15/20 minutes, there is also a bus

Otherwise is €16 taxi for Heraklion or €7 for Ammoudara flat rate.

We would highly recommend the Land Rover off-road experience to the Lasithi Plateau and getting a bus into Heraklion was straightforward, albeit rather busy.

Just got back from 7 nights stay, quick transfer from Heraklion, arrived very late  (1:30 am) after flight delays

As for the hotel, yes it was 20/30 away from Heraklion on a bus

Due to the hotel being isolated it worth jumping in the No 1 bus into Heraklion (No 6 back) for a change of scenery also book the Happy Train!

but even Heraklion which I’ll add is about a 30 minute bus ride away is just a city centre and just like any other city centre so it’s just shopping!

Very nice place located close to Heraklion.

We were able to go into Heraklion on the bus a few times and were also able to walk into a little village called Gazi, which was only a 20min walk from the hotel, which has lots of souvenir shops. Overall a brilliant holiday, definitely would return:)

A regular bus service runs outside the hotel for the twenty minute journey to the capital Heraklion for those who want the cultural experience of museums and galleries and lots of shops.

We visited Heraklion and did some shopping.

Absolutely brilliant staff team, Maria the events manager was superb for my nieces wedding, Maria pool bar excellent, nikos and Stefanos all brilliant as we're all the staff.

From the cleaners to the reception to the bar staff and restaurant - everyone is so happy, smiley, friendly and helpful.

The hotel is absolutely beautiful and the staff are so friendly, especially Maria on the beach bar, after 2 days she remembered my order and drinks were poured when she saw me; always serving them with a little dance.

We them sat down to get a drink went to the bar to be greated by the wonderful Stefanos who explained the drink menu etc made us a fabulous cocktail after that we went to bed as we where shattered.

Different bars about so you could have a change of scenery, pools were clean and plenty of beds available, main pool
was really cold.

All bars are great, drinks in ample supply and bar staff helpful and efficient.

Went to the snack bar at 17:30 and was about to help myself to some fries from the large tray full of them

10/10 Holiday
Food and hotel were great- can’t complain 
Staff are the best about, big shoutout to Stefanos and all the bar staff 
Shoutout to Nikolas as well for the great reception on every occasion

The entertainment in the outside bar was ok,

Special mention to the ladies in the pool bar who always had a queue

The drinks at any of the bars are good, plenty of selection, there are some that you have to pay for named brand spirits.

The bars and staff are fabulous and very friendly.

but be aware it is a 25/30 min walk away but once you arrive, lots of restaurants, bars and shops will be available.

There was a few musicians who came and played in the lobby bar, they were good-

We managed to get beds by the pool every morning after breakfast and the bar staff at the pool were amazing.

The bar staff, the cleaners, reception, gardeners, pool cleaner, waiters/waitresses, cooks, porters,  everybody, just the best.

The hotel is amazing the food was amazing and the staff well they can’t do enough for you all kind polite I must also say the beach bar is run by a lady called Maria she is absolutely amazing, she is extremely happy in her job very happy kind friendly and extremely helpful I can not praise this lady enough, hotel management are also fabulous as we had a incident we’re one of our guests became unwell Maria radio through and the management team were there within two minutes what a rapid response.

But the pools didn't look amazing, and it would be a few minutes walk to the snack bar.

All in all a great holiday and made some great memories here that we’ll always keep close to our hearts.

Overall  we had a good time and a holiday is what you make it.

I confirm all positive reviews written on this site, this place is wonderful for a family vacations.

Overall we had a good holiday that was great value for money so might return at some point.

but overall we were really impressed and had a great family holiday.

All things considered our holiday was enjoyable.

On the first day of our family holiday ( also my sons 11th birthday) we visited the waterpark.

Just got back from a lovely holiday at the Akti Zeus.

The food and drink was very good throughout the holiday.

Highlight of our holiday most incredible day out,  highly reccomend and it gives you a insight into how gorgeous crete is and how horrendous the hotels location is.

but it's a holiday and people were enjoying themselves so all is good with me.

What an amazing holiday, my first time going all inclusive so wasn't sure what to expect.

but efcharistó to everyone who made our holiday such a great break!

All in all though, love Greece, loved the holiday.

You don’t even notice it, you can’t smell the ‘toxic fumes’ people complain about and it doesn’t ruin the atmosphere or your holiday.

Despite all the above we made the most of our holiday and had a good time

Would recommend this hotel to any family looking for a relaxing beach break.

Overall we had an absolute great time here and we would like to thank Atlantic Atki Zeus for a perfect holiday.

however if you are into history and cultural heritage then there are plenty of museums and art galleries there.

The Museums are good, with the favourite being The Museum of ancient Greek technology, fascinating!

You’re also very close to Heraklion and Knossos for museums and the aquarium.

Or a bus into Heraklion which took over 30 minutes, the harbour and museum was worth a visit.

Lots of history in heraklion at the museums and the archeological museum does a combined ticket for knossos which is a lot cheaper than booking with reps.

It has a beautiful port which a sea fortress and you can walk into the towel where there are shops, beautiful gallery, museums, markets and more.

In Heraklion, there are markets, a few museums, a sea fort, restaurants and shops.

The hotel is situated by the sea with a regular bus service every 10 - 15 minutes which takes you in to the centre of Iraklion, where there are numerous  shops, museums, restaurants and bars etc.,   The more energetic like us could walk to Iraklion along the beach a very pleasant walk after the first river inlet, this takes approximately two hours.

We paid 74 euros for 2 to visit Knossos and the Archeological Museum, cost with Thomson was 118 euros.

We went into Heraklion and visited the port and the museum which was really interesting and a welcome break from the sun for an hour or so.

however ,The food in the restraunt is poor, i can honestly say ive been to lot of AL and travelled a fair bit, this is by far the worst food ive had, we had raw chicken which we informed the staff, they were horrified and apilodlgetic,we let the Tui rep know incase anyone became ill. My partner and i got diffrent chicken so it wasnt isolated.

Highly recommended to all, adult entertainment is a little poor

It was quite poor overall and again very little interaction with people round the pool area.

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