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

What a wonderful hotel. Stayed in Cool Living at the top of the hill. Regular buggy and car transfers between the hotel reception and the Cool Living Section. Fabulous restaurants and great staff. Difficult to praise particular staff as all wonderful but Tamara and Seraphina were especially lovely. Stayed for 9 nights and will return. Beach was great with drink service and snacks. Hotel should consider wrist bands or similar as guests from the bottom hotel came up to the top and used the limited sunbeds. Easily resolved by giving Cool Living guests different colour towels for the sunbeds. Overall a fabulous holiday.

We have had an amazing time at Domes Aulus Elounda on our honeymoon. I was a bit worried when i read the reviews but i can now confirm that this place is magical! Back story, my husband broke his ankle in 2 places in March and is still very much recovering with limited mobility. When we arrived we both looked at each other and thought we had made a mistake... the resort is very steep and plonked on the side of the mountain, which is what gives it its breathtaking views. We couldn't have been more wrong. The amazing transport team are on hand to take you in a car, golf buggy or bus to wherever you need to go. They were so accommodating and polite. We never waited more than 5 minutes for transport. George was a true gentleman and really made us feel welcome. As for the food, we are both vegetarian. Our first experience at Greco Levante A La Carte restaurant was a little ropey. We explained that we were Vegetarian and put it on the booking reservation. The menu says 'ask for vegan and vegetarian options' but the host explained there was only a special starter a beetroot salad which would cost extra, no other mains available. Luckily there were a few starter options to choose from on the menu but only one main which was a tomato pasta. It was OK but not very imaginative from a 5* culinary experience. We were concerned, however couldn't have been more wrong. From then onwards we had ample options in all buffets and the a la carte restaurants. We had vegetarian sushi, poke bowls, pasta dishes, pizza, salads, pitta, gyros, deserts. It was fantastic. My only recommendation would be to consider a vegetarian protein at the buffet as it was carb heavy. But we were really impressed. The food was honestly a hilight. It's not a huge buffet with lots of bland/beige food. It's a smaller (still plentiful) selection but done well and always fresh. The cocktails were also amazing. The bartenders are really attentive and their cocktail making is a true craft. We loved the grab and go so we could stay hydrated and take drinks back to the room. The pool at the Cool living area was breathtaking. We had no issues getting a bed. It was very civilised. We also had a private pool in our room which was amazing. Our only criticism here was that a green scum had formed around the edge of the pool which did ruin two swim outfits as it rubbed off. They came to clean the pool on day 6. I think that should be done more regularly. However we just cracked on with it :). All in all we had an AMAZING time at Domes Aulus Elounda. The views, the ambience, the service, the transport, the food, the drinks, the room, the pool - EVERYTHING was a 10/10. THANK YOU for a memorable honeymoon 🇬🇷💕

We visited at the beginning of May this year, and I was absolutely enchanted by Crete and this hotel. I can't wait to return—and we certainly will! *From the very start:* We were warmly welcomed upon arrival. My parents were quite tired from the journey, and everyone ensured that my father felt like he was already on vacation. The hotel manager, a very kind woman, greeted us personally. Christa, who took care of us, was invaluable! She was understanding and didn't let the language barrier with my parents be an issue. Always helpful and smiling—truly wonderful! We enjoyed joking around; she showed us everything in the room. I hope we meet again! *The room:* Very nice and clean, with housekeeping doing a perfect job. Thank you for accommodating my father's disability by placing us on the lowest possible floor; it made him feel independent. The private pool was consistently cleaned. The gifts in the room were a delightful surprise. *Dining and service:* Indescribable! Everyone was incredibly kind, helpful, and most importantly, smiling! Thank you to all the staff; your efforts made our holiday exceptionally enjoyable and comfortable. Special thanks to Christina for always being there to help. Every time I entered the restaurant area and saw her, I couldn't help but smile! You treat everyone equally, which is truly special. The beach bar staff member, even at the end of her shift, would check if we needed anything else—so sweet and always striving to please. *Hotel location:* Situated on a hill, but for those with mobility issues, there are always staff available with golf carts or cars—always smiling and helpful! *A special thank you:* For the surprise for my mother. On the day of our departure, she celebrated her 65th birthday, and the day before, a cake awaited her in the room! It was incredibly touching to see how much you care for your guests. We were all moved! *Farewell:* Christa gave us beautiful gifts filled with positive energy, which we brought home with us! It was also invaluable that she waited until our transfer arrived. The hotel manager also came to say goodbye. We've shared our experience with all our friends and recommend your hotel to everyone! This region of the island, Elounda, and especially your hotel, are magnificent! Thank you once again for everything! I can't wait to return to room 109 and see you all again. ❤️

We just came back from our 10-day stay at this hotel and the only thing that comes to my mind is this: inconsistency ruins everything From the very beginning, the rooms themselves vary A LOT within the same category. We booked a private pool room (Sapphire Zen) and despite our message almost two months prior to our arrival, we were admitted to a room with unusable pool (with a roof overhead, making the pool cold 24/7). Additionally, the shape of the pool was not the advertised L-shaped one, it was more akin of a plunge pool. After our complaint, we were transferred to a much better room, but we still had to spend two nights in the first one. If you end up with a rooftop over your pool, be prepared to never use it - it will simply be too cold as the pools are not heated at all and they rely on sunshine to heat up. Aside from the pool, the rooms were similar, BUT - the first one was way, way more run-down, with mold over the bathtub, cracked bahtroom doors and various other signs of age. The second room seemed to be renovated rather recently with everything mostly clean and pristine. For reference, the first room was 612, and the second was 602. The main pools are also inconsistant - the main pool at the foot of the hill is very pleasant and warm while the two Cool Living pools at the top are ice cold. I don't know whether it's due to heating and lack thereof or due to strong winds at the top, but it's such a let-down as the Cool Living pools are much better for swimming than the tiny main pool at the bottom. Cocktails - get ready to be totally dependant on the mood of the bartender as well as the amount of people behind you. Sometimes your cocktail will be prepared dilligently and be really tasty, other times they will just throw the ingredients into the shaker, shake it a bit and call it a cocktail. Caipirinha might be the worst offender here as some bartenders made it really well while some just mixed some cachaca with pre-made (i.e bottled) lime juice and sweet syroup, dropped a lime in and called it a caipirinha! I found it to be laughable that you need to specifically ask for a REAL drink to receive it. Also, while some bartenders were lovely, others seemed to despise their job and made you feel unwelcome whether they were busy or not doing anything. All the staff is overworked and almost every place is understaffed. Bars are understaffed, especially the Blu Bar; Island restaurant is understaffed and struggling during busy hours with visible chaos occurring with the waiters; food is not getting replenished fast enogh and everything seems to be tense. If you want a relaxed meal, arrive early for your meals. We preferred to go to the Cool Living area for buffet meals as the choice was smaller but generally tastier. A la carte restaurants are okay, with the Amphitheatre being the highlight. Yellow Sea is not worth unless you like sushi that is neither great not terrible, Greco Lavante is underwhelming (but had the nicest staff during our stay) a

The staff were incredible, all the way through. Our housekeeper Julia went the extra mile with our room and we sincerely appreciated it. Food was amazing all the way through, despite some previous poor reviews. I found it to be fresh and tasty. We had a Sapphire Zen Suite with a private pool, and it was lovely. The placement of our rooms made it tricky to organize going up to the cool living section and down to the main part of the resort for dinners/drinks, but it’s part of the destination and the views largely make up for it! I would go back every year, it was truly a wonderful holiday.

Overall had a great time at the hotel, it is certainly worth considering the Cool Living just for the pool as it is lovely. Please be mindful that the hotel is on a very steep hill. They do lay on shuttle buses, but even so, it is very steep. Also, some of the Sapphire nest sharing pool rooms do not look anything like the website. The pool is tiny and the balcony is just wide enough for a table & chairs, no loungers. These rooms are really not great. Drinks are excellent, all premium spirits and fab measures! Overall food is good, but we didn’t really eat in the hotel, the all inclusive is worth it just for the drinks! Didn’t really struggle with sunloungers, but that being said we were up by around 9.30am. Any later than 11.00 you wouldn’t get one. Staff are extremely helpful and very friendly. Beach is small, but the sunloungers are lovely and comfortable and there is a nice bar down there which is nice too! Great stay, and would recommend! But make sure it’s Cool Living.