Elounda Water Park Residence Hotel

Girgis Salib

Unfortunately, this hotel didn't live up to expectations — or to the standards you'd hope for visiting beautiful Greece. The property feels noticeably outdated and in need of a serious refresh throughout. The layout is a real practical headache. Rooms, pool, canteen, waterpark, and disco area are all scattered across different levels of a very steep hill. Getting between them is exhausting — manageable for the able-bodied, but a genuine challenge with young children, elderly guests, or anyone with mobility issues. There is a buggy service, but the driver we encountered was unwelcoming — no smile, no greeting, and particularly indifferent towards the little ones in our group. The food was consistently disappointing. Everything felt cheap and low quality — bacon so thin it was almost translucent, rubbery mushrooms, and soft drinks from the dispenser that tasted watered down. Even the fruit selection was uninspiring. For a country renowned for its incredible fresh produce and cuisine, the catering here was a real missed opportunity. To top it off, there was a power outage during our stay. The already-basic food options became even more limited, and with no cooling, flies were everywhere — not what you want around a canteen. There are far better-value options in the Heraklion area that will actually let you experience the best of Greek hospitality. Just wanted to add the receptionist elderly lady was so rude on our last day, very blunt and not caring at all. Left a bitter taste. Definitely not returning here again!

Susan Wills

We had the most marvellous holiday on Crete despite there being two days of rain. The Elounda Residence is by far one of the most warm and welcoming hotels we have ever stayed in where nothing was too much trouble. The room was a double apartment with a lovely sea view. It was clean, spacious and comfortable. The bathroom was a little tired but was fully functioning. We stayed here on an all inclusive basis and could not fault the food or drinks. The food was plentiful, varied and tasty, catering for Adults and children alike, with different choices every day for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. The fresh fruit at breakfast was amazing. The facilities at the hotel are good for both Children and Adults. With two pools and a waterpark with amazing waterslides, also varies sports and kids entertainments. Whilst staying here my husband developed a problem with his knees that meant he was a bit limited on walking. They went out of their way to find him a suitable walking aid which made his life a lot easier and meant we were not limited to staying in the hotel. I have to commend the attitude and friendliness of all of the hotel staff that we met. In particular we would like to thank the reception staff for their help including Paul, Chrisa, Chrisoula, Theodoros and Eleni. We would like to recommend this hotel to anyone who would like a relaxing and happy holiday in Crete.

Ani Tchetchenianova

From the moment we arrived, we felt very welcomed. The staff were smiling, kind and made us feel genuinely happy to be there, which created a great first impression right away. Our room was beautiful, clean and well maintained, with a stunning view that we enjoyed every day. Everything worked perfectly and the atmosphere felt calm and comfortable. The hotel area is not too large, which makes it easy to move around and relax without feeling overwhelmed. The pools and water park are great for both relaxation and fun. We visited at the end of the season, so the atmosphere was peaceful and romantic, but I can imagine it being very lively and fun for families during the main season. Sunbeds were generally available, especially if you choose the right time. We stayed on an all-inclusive basis and were very satisfied with the food. There was a good selection every day, and the option to try different restaurants was a nice bonus. The staff in the restaurants and bars were friendly and professional, always ready to help. One of the highlights of this hotel is definitely its location. Situated on a hill, it offers breathtaking views and beautiful sunsets every evening, which made our evenings with a drink truly special. Overall, the hotel offers great value for money, a wonderful location and a very pleasant atmosphere. I would happily recommend it and would love to come back again.

JAN KOWALSKI

The only good thing about this hotel were the bartenders – friendly and professional. Unfortunately, everything else was very disappointing. After two requests to change our room because the standard was no more than a 2-star level, the receptionist kept making rude comments instead of helping. After waiting over an hour for assistance, we finally had to carry our own luggage to the room. The food was extremely monotonous every day. Snacks in the main restaurant were supposed to be available from 3 PM, but most of the time there was nothing there, or at best just a few slices of ham. Definitely not the standard we expected and not worth the money.

Kat b

Ahhh, what to say! I wanted to come away with so much positivity, but unfortunately we were left very deflated. So let's buckle in for a long review. I want to start with the positives, as there is a few which made our holiday manageable. Firstly the dining staff and bar staff, they are so sweet and attentive, very kind and always happy to have a chat and ask you how your stay is going. Nothing is too much for them. This was a huge positive for us. Also the manager of the resort was very kind and attentive, and did everything he could to make our holiday positive. The area and views is breath taking! I mean what a stunning area! The reception staff were also friendly and helpful when we needed. I had also messaged ahead of time, explaining that it was our first family holiday with our 5 month old, and if I could have a few additions added to the room to help the holiday run smoothly! Which they did exactly that, so incredibly accommodating. The pools were very clean and and so was the dining areas. Now the not so positive part of the reviews. So when we arrived we were taken to our rooms via a buggy service, which was very helpful, as this resort is situated on a steep mountain. When we arrived atvour room we were disappointed and if im honest, it was incredibly outdated, it was more 2 star standard, the room wasnt very............. how to put it...... fresh....... it had a horrid material shower curtain, which was awful, and the water was very cold to shower in. With this, I did call up to get someone to look at the water, which the manager himself, came to have a look. It was decided that we would change rooms the next day. With that we moved our new room, and wow, what an improvement, I mean I can see why some guests have great experiences with their rooms, and some not not so much. Which is a shame, as the rooms that need a little more updating, should then be updated to meet the standard of the other rooms available. The resort isnt easy to get around with young children and anyone who struggles physically. The hill to walk to your rooms is a killer! But at least you work off the cake you have eaten for lunch and dinner. There is a buggy service that will take you to your rooms if need be, but they are not always available, and the main guy is as about happy as a deflated puffer fish! And if im honest a bit lerchy. Anyway let's move on. The food! Everyone wants to know about the food....will you starve.... no. But was we very disappointed yes. I found it very lacking, yes there is fruit and salad, olives ect, but nothing that really stood out! And at snack times, its pizza and chicken nuggets, well they looked like chicken nuggets. We were very disappointed. If you want to explore out of the resort, be aware you may need to pay for taxis, or hire a car, we hired a car and went to a stunning beach, which was breath taking, our favourite day by far! The resort does offer a shuttle to the small town, lol! But it doesn't take you the whole way! You will be dropped off half the way down to the town! You have to walk most of it, it was laughable.... and the bit you have to walk was the steepest bit! It was ridiculous 🙄 so please be aware of that when you have small children and individuals with mobility issues. So with that all in mind, would we visit the resort again, No we wouldn't, would we visit Elounda again. Absolutely It's such a shame, because this resort has sooo much potential! And the small things that really do make a difference just needs adjusting! Like during the off peak session, update your rooms, give them a deep clean, revisit your menu options and selections ect and what foods are cooked, encourage some staff to be less grumpy, and more apliable. I get that doing the same job day in day out, can be boring, but people save and pay a lot of their hard earned money, to come away and have an amazing experience, not to be grunted at 🤷‍♀️ anyway, I hope this review helps