Phāea Blue - Small Luxury Hotels of the World

The hotel is splendid location is far from everything but it is great

Although we had a lovely holiday, Phaea blue was not what we expected when we booked a ‘boutique hotel’. It has the feel of a 200 room hotel and upon further research this was the case up until about 12 months ago when it went through a rebrand. The style of the website and awards for small hotel etc in our opinion are very misleading. In general there are many things on site that feel a bit dated and tired, a prime example would be the pool and surrounding area, some of the gates could do with a coat of paint, speakers on beach not usually found in boutique hotel along with campsite style bins. Some areas definitely need a refresh. The room is spacious with all the amenities however again some aspects feel 20 years old and need a refurb. We felt like the hotel wasn’t what we wanted or would have booked if we had seen more truthful marketing about the size and condition I would put this at max 4 stars definitely not 5 star. On a positive note the best thing about this Hotel are the staff from start to finish they could not do enough for us top marks to them all round. Other positive things would be the restaurant all looks the part, breakfast options and dessert very good. Nice atmosphere. With again top class service. The welcome and the lobby is lovely too. Thankfully we got a deal and a reasonable price if we had paid £500 a night we would have felt severely disappointed compared to other options available in Europe.

My daughter and I have enjoyed a wonderful week at the Phaea Blue. The staff as others have said are all warm, friendly and very helpful; the food is outstanding, rooms serene and views beautiful. We particularly loved the idyllic Blue Door restaurant where the food and views are delicious. We really enjoyed our evening at the Farmer’s Feast communal dinner in the vegetable gardens and broke bread with Californians, Texans, the Dutch, Germans and Greek families. We also took a trip to Spinalonga having read The Island a few years ago. The only issue with the Phaea Blue is the Meltemi wind which of course the hotel can’t control. The winds were very, very strong all week. We managed to swim a couple of times but the waves were large and it was impossible to read a book or grab a drink on the beach without books and glasses flying away and breaking. We walked into Plaka a couple of evenings for cocktails and supper at local tavernas. Giovanni’s was particularly good as was Gorgona. We also took a €30 taxi into Agios Nikolaos which is a charming little seaside town full of colour and character. We ate overlooking the lake at Gioma Meze; do book a table if you can. The views were to die for as was the food! Despite the winds, we had a super week at Phaea Blue. Thank you everyone!

This is hands down one of my favorite hotels. From the moment we arrived - everything was total perfection. The welcome greeting to the amenities, to the activities to the accommodations. The food was as extraordinary as the service - we came away feeling like everyone we encountered there is now a good friend! Highly recommend the traditional “pop up” dinner - which was absolutely spectacular. We also loved going out on the boat and having lunch and swimming. Every meal was incredibly delicious… and every person we encountered was so helpful and kind- from the general manager to the food and beverage manager… the executive chef and Maria who served us each morning. The rooms are stunning and comfortable. My husband and I shared a suite with our two daughters. We hated to leave - but as they reminded us, we must leave in order to come back. And we WILL be back.

This was our first time to this part of Crete and therefore Phaea Blue and we were not disappointed. We were greeted at the door and led into the lobby area where we were checked in and given a complimentary drink before being taken to our room by buggy. We absolutely loved our room (723) from which we could see the island of Spinalonga. The room included a huge bathroom, walk in closet and a good sized balcony. The rooms have been well laid out within the grounds and we had total privacy. Breakfast was excellent, lots of choice at the buffet and on the menu. Staff were very welcoming and attentive. We didn't eat lunch or dinner at the hotel. It's true that the hotel is set into the hillside and for some people this may be an issue, but the buggy service is readily available if needed. We didn't really use the beach, but there looked to be plenty of sun loungers. The beach is big pebbles so would recommend taking rubber shoes for getting in and out of the water. Think there is a pier too with steps for easier access for swimming. I did note the sunshades are fixed and quite small, but I guess most people wouldn't be bothered by this. We took the speedboat from the hotel to Spinalonga and back (€40 for up to 4 people). Takes about 90 seconds each way and is absolutely brilliant! Totally flexible from a timing aspect too. (The boat from Plaka or Elounda to Spinalonga is €12pp each way so the speedboat is a cheaper option as well as far more fun.) From 2026 there will be a new 140ish room hotel next door so I don't know whether this will impact the Phaea Blue at all. Plaka is a 5 minute walk away with a good selection of restaurants (we particularly enjoyed Porta. Fabulous team and the food was delicious.) and Elounda about a 40 minute walk - fine during the day, but probably not to be recommended in the dark as pavement missing in places. We wouldn't hesitate to stay at Phaea Blue again if we returned to the area.

It was our second visit this year, and once again we enjoyed a wonderfully relaxing and peaceful holiday. We were pleasantly surprised that the hotel staff recognized us and made us feel as if we were returning to our second home. The restaurants were excellent, very good quality, offering delicious breakfasts with a small buffet and à la carte options , you must try the poached eggs with avocado and toasted bread. Room service was fast with very taste mediterannean dishes. We had also body treatments in the wellnes area that was so relaxed. Thank you to everyone for your hospitality and special mention to Maria. We’ll definitely be back!