Location: Vathi, Ag. Nikolaos 721 00, Greece

Overall Hotel: 5/5

Service: 5/5

Food: 4/5

Décor: 4/5

Price: 4/5

If you follow me on Instagram, you will probably know that I have just spent a week in absolute heaven. Daios Cove is a beautiful luxury resort on the Greek island of Crete; a place I didn’t know too much about other than the fact I went to Malia when I was 17 (don’t laugh, we all did it….) and I was pleasantly surprised by how beautiful the island was!

Visiting in May, I was a little worried about the weather but I can reassure you, it was absolutely perfect. The temperature was around 24-27 degrees each day (ideal for us Brits!) and dropping to about 17-18 degrees in the evening – nothing more than a light jacket was needed at post-dinner cocktails!

Overall Hotel

Overall, the hotel décor and design was simply stunning. Set in a small, remote cove, the hotel is quite literally its own exclusive haven in a corner of paradise. We opted for a junior suite with our own private pool (all the Instagram goals!) and it was one of the best rooms I have stayed in. Complete with a huge bed, amazing walk-in shower and extra-large balcony, this room is exactly what you would describe as heaven away from home. 



I absolutely loved walking up in the morning to THIS incredible view, having my cup of green tea sitting on the open plan balcony and dipping my feet in my private pool – if only every day could start that way! The pool was a little on the cold side because they aren’t heated so at this time of year the sun isn’t hot enough to make them that warm. However, I was more than comfortable floating around on my giant inflatable flamingo…!!! Meet Fredrick…



The main pool and beach area were also fantastic, plenty of beds with a mixture of shade and sun throughout the day. The colour of the sea water actually really surprised me! Having not visited Greece properly before, I didn’t realise the sea was similar to the colours you get in the Caribbean – any sea that colour and I am completely SOLD. It was such a pleasant surprise that the water was so clear – we had a great time snorkelling around the cove and discovering all the sea-life. The main pool is heated and a stunning infinity design. I keep imagining I am still looking out at the view all the time – it is so relaxing!!

The hotel also has a great spa, four restaurants and plenty of bars to keep you entertained. The prices aren’t cheap and you should be prepared for that before you go. Cocktails are around 17Euros, a bottle of local wine starts from 32Euros and a typical lunch for two is around 40Euros. It didn’t ruin my time at all, I knew what to expect before I went and honestly, everything is so incredible you don’t mind paying for it.

The hotel is very remote so if you are looking for a place to just chill out and spend a week relaxing then this is the place for you. The local town is around 20 minutes’ drive away and a cab costs 13Euros each way. Agios Nikolaos is a lovely water-front town and we had the best day exploring!


We actually ended up buying a couple of bottles of local wine for 3.50Euros to drink on our balcony and it was AMAZING. I was little sceptical, especially as it came in a plastic water bottle but it was really delicious and a great away to start our evenings. The shop owner who sold it to us was hilarious, although I am pretty sure he made the wine in his back garden or something..!

Service

This for me is one of the best things about this hotel. From start to finish, the service provided by the hotel staff was incredible. We were given a personal chat/tour of the hotel on our arrival by Juan (great work!), welcomed with a lovely bottle of red and throughout our whole stay the staff couldn’t do enough for you.


Even though we were only there a week, we built up amazing relationships with the staff which is such a credit to them. I cannot thank everyone at the hotel enough, you offered an amazing service from start to finish.

Food

The food was great! The breakfast and dinner are served as a buffet style, however there are two a la carte restaurants on site too. The buffets are possibly one of the best I have ever had. I know when you think, well, it is a luxury resort of course it should be amazing, but a lot of the time that isn’t the case. This food was gorgeous and full of flavour!

For lunch, we found our weakness in the Beach Bar. They do freshly made, grilled meat or veggie skewers over a bbq with warm pitta bread and yogurt dip served with salad and chips – honestly, it was amazing. I had one every day with no regrets…I actually miss having them for lunch. Daios Cove, do you deliver?


The cocktails and wine are also great. We ended up having a bottle of wine with dinner every day and impressively, the staff can talk you through the entire list!!

Price

Daios Cove is absolutely stunning and in my opinion, totally worth the price for a relaxing time away. During the seasons the prices change but this will give you an idea. For more information, visit their website here! Would you like to visit?!