Overlooking the sparkling waters of the Mediterranean, the Blue Palace is just 3km away from the village of Elounda, but it can sometimes feel like 300km, such is the tranquility of the place – provided you visit outside of peak season at least.
With 204 sea-view guestrooms, anybody who stays here is going to be doing a lot of gazing out over the vast blue expanse at some stage. So it is perhaps fitting that the Elounda’s Spa is also a Thalassotherapy centre – ‘thalassos’ is the Greek word for ‘sea’ and ‘thalassotherapy’ is said to exploit the beneficial effects of natural seawater on the skin’s pores.
Hit the opulent, state-of-the-art spa towards the end of the afternoon when the heat is unbearable, emerging refreshed in time for a sundowner with friends and, yes, another chance to commune with the Mediterranean before nightfall.