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Domes of Elounda: Where Spinalonga Becomes Part of the Stay

Eleni — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 14:51:52 +0000

Terracotta suites cascading to the water, a Michelin-starred restaurant, a Vilebrequin beach club and Spinalonga sitting directly across the water, closer than anywhere else you can stay.

By Eleni Stasinopoulou

Domes of Elounda sits amphitheatrically above Elounda Bay, with Spinalonga directly across the water. I came with high expectations. It surpassed them.

Some weekends announce themselves early. This one did. The company was right, the destination was right, and the resort had a reputation that preceded it by several years and several conversations. Domes of Elounda, Elounda Bay, Crete. One of those places I consider quietly blessed, the kind of geography that makes you understand why people have been fighting over this part of the Mediterranean for centuries.

It was better than expected. Which, given the expectations, is saying something.

First Impressions: Arriving at Domes of Elounda

We walked into the lobby and through a glass door that opened directly onto Spinalonga. Not a view of Spinalonga – Spinalonga. The Venetian fortress, the former leper colony, the mythical island sitting right there across the water as if it had been waiting. As we were told, this is the closest point anyone can get to the island without actually being on it. I remembered, standing there, just how emblematic this view is. You think you know it from photographs. You don’t. It requires you to be in front of it.

In the next days, every afternoon I made my way back up to the lobby terrace, ordered something, and sat watching Spinalonga. Just watching. It doesn’t get old. I’m not sure it could.

The resort unfolds amphitheatrically down the hillside with suites and villas cascading toward the water, that specific green-turquoise of Elounda Bay catching the light between them.

The domes themselves, in their deep terracotta, create an unlikely but perfect chromatic dialogue with the colours of the sea.

The Suites at Core: Private Pools and Local Details

Our suites were in Core complex, featuring private pools, stone as the dominant material, local details everywhere. Embroidered Cretan cushions, ceramics, small gestures that know where they are. There was a book in the room about the history of Elounda, its tourism development from the 1960s and 70s onward, a tourism fairytale actually with political cameos and considerable glamour and with Panagiotis Spanos of Domes Resorts among the pioneers – protagonists. His son Giorgos continues the work today.

My suite had a lovely spacious private terrace and pool looking out over the back bay. Quieter than the front-facing rooms, different light, a view I could have stayed in for days.

The property also has Chora, the adults-only complex slightly further down, sitting almost directly across from Spinalonga. A newer addition that has its own devoted following, and I understand why. If I come back, and I will, I’m trying it

An Unexpected Highlight: The Greek Monsters Exhibition

Before dinner, the Beetroot Studio – designed Greek Monsters exhibition stopped us. Born in 2011 during the Greek crisis as a way to reframe Greece’s image abroad through humour and design, the exhibition has since travelled the world.

Here in Elounda, for the second consecutive year, the monsters inhabit a beautiful outdoor space alongside small shops. The Cyclops greets you first. He sets the tone perfectly — and prepares you, without knowing it, for everything that follows.

Dinner at Makris: Michelin-Starred Fine Dining with a View

Dinner at Makris was the kind of meal that extends itself without asking permission. Chef Petros Dimas, Michelin-starred, brings his Athens degustation sensibility to Elounda in a comfort fine dining format that feels exactly right for this setting.

We were deep into the meal when someone mentioned that at 21:04, the lights illuminate Spinalonga. We had been told. We had almost forgotten. And then it happened, the island lit up across the water, and dinner became something else entirely. You reach out your hand, they said. You almost touch it. We did.

A Private Boat to Spinalonga: The Excursion Worth Booking

The next morning, Michalis Klontzas, dentist, passionate local guide, owner of his own vessel, took us to Spinalonga by private boat. This is the way to do it. Arriving by sea to a 16th century Venetian fortress, with a guide who tells the story the way it deserves to be told. The history of Spinalonga is staggering in the most human way: the leper colony that became a functioning community, the last active one in Europe, until 1957. We walked it quietly. We were quiet afterward too.

Then the boat took us around Kolokytha tiny island and its caves. This was the kind of Cretan sea that makes early May swimming feel not just possible but necessary. Both days, in fact. I am not someone who gets in the water easily, especially in May. Here I didn’t hesitate.

The water does something to you and you simply have to swim in it to understand its particular perfection.

Vilebrequin La Plage: The Beach Club That Stole the Trip

Lunch was the revelation of the trip. Vilebrequin La Plage has taken over the beach at Domes of Elounda, and it has done so with complete conviction. Three acres of secluded beach framed by olive groves, striped umbrellas, hand-painted plates, fresh fish on a wooden pier with Spinalonga across the water. The French Riviera spirit of the 1970s, transplanted to Mirabello Bay and entirely at home.

I didn’t want to leave. That’s the most honest thing I can say about it. The olive tree shadows on the turquoise water, the light on the bay, the unhurried pace of a lunch that becomes an afternoon… I stayed as long as I could justify, and then a little longer.

Antonino’s: Italian Comfort by the Pool

Dinner that evening at Antonino’s, the Italian restaurant by the main pool, was the other kind of meal, generous and uncomplicated, exactly what you want after a day in the sun and sea. Hand-rolled gnocchi, pizza cut with scissors, the kind of Italian comfort that knows its lineage. Greek soul and Italian warmth, arguing pleasantly over olive oil.

Domes of Elounda understands its location and builds around it rather than competing with it. Spinalonga is everywhere: from the lobby, from Makris, from the beach. Some places make you relax without trying. This is one of them.

DOMES OF ELOUNDA AT A GLANCE
Location: Elounda Bay, Crete, Greece. The closest point to Spinalonga island you can stay without setting foot on it.

Stars: Five-star resort

Accommodation: Suites and villas cascading amphitheatrically down to the bay, including the new Core villas and suites with private pools and stone interiors, and the adults-only Chora complex with direct views of Spinalonga

Dining: Makris (Chef Petros Dimas, Michelin-starred), Antonino’s Italian restaurant, Vilebrequin La Plage beach club

Beach: Vilebrequin La Plage with three acres of secluded beach framed by olive groves, striped kiosks, wooden pier

Culture: Greek Monsters exhibition by Beetroot Design (outdoor space, annual summer presence)

Activities: Private boat excursions to Spinalonga and Kolokytha caves, swimming, watersports

Best For: Couples, design lovers, families and anyone who wants a luxury Cretan stay where history is part of the experience

Website: domesresorts.com

The Hotel Trotter – living the #hotellife in style

The post Domes of Elounda: Where Spinalonga Becomes Part of the Stay appeared first on Travel My Day Blog.

This Santorini Boutique Hotel Is the One Insiders Are Watching in 2026

Eleni — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 13:13:09 +0000

Neema Maison Finikia Santorini, which opened in July 2025, is emerging as one of the island’s most design-forward boutique stays, set in the understated village of Finikia.

The News

Opened in July 2025, Neema Maison Finikia Santorini marked a subtle but telling addition to the Santorini portfolio of Domes. Located in Finikia, a quieter settlement within walking distance of Oia, the adults-only property introduced a deliberately small-scale approach to hospitality on one of the Aegean’s most visited islands.

This Santorini Boutique Hotel Is the One Insiders Are Watching in 2026

With just 16 suites, Neema Maison was the first opening under The Finds, Domes’ boutique-led collection focused on place, pace, and character. Its arrival followed the group’s larger 2024 debut on the island, Domes Novos Santorini, signalling a parallel strategy that favours intimacy and local immersion over spectacle.

Design & Atmosphere

Carved into Santorini’s volcanic rock, the hotel draws from Cycladic architectural principles while adopting a distinctly contemporary interior language. The design concept, developed by Greek studio Urban Soul Project, takes its cues from the world of fashion ateliers rather than conventional resort typologies, aligning the property with design-led hotels in Greece.

Whitewashed walls and textured neutrals form a restrained base, punctuated by a recurring deep red accent that appears in bespoke furniture, upholstery, and lighting details. Vanity-style illumination, sculptural forms, and curated fashion elements in the reception area give the spaces a sense of intentional staging, more maison than hotel.

The name “Neema,” derived from the ancient Greek word for thread, informs the visual narrative throughout the property, with an emphasis on line, continuity, and craftsmanship. The overall mood is quietly expressive and design-literate, without leaning into nostalgia or overt Cycladic clichés.

The Experience

Most suites offer sea views and include fully equipped kitchens, reinforcing the hotel’s appeal for extended stays rather than short, itinerary-driven visits. Three premium suites feature in-room jacuzzis, while shared spaces are limited and carefully considered.

The outdoor pool terrace functions as the social centre of the property, oriented toward sunset views and anchored by a communal table designed for informal gatherings. Dining is centred on Antonino’s, Domes’ Italian restaurant concept, serving handmade pasta, wood-fired pizzas, and seasonal dishes alongside a focused wine and cocktail list. A poolside bar extends the setting into the afternoon and early evening.

Wellbeing is integrated quietly into the rhythm of the stay, with outdoor yoga and Pilates sessions offered on the terrace and massage treatments available on request. Beyond the hotel, Finikia’s pedestrian lanes, family-run cafés, wine cellars, and workshops offer an unfiltered counterpoint to Santorini’s more choreographed experiences.

TheHotelTrotter Insider Tip

Stay for at least three nights and plan evenings in Finikia rather than Oia. After sunset, the village settles into a pace that feels distinctly removed from Santorini’s headline crowds.

The Hotel Trotter – living the #hotellife in style

The post This Santorini Boutique Hotel Is the One Insiders Are Watching in 2026 appeared first on Travel My Day Blog.

This Santorini Boutique Hotel Is the One Insiders Are Watching in 2026

Eleni — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 14:20:27 +0000

Neema Maison Finikia Santorini, which opened in July 2025, is emerging as one of the island’s most design-forward boutique stays, set in the understated village of Finikia.

The News

Design & Atmosphere

The Experience

TheHotelTrotter Insider Tip

Stay for at least three nights and plan evenings in Finikia rather than Oia. After sunset, the village settles into a pace that feels distinctly removed from Santorini’s headline crowds.

The Hotel Trotter – living the #hotellife in style

The post This Santorini Boutique Hotel Is the One Insiders Are Watching in 2026 appeared first on Travel My Day Blog.