Stunning modern architecture, a private sandy beach and more swimming pools than you can ever imagine, Daios Cove in Crete is the perfect luxury escape!
Working in the travel industry I’m often called upon by friends, family and more often absolute strangers for inspiration and advice of where to travel to. I’d say that my most requested advice over the past few years has to be ‘where to take a long weekend?’. It’s always pretty easy for me to suggest somewhere in Europe as there are so many amazing places to see and I now have another great offering in terms of the perfect weekend break, Daios Cove.
The hotel is nestled into a deep cove with all rooms perfectly situated in vertical rows on both sides of the ocean beneath the cliffs. It has it’s own private sandy beach, a stunning infinity pool, three bars, three amazing restaurants and rooms that make you never want to leave!
Getting to the hotel was super easy, we took a direct flight from London Gatwick to Heraklion, Crete and then a 50 minute transfer from the airport. I travelled out with three other journalists as part of an organised stay by the hotel’s PR company which has always been one of my favourite ways to travel. Journalism was always my chosen path in life, long before starting out in the television industry so being able to bounce off fellow writers whilst enjoying their enthusiasm for travel is always really rewarding for me. Marielle the lovely PR who whisked us all away together was an absolute sweetheart too. Dreamy location and hospitality aside, it was an amazing trip, a great group of girls to spend time with and when it comes to the hotel itself, I’m pleased to say it’s definitely one to add to your luxury travel bucket list!
The hotel really is a true testament to it’s five star rating. The views are incredible. The properties main reception is on one of the sites highest levels so everything is put into perspective from the moment you arrive, the panoramic views of the cliff edges dropping down into the alluring blue ocean quite simply takes your breath away!
The hotel has a great sandy beach with clear waters to swim in and hundreds of comfy sunbeds to lounge in whilst taking in the scenery, or in our case sipping on cocktails and posing ๐ The real draw for this hotel however and the reason it makes it into my luxury list is the fact that the hotel has the most swimming pools I have ever seen! In fact, there are 165 private swimming pools in the hotel, a water baby’s mecca!
Luckily for me, my room featured one of those 165 ๐ In fact, my room not only had a pool of it’s own it also featured a stunning view of the sea. The benefit of being built within a cove means that the hotel has a vast amount of rooms with that enviable sea view but adding private pools to the majority of them was such an amazing idea. The room itself was lovely and large with everything you could possibly need for a stay away from home and all the little 5 star luxuries that make such a difference when travelling.ย
I chose to eat breakfast in my room most mornings (as those of you who watched my instagram would have seen ;)) which is a service on offer to all guests staying at Daios Cove. With a view like mine it seemed impossible to pass up on! As a regular traveler and someone who jumps at the chance for breakfast in bed at pretty much every opportunity I was so impressed by my daily spread. The pastries were divine, coffee was amazing and my eggs were cooked to absolute perfection. Easily the best alarm clock ever!
The hotel offers a range of other room styles to suit budgets and preferences which you can view here but for a true indulgence ‘splashing’ out on a sea-view room with a pool is highly recommended by me ๐
Asides from the hotel rooms built into the cove there are also a number of larger villas for families and/or groups of friends to enjoy, 35 villas in fact, all featuring a unique design, private swimming pool(s) and amazing views of the sea. If, however, a villa still sin’t quite fitting enough for your luxury taste the hotel features it’s very own onsite mansion with 600sqm of living space and 300sqm of outdoor space, the level of luxury when it comes to space at Daios Cove knows no bounds it seems ๐ ย Furthermore, in-keeping with the extravagance of the hotel, it has it’s very own helipad, I can’t help thinking how amazing this hotel would be for an affluential wedding, entering via helicopter, having all your friends stay in the villas, spending your first wedded days in the mansion……..I digress ๐
We stayed in the hotel for 3 nights in total, taking an long weekend to enjoy everything on offer. I am a big fan of spending a weekend away in Europe often finding 4 days to be the perfect amount of time away but on a rare note I would also highly recommend a longer stay here at Daios Cove if you are looking for a short haul summer holiday. There is so much to do inside of the hotel grounds and also within the local areas, both on land and water. In just 3 days we took a luxury catamaran to Spinalonga, spent an afternoon in the quaint grecian town of ย Krista and dined in a different restaurant every night. I’ll be talking more about the things you can do in and around this area in my next post but for now here’s a few snapshots from our day trip to Spinalonga, a trip that I will be highly recommending!
I also took advantage of the water sports on offer at the resort, for an extra cost you can paddle board, snorkel, pedalo and even go scuba diving in the cove itself. You just walk down to the beach and speak to the centre about booking in. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to dive during our stay due to suffering from a cold but I did jump at the chance to paddle board with my girl Chantal! It’s such a beautiful setting to jump on a board and if you are more experienced you can follow the cliff edge right the way round the cove to surrounding smaller islands, had we have had more time, who knows, Chantal and I may have ended up in Santorini ๐
The hotel also features a great spa with indoor pools and a large number of treatment rooms for those whose holiday indulgences are somewhat more calming and for those seeking a more spiritual stay the hotel offers yoga lessons throughout the day in the resort’s onsite gym. We had a private lesson on the gym’s outdoor terrace one morning and it was a really amazing way to start the day, we then skipped straight over to breakfast to undo all of our hard work stretching ๐
Daios Cove was the perfect break, we travelled at the beginning of the season (11th-14th May) and we were so lucky with the weather, it was above 20 degrees and sunny for the majority of the time and the sea temperature was cool but swimmable, a nice break from the heat outside! The weather in Crete is perfect for a warm weekend break from the end of May through to the end of September/beginning of October and with affordable and short flights from the UK I think it’s a fantastic option for a week or weekend in the sun. The villas are great for families and groups of friends especially with all the helpful and handy services of staying inside a hotel and the location is perfect to break up your days with a little Cretan adventure.
If a luxury escape is for you and Daios Cove has taken you fancy you can see prices and availability here.
Those views are spectacular!! Your catamaran trip looks fab too!
This looks so dreamy, your pictures are amazing! Is it child friendly or a trip I should take with just the hubby? ?
Hi Kate, this would be a great break if you have children! Everything is on your doorstep. Would be amazing to rent a villa with your friends with kids too – so much room and a private pool for the kiddies ๐ x