Blue Palace sprawls up a rugged hillside with spectacular views over the ocean
Why should I go now"
Most people go to the Greek islands in summer, but springtime is a far more pleasant time to visit. It’s pleasantly warm rather than insufferably hot (right now, for example, temperatures are in the low to mid twenties) and it’s much less crowded. Plus, Crete is at its most beautiful and fragrant with the wild flowers in full bloom.
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What?s the lowdown"
Blue Palace sits tucked away in the Gulf of Elounda, roughly an hour’s drive from Heraklion Airport. It’s a big resort, with hundreds of rooms sprawling up the side of rugged slope, but since its built entirely from local stone, it blends beautifully into the landscape and has the appearance of a pretty hillside village. Guests are driven up a private road to the impressive open-air lobby, with huge arches framing the ocean and a long pool that comes halfway inside. This is just one of the many pools at the hotel, many of the rooms have their own infinity pools and there are several down on the beach. As you wander through the grounds you have the impression of being surrounded by soothing blue – the pools, sky and ocean. Blue Palace’s grand lobby area and one of the resort’s many swimming pools. Photography by James Houston
In the distance, lies the historic Spinalonga Island, an ex-leper colony and UNESCO World Heritage site...