Saint Nicolas Bay

Casually cool resort overlooking a sandy cove, with first-class spa and service.

• The friendly staff’s can-do attitude
• The Club Suites and Thalassa Villas with their extra-large infinity pools
• Secluded and peaceful waterfront location

The big draw at this quietly glamorous resort is that every room has a sea view. Though it opened in 1986, St. Nicolas Bay still feels fresh thanks to successive renovations by the architect-owner George Alexandrakis. Unlike most mega-resorts on the Cretan coastline, this secluded hideaway is independently run. Most of the friendly team has been around for decades. The star of the show is the white-haired GM, Costas Zarbalas, who seems to be everywhere at once.

Built from granite from the quarries near Elounda, the hotel is decorated in soothing natural hues. Its 107 rooms and suites are split into three one-and two-storey complexes, surrounded by lemon, orange, palm and olive trees. Standard rooms with large terraces or balconies are the size of junior suites elsewhere. But not all rooms are equal, so it’s worth splashing out for your own infinity pool (heated in cooler months). Top of the range are the six Thalassa Villas with endless blue views of Mirabello bay.

Facilities include five restaurants, an open-air cinema, and the top-notch Poseidon Spa, with breezy sea-view cabanas. There’s a games room, kids club and pool, but most children will be perfectly happy pottering about on the sheltered, sandy beach. For the energetic, there’s water skiing, windsurfing, scuba diving, and a 34-foot sailboat and motorboat for exploring the Cretan coastline. It’s one mile from Agios Nikolaos, a fashionable fishing port lined with boutiques, café, bars and restaurants. It’s less swanky and more laidback than Elounda Beach, just along the coast.

Families and couples who want to combine lazing on the beach with a little local culture. The hotel often hosts weddings and conferences in low season. Smaller than most resorts in the area, it feels more authentically Greek.