Elounda Villa
Elounda Villa is a stunning beachfront villa in the high-end village of Elounda on the Greek island of Crete.
Ammos Hotel is situated right on the beach. You can practically jump right from your room into the sea.
Ammos Hotel
You are steps away from the beach in a small, beautifully designed hotel. That’s hard to find.
Nikos is a wonderful host and knows the island like no other. He is happy to help with any recommendations.
Ammos is a child-friendly hotel but is also popular with couples and solo travellers alike.
Ammos Hotel is incredibly popular, so make sure to book well in advance.
How would you describe Ammos Hotel in a nutshell?
Ammos Hotel is a fresh, unpretentious, and very well designed boutique hotel in Crete, Greece. We are very easy and uncomplicated, and our house is situated right on the beach. You can practically jump right from your room into the sea.
What was your inspiration to open a boutique hotel?
It was a random act. It was nothing deliberate. It just happened.
This is a 30-year-old hotel. I opened it when I was 24, which is young for a Greek man. As soon as I finished my studies and military duty, I became a hotelier.
It was a family decision. We had a family plot and they decided to build something. They started but left it half done for 10 years, and we either had to sell it at that time or finish it, so I took over.
How would you describe the style of Ammos hotel?
I’m very conscious of design. I travel a lot and have spent a lot of hours and money on design. We had a very good architect who did the frame, but the inside is more my work. We change things every year and have to bring in a new photographer each time to capture those changes.
The interior style is not so Greek. The shell is typical of a Greek island — white and blue and simple — but the interiors are very European, quite sophisticated.
What do you particularly like about Crete?
Crete is an island with many different aspects. One part has a lot of chain hotels that’s not too nice, but the other half is in the mountains. I like the diversity and nature.
What’s been the biggest reward to you personally about running Ammos Hotel?
I cannot really name one. It depends on the guests and what they appreciate that you’re doing. I work here; I’m not an owner who just sits around enjoying the property. So my biggest reward is when people check out and tell me this is the best hotel they’ve stayed at.
The hotel rooms are simple in design, with a few special touches. They are around 22 square meters and have high ceilings. And they each have a small kitchen.
The hotel atmosphere is very casual and easy. Everything has its order, but it’s Bohemian with a casual atmosphere. It’s not formal. You can eat dressed in a bathing suit. And the human factor is very important. It’s one of the few hotels that you can go in at this price level where you see so many people working. I love having many people working at the same time; you meet a lot of locals that way, and they’re all caring people.
The location is unique because you’re so near the water. There’s your room, the garden, the pool, and then the beach. This is not something you find commonly in Europe.
And the food is also very special. It’s simple and as if you were eating out of your own garden. It’s very appropriate for this climate — a lot of vegetables, not so much meat, no butter or overcooked food. It’s very old fashioned.
The Ammos Hotel sea view studio is an open plan room. The design is minimalistic: a stylish ensuite bathroom with a walk-in shower, tailor made furniture, teak wood surfaces and corian work tops, bold colorful walls and intriguing small details create a fascinating and flirtatious atmosphere. The sea view studio comes with 2 joined twin beds, a handy kitchenette corner, a small living area and a furnished terrace/balcony. It can also accommodate a third person.
The Ammos Hotel garden view studio is an open plan room (same layout as the sea view studio). The design is minimalistic: a stylish ensuite bathroom with a walk-in shower, tailor made furniture, teak wood surfaces and Corian work tops, bold colorful walls and intriguing small details create a fascinating and flirtatious atmosphere. The garden view studio comes with 2 joined twin beds, a handy kitchenette corner, a small living area and a furnished terrace/balcony. It can also accommodate a third person.
The Ammos Hotel deluxe sea view studios are the same size as the sea view and garden view studios however they have a 180 degree unobstructed sea view, are only top floor, have a different layout (more focus on the great views), a Queen-sized bed (instead of twins) and in addition to the regular studios' facilities they have a DVD and CD player, an iPod docking station, the full range of our organic toiletries, bathrobes and slippers.
The Ammos Hotel garden view suites consist of one comfortable bedroom with Queen-sized bed and a separate living room which encompasses a dining area. In the living room there are two sofa beds (2 proper single beds) and a handy kitchenette. The minimalist decor is offset by splashes of color and striking design details. These suites can comfortably accommodate up to 4 people (ideal for families)
We have a very good restaurant onsite. We’re quite well known for the traditional Greek food, but we use less salt and oil to keep the meals lighter, and we locally source all the food. The restaurant is the heart of the hotel. We open for breakfast at 8:00 in the morning and we remain constantly open until midnight. This provides more flexibility for the guests.
We are a very family-friendly hotel, but we also have a spa for guests to receive a variety of massages, and we have a small gym. We also have a strong concierge department for recommending and organising things.
Some venture out to see the island of Crete. We are a 2-hour drive from Knossos Palace, which is probably the second most important archaeological site in Greece.
The beautiful mountains are nice to see as well. And the south coast of Crete is amazing. It’s very primitive. It’s an hour and a half drive, but it’s through the mountains and you arrive at spectacular beaches and no hotels. It’s very undeveloped.
Crete is like California. People who come to the island usually like to drive because the drive is worth seeing just as much as the destination.
There are too many differences in terms of what guests want to do. The hotel sometimes has a hypnotising effect on guests. You can eat any time of the day and relax on the beach, so many people just end up staying at the hotel.
Personally, I would recommend driving down to see the south coast at some point as well.
We’re right on the beach on the north-west coast of Crete. We’re five kilometres away from the old town of Chania which has quite a well-known Venetian port. Chania used to be one of the best-kept secrets of the ‘80s. But now it’s much more commercial.
There’s an Airport nearby in Chania as well. It’s quite easy from many European countries to come here.
June is probably the best month to come to Crete. We have spectacular sunsets then and the days are very long. The sun sets at 9pm. It’s warm but not too hot.
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