Elounda Gulf Villas

The resort and its setting

The layout favours space and a degree of privacy over a typical hotel block, with villas designed for self-catering comfort rather than full-service hotel living. Guests have a pool on site and access to a private beach area, with the coastline and the Gulf of Mirabello as the main backdrop — this is a resort built for slowing down rather than for ticking off a long list of activities.

Elounda and the surrounding area

Elounda has had a reputation for decades as one of Crete's more upscale coastal villages, yet it hasn't lost the feel of a working fishing harbour — boats still go out, and the waterfront tavernas serve the catch alongside the usual Cretan mezedes. It's a good base precisely because it isn't a resort strip: you're close enough to Agios Nikolaos for a proper night out, and close enough to the historic sites of eastern Crete to make day trips straightforward rather than exhausting. Spinalonga, the old Venetian fortress island just offshore, is a short boat ride from Elounda's own harbour and is one of the most visited sites in this part of the island. Further afield, the Minoan palace at Knossos and the Samaria Gorge are well worth hiring a car for, even if only for a day of the stay.

Selling or renting a week here

If you own a week at Elounda Gulf Villas and are thinking about moving it on, listing it on BidMyTimeshare works as a straightforward private resale: you set your own asking price, write up your week's details, and interested buyers contact you directly through the platform. There's a one-time listing fee to get your week in front of buyers, and BidMyTimeshare takes 0% commission on the sale itself — what you agree with a buyer is what you keep.

Because Elounda Gulf Villas is independently run rather than part of a branded chain, the resale process goes through the resort's own owners' association or on-site management rather than a head-office transfer desk. Before agreeing a price with a buyer, it's worth both sides confirming directly with the resort what the transfer fee will be and what the current annual maintenance fee is — these figures aren't standardised across independent resorts, so get them in writing rather than assuming. Ask, too, how long the resort typically takes to process a change of ownership, since this varies by management office.

Renters, by contrast, are simply booking the use of a week for a holiday and have no ownership rights or exchange access; what they're generally looking for is straightforward — confirmed dates, a clear idea of the villa size, and reassurance that the booking is coming from the actual owner.

Practical notes

Nikos Kazantzakis International Airport in Heraklion is the nearest airport, roughly 75km from Elounda, with car hire and shuttle transfers both commonly used for the onward journey. A hire car is genuinely useful here if you want to see much beyond the village itself, since the best-known sites — Knossos, Spinalonga, Rethymno's old Venetian harbour — are all a drive away rather than a walk.