Cayo Exclusive Resort & Spa

Cayo Exclusive Resort & Spa ia a beautiful Hotel. Although we arrived after 1am Alex at reception made us feel welcome and showed us to our room where there was fruit, baklava water and a bottle of wine.

We had an Executive room with private pool which was a bit chilly but had beautiful views across to Spinalonga Island. A lovely private place to relax and unwind. We were in room 208 and had sun on our terrace until around noon.

The staff deserve special mention who without exception went out of their way to make our stay as comfortable and memorable as possible. The level of service was consistently outstanding.

The food was very good. Breakfasts were generous, with plenty of variety, We were on a bed & breakfast basis but had a couple of meals in the hotel for lunch and dinner. We also ate in a couple of restaurants in nearby Plaka where there is plenty of choice of lovely bars and restaurants. This is a short walk down the hill but a shuttle is available if required where you can also find the private beach and beach bar.

We could not fault this hotel and can hopefully return at some point in the future!!

Location in is amazing set in the hills so the views are incredible, we booked a room with pool, but point to note £60euros per day to heat it, which was a bit disappointing, however the room was large and very comfortable, the bedroom is separated by a partition so there is a lot of lights at night from security lights. The staff are wonderful nothing to much trouble, we stayed half board this is buffet style but top quality food, no completes at all. There is a free shuttle service to a private section of the beach which is pebble but it us decked and really comfy bed and full bar service.

Amazing service! Fantastic hotel and property, beautiful island with wonderful people!
Highly recommended!

Cayo was just perfect.
The staff so friendly and welcoming and not intrusive.
Our room was amazing and watching sunrise was incredible.
I had the BEST head, neck, shoulder and back massage with Eleni, she has magical fingers!!!
Thank you ☺️

Well, what can I say about this beautiful hotel. It's my 2nd time to visit this year, first time with my husband and kids and second time with my mum and we were welcomed back like family. The views from this beautiful hotel are only matched by the warmth of the staff. Don't be fooled by the calm, laid-back atmosphere. This hotel runs like clockwork. Breakfast is a highlight with beautiful food and warm staff, a special thank you to Margarita for her kindness to myself and my mum each morning. Thank you too to all the staff, but special mentions for Saimira in housekeeping, Dana in reception and our darling Mythos, who is more than just a wonderful employee, she's a wonderful person. We will all definitely return at least once next year, but hopefully twice!!!

This is a stunning destination with incredible views. The overall design of the hotel is beautifully done – classy, modern furnishings and attention to detail throughout, from bedrooms to poolside bars, restaurants, gym and yoga suite. The yoga studio’s outdoor deck is especially impressive.

Staff & Service
The staff were superb – genuinely warm, friendly and helpful almost without exception. Special mention to the bartender at Avra, who made excellent cocktails and clearly knew her craft.

Food & Drink
Cocktails and local wine were excellent, but a word of caution: “Happy Hour” timings are unclear, and at €14 a cocktail it’s worth double-checking. Breakfast was largely brilliant – fresh fruit, yoghurt, and good pastries. Omelettes were fine, but the Eggs Benedict were disappointing. The hot buffet didn’t tempt us, so can’t comment there. The queue for the fresh orange juice machine was a daily frustration – a second machine would really help.
We had booked half board and wished we hadn’t, flexibility would have been better. The buffet was plentiful, with lots of fresh salads and desserts, but hot dishes were sometimes lukewarm and menu planning felt inconsistent. That said, we still enjoyed most meals. Kelari, the à la carte restaurant, was by far the best dining experience – superb food, though the €20 half-board allowance doesn’t go far. The evening buffet was €45 per person, per night if we hadn’t booked half board.

Rooms
Our room was immaculate. Housekeeping was very friendly, if occasionally over-zealous – “Do Not Disturb” signs only bought temporary peace. Towels were changed daily, sometimes twice, which felt excessive compared to most eco policies. Dressing gowns were a little rough for a hotel of this level. The bathroom was excellent with a great shower and double sink, though a wardrobe light would be useful (and yes, the toilet echoes!)

Coffee, tea and water bottles were generously refreshed, with plenty of Nespresso pods on request. Wi-Fi was okay, but not amazing. Setting up a Fire Stick on the TV was a struggle and staff couldn’t help; limited built-in streaming.

We were upgraded to a Superior room with a private pool, which was a real highlight. The downside was being directly above the main hotel air-con units, meaning constant low level background noise on the balcony (but not in the room itself)– rooms 106-109 (and those directly above) are best avoided. Also, the bright fire exit sign in the room could disturb light sleepers.

The beach bar and included sunbeds are a fantastic touch. The hotel felt peaceful and relaxing despite being full.

The village is only a short stroll away – a handful of decent restaurants, but limited variety.

Buses are cheap (€2–2.15 to Elounda/Agios Nikolaos) and taxis reasonable (€10–25). Car hire at the hotel is pricey (€110+ per day, albeit with free EV charging), but we arranged one locally for €35/day delivered to the hotel.

Overall, this is a very good hotel with fabulous staff, beautiful design and great facilities. A few small frustrations but nothing that outweighed the positives. We’d happily recommend – though next time we’d skip half board and upgrade to a quieter room.

We had a late flight home and even through we couldn’t get a late checkout they provided a room to refresh and change - which needed booking before departure.

This was our second visit and we were glad we made the decision to return. We stayed in an executive room which was spotlessly clean. The room was very comfortable, with plenty of space. Apart from sleeping, we spent most of the time outside on our balcony/patio area and making use of the brilliant infinity pool. The views from the rooms and from the hotel in general are incredible, and if you are looking to swtich off, and relax, this is the place to be.

We had breakfast included. The choice at the buffet is incredible and you can also order eggs from a menu, these are cooked by the kitchen and brought to your table. We also had lunch in the Sage and Thyme restaurant 4 or 5 times, which is in a fantastic position by the pool. The quality of the food is excellent at Sage and Thyme, but the restaurants in Plaka are a good alternative if you're looking to get out of the hotel for an hour. A special mention for Margarita, who looked after us at breakfast and lunchtime. Her warm welcome and attention to detail helped make our holiday a special experience. In general the staff do a fantastic job.

We ate out in the evening in Plaka and Elounda. The taxi to Elound is 11 Euros. We often returned to the hotel to enjoy the Veranda bar. It was quite quiet on some nights, but the music choice was good, and the seating area consists of big comfy sofas and chairs, and with Spinalonga a short distance away, it felt very exclsuive.

We had a few issues during our stay, which were quickly and professionally handled to our satisfaction, and the guest relations and reception team did all they could to put things right as quickly as possible.

We will be back for sure.

We had two wonderful weeks in this amazing place .
If you are seeking tranquility, peace , luxury , excellent service , very good food. fabulous views , wonderful staff across the board , private pool rooms then Cayo is the place to be .
We cannot praise this wonderful hotel enough !
Having stayed in several hotels in the area with private pool rooms and 5 stars we can say the staff at Cayo resort made our holiday extra special . They went above and beyond . Thank you all so much .
We plan to return next September!

Wir waren 5 Nächte im Cayo Exclusive Resort & Spa. Die Lage ist für Ruhesuchende ideal – ruhig in Plaka gelegen, ohne große Hotelanlagen in der Nähe, sehr exklusiv. Zum Strand gelangt man entweder zu Fuß oder mit dem Shuttle. Ohne Mietwagen ist man jedoch recht eingeschränkt, wenn man die Insel erkunden möchte.

Das Hotel wirkt insgesamt hochwertig, unser Zimmer war groß, modern und wurde zweimal täglich sehr gründlich gereinigt. Positiv hervorzuheben sind die kostenlosen Wasserflaschen auf dem Zimmer. Allerdings hatten wir im Zimmer mehrere Mängel: Unter der Tür war ein großer Spalt, durch den immer wieder Insekten (Mücken, Spinnen, Grillen) hereinkamen – wir mussten den Spalt notdürftig mit einem Handtuch abdecken. Zudem leuchtete nachts dauerhaft ein sehr helles Licht neben der Tür, das sich nicht ausschalten ließ. Auch die Duschtür schloss nicht richtig, sodass nach jedem Duschen das gesamte Badezimmer unter Wasser stand.

Beim Frühstück fehlte uns ebenfalls der 5-Sterne-Standard: Mal bekamen wir Kaffee aus der Siebträgermaschine, mal nur aus dem Automaten. Zudem mussten wir fast immer 20–30 Minuten auf bestellte Eierspeisen warten.

Die Anlage an sich ist zwar gepflegt, doch auch hier gibt es Mängel: Zu wenige Sonnenschirme am Pool, manche davon kaputt und zudem wenig funktional. Eine defekte Liege wurde erst nach mehreren Tagen entfernt.

Fazit: Ein optisch schönes & ruhiges Hotel mit toller Lage, erfüllt nicht die Erwartungen an ein 5-Sterne-Haus in dieser Preisklasse.

Modern , beautiful hotel in the hills of Plaka.
Hotel and rooms , spotlessly clean. Lovely rooms , I think all with a pool . Beautiful bedding , changed regularly and towels changed twice a day .
I really enjoyed the buffet food. A different menu every night . The only fault I can find is that the food could have been hotter. But I have found this in many European restaurants.
All the staff were so friendly, nothing was too much trouble for them .
The village of Plaka is a delight . Small with lovely restaurants, bars and shops .
It’s within walking distance, although the hotel will shuttle you up and down with no problem.
Would love to go back again.

What can I say! Cayo Resort blew us away! From our stunning suite with infinity pool with Spinalonga views to the gorgeous minimalist decor in muted tones throughout! All just beautiful! And of course the staff and service could not be faulted! A wonderful 4 night mini break in Crete! Would highly recommend Cayo resort!

Beautiful place to stay, gorgeous views and so peaceful but still close enough to walk/shuttle to the beach and local restaurants. All the staff were so friendly and helpful, giving great recommendations of places to go when we hired a car for the day. The spa was amazing too, very relaxing massage.

Overall, the hotel is beautiful and the views are spectacular. The location is great for a peaceful break. But there are serval areas for improvement.

Good points:
Generous room sizes.
Excellent sunrise views from most room terraces.
Main pool and grounds are well presented.
Hotel is located within walking distance of local shops and tavernas providing good quality food with friendly service.
Room service was prompt and room service staff very helpful.
Margarita and Jessica were particularly lovely.

Areas for improvement:
The room maintenance is poor quality, repairs are very poorly done and easily visible.
The shower in our room had large areas of black mould.
The private pool ladder was rusty and stained.
The second main pool had a damaged sunbed, the top had snapped off in the wind and injured me. We reported it and nothing was done for days, leaving other guests at risk. No one checked if I was okay.
There were days when no pool towels were available.
Breakfast menu ‘cooked to order’ items were not good - under poached ‘snotty’ eggs, croque monsieur was untoasted bread and served cold.
Most days coffee was served in chipped / damaged coffee pots.
Some bar staff struggled to make standard cocktails.
Reception staff were not receptive to feedback and in some cases argumentative.

The negatives detract from the luxury feel. We visited this resort last year and everything was very good. There has been a noticeable decline in several areas. Hopefully the hotel will give some attention to the details and restore standards to their previous high levels.

We are currently enjoying a 10-day stay at this wonderful 5-star hotel, and today we treated ourselves to a spa session that exceeded expectations. Both my husband and I booked the Sun-kissed Rebel Exfoliation, which was followed by a soothing 15-minute massage. The treatments were not only deeply relaxing but also left us feeling completely refreshed and renewed.

A lovely detail that stood out to us was the delicious tea served afterward – such a thoughtful touch that perfectly rounded off the experience. It made us feel cared for in every detail.

The spa team was professional, warm, and attentive throughout, creating an atmosphere where it was easy to unwind. This experience has been a highlight of our stay so far, and we highly recommend it to anyone visiting the hotel.

One of the best massage I ever experienced. Never felt more relaxed
Big thanks to Sonela and her professionalism. I recommend gladly

Great

My fiancé and I spent 8 nights with our 6 month old daughter at Cayo, and were joined by grandparents.

Rooms: Our room was 412. Fantastic comfortable room with a pool and terrace - all of the amenities were great and spotlessly cleaned every day. Pool was very cold but refreshing - only slight downside of this room was that the sun was completely gone by about 2pm whereas a lot of other rooms had sun all day, there was also no bathtub in the room but otherwise excellent.

Staff: Lovely staff, all very friendly and helpful. Especially the lady who cleaned our room every day, she brought a bottle tree for our daughter without us even having to ask.

Amenities: 3 lovely pools to choose from, all had plenty of seating and beds. The hotel always felt empty and relaxed even though there were lots of people at breakfast. The spa is fantastic - I had one of the best deep tissue massages I’ve had in a long time and they ensure nobody else is in the spa when you use it which is really nice. We felt as though the hotel could have done more for entertainment on an evening - just some simple music, there were traditional Greek dancers one night on the specific Greek night, but just having a pianist in the bar, or something on each night would’ve been nice. The amphitheater is still advertised on the website which we were disappointed to find out doesn’t actually get any use any more, nor are there any other forms of entertainment in the hotel I.e pool table, table tennis, games etc, something like this would’ve been a nice touch for families.

Food: Breakfast is excellent, enough choice of everything and all good quality and fresh. We ate in Sage & Thyme, the hotel buffet, and the specific Greek night buffet, otherwise we ate out every night. Sage & thyme food was nice, as was the hotel buffet, all very tasty however the food was very cold and lacklustre on the Greek night. The hotel did everything they could to make amends for this though, they really cared about our experience which was nice to see. With so many wonderful local restaurants though, I would choose to eat out every night.

Location/Beach: Lovely spot, perfect ocean, little taxi down to the beachfront for us from the hotel was very quick and the Plaka village is lovely to walk around. The view from the hotel & room is wonderful and you see sunrise over the ocean every morning.

Overall we had an excellent break, we would like to see a few little improvements with the hotel food and entertainment, but otherwise it’s an excellent resort, we would definitely return.

Cayo was absolutely gorgeous. 1 hours drive from Heraklion to a very special paradise. The spa was serene. Room Devine beds perfect. Our private pool added luxury. Restaurants delicious. The village at the end of our road was picture book perfect. Beach safe beautiful clear water. Restaurants at village can’t recommend enough we ate lunch here and had octopus everyday. If you didn’t want to walk there is a Cayo van to pick up and drop off. Staff very courteous and attentive. Would go back here in a heart beat. Christian was very helpful.

This hotel is an amazing place, I can’t be more positive about it if I tried. The rooms the food the restaurants the service the facilities the hotel grounds. It’s beautiful peaceful, tranquil, picturesque. An absolute gem of a place we have been twice now and this time was just as good as the last if not better. Will definitely be coming back here again and again cannot fault it, thank you Cayo and all those who put their heart and soul into making it run as good as it does!

We had booked this hotel in Plaka, as we were celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary and wanted to return to Crete (where we got married). We had previously stayed at the wonderful Blue Palace, but it was being refurbished and so chose this lovely hotel as we wanted to stay close to the charming village of Plaka.

Our room was beautiful and overlooked Spinalonga, but was partly blocked by the rooms in front - especially when in the private pool. This coupled with a very large wedding taking over the hotel for the first two days of our short stay, left us feeling a little underwhelmed and felt we should have been advised of this big party before we arrived.

However, I always feel that you must judge a business and leadership when things are not running smoothly rather than when they are going well. The response to our feedback was nothing short of overwhelming and we must thank the manager and all his support staff for making the whole trip a special one and one that we will always remember. Thank you!

We ate in Kelari on our anniversary and the meal was exceptional (the pianist reminded me a little of the old Morecambe and Wise joke about playing all the right notes but not necessarily in the right order but it was fine) - with them providing a gorgeous heart shaped cake for us at the end of the meal. So thoughtful. We then returned to our room and found an amazing sculpture on our bed from towels and local flowers - it was a work of art.

The free shuttle to the beach was fantastic, with the beds on the beach and little cafe bar being excellent. The pools are great (beautifully lit at night) and the gym was good.

We loved to explore Plaka and would recommend Palaria, The Carob Tree and Giorgio’s