History
The Family of Spyros and Eliana Kokotos have been in the hotel business all their lives. Spyros Kokotos, an architect, has been specialised in hotels since working during his studies at the National Technical University of Athens, while Eliana Kokotos was literally born in the hotels that her father, Elias Sotirchos, managed and owned. The two founders of the Elounda tradition met in Crete during the late 1960s, a time when tourism in Crete was in its nascence, and bought land in Elounda with the intent of developing the best holiday destination in the whole country of Greece.
The elounda mare hotel was the first hotel entirely owned by the Family of Spyros and Eliana Kokotos, which opened in 1982, at a time when they already had three children: Fotis, Elias, and Marina. It was the first hotel in the Mediterranean that had private pools at each and every one of its numerous bungalows, a concept that soon became somewhat of a norm for top-class resorts. Maintaining its character of a traditional hospitality establishment of the most cultured kind, the elounda mare hotel encompasses all the distinctive elements that allowed it to become the first Greek hotel to enter the prestigious association of Relais & Chateaux in 1987: charm, calm, character, cuisine and courtesy - the now famous "5 Cs". Never resting for a moment on their laurels, Spyros and Eliana Kokotos continuously strived to improve and expand their hotel by acquiring land and building year after year new facilities, while at the same time always bringing the older parts of the hotel up to date with contemporary expectations by the hotel's demanding and cosmopolitan clientele. Nowadays, the elounda mare hotel comprises 92 units of the highest standards, mostly suites, while maintaining the traditional character that has attracted loyal guests from all over the world on repeat visits; often more than once a year.
The porto elounda GOLF & SPA RESORT was the second hotel that the Kokotos family developed in Elounda, encompassing some of the latest trends to emerge in the international luxury market, and including the first golf course on the island of Crete, as well as the first hotel building in the Mediterranean with long shared pools for its rooms. The
porto elounda GOLF & SPA RESORT was also the first hotel in Crete to use the time-share scheme of partial ownership in order to allow its clientele to own and exchange vacation weeks in top-of-the-line seafront villas with private pools. In typical Kokotos fashion, the resort that opened in 1992 never stopped being expanded and improved, with the addition of numerous features over the years, including the first spa in Elounda, the aptly named "Thermais" (Greek for "thermal baths"), as well as a whole independent wing of seafront bungalows and suites that later became an independent hotel in its own right: the elounda peninsula ALL SUITE HOTEL
Opening in 2002, the elounda peninsula ALL SUITE HOTEL soon became the market leader in the entire Greek hospitality market, offering the largest private-pool seafront suites in the entire country, and having its own range of dedicated facilities for its very special clientele: a beautiful spa with pool, sauna, and authentic hammam, a unique cinema theatre, a fully-stocked wine cellar, the award-winning Calypso gourmet restaurant, and the amazing Serenes' Bar right on the water's edge. At the same time, the elounda peninsula ALL SUITE HOTEL enjoys facilities such as the tennis courts, the beautiful children's playground known as the "Children's Ark", the water sports complex, and - of course - all the other bars and restaurants.
One of the most important additions to the Elounda SA Hotels and Resorts complex was the creation in 2006 of the stunning Six Senses Spa, a facility so special that it was immediately recognised by the Sunday Times' TRAVEL magazine as the "World's Best Spa". Managed by the world's foremost spa firm, Six Senses Spas, owners of - among others - the Soneva Fushi and Soneva Gili in the Maldives, the spa was an immediate success with spa connoisseurs from all over the world and was also instrumental in the year-round operation of the resort, which has since 1997 been the only hotel in Elounda to offer its services 12 months a year. Aided by the opening in 2008 of an expansive conference and events facility, the Aegean Conference Centre, Elounda S.A Hotels & Resorts and the Kokotos family are particularly proud to be able to expand the season of Greek tourism into the wonderful winter months, when Crete closely resembles the authentic character and traditional lifestyle of generations past.
The latest project of Spyros and Eliana Kokotos, which has already been a grand success among its most loyal clientele, in the Elounda Peninsula Diamond Residences complex. A whole seafront wing of the resort has been set aside for the development of privately-owned holiday homes, built to the highest standards and offering its services throughout the year to owners who enjoy the unique privilege of owning property right on a private beach, while the resort takes care of every single aspect of care and maintenance for a wholly hassle-free ownership experience. The Elounda Peninsula Diamond Residences are another excellent example of the creativity and entrepreneurship of the Kokotos family, the people who have created the leading hospitality destination in Greece: Elounda.