St. Nicolas Bay Resort: Chilling at one of the best hotels in Crete

After exploring many of Greece’s archaeological sites (hello Philippi!), chilling out at St. Nicolas Bay, Crete, was just the travel prescription we needed.

There are many top things to do in Crete – like hiking the famous Samaria Gorge (or smaller sage-scented Imbros Gorge) and getting lost in the Moorish-Venetian town of Chania.

And with more time, we would have loved to explore the island. Next trip!

For us, though, rest and relaxation was what we were after on this visit to Crete.

We can’t comment on some of the other deluxe hotels in Crete.

But we can tell you that the St. Nicolas Bay Resort & Villas – which hugs the scalloped northeast shoreline of Crete – offers welcome peace and luxurious seclusion away from the island’s busier package holiday towns.

St. Nicolas Bay, Crete

Want to swim? Climb down a ladder into the sparkling sea, or wade in from the small private beach.

Clustered in separate low-rise buildings, many of the 107 rooms and suites have private pools.

We arrived late at night after a long flight delay. And it was a treat to find that we’d been upgraded to a large Eros Suite!

Decorated all in white, it had cool marble floors, an expansive bathroom with a door opening from the glass shower to our private pool outside, king-size bed with organic Coco-Mat mattress and a separate living room with bleached-wood framed seaside pictures.

We also discovered plates of lox with asparagus, baklava and little honey cakes, sparkling Greek wine and a vase of fresh red roses, which had been sent to our suite, complimentary, as we were Club guests.

Dining at the hotel and in town

Rates include a delicious buffet breakfast (with a tantalizing array of sweet pastries, including gluten-free items), taken alfresco on a terrace overlooking the sea.

Many guests also opt for the dinner buffet on half-board rates.

We preferred the hotel’s a la carte restaurants, however, especially its pretty outdoor Cretan restaurant, Kafenion.

Dining under the trees, we felt like we were on a “Mama Mia!” set.

Other restaurants and cafes are found in nearby upscale Agios Nikolaos. We could walk to the town in about 30 minutes; there’s a public bus you can take too, or you can cab it.

Interested in other fabulous resorts with private pools? See our reviews of these stunning private pool suites

Relax, reflect, rejuvenate

The real appeal to St. Nicolas Bay is that, by design, it’s adapted to the wild, rugged character of the area.

Long grasses blow in the wind and rocky nooks and crannies invite taking time out for reflection among nature.

You can’t help but feel rejuvenated when you leave this resort.

Read any good Greece travel guide, and you’ll see that it’s considered one of the best hotels in Crete.