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The first Relais & Chateau property in Greece (it has since been joined by five others), Elounda Mare is the creation of one couple. Fifty years ago there was no road to Elounda. The land was so poor that it was said to produce rocks. While other parts of Crete have been damaged by the sunblock-and-concrete advances of modern tourism Spyros Kokotos - a blond, blue-eyed Cretan architect - and his Athenian wife Eliana have managed to bring both prosperity and elegance to Elounda, while preserving elements of the past. The main building's terraced suites and open wood-panelled lounges are accompanied by private bungalows, furnished with antiques, each with a walled garden, swimming pool and unobstructed views of the sea. The meandering lane descends to the Aegean Sea, through gardens of oleander and carob, past three restaurants and an Orthodox chapel, built with the hotel and complete with Byzantine icons. There is also a spa, where you can get Six Senses treatments.
Elounda, Crete (00 30 28410 411 02; www.eloundamare.gr).
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