Daios Cove, Crete
We don’t usually go to large holiday resorts, but we were looking for short break away with some sunshine in April so decided to try Daios Cove in Crete.
Daios Cove is a 5-star luxury resort situated in the cove of Vathi in Agios Nikolaos. The location is stunning, and the resort blends very well into the surrounding landscape.
The resort was much larger than we expected, and they even have golf buggies on hand to pick you up from the villas / apartments which are furthest away from the main areas. Luckily our room was only a short walk from the main reception area.
Daios Cove has 6 restaurants and bars, where you can eat a wide variety of food.
The resort nestles seamlessly into the cove stretching from the top down to the beach. The resort is on 5 levels with the entrance at the top and descending to reception, then the main dining room, down again to the pool area and finally down to the beach. There’s an ingenious style funicular railway / lift that transports you between levels if you don’t want to take the stairs.
We usually hire a car when we go abroad but as our intention was purely to spend a few days relaxing by the pool we opted for a resort pick up from the airport. It was very relaxing to be picked up from the airport and transported to the hotel in our chauffeur driven car. We didn’t have to worry about queuing to collect our rental car or even carrying our luggage.
When we arrived at the resort we were greeted by very friendly staff and taken down to reception to area to check in. To check in we were taken to the outdoor bar area where there were comfy white sofas overlooking the infinity pool and out to sea. A wonderful first impression.
Check in was very straight forward and was a very relaxed, sitting on a comfy sofa drink in hand.
Our Room at Daios Cove
As it was slightly out of season we got a very good discount on our room. We booked a Deluxe Sea View room with individual pool.
The room was quite simply furnished but had a sophisticated edge to its contemporary décor. The room was large and airy with a huge king size bed and a seating area with sofa and table.
The bathroom had a bath and shower, although the bath was tiny. Our private balcony led to our own small sea water swimming pool with stunning views over the sea and cove.
The balcony had seating and a table although it would have been nice to have sun loungers as well, there was plenty of room for them.
The room had a flat screen TV, which we never switched on, and free Wi-Fi. There was also complimentary water which was replenished everyday when the bed was turned down in the evening.
Eating at Daios Cove
Pangea Restaurant Daios Cove
We had booked a half board package as we weren’t intending on venturing far from the resort. Breakfast and dinner were served in Pangea which was basically a buffet restaurant. The food was of a very high standard and there was always a broad selection.
One of my favourite meals of the day is breakfast. The breakfast buffet was very comprehensive, and I don’t think there was anything you could wish for that wasn’t there. I became totally addicted to the gorgeous Greek yoghurt and Greek honey. The freshly made fruit smoothies were also a nice touch. There was a full selection of cooked breakfast choices, with a chef cooking eggs and omelettes to order. There was also the usual continental cheese and meats and some traditional Greek items.
Dinner was served in Pangea and there was always a delightful selection and the food was very nice. However, even though it was pleasant and not too crowded I don’t really eating my evening meal from a buffet and enjoyed our meals in the other restaurants much more.
The Beach House and Ocean Bar, Daios Cove
As we were on a half board basis we could choose where to take lunch and the Beach House was one of my favourite spots for lunch. The Beach House is an open-air restaurant and bar right on the beachfront.
The Ocean Bar was situated next the infinity pool and was another excellent choice for lunch.
The food at both restaurants was well prepared although fairly simple it was very well cooked. The ribs were one of the highlights, with melt in your mouth pork. Wonderful fresh salads and some great local White Wine.
Ocean Restaurant, Daios Cove
On our last evening we ate in the Ocean Restaurant and I’m so glad we did. It was a much more relaxing and enjoyable evening meal.
The menu is Mediterranean-influenced with lots of fresh fish cooked with great precision and presented with great attention to detail.
The Ocean restaurant was presented with its first Golden Chef’s Hat award in 2017 for best international and contemporary cuisine. The Golden Chef’s Hat Awards are the only Greek gastronomy awards and are granted to the best restaurants in the country, placing Ocean restaurant amongst the best restaurants in Greece.
The head chef Dimos Balopoulos was trained by Heston Blumenthal and took over the Ocean restaurant in 2016. He is supported by Executive Chef Stefanos Lavrenidis, the pair make an excellent team.
Dimos Balopoulos said of the win:
‘We are delighted that Ocean has been recognised by this institution, it truly is an honour. Stefanos and I with the support of our team are constantly striving to create inventive contemporary dishes that also incorporate Greek and Mediterranean accents, so it is brilliant to have our hard work acknowledged.’
Overview of our stay Daios Cove
We had a very relaxing 5 nights at the resort and didn’t venture far from the infinity pool, spending our time reading and listening to music. We were very lucky with the weather as it was blue sunny skies all week.
As it was early in the season the resort wasn’t too crowded which I liked, I’m not sure if I would have enjoyed it as much in peak season.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised and for a short relaxing break it was lovely and provided everything we needed in a stylish setting with very attentive friendly staff. I couldn’t fault the service.
