This place 10 years or so ago was one of the best resorts to visit on the Island of Crete.High up in the town of Kalo Chorio with views that were absolutely spectacular.Sitting by the pool you felt like a Greek God looking down on the world.The rooms were basic but clean,the staff then were some of the best,the service second to none.Nikos,the night receptionist he's a philosopher with exceptional knowledge of most things,even runs the local boys football team.Despina who ran the reception in the day and on the Greek nights danced with the professional dancers that visited,she was extremely good.Theo the husband of Stavroula who worked at Elpida was there frequently at night.A delightful man full of energy and amusement,I understand he hasn't been well lately,we send him our love and best wishes.Manos,the original one behind the bar always kept it open until the last customer swerved off to bed,a nights entertainment in himself,a wonderful man.Now part owner of a paint shop I understand in Agios Nicholas.The very best of luck to you old friend.
Alas that was then.We returned in 2004 and couldn't believe what had happened to this once lovely place.The rooms were dirty,the bed linen left a lot to be desired and the staff that we'd known were gone apart from Despina and Nikos.Nikos was staying on,lucky for the new management,Despina was,she told us,sadly going to leave soon.This place needs to get back to the good days when the original owners ran it,then it was clean,friendly and full of life.Now,it's like a dark cloud has drifted between the Sun and the once bathed in Sunlight Hotel Elpida.
There used to be a visitors book which departing holiday makers wrote in before leaving.So many finished their praises of their stay with the statement,I love this place.
I wonder what the visitors write now,if of course they even bother to write anything at all .Crying shame,but lucky for us and many others we experienced this place at its very best.
Kalispera!

My biggest gripe about this hotel and location is the very busy main road below the hotel, it roars all day and night so spoilt for us what could have been quite a pleasant stay. The views are terrific but are marred by the rows of pylons in front. Putting that to one side the hotel is good value for money and if you spend the time to explore of the beaten track there are some lovely villages and amazing walks over the surrounding hillside. This well and truly compensated for our initial disappointment in our surroundings and made our holiday. The food is good home style cooking, enjoyable and as varied as all inclusive can get! drinks are very limited brandy, ouzo,raki, beer and wine anything else you can get but you must pay for it! Don't expect to see other Brits, there were only two other couples there when we stayed, all the rest were Polish, not really a problem, unless you are expecting to socialise.

Set in a quiet village, and built on a lush green mountain, from the minuite we arrived we were left amazed by the hotel. The scenery and views from our room were like a dream with real sea views that allowed us to have a real romantic holiday. Everynight we would watch the sunset (and some mornings sunrise) over the bay. The beaches were a short walk away but were excellent, and the hotel runs a free mini bus service to the beach anyway!

The staff of Elpida greeted us everyday with smiles that were natural and genuine, a completely different experience to any other hotel i have ever stayed in. From the helpfull receptionists, great food and waiters to the friendly bar staff, Me and my girlfriend found this hotel welcoming from the day 1 till the end of our 2 week holiday.

We will be advising anyone we know about this wonderful place. Thank you to all at the Elpida Staff and we hope to be back soon...

The hotel is up on a steep hill, and although this was very annoying, i came back feeling very fit and healthy! The staff were great, very welcoming and Phil at the bar was great. If your looking for a very quiet holiday, this is the place to go. There was not many people or things to do, which was fne with me because i just wanted to go and relax, but if your looking for a busy holiday with night life, i would suggest you go elsewhere. Saying that, about a ten minute walk from the hotel is a fantastic place called cocktail palace. The atmosphere was great, and great cocktails at great prices. Perfect.

Golden beach was a 15 minute walk down the road. absolutley beautiful. The water was nice and shallow for a great distance. the weather was incedibly hot, but also windy which kept me cool. I have come back nice and tanned.

Now, the hotel was great, and the room was spotless and a great size. The only reason i would not return would be due to the food. As it was a quiet holiday with no night life the only thing to get dressed up for and actually do something was meal times, and i hate to say the food was very dissapointing. For the first two nights, I was satisfied with the food, but then it got repetitve. I'm not a picky person when it comes to food, but it was the same every night. watery pasta and chips, not nice. The drinks were so watered down that the coke just tasted like brown water. There was a one hour slot for icecream! i have stayed in many 3* all inclusive hotels on greek islands, and the food is never an issue like this. Its a massive shame as the rest of the holiday was perfect. Do not go all inclusive here. There are many supermarkets right by the hotel so get your own food. Me and my friends brought many scnacks to keep us going in between meals. The only alcohol included in the all inclusive was ouzo, raki and win, all of which was so strong i could not stomach it. lucky enough we found cocktail palace which offered nice tasting drinks.

Once the food and drink is sorted out, and some kind of lift from the bottom of the hill, I think this hotel would be perfect. Thanks for a lovely stay.