About this hotel
General information
Amirandes occupies a stretch of Crete’s north coast near Gouves, and its design looks back to the island’s past: palatial Minoan forms and Venetian touches, arches opening onto still lagoons, whitewashed and stone walls, and large handmade pithoi — the clay storage jars of ancient Crete — placed around the grounds. Some 2,000 m² of palm-fringed lagoons run through the resort, which has 204 rooms, suites and villas and 58 private pools.
Interiors are light and understated, in cream and white. The resort is best known for Minotaur, a Mediterranean restaurant set among original Picasso ceramics, for its front-row villas on the beach and for the Elixir Alchemy Spa. It is open all year, with the full collection from April to October and a smaller selection of rooms and venues from November to March. There is also a lagoon-view library, a shop of Cretan ceramics and a 24-hour WhatsApp concierge.
Location
The resort lies at Kato Gouves on Crete’s north coast, 18 km east of Heraklion: Heraklion International Airport is 18 km away (about a 16-minute drive), the town centre and port 23 km, with the Palace of Knossos and the archaeological sites of Malia close by. Rethymno is 97 km away and Chania 155 km. Private transfers can be arranged on request, and taxis wait outside the airport terminal around the clock.
Spa
The Elixir Alchemy Spa draws on Crete’s healing traditions, with treatments built on organic plants and extracts of the island’s aromatic herbs; massages can also be taken in private seafront cabanas. Facilities include an indoor pool, separate saunas for men and women, treatment rooms, a beauty salon for manicures, pedicures and make-up, and a remodelled gym with a glass wall onto the garden and Technogym and Cybex equipment. The spa welcomes guests aged 16 and over.
Sports & leisure
At the centre of the resort is a 960 m² Olympic-size seawater pool. On land there are tennis and padel courts, football and basketball pitches, yoga and Pilates in the gardens, personal training and fitness-and-nutrition plans devised with the chefs. At sea there are motorised and non-motorised water sports and snorkelling, with a certified PADI dive centre nearby. The hotel arranges boat trips to Dia island and St George’s Bay, horse riding through olive groves, jeep expeditions, hot-air balloon flights over the Lasithi Plateau, e-bike and mountain-bike hire, excursions to Knossos, Phaistos and Rethymno, and classes in Cretan cooking, pottery and weaving. The 18-hole Crete Golf Club is 15 minutes away.
For children
The Grecoland kids’ club takes children aged 4–12 six days a week through the season: Grecokids (4–6) for creative play, crafts, cooking, treasure hunts and gardening, and Grecojuniors (7–12) for sport, team challenges and outdoor discovery. Teenagers aged 13–17 have beach volleyball and football, table tennis, tournaments and dance classes. GrecoBaby supplies cots, pushchairs, baby monitors and other equipment for children up to 3, and there is a freshwater children’s pool, open-air movie nights and a babysitting service.
Restaurants & bars
Nine restaurants and bars revolve around Cretan and Mediterranean cooking, and private dinners can be set up at a location of the guest’s choosing.
- Minotaur – refined Mediterranean cuisine by chef Kyriakos Lyras, served among original Picasso ceramics
- Lago di Candia – a waterfront dining setting among the lagoons with sea views, home to Minotaur, Petrino, Blue Monkey and Xasteria
- Petrino – fish and seafood with Cretan flavours, lunch on the beach
- Blue Monkey – Asian fusion against the sunset
- Xasteria – Cretan cooking with produce from Grecotel’s Agreco Farm
- Amirandes The Restaurant – the main restaurant, with Mediterranean buffets
- Labyrinth – a bar of sunken lounges overlooking the lagoon and the sea
- Knossos Patisserie – organic herbal teas and home-made Cretan sweets
- Sunset Lounge – cocktails and an aperitivo ritual by the sea at dusk
- Pool Bar and Beach Bar – drinks by the pool and on the sand
Swimming
The resort has its own beach, a golden-sand cove between a nature reserve and an ancient sea lagoon, with loungers and beach service. The front-row villas have gardens that open straight onto the sand, and besides the Olympic pool there is a children’s pool, the indoor spa pool and 58 temperature-controlled private pools in selected suites and villas.
Pets
Pets are accepted in selected room categories, with restrictions, and must be declared at the time of booking; guide dogs may accompany their owners throughout the hotel.
Rooms
The 204 units — 147 rooms, 19 bungalows, 14 suites, six two- and three-bedroom duplex suites and 18 villas — all look onto the gardens, the lagoons or the sea, with interiors in cream and white. The categories below are the summer collection (April–October); a smaller selection is offered from November to March.
Each room has a minibar, a Nespresso machine with tea and coffee, a safe, an iron and ironing board, a hairdryer, bathrobes and slippers, free Wi-Fi, satellite TV and 24-hour room service.
Superior Room
An open-plan room on the first or second floor of the Candia and Lagoon wings, with a king-size or twin beds and a furnished balcony facing the sea or the gardens. Sleeps 2.
Luxury Room
An open-plan room with sleeping and sitting areas in the Candia and Lagoon wings, a king-size or twin beds and a balcony overlooking the sea, the lagoon or the gardens. Sleeps 2 adults and 1 child.
Luxury Bungalow Front Row
A ground-floor open-plan bungalow in the front row among the gardens, with a king-size or twin beds and a furnished terrace with sunbeds and umbrella. Sleeps 2.
Superior Family Room, Garden View
A ground-floor family room in the Pool wing, its king-size bedroom and children’s area with two sofa beds divided by sliding doors, and a terrace onto the gardens. Sleeps 3 adults and 1 child.
Superior Family Room, Side Sea View
The same bedroom-plus-children’s-area layout on the second floor of the Sunset wing, with a balcony and side sea views. Sleeps 3 adults and 1 child.
Swim Up Superior
A ground-floor open-plan room with sitting area in the Candia wing, a king-size or twin beds and its own landscaped garden with an individual pool. Sleeps 2 adults and 1 child.
Luxury Family Room
A first- or second-floor room in the Candia wing with a king-size bedroom, a separate living area with two sofa beds, a walk-in dressing area and a balcony facing the sea or the mountains. Sleeps 2 adults and 2 children.
Swim Up Family Room
A ground-floor family room in the Candia wing with bedroom, separate living area and walk-in dressing area; a shaded dining terrace steps into a private pool, and a timber deck leads to a garden with sunbeds. Sleeps 2 adults and 2 children.
2-Bedroom Family Suite
Two open-plan rooms in the Lagoon wing, each with a king-size bed and its own bathroom, and two separate balconies over the gardens. Sleeps 3 adults and 1 child.
Swim Up 2-Bedroom Suite Private Pool
Two connecting open-plan rooms with two bathrooms in the Candia wing, opening onto a terrace and garden with two private pools. Sleeps 3 adults and 1 child.
White Suite
An all-white open-plan suite on the seafront of the Lagoon wing, with a king-size bed, a large wardrobe with full-length mirrors and sliding glass walls that open the room to the sea. Sleeps 2 adults and 1 child.
Amirandes White Suite
A larger white open-plan suite on the Lagoon wing seafront, with a king-size bed and sofa bed, a walk-in wardrobe and an outdoor dining area facing the sunset. Sleeps 2 adults and 1 child.
Junior Bungalow Suite
A ground-floor suite in the front row of the Lagoon wing, with a king-size bed and sofa bed, a shaded terrace with outdoor lounge and a sea-view private pool heated on request. Sleeps 2 adults and 1 child.
Junior Suite Waterfront
A ground-floor open-plan suite in the Lagoon wing with a raised king-size bed, its own exercise corner and a terrace with an infinity pool fitted with a swim-current generator. Sleeps 2 adults and 1 child.
2-Bedroom Suite Gym
A ground-floor suite in the Lagoon wing with a king-size bedroom, a separate children’s area, an exercise corner and a large terrace with an infinity pool, swim current and outdoor rain shower; sea and garden views. Sleeps 4 adults and 1 child.
2 Bedroom Duplex Suite
A two-level suite in the Sunset wing with a king-size master bedroom, a separate living area with two sofa beds and two bathrooms, looking over the gardens with side sea views. Sleeps 4 adults.
Amirandes 2 Bedroom White Suite
Two white open-plan suites on the Lagoon wing seafront joined as one, with two king-size beds, two extra beds, two bathrooms, a walk-in wardrobe and sliding glass walls onto the sea. Sleeps 4 adults and 2 children.
Amirandes 2 Bedroom Suite
A white seafront suite in the Lagoon wing with two separate open-plan areas, a king-size and a double bed, a sofa bed, two bathrooms and a walk-in wardrobe. Sleeps 4 adults and 2 children.
Amirandes 3 Bedroom Suite
The largest of the white seafront suites in the Lagoon wing: three open-plan areas, two king-size beds, a double bed, a sofa bed, three bathrooms and sliding glass walls facing the sea. Sleeps 6 adults and 3 children.
3 Bedroom Duplex Suite
A two-level suite in the Sunset wing with two king-size master bedrooms, two living areas and three bathrooms, overlooking the gardens with side sea views. Sleeps 6 adults.
2-Bedroom Dream Villa
A two-level villa in the villas area, entered through its own yard, with a terrace and heated infinity pool and a sea-view balcony. Sleeps 4 adults and 2 children.
Dream Villa
A two-level villa behind a landscaped courtyard (some with a fountain), with a king-size bed, two sofa beds and two bathrooms, a sun deck with sunken lounge and infinity pool, and a sea-view balcony. Sleeps 2 adults and 2 children.
3-Bedroom Villa Beachfront
A ground-floor villa directly on the beach with two double bedrooms, a living area with sofa bed and two bathrooms, a veranda with heated infinity pool and a garden opening onto the sand. Sleeps 4 adults and 1 child.
2-Bedroom Villa Beachfront
A beach villa with two bedrooms (king-size and twin), two bathrooms, a furnished veranda with heated infinity pool and a garden leading to the beach. Sleeps 4 adults.
Junior Villa Waterfront
A front-row villa with a sea-view master bedroom and oversized king-size bed, a living room and a bathroom whose glass doors open to a garden; a veranda with heated pool gives onto the beach. Sleeps 2 adults and 1 child.
2-Bedroom Villa Waterfront
A front-row villa with an entrance hall, living room, a master bedroom opening onto the pool and a twin room leading to a landscaped yard; two bathrooms, a dining veranda and direct beach access. Sleeps 4 adults.
6 Bedroom Waterfront Villa
A front-row complex of connected villas with six bathrooms, a fully equipped kitchen, private entrances, parking, staff quarters, a massage bed, four heated pools and gardens that reach the beach. Sleeps 12 adults and 2 children.
2-Bedroom Infinity Villa
A two-level beach house behind iron gates, with private parking and a fountain, a king-size bedroom upstairs and beds and sofa beds below; the veranda has a dining area, a day bed for two, an outdoor rain shower and a 30 m² infinity pool. Sleeps 4 adults and 2 children.
4-Bedroom Villa Waterfront
A front-row villa with four bedrooms, four bathrooms, two entrances, a living room, two heated pools and broad gardens opening onto the beach. Sleeps 8 adults.
Amirandes Residence Waterfront
A front-row residence in two parts divided by a stone path, with two king-size bedrooms, two bathrooms, a full kitchen, private entrance, parking, staff quarters, a massage bed, a heated pool and a large garden. Sleeps 4 adults.
3-Bedroom Villa Waterfront
A front-row residence of two units linked by a stone path, with three bedrooms and three bathrooms, a spacious living room, a dining area with a handmade Italian table, a kitchen, staff quarters, two heated pools and a garden. Sleeps 6 adults.
Photos are for illustrative purposes only. Actual room layout, furnishings, décor, views and amenities may differ from those shown and may vary between rooms of the same category. Hotel and room descriptions are based on information provided by the property and are believed to be accurate at the time of publication, but are not guaranteed. The hotel may renovate or change its rooms, facilities, restaurants and services at any time without notice. The final details of your stay are confirmed at the time of booking. See our Terms of Use.