They wanted the perfect cliffside perch in Santorini. They found it in Crete.
You can spend $1,000-plus a night for the deluxe version. Or you can get the secluded beach, killer views and a pool for about $161. Your call, Rockefeller.
The following events are based on a true story…
There is a certain kind of Greek vacation fantasy that involves a cliff, a private cove, a startlingly blue sea and the vague sense that civilization has been politely asked to leave.
You can have that fantasy in Santorini, obviously. You can also have it in Crete. And if you’re looking at the two cliffside resorts around Agios Nikolaos that compete for the same basic fantasy, I have a suggestion based on a tip from a sassy friend:
Put your money on Istron Bay.
Not because Daios Cove isn’t gorgeous. It is. Daios Cove is the full luxury production: spectacularly situated in a secluded cove, with a private sandy beach, sea-water infinity pool, wellness facilities, multiple restaurants and bars, and suites and villas—some with their own private pools—that seem specifically designed to make you feel that ordinary hotel rooms are something that happens to other people.
It is, in other words, very nice.
It is also very expensive.
On August 7, for example, I found a sea-view room at Istron Bay Resort for about $161 a night. On that same night, the cheapest room I found at Daios Cove was $1,745.85—granted, it was a roomier Junior Suite.
Fine. Luxury is luxury.
But even looking ahead to August 14, the cheapest Daios Cove rate I found for a Deluxe Room Sea View was $1,035.26.
At that point, we’re no longer talking about whether Daios Cove is nicer. Of course it is. The question is whether it is six times nicer.
And that, my friends, is where the smart money gets interesting.
Because Istron Bay Resort is basically offering the same irresistible Cretan trick (or treat, depending on your word choice): a hotel tucked into a spectacular coastal setting with a secluded beach cove, sea views and a swimming pool, without requiring you to refinance the villa.
Istron Bay calls itself the “Refuge of Gods.” A little grandiose? Sure. But drive along this stretch of coast and look down at the water and you may find yourself willing to let it slide.
In fact, the view at Istron Bay was so ravishing that not too long ago, after I’d gotten that tip, it made me pull over when I was touring this part of Crete —at some risk of missing an important appointment in nearby Agios Nikolaos. That’s the thing about Istron Bay. The setting does a lot of the heavy lifting.
It basically has a private beach and it’s a winner. There is a big swimming pool. The views are ridiculous. And suddenly you start wondering what, exactly, you’re supposed to do with all the additional luxury you’re being asked to purchase at Daios Cove.
Don’t get me wrong: Daios has a serious luxury product. Its private-pool suites and villas look beautiful, and the resort has the kind of wellness operation where you can apparently spend your vacation pursuing wellness, whatever that actually is, with considerably more equipment than most people possess at home. There are multiple restaurants and bars, including Ocean, Pangea, Taverna and the Beach House.
If that is what you’re after, by all means. Daios Cove is not pretending to be anything other than a high-end resort, and it does that job extremely well.
But here’s my problem.
How many swimming pools do you really need?
You came to Greece to sit in a swimming pool?
You have the Mediterranean right there.
Do you really need your own private swimming pool overlooking the swimming pool overlooking the sea?
Are you a fat German tourist?
No. You are not.
When I toured this part of Crete, I was traveling more Rick Steves-lite than Eugene Levy-heavy. I wanted the beautiful cove, the astonishing water, the dramatic coastline, the good food, a comfortable place to sleep and the feeling that I had somehow stumbled onto a particularly excellent secret.
I didn’t need a private infinity pool to contemplate the infinity of my own wealth.
And that’s why Istron Bay makes such a compelling case.
The point isn’t that Istron Bay is better than Daios Cove. If you’re shopping strictly for luxury, Daios wins. It has the polished architecture, the elevated service, the private pools, the spa and the elaborate dining program.
The point is that the thing you actually came to Crete for—the secluded, cliffside, turquoise-water, “I cannot believe this is where I’m staying” experience—is already there at Istron Bay.
And if the difference between approximately $161 and $1,035—or, on another date, $1,745.85—is what it costs to upgrade from “beautiful Cretan hideaway” to “luxury resort where the bathtub probably has a personal assistant,” I know where I’d rather put the money.
On wine.
Or beer.
Or more wine, or a rental car without the wine or beer.
Or, perhaps most radically, another week in Crete.
The smart money isn’t necessarily looking for the fanciest hotel on the cliff.
It’s looking for the best view of the cliff—and the best excuse to stay there longer.
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