Why it made the list
The pool
The infinity pool sits at the tip of a rocky headland, so the view from the water takes in 180 degrees of Mirabello Bay: islets, the mountains of eastern Crete and the open sea. Loungers are set into the shallow water itself, and below it all is the resort's own sandy cove. Three suite types add a pool of their own, and in the Infinity Lagoon Suites that pool opens onto a shared lagoon running along the rooms.
The Nama pool bar handles cocktails, and Mom, the breezy poolside restaurant, covers breakfast and lunch. Everyone here is 18 or over. Away from the sun, the spa has a curving indoor pool under a glass roof, with a vitality pool and hot and cold plunges. The outdoor pool opens for the season, so check dates for an early-spring or late-autumn trip.
Checked against the property's official facilities on 6 Oct 2026. We re-check monthly.
The stay
Minos Palace occupies its own small peninsula on Crete's north-east coast, about 2 km from the centre of Agios Nikolaos: the town's bus station is roughly a 15-minute walk. Heraklion airport is around 50 minutes by car. Landscaped gardens of palms and cypress slope down to a private sandy cove with sunbeds, where you can also try water sports.
Rooms start at 30 m², and nearly every category faces the sea. The suites run up to the 61 m² Waterfall Suite with its own pool. Amar is the fine-dining restaurant above the beach, cooking Cretan dishes with seasonal produce. The Nao spa adds treatments, an infrared sauna and longevity programmes, and there's a fitness centre, yoga classes and a tennis court.
Not for everyone: children aren't allowed, so this is a couples' and friends' address rather than a family one.
Good to know
The Sunset Suite, the Infinity Lagoon Suite and the Waterfall Suite each come with a private pool. The Infinity Lagoon Suites also open onto a shared lagoon pool.
No: the resort is adults only, and the minimum check-in age is 18.
Yes: the spa has a curving indoor pool under a glass roof, alongside a vitality pool and hot and cold plunge pools.
Nearby
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A long outdoor pool runs the length of the sun terrace, finished with an infinity edge and a shallow end for easing in. Pale stone decking and glass balustrades frame it, the garden lawns run alongside, and the upper balconies look straight down onto the water. There's a kids' pool too, so younger swimmers have their own patch.
The main pool sits on a stone-paved terrace with the garden's trees around it and the bay and mountains across the water. It has a shallow end for easing in, and a separate children's pool gives younger swimmers a space of their own. Both are outdoors, and the main pool opens in season.
A large tree spreads its shade over the garden at Epavli, and beneath it runs a long, narrow outdoor pool, lined with grey loungers on pale stone and backed by the white neoclassical mansion that holds the suites. Greenery closes in around the garden, so it feels more like a private courtyard than a city hotel, even though the old town is a short walk away.
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