Phaea Blue, a member of SLH | Elounda, Crete

Blue Palace, a Luxury Collection Resort and Spa, Crete

"Crete’s Blue Palace has a strong sense of place. Set on a lucid pebble beach, this family-run property has more authenticity than all the pre-fab looking resorts along the Elounda coastline combined. There’s a wooden fishing boat to putter across to Spinalonga island (a freshy minted UNESCO World Heritage site); an open-air cinema on the beach; and lamb spit-roast over a bonfire, accompanied by a mournful Cretan lyre. Take in more cretan traditions with a sunset sail on the hotel's wooden Caique while sharing some evening drinks. (For those looking for a more mod Crete setting, the Blue Palace's sustainably-minded sister resort, Cretan Malia Park, was anointed a Design Hotel in late 2019, after a radical makeover combining local stone and ceramics with textiles by of-the-moment designers like LRNCE and House of Hackney.) Doubles from $250, marriott.com"