- 🏨 Cayo Exclusive Resort & Spa · in Plaka, facing the island of Spinalonga, in the Elounda bay
- 🤝 Mar-Bella Collection · the Corfu-based group (MarBella, Nido, Avali) and Parga-based group (Elix) arrives in Crete
- 🛏️ 117 keys · rooms, suites and villas across 11 categories, all with sea views, most with private pools
- 🍽️ 5 restaurants and 3 bars · a spa, a conference centre, set across 35,600 m² of land
- 🗓️ April 22, 2027 · reopening under the new banner, featuring a kids’ club and adults-only areas
The Greek group Mar-Bella Collection, which had never ventured beyond Corfu and the Epirus coast, is establishing itself in Crete. It is taking over the Cayo Exclusive Resort & Spa in Plaka, opposite the island of Spinalonga, and will reopen it under its banner on April 22, 2027. With 117 keys and an address in the Elounda bay, the island’s most sought-after location, this is the group’s biggest move since its inception.
Elounda, the most exclusive bay in Crete
Since the 1970s, Elounda has concentrated major Cretan resorts, and Plaka, the fishing village to the north, serves as its quieter extension. Opposite lies the fortified islet of Spinalonga, a former leper colony that has become one of the island’s most visited sites. Cayo occupies 35,600 m² of hillside overlooking the water.
◆ Cayo Exclusive Resort in pictures
117 keys, almost all with pools
Rooms, suites and villas are divided into eleven categories. All feature sea views and most boast a private pool, which remains rare at this scale. Five restaurants, three bars, a spa and a conference centre complete the offering. Mar-Bella plans to expand the family offering with a kids’ club, while reserving dedicated zones for adults.
What Mar-Bella wants to change, and what it keeps
“We are delighted to welcome Cayo and extend our presence to Crete for the first time,” explains Periklis Gompakis, the group’s Chief Commercial Officer. Service and the guest experience will be aligned with the other four properties, but the hotel’s character and positioning remain: Mar-Bella is not rebranding, it is incorporating.
◆ The resort bars
Five hotels, two islands and a coastline
Founded in Corfu, where it operates MarBella, Nido and Avali, the group had already crossed the channel with Elix in Parga on the mainland. Crete is its first island outside the Ionian group, and Elounda is the Greek market where international competition is fiercest, among Blue Palace, Elounda Beach and Domes. The timeline leaves a full season, the summer of 2026, to prepare for the transition.
Photos: © Mar-Bella Collection.
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