The prestigious Sunday Times Travel Magazine in Great Britain called it “the best spa in the world.”

The influential Global SpaFinder in America featured it as its cover story for the 2008 issue.

Several other informative travel publications in other countries listed it among the “world’s 10 best spas.”

With our interest piqued, we couldn’t help wondering about this place, located in our own backyard, that was creating such a fuss around the world.
So, with pen and camera in hand, this investigative reporting team for the equally prestigious, influential and informative Khronicles set off on an eastern trek in search of the Porto Elounda Deluxe Hotel and Six Senses Spa.

It wasn’t hard to find – even in February – since this sprawling, exquisitely landscaped year-round resort complex, complete with private nine-hole golf course, dominates the picturesque Elounda peninsula, about eight kilometres from Aghios Nikolaos.

From the moment we checked in and were greeted by the hotel’s courteous staff, we could sense we were in for a very special experience, and, over the next two days, we would discover just how special a weekend retreat could be.

The Porto Elounda has been around since 1992, and has become a Cretan landmark in five-star tourism.  With its main building renovated in 2004, it offers deluxe seaside accommodations, rooms and suites with shared or private pools, and  gourmet dining, with its head chef Jean Charles Meteyer working in collaboration with Michelin two-star chef Jacques le Divellec.

However, it wasn’t until last year, when it opened its luxurious 10-million-dollar Six Senses Spa, that the Porto Elounda started to receive renewed world-wide acclaim.
“We’re proud of all the awards we’ve received,” said Spa Manager Elli Soumaki, as she displayed the covers of several magazines featuring the Six Senses at Porto Elounda. “We have an excellent staff, all of whom are certified physical therapists.”

The 2.500-square-meter facility is tastefully appointed in earthy colours and materials that blend with works of contemporary art, like hanging glass and rock crystals over an oval glass pond. The two-story structure is connected by a circular stairway that revolves around a helical glass sculpture by renowned artist Costas Varotsos.

In addition to the hot-seawater Hydropool, and the sauna and steam rooms, there are 24 treatment rooms where 54 different treatments are offered.

“The most popular is the relaxation massage,” Mrs. Soumaki said. “But we also get many requests for our Six Senses Signature Treatment and our Turkish Scrub Bath. All of our therapies are designed to reduce fatigue, combat stress and to make you feel energized – to look and feel better.”

The spa has made available a number of special packages for the winter months, in addition to other incentives to attract local residents and year-round tourists. There are hotel accommodation packages, which include spa membership privileges, plus monthly and six-month spa subscriptions. Also, as an added incentive, all six-month memberships receive a complimentary half-board weekend at the hotel.

One of the most interesting packages is the D-Tox program, designed for better health and weight control, which includes a deluxe room, unlimited spa privileges, discounted treatments and special gourmet diet meals. And, at the end of the program, the participant is presented with all the recipes of the D-Tox meals in order to carry on the diet at home.

Since the members of this reporting team tip the scales at a few kilos over the norm, we decided to sample the D-Tox program.

After freshening up in our suite with a shared pool, we checked out the adjoining spa. First came a tour of the entire facility, with detailed information on procedures to realize maximum benefits from the spa. Then, following sessions in the sauna and steam rooms, we were taken to separate treatment rooms for various massages and treatments. Afterwards, we dipped in the Hydropool and relaxed in the Tepidarium lounge area with a cup of ginger tea.

For dinner at the hotel’s Nafsika Restaurant, sous chef Nikos Igionomakis prepared an exquisite shredded carrot salad with a light orange sauce, lobster tails perfectly steamed with vegetables and served with baked finocchio stuffed with cottage cheese and fresh tomato, and, for dessert, a tasty combination of 0-0% yogurt and baked mashed apple.

Afterwards, feeling lighter and healthier, we sat down with Alexandros Glynos, manager of the Porto Elounda.

“The addition of the spa last year has opened up a whole new market for the hotel, both for increased year-round tourism, as well as for the local community,” he said. “This is our second winter with the spa, and we see an increase of over ten percent from last season.”

Mr. Glynos told us there’s an “explosion of private investors” in the area, many from Russia, which will force the airlines to take a closer look at year-round direct flights to Crete.

“We need flights from cities like Moscow, Munich, London and Geneva and they will come automatically, especially once the new airport at Kastelli is operational in 2012.”

Meanwhile, he said the Porto Elounda is into its own expansion plans, with the addition of a huge conference centre complex in April, and the construction of the Diamond Villa Club, 18 “very private” seaside villas with private swimming pools set to be ready next year.

Getting back to the present day, and whether or not the Six Senses deserves the title “the best in world,” we can only say that if there is a better one, it’s probably being used by people like Aphrodite and Apollo.