The best family hotels in Crete
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Crete is the largest island in Greece and one of the most popular with families for good reason. Direct flights from the UK make it an easily accessible European holiday destination, while sprawling sandy beaches, crystalline Mediterranean waters, and a buzzy restaurant scene add a dose of multi-generational allure. Sharer plates designed to be passed around a table come piled high with creamy tzatziki, and the verdant scent of olive trees fills the air – a constant reminder of the island’s wholesome foundations. Whether you’re travelling during the peak summer months or keen to explore during shoulder season when the sun’s blaze feels softer and the ratio of holidaymakers to locals starts to even itself out, we’ve rounded up the best family-friendly hotels in Crete to make planning the trip a breeze. Alternatively, check our guide to the best hotels in Crete, plus the best Airbnbs in Crete.
hotelCretan Malia Park hotel review
The low-rise buildings within tropical gardens of banana trees, palms and cacti set the laidback tone for this bohemian hotel in Crete. The modernist spaces were cleverly designed more than three decades ago – despite having 204 rooms, the property never feels overcrowded. Nature envelops it all: the many trees provide shade throughout the grounds, and the grassy lawn makes everything smell cool and fresh even in the searing summer heat. Inside, knocked-back tonal textures sit alongside ceramics, wood and stone, nature-inspired jungle green and Aegean blue. Family rooms are well equipped to cater to the whole crew – little ones will love the novelty of having their own kids’ bedroom (with bunk beds and sofa bed) and bathroom – and come with views of either the garden, pool or the sea.
Parents are free to kick back and sunbathe on the private beach while youngsters come out of the kids’ club giggling before splashing into the river-like swimming pool. Teens hang out at The Place, with its hammock-strung outdoor cinema, where parents are kindly invited not to come. At Mouries restaurant, the large open kitchen with a huge fireplace hosts cooking lessons using vegetables from the garden during the day and becomes a farm-to-table taverna after sunset.
Insider tip
If they're available, book into a deluxe family bungalow, ideal for their built-in bunks and separate bedrooms for the grown-ups.
Georg Roske Creative lead & concept by Lambs & Lions Berlin (https://lambsandlions.com)hotelDomes Zeen Chania, Chania, hotel review
A new breed of family-friendly hotels in Greece is being born. Spaces where the design is as exciting as the children’s activities, where parents can pretend – if they ignore their offspring instigating a water fight in the sleek, black-tiled pool – they’re still the kind of people who hang out at beach clubs. Domes Zeen, which originally opened as Casa Cook Chania a few summers ago, is one such spot. Concrete villas spill down the hillside from a modernist reception that wouldn’t look out of place in Palm Springs, the work of those in-demand Athenian architects K-Studio (of hit Mykonos beach bar Scorpios). At its foot, life centres around the pool: families camped out on one side, nearest to the kids’ club; couples opposite dozing under thatched parasols, the pebbly beach just beyond. The fashionable crowd is instantly recognisable: toddlers in Liewood leopard-print swimsuits and mothers with Isabel Marant beach bags stuffed with toys; Dutch parents in power linen who crack open the rosé as soon as nap time rolls around; bleary-eyed Berliners on baby’s first holiday ordering purées with their poolside poké bowls. There are rooms with a window seat that cleverly turns into a third bed and multi-roomed villas, all with private or shared pools. Interiors include muted textiles and rattan touches that are both covetable and child-proof in one.
The club is just as considered and has an environmentally conscious, Montessori-led, creativity-inspiring ethos. This translates as sessions crafting tic-tac-toe sets from painted rocks and castles out of cardboard, decorating photo frames with shells, cookie baking, and yoga. Families reconvene for outings into Chania with mapped-out recommendations such as coffee roastery Kross and restaurant/shop Ginger Concept or a boat trip to Loutro, a tiny, whitewashed village on a turquoise bay further south. Back at the hotel, the all-day Beach House turns out healthy food with Cretan flavours, from breakfasts of DIY grain bowls and local cheeses and pastries to hearty, slow-cooked pork belly and homemade kalitsounia pie for supper. New this year is the smaller, splashier Estia restaurant and an Elemis-backed spa. Greece has long aced family holidays, and this stay marks the next generation.
Insider tip
Rooms – except for the top villa – don’t have baths, so request a baby one (and other kit to save on packing space) before you arrive.
Nick Kontostavlakis/Globe & TrotterhotelThe Royal Senses Resort & Spa, Panormos hotel review
If there’s one thing my two-year-old remembers about our stay at this Curio collection property, it’s what he refers to as the ‘baby train’ – a sleek funicular that rides up and down the steep hillside location of this new Crete hotel. Indeed, this little ride alone is a fun way to start each day and makes parents’ lives much more manageable when trying to herd tiny legs from one place to another. Older kids won’t need much coaxing – the waterpark is impressive, with a host of slides and pools designed for little and big kids, plus a bar and sun loungers so parents can oversee the action with a beverage. There are more loungers lining the palm tree-flanked pool area and a heated paddle pool that toddlers can easily wander around in. Young guests can be dropped off at the shiny new kid’s club while parents head to the adult-only pool and spa – the largest in Crete. Even the shyest little ones will be keen to explore the large astroturf outdoor play area, plus there are rooms hosting arts and crafts, books and toys.
All rooms at the hotel have private seating areas that overlook the sea. For the best set-up, book into one of the family suites with two sofa beds in the separate living room and a grass terrace. Private pools are also an option, with the two-storey grand villas offering families even more space, plus incredible sea views. Note that if you’re travelling with toddlers, none of the rooms have baths.
Insider tip
Don’t miss supper at the a la carte Mitato, where at the centre of the olive branch-adorned restaurant is lamb cooking Antikristo style – a traditional Cretan technique of slow cooking around a fire. Meat lovers will naturally love the menu (the pork is another stand-out), while a dedicated vegan and kid’s menu will keep the whole crew happy. Lauren Burvill
hotelSt Nicolas Bay, Agios Nikolaos
In the unspoilt eastern side of the island – between the town of Agios Nikolaos and the fishing village of Elounda, where local fishing boats pootle about the marina – life at St Nicolas Bay Resort feels simple. Hidden far from the madding crowds, there are twinkly sea views in every direction, teamed with a comforting, relaxed vibe that will see you and your brood scooped up, set down and looked after. The hotel is scattered across six acres, with a rustic, authentically Grecian style; all-white stone walls fringed by blossoming pink oleanders and olive trees, with its own sandy beach and oodles of tucked-away spots; under the fragrant bougainvillaea or beside the ancient church, ideal for diving, nose-deep into a book. There’s a brilliant kids’ club run by the kind-hearted Roula, a baby and Olympic-sized infinity pool and no shortage of tempting food – from the Greek Kafeneion, where a bouzouki band serenades as you tuck into wood-fired souvlaki to the fine-dining Minotaur and its famed sushi. However, this place is all about the people. There’s Eleni, who remembers every child by name with a high-five; Nikos, who happily picks up a tantrum-ing toddler for a whirl around in his hotel buggy; and manager Alex, who treats every family coming here like his own. It is so very different from the run-of-the-mill resorts that Greece has become synonymous with, and you’ll feel clever for finding this spot. Annabelle Spranklen
Insider tip
Families can’t get enough of the chic new Olives & Sea suites, with separate bedrooms for the sprogs, private terraces and a pool so you can do laps and drink rosé, gazing across the spectacular Mirabello Bay while they nap peacefully inside.
hotelDaios Cove hotel review
It may be big – there are 300 rooms, and 39 stone-built villas dotted around the olive-tree-covered cove – but service at Daios Cove is as smooth and polished as the marble floors. Families are especially well cared for with complimentary buckets and spades for the beach and electric buggies to glide you noiselessly to your door. Villas are split over two storeys, with sitting rooms leading out to the infinity pool and terrace and the master suite and balcony below. There’s a notable amount of effort to make your stay extra comfortable, from the lengthy pillow menu to the choice of mango, vanilla or violet fragrances to be fed into the air-conditioning and little treats like macaroons or feta muffins waiting for you whenever you return to your room. The bars, restaurants and the swimming pool area are all on different levels up the rocky sides of the bay, accessed by a funicular rail car. Down at the beach, the shore is lined with loungers, and the sea is shallow, making for child-friendly rippling waves. Heidi Fuller-Love
Insider tip
The hotel is home to a full-service spa, skilfully combining certain treatments from a medical spa, such as vitamin IV infusions or colon hydrotherapy, with serious fitness facilities and a top-notch personal trainer and normal beauty and wellness routines. It is completely out of the ordinary to have facilities such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy in a standard well-being spa, meaning that this uniquely bridges two worlds.
JF WienshotelDomes of Elounda, Elounda hotel review
Cretans love kids – so family-friendly hotels aren’t hard to come by. But this sprawling retreat tumbling down a slope with spectacular views over glittering seas to Spinalonga island is one of the best. More village than a resort, facilities – which include an olive tree-shaded sandy beach, several large pools (one just for adults), gourmet restaurants, a kids club and a games room for teens – are excellent, and the elegant spa even has a specially designated kids' treatment menu.
Linked by winding paved alleys shaded with scarlet paper chains of bougainvillaea and star-white jasmine, rooms, suites, and villas veer from extremely comfortable to very luxurious – many have plunge pools or whirlpool baths. Families will love the self-catering facilities in Luxury Residences, but privacy is best in Ultra-Luxe Villas, which are like individual houses with gyms saunas and pools indoors and out. Heidi Fuller-Love
Insider tip
Children can take part in cute Greek garden-themed activities such as planting their own greens, vegetables and flowers.
Nick Kontostavlakis/Globe & TrotterThe Royal Blue Resort, Panormos
The set-up at this Cretan hotel lends itself to a meaningful baby’s first holiday. Sweeping along a stretch of coastline on the island’s north, the grounds are set up to resemble a honey-hued Cretan village, all appealingly connected with buggy-friendly ramps. You can even wheel little ones down to the beach, where a man-made cove has created gentle paddling conditions, and drinks and nibbles can be delivered direct to sun loungers. Suites cater perfectly to tiny demanding guests, with tubs in the bathroom, a separate lounge area that can be closed off from the bedroom, and an outdoor terrace so parents can sunbathe while kids nap. For bigger youngsters, two-storey family suites with private pools are also available.
Insider tip:
The spa here welcomes all guests, big and small. There’s a cute kid’s spa menu, a salt cave for adults, plus you can book a family session in the thalassotherapy pool. Lauren Burvill