Crete island is, in my opinion, one of the best greek islands for families with literally hundreds of options when it comes to accommodation and lots of kids-friendly beaches and towns. When it comes to the best Crete family resorts, though, there are so many options that researching all the places might make you feel overwhelmed.
BEST FAMILY RESORT IN CRETE: Creta Maris Resort
BUT ALSO CHECK:
- Best Kids Swimming Pool: Stella Palace
- Best Kids Club: Cretan Malia Park
- Best Beach: Anemos
- Best Restaurants: Mitsis Laguna
- Best in-resort entertainment: Lyttos Beach
- Best Value For Money: Kiani Beach Resort
- For Luxury: Grecotel Amirandes
if you are visiting Crete with kids, I highly recommend you avoid taking any ferry from Athens as they can be very boring and tiring for kids (believe me, I tried it and failed…). You would definitely be better off with a direct flight from any major European city (Booking.com Flights has all the available flights).
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There are plenty of family resorts (mostly all-inclusive), but also small B&Bs that are run by local families and owners, and those can be great options as well, sometimes.
But as a father myself, these are the things that I would be looking for in a family resort in Crete:
- Well-maintained and very clean (if it’s also new or newly renovated it’s a plus)
- lots of options for kids entertainment (swimming pool, kids activities, kids club, water sports etc)
- super safe with lifeguards at the swimming pools
- good restaurants with plenty of options for food and snacks during the day
- very close to or in front of a beach (a beach is always the best option for a kid’s entertainment to my experience).
- relatively close to a large town and not very remote (this is handy in case of emergencies)
- large rooms with lots of space and storage options
- good or excellent online reviews from families (I target hotels with more than 9.0 scores in general on Booking.com)
Keep reading…
READ ALSO:
Where to Stay in Crete
Best Villas in Crete
Best Hotels in Chania
Best Hotels in Rethymno
Best Greek Islands for Older Couples
VERY IMPORTANT TO KNOW:
- Best Family Hotel in Crete: Creta Maris Beach Resort
- Best Family Villa in Chania Crete: Winehill Villa
- Where to Stay in Crete with kids: Unless you are staying in an all-inclusive resort and you don’t really want to move around then I highly recommend you stay in Chania or as close to it. This is the best area in Crete with the best beaches and the best villages overall. If you rent a car (which is the best way to see the island), then you must visit the best beaches in Chania that are kids friendly. I do not recommend staying in Heraklion which is a big busy city (and ugly) but you can also stay in Agios Nikolaos or even Rethymno which is a cute and picturesque town between Heraklion and Chania. In any case, anything close to Chania should always be your first option. Some of the best family hotels in Crete though, are closer to Heraklion and that’s not a problem as you might be staying in your hotel anyways most of the time.
- Best family-friendly things to do in Crete: apart from spending a day on the beach, you can visit the ancient ruins of Knossos, visit a waterpark (such as Acqua Plus Waterpark, Limnoupolis, Watercity and Star Beach), visit the Dinosaur Park, visit the Greek Mythology Theme Park, visit the Aquarium in Heraklion
RECOMMENDED WEBSITES FOR GREECE:
🛏️ Booking.com is the website with the most available rooms and Private Villas in Athens, Santorini , Mykonos & Crete (more than Airbnb!)
⛴️ Ferryhopper is the best website to book your ferry tickets or check the timetables for Santorini, Mykonos , Crete & all greek islands
🏺 Get Your Guide has the best and largest variety of Tours in Athens and the greek islands (Santorini, Mykonos, Crete etc)
🚙 Rentalcars is the easiest way to rent a car or a quad for Greece with thousands of available options
✈️ Booking.com Flights has all the available flights to and from the greek islands
🚕 Book Your Driver (Taxi) directly with booking.com’s large and safe platform of available certified drivers
So…without further ado, let’s see the Best Crete Family Resorts :
1. Creta Maris Resort
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2. Lyttos Beach Hotel
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3. Euphoria Resort
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4. Candia Park Village
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5. Stella Palace Resort & Spa
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6. Mitsis Laguna Resort
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7. Fodele Beach Resort
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8. Anemos Luxury Grand Resort
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9. Pilot Beach Resort
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10. Kiani Beach Resort
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11. Nana Golden Beach Resort
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11. Star Beach Village
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12. Asterias Village
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13. Grecotel Amirandes
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14. Royal & Imperial Belvedere
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15. Cretan Malia Park
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CONCLUSION
I honestly believe that the best family hotel in Crete is Creta Maris but each one of theabove is a great option for your holidays in Crete. All of these hotels on this list have kids clubs with people working with kids for a few hours every day making sure they have a good time and they are engaged in interesting activities without the need for the parents to be around. However, if an all inclusive hotel like the ones above is not your thing then my tip would be to check for any hotel that has large rooms, preferably a swimming pool and it’s close to a beach, as with only these 3 every kid would be pretty much occupied for a whole day and happy. And a happy kid makes a happy parent, doesn’t it?
*all images from Booking.com
