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Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

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Original poster

Crete - where to go/avoid

20 replies

smoggie · 13/04/2011 08:35

Can I pick your collective brains pleasE?
I fancy Crete this year for a change, but really don't know where to start in terms of resorts. To give you an idea of previous holidays we've gone to Menorca x2 (Cala Galdana - relatively quiet resort) and Tuscany villa.
Our boys will be 8 and 6 this year and I'm torn between wanting somewhere quiet to relax but having things nearby to occupy the boys.
After being fairly indecisive I've decided that we want to stick with a villa with a pool again rather than hotel, a search here has thrown up some with a shared pool which might be an option for the boys to make friends/not be so reliant on us for entertainment !!!!!
I just don't know which resorts are too noisy/raucous and which are good. Ideally we would like to be near the beach in a resort that is more traditional with nice places to eat, but with the option of driving to busier resorts for entertainment when needed. Any advice gratefully received

OP posts:

Nefret · 13/04/2011 10:18

I have been to Crete and my favourite place is Kalives. It is a small, quietish resort with a nice beach, nice traditional places to eat and it is farily close to the bigger town of Chania.

bigbadbarry · 13/04/2011 10:19

We stayed near Chania as well and really loved it - I understand the east side is more 18-30-y and the west more family-y

Bumpsadaisie · 13/04/2011 10:48

General rule is the west of the island is nice (Rethymnon/Chania) and the east of the island is more touristy (like the costa del sol).

Original poster

smoggie · 13/04/2011 11:42

Oh thank you - that helps. Rethymnon was one of the places that came up in the search as did Chania. That gives me a much better idea. Given that the boys coped with Tuscany in late July last year - do you think the temps will be much different in Crete ???? I keep getting people sucking in their breath saying "ooh it'll be hot there in the summer for the boys" !!!!! Looking at teh websites - the temps look similar approx 29 in July

OP posts:

bigbadbarry · 13/04/2011 12:24

I imagine there are small children who live there just fine :)

Bumpsadaisie · 13/04/2011 12:38

Crete will probably be hotter than Tuscany as further south but then coastal so sure you will be fine. DH and I went in July once and stayed in a cottage with no AC (and it was sweaty in bed at night) but fine.

Rethymnon and Chania are lovely old Cretan towns (buildings look like Venice without the canals as they were once part of the Venetian empire)

KenDoddsDadsDog · 13/04/2011 22:09

Elounda is lovely, has some beautiful hotels. Kokini Hani. Have also been to Sensatori which was a lovely hotel. It's near Heraklion/ Hersonissos.

Nefret · 14/04/2011 11:17

Crete will be hot but as it is an island there is usually a nice breeze, which makes it feel better. I'm sure your boys will be fine though, children are good at adapting.

alphabetti · 18/04/2011 10:41

We went to Crete last year in July. It was hot but bearable hot so as long as you put lots of suncream on kids and keep them drinking lots of water they will be fine. We stayed between Hersonnissos and Stalis, which was a quiet area away from the noise of the towns, but we were at an all inclusive hotel so didn't have to worry about getting to supermarkets/restaraunts.
We went on a trip to Spinalonga which my son loved as he is into history so I would definatly try to go there if you can.

icancancan · 18/04/2011 22:03

we love crete and I would recommend the chania side. not sure about slightly older children, but shared pool sounds like a good idea for the kids to meet others. some interesting day trips and beautiful beaches all around the island. lots of watersports/diving companies, boat trips, spinalonga (old leper colony island) etc

Kiwinyc · 18/04/2011 22:07

Have also stayed in Crete in a Simply Travel Villa in Horofakia near Chania. It was fantastic, the resort had a lovely pool, we found some stupendously good restaurants, lovely beaches, there was plenty to do including day trips into Chania, visits to a monastary who have their own olive plantations, and we loved the whole week there. This was in early Sept. Would love to go back.

everyspring · 18/04/2011 22:09

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

dearprudence · 18/04/2011 22:35

I've been to Crete a few times pre-child, once with a tiny baby and once when DS was 2. I've only been early or late season (May/September) when the weather has been beautiful but still hot. The west is definitely less touristy than the east and there are loads of great places - it's a lovely place to tour around. We often found the southern beaches much more windy than those further north. Our favourite town was Paleohora in the south-west. It's just a lovely quiet town with a sandy beach and a rocky beach.

If you want activities for children I'm not much help, but I can confirm that Rethimnon and Chania are lovely, especially at night. There's a beautiful small town called Bali, not far west of Heraklion. There are 3 bays, with the last one being the most beautiful.

My son is now 8 and much as we've loved Crete I wouldn't take him right now - the things we liked to do, such as sunbathing, reading, afternoon naps in the shade, long drunken dinners, etc wouldn't be enough to keep him occupied. And if we're going to do activities I'd rather do these somewhere less hot. Like Wales.

cowboylover · 19/04/2011 22:38

Another vote for Chania side, Kalives is lovely as are some of the surrounding villages.

I have been loads of times and as a fair skinned non heat lover even I coped as there is usually a nice breeze. Also love it that the sea is very calm on this side of the island so good for swimming and family fun.

Belo · 26/04/2011 16:18

We've got back from Crete on Sunday with our two dds (8 and 5) and even though the weather wasn't as good as it was in England we had a brilliant time.

We couldn't work out where to stay, so we spent some time in the south east which was quite run down and not very touristy (but perhaps that was just because we were off season), and some time at a place half way between Rethymno and and Chania (as we wanted to spend time in both). The drive was about 30 mins to each. We stayed here

www.pilot-beach.gr/

And I can thoroughly recommend it. We're already dreaming of a return trip. It was the first time we had stayed in a resort, having previously gone for the Villa option, but it really worked for us. There was a kids club which we used for 1-2 hours a day for a bit of gym time and/or reading time.

bigdaddynik · 18/01/2021 15:32

We went to Crete in 2019. Overall the island is fantastic. The beaches were wonderful. We preferred to stay in a villa near Heraklion in the area of Kato Gouves. The villa was luxurious with wonderful decoration and design. I suggest Crete as one of the best options in Greece. I would also like to thank the host of olia villas for the service we had.

bigdaddynik · 18/01/2021 15:38

We went to Crete in 2019. Overall the island is fantastic. The beaches were wonderful. We preferred to stay in a Villa near Heraklion in the area of Kato Gouves. The villa was luxurious with wonderful decoration and design. I suggest Crete as one of the best options in Greece. I would also like to thank the host of Olia Villas for the service we had.

goose1964 · 23/01/2021 15:18

Georgiopolis is gorgeous, handy for day trips. Greece does get very hot in summer, it was over 40 degrees when we went to Kalymnos, the kids were fine.

praepondero · 28/01/2021 09:48

Always wanted to go to Crete, never happened though. Never been to Greece, even.
Taking notes here, furiously! .

emma123456 · 08/02/2021 19:45

We stayed in Panormo,near rethymon and loved it. Lots of lovely little tavernas and a 15 min drive from rethymon. We visited Lake Kournos twice, hiring pedalos and went to a water park. I’d definitely go back. Stayed over the other side of the island and didn’t like it (can’t even remember the name of the place, but was the opposite direction from Heraklion airport ). Had a few nights at Gouves hotel as well so kids had 4/5 nights all inc.

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