Crete - advice on resorts/activities

[triathlonmum]

Hi, I am looking to book a week in Crete (probably a villa) with children age 10.11.12 and 15. I have no clue where to start looking! Would like to be somewhere in easy reach of lots of different activities (ideas would be great - thinking water sports, possibly scuba if available , history and walks/cycling). Would also like to be close to the beach and tavernas etc...

I would love some ideas for villages/resorts to look at and also activities.

Thank you very much

Elounda is lovely, quite quiet and feels very authentic. Stalis and Hersonissos are more touristy, but loads to do. I'd avoid Malia - 18-30 hell, although the old town is gorgeous.

Have a look around the Chania area too, depending on flights.

we picked elounda to stay in for all the reasons that you have said. however, we started looking in January and struggled to find a villa then at a reasonable price and the flights we wanted were also changed. suggest wherever you are going that you crack on a look for a villa now. have a look at owners direct and trip advisor. there wont be a lot left. what is your price range?

I would recommend the province of Chania as it's easy to fly to. I stayed here with my family - www.spitikissamos.com, which is near to everything. Great to explore the west of Crete.

I have recently been to Zeus Village resort and water park at Hersonissos. It was fantastic, great food, lovely views lots to do for all ages and the price was brilliant. It's the only place I have wanted to return to again 😊

Hi - bumping this thread.
I am just wading through hundreds of offers for Crete too - I am planning to spend our two week summer holiday with my 16 and 12 year old DCs in Crete too this year and comparing costs of all inclusive versus a villa or apartment.

I am on a budget, but have some flexibility.

What would be the average costs of eating out compared to the UK and also how much would I have to allow for food shopping?

I would be grateful for some advice. We are not keen on places such as Malia, but within driving distance to Hersonissos would be great.

Are you planning on hiring a car?
Crete is very hilly something 10 mins walk to the beach/supermarket might involve a steep climb one way in sweltering heat.
I stayed in an all inclusive hotel last year in near Mononaftis near Ag. Pelagia -apart from a day trip to Heraklion we did nothing but laze by the pool/at the beach (not really my kind of holiday - we were going to get a villa/apartment/half board and do more but with the financial crisis I figured we were better off somewhere we should be provided with food if all the shops shut up! - and it was more or less the same price).
The area we were in was really just a cluster of 'all inclusive' hotels - one smallish beach/bay with a couple of restaurants/shops (Ag Peg itself has more stuff going on - it was a 10 Euro taxi ride each way or a 20 min walk - but in 30 deg heat with steep bits... )

The public transport is generally good but where we were there weren't many buses to get to the main public transport links!
DCs loved being in the pool with unlimited ice cream/drinks etc...but I don't think we could have done more than a week. (I couldn't) Also we were a week before the English holdays (in Scotland) so most of the other guests were foreign - lots of Russian? I think - Germans, French, Swiss -so we didn't have to be sociable...

Hello there
I would choose villa every time, as it generally offers you more choice and gives you more space to relax. It also helps with the budget, as allows you to cook in the comfort if your own space. We placed ourselves in a villa in the west of Crete and were not disappointed. So easy to see everything from over here. You certainly do get more value for your money than in the UK in restaurants if you eat at local places and not the tourist traps. We bought our veg and fruit at the weekly market in Kolymbari, although Kissamos had lots of options. I would definitely recommend the place we stayed in as they cater for all types of parties. See link in previous post.
Enjoy your holiday!

Have a look at villas in/round Almiridha . Fly into Chania and 25 min drive. For us it's slightly cheaper to fly to Athens and get the ferry as there's 6 of us , with 4 aged 12-18. Lovely coast, lots of good waterside tavernas, good beaches and plenty of activities like diving, water sports etc. The walks are fantastic up in the hills (less than an hours drive) and it's well worth booking to walk the Samaria Gorge as it's spectacular - you need to book as you don't end up where you started and it's easier not to have to worry. We've been going to Western Crete for a long time as it has everything that the whole crew want.

Thank you all.

We have been on an all inclusive holiday recently for one week, and while the food was great and the hotel was lovely, I agree that one week is enough.

I think of hiring a car, if we are in a remote location, but travelling on my own with two DCs I think we are safer in an apartment complex or resort.

We have just booked to go to Crete in July. We have booked a villa through ownersdirect.co.uk. We fly into Chania.

There is a downside to a villa with DCs ...you have to entertain them/referee between siblings 24/7, they aren't going to make new friends/find other children to play with.
One of the best holidays I have ever been on (with DCs) was a static caravan in a smallish park with a play park in Scotland - not a big Haven type one. There were lots of DCs around, they were well behaved as were the parents (no swearing, late night drinking and fights).
DCs had a fantastic time - up early, breakfast and out -just back for food/drinks through the day. For our youngest DC (3) DP and I were taking it in turns to keep an eye on her but she made friends with a similar aged DC so we shared watching with their parents. The only holiday I've been on with DCs where I actually ran out of books to read ...it felt like a real holiday for me too!

Sorry Helen -just realised that seemed snippy to you - it was actually aimed at tam ...as something to consider. We had a good holiday in a villa in Spain but we were part of a big group (although we had our own annexe) -I have a 6yr age gap and the youngest was 18 months - so it was great that was also a similar aged child to DD1 there and they played with each other -so I just had to worry about entertaining the little one.