Crete - visiting ancient ruins

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Hey, I'd love to take my kids ages 9 and 10 to Crete next year to check out some ancient ruins and enjoy swimming in the sea. Can anyone recommend a hotel or area please? Bed & breakfast.

Doesn't that entirely depend on your budget?

Well, I just need an idea on which areas to look in I guess. B&B I'm assuming would keep costs down compared to AI

We stayed in Gouves. Can't recommend the hotel. It was cheap and pleasant enough but the rooms weren't cleaned daily.

Gouves and the surrounding areas is quite quiet but lots of good places to eat out and there are buses to Heraklion and from there it's pretty easy to get to Knossos Palace. The Knossos museum in Heraklion is worth a visit too.

We went to Aptera Roman ruins, about half an hour from Chania. It was a lovely site, small amphitheatre, massive impressive underground water storage vaults, olive trees scattered about etc. We also called into the Izzeddin fortress which isn’t ancient but v impressive, and at George’s monastery which has v old olive presses.

Chania is a great base, lots to see in the town and a fantastic newly built archeological museum. There is a beach all along there, though it’s a town beach rather than “idyllic island beach” - there may be more beachy areas but we weren’t looking for them. We stayed in a small fancy hotel but I would imagine there’s accommodation for all budgets.

The obvious place to visit would be Knossos, which is along the coast at Heraklion. Famous ancient site, home of the original Labyrinth, Minotaur etc. Been somewhat reconstructed in places, not all accurate, but nonetheless would def be a fantastic place to visit.

Been somewhat reconstructed in places, not all accurate, bit if an understatement but agree that it's worth visiting. Just choose your time of year carefully OP. We went in early June and it was HOT.

I highly recommend Knossos although keep an eye on your kids. One of mine wandered off to stroke a cat and it was a nightmare to find her again.

We stayed at Creta Maris. It's absolutely amazing but at the higher end price wise

Thank you for all the advice.