Why

The island of Crete is equipped with more tourist facilities than any other Greek island and is a great family destination. It has great beaches, family friendly hotels and it is in the cradle of civilization. Some parts of the island have been overpowered by tourist resorts and massive hotels, but fortunately Crete does still allow for exploring endless beaches, numerous villages, remote mountains and some natural curiosities like caves and gorges for families who want to get away from it all.

The famed Minoan archaeological sites, particularly the palace of Knossos and Phaistos, are vast and can take a great deal of time and effort to fully explore and appreciate. Crete has experienced thousands of years of habitation and has a complicated and diverse heritage, including years of Roman, Venetian and Turkish rule, that have all left their mark. Kids will love the beaches, the history and the great water sports.

When and how

Crete’s Southern Mediterranean location means that the climate can be perfect outside of the peak summer months when it can get very hot. It has a longer season than most sun resorts and you can get great weather as late as October.

You can fly to Chania or Heraklion airports and can check scheduled flights here. Irish tour operatorsmay also offer charter flights.

From Ireland tour operator packages with companies include those from Sunway Sun Holidays, Directholidays.ie and Panorama. From the UK Kuoni and Soverign both have good family focussed products and provide a good family service.

You should hire a car to see the best of the island and you can book car hire here.

Family friendly accommodation

Booking.com have a good range of family accommodation in hotels and self catering properties at discounted prices and you can search for family rooms and apartments which is a great feature. You can read reviews by families who have actually stayed there by category such as families with young children or older children.

For self catering and family villas you can have a look at  who offer great family villas and often have special offers and deals. In particular at the moment James Villa have an offer of free car hire, travel insurance and welcome pack for holidays to Greece.

Porto Elounda Deluxe Hotel with breathtaking bay views has taken every care to make families welcome whilst ensuring a luxurious stay. The Children’s Ark kids club and creche is arranged as an animal-themed park, with indoor and outdoor play areas and 2 supervised shallow pools. There is circus acting, mask making, cookie baking and treasure hunts, as well unique activities like mini Olympic games and growing tomatoes in the garden. Even 6 month old babies can taken care of freeing up some valuable time for parents.

The exclusive Spa offers holistic treatments and therapies Golf fans are spoilt with a 9-hole, par-3 course, pro shop, with a PGA pro on site. There is an 18-hole championship course located 30 minutes away with special rates for guests and there are 2 tennis courts, gymnasium, billiards, board games and of course shopping. There’s a vast array of water sports down at the beach, including jet ski, windsurfing, laser sailing, canoes & kayaks, pedalos and banana rides, not forgetting PADI-certified scuba diving. You can book special offers and deals at Porto Elounda Delux here with booking.com.

St Nicolas Bay Resort Hotel & Villas is an intimate hotel set on a private blue-flag beach. It is a member of the prestigious Small Luxury Hotels of the World. The state-of-the-art spa and fitness suite is well-renowned, as are the two gourmet restaurants. The secluded resort gives a warm welcome to families with a host of thoughtful facilities. The Elemis Spa Poseidon is exclusive to hotel guests, with no children allowed. The beach scuba diving school offers tuition for adults and children alike. There is a water sports centre with a wide choice of activities including private sea cruises by motor boat, water skiing, sailing, windsurfing and canoes.

Children will love the safe sandy beach and open air playground. The Mini Club is supervised by English-speaking qualified staff, giving parents a break, with lots of entertainment laid on for the 4 to 11s. There’s a well equipped games room with everything from table tennis to Play station 2. The Home Cinema has a great selection of kids’ films for quieter moments. Locally, there is also a water park (25km), mini golf (3km), tennis court (100m) and aquarium (50km). You can book this here with booking.com for special offers and deal on family accommodation.

What to do and see with the kids

The beaches and the water sports are a huge draw and if you can drag yourself and the kids away from this, there are lots to see and do.

Take a trio to Irakleio which has an old harbour and Venetian fortifications where you can see Minoan artefacts in the museum.

Visit some of the quieter beaches on the west of the Island.Elafonisi is good for small children.

Scuba-diving with PADI instructors and water sports such as waterskiing, windsurfing, paragliding, snorkelling, canoeing, jet-skiing and sailing are all available at the beaches around the Island.

Go and visit the Island's caves and do some walking to spot rare birds, flowers and wild goats.

Visit King Minas’ Palace at Knossos to see where Theseus made his way through the labyrinth to slay the legendary half-man, half-bull monster The Minotaur.

Go hiking and take in the breathtaking scenery at Samaria Gorge - the longest in Europe. It’s a long, hard day’s walk and it is not for the faint hearted. It is well worth the effort if you have teenagers who are up for it. A further 50 gorges are waiting to be discovered, some much easier to traverse than others so seek advice before you go and bring lots of water and cover up in the sun.

Join in the celebrations at the Rethymno Wine Festival in late July and witness spectacular Greek dancing and free-flowing wine.

Enjoy donkey rides and picnic walks in beautiful countryside near Lerapetra.A perfect day out for families where you can also offer the experience of camping amongst olive trees in beautiful 5 metre cotton bell tent – a real ‘back to nature’ holiday for families. See website for details www.walkwithdonkeys.com Telephone 0030 6976088547.

Visit Chania Town on the west coast, known as the prettiest town on the island for its combination of natural beauty and variety of archaeological and historical sights.

You will find lots of family friendly travel tips and advice in our research and advice section to help you book the right family holiday. Check out also the experiences of other parents and travellers in our parents forum and add your own experiences as we are a great believer in real parent's experiences as the best measure of whether somewhere will suit you for your family holiday. 

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