The best hotels in Crete
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Crete has long since been one of the most popular Greek Islands, and not just because it’s the biggest. Mountainous hiking trails, secret coves and ancient architectural sites like Aptera and Malia mean active travellers will find plenty of things to do. But if lying on one of the island’s most beautiful beaches or touring the local food scene holds more appeal, there’s opportunity for that kind of holiday, too. Restaurants source local produce and draw from generational recipes to serve mouthwateringly fresh cuisine, and meals are finished with a shot of the famous Greek spirit, Ouzo.
For multi-generational groups, Crete continues to be a hit, and it’s home to some of the best family-friendly hotels in Europe as well as two international airports so time spent in transit won’t take away from the trip.
What is the best location to stay in Crete?
Lured by the picture-postcard Venetian harbour and proximity to the pink sand beach of Elafonisi, visitors generally flock to Chania in the northwest. With an abundant crop of grand new Greek island hotels opening their doors, however, the island’s lesser-known eastern half – famed for its near-deserted beaches lapped by mirror-clear waters and great value tavernas serving local specialities – is becoming increasingly popular.
What's the best resort in Crete for families
Crete is home to some of the best family-friendly hotels in Greece, so there are plenty to choose from. One of our favourites is Cretan Malia Park with its river-esque swimming pool, teens-only cinema area and bungalows with built-in bunkbeds, or Domes of Elounda, which overlooks the Unesco-protected island of Spinalonga. Book into a Luxury Residence or Ulta-Luxe Villa where the self-catering facilities offer the perfect setup for families with little ones.
How we choose the best hotels in Crete
Every hotel on this list has been selected independently by our editors and written by a Condé Nast Traveller journalist who knows the destination and has stayed at that property. When choosing hotels, our editors consider both luxury properties and boutique and lesser-known boltholes that offer an authentic and insider experience of a destination. We’re always looking for beautiful design, a great location and warm service – as well as serious sustainability credentials. We update this list regularly as new hotels open and existing ones evolve. Find out more about our editorial standards and how we review hotels.
Nick Kontostavlakis/Globe & TrotterhotelThe Royal Senses Resort & Spa, Panormos
It’s no coincidence that everything, from the rooms to the restaurants and every pool, at this hillside hotel near Rethymno faces north. The bright blue views overlooking the sea of Crete are a stop-and-stare asset and made a purposeful feature throughout. Every room enjoys a front-row-view via a private terrace with seating, some have their own pool, plus the option to order a Balinese-style floating breakfast spread in the mornings. Then again, the breakfast buffet is a cracking one, with a rotating assortment of the classics (freshly plated eggs Benedict) as well as the traditional Cretan (fennel pie and sweet Bougatsa) and plenty of vegan options, served in an airy indoor, outdoor setting by the sprawling pool, a jazzy live saxophone serenading the morning sun. There’s sparkling wine and strawberries on offer too for those who are celebrating – of which I spotted many.
The Curio collection from Hilton property seamlessly treads the tightrope line between honeymoon and child-friendly. On one side of the hotel is the adults-only pool area and spa – the largest in Crete – as well as the romantic Cretamos restaurant, with room for only seven tables and a degustation menu paired with local wines. All the way on the other side is a shiny new kid’s club (the hotel only opened in 2021) that rivals most UK nurseries, along with a fantastical water playground with an array of slides to suit big and little ones, plus a bar for parents. All ages congregate around the palm tree flanked pool area, where citrus salads and cocktails can be ordered straight to your lounger. For a swim in the sparkling sea, guests can access the private beach at the neighbouring Royal Blue. Lauren Burvill
Price: from £196 per night
Address: Herakliou 58 km, Panormos 740 57, Greece
Nick KontostavlakishotelAcro Wellness Suites, Agia Pelagia
Teetering over a caldera-like cliff with spectacular views over Mononaftis Bay, Acro Wellness Suites’ string of stone-built suites and villas are like a slice of Santorini in Crete. Scattered across a thyme-scented hillside, nine dome-roofed cave suites have in-room tubs for amorous soaping and large terraces with grotto pools for lazy soaking. The romantic adults-only set up makes it one of our favourite hotels for a honeymoon in Greece. The cave suites offer oodles of room for canoodling, but for the best sunset views choose one of the three pool villas. Beyond the lovely suites, other highlights include the resort’s lagoon-like central pool, and a light-filled spa crisscrossed with trickling water channels and centred on a Moroccan-style dome-roofed hammam. Heidi Fuller-Love
Price: from £375 per night
Address: Mononaftis, Ag. Pelagia 715 00, Greece
hotelDaios Cove, Agios Nikolaos
It may be big – there are 300 rooms and 39 stone-built villas dotted around the olive-tree-covered cove – but service at Daios Cove is as smooth and polished as the marble floors. Families are especially well taken care of with complimentary buckets and spades for the beach and electric buggies to glide you noiselessly to your door. Villas are split over two storeys, with sitting rooms leading out to the infinity pool and terrace, and the master suite and balcony below. There’s a notable amount of effort to make your stay extra comfortable from the lengthy pillow menu to the choice of mango, vanilla or violet fragrances to be fed into the air-conditioning, and little treats like macaroons or feta muffins, waiting for you whenever you return to your room. The bars, restaurants and the swimming pool area are all on different levels up the rocky sides of the bay, accessed by a funicular rail car. Down at the beach, the shore is lined with loungers and the sea is shallow, making for child-friendly rippling waves.
Price: from £246 per night
Address: Βαθύ, Kritsa 721 00, Greece
JF WienshotelDomes of Elounda, Elounda
Cretans love kids – so family-friendly hotels aren’t hard to come by. But this sprawling retreat tumbling down a slope with spectacular views over glittering seas to Spinalonga island is one of the best. More village than resort, facilities – which include an olive tree-shaded sandy beach, several large pools (one just for adults) gourmet restaurants, a kids club and a games room for teens – are excellent and the elegant spa even has a specially designated kids' treatment menu.
Linked by winding paved alleys shaded with scarlet paper chains of bougainvillea and star white jasmine, rooms, suites and villas veer from extremely comfortable to very luxurious – many have plunge pools or whirlpool baths. Families will love the self-catering facilities in Luxury Residences but privacy is best in Ultra-Luxe Villas, which are like individual houses with gyms and saunas, and pools indoors and out.
Price: from £201 per night
Address: Tsifliki, Schisma Elountas 720 53, Greece
hotelPnoé Breathing Life, Heraklion
Translating simply as ‘breath’ in Greek, Pnoé Breathing Life is a stylish fly-and-flop adults-only designer beach resort with a strong wellness offering and an easy-going private-club vibe. Just ten minutes from Heraklion airport, this debut hotel concept has an edgy crispness, with a pleasing nod to the dramatic Minoan architecture celebrated in Cretan history. The open-plan architecture provides all-day sunshine with 60 private pool suites from a central courtyard with an almond-shaped pool at its heart. Spacious suites are all decorated in the same earthy palate reflecting the surrounding rocky landscape, and graceful eyelines have been carefully considered throughout. Pnoé’s ethos revolves around selecting the highest offerings from ‘home-grown’ Crete, backed up by partnering with some of the island’s chief players, namely Crete’s best chef Panagiotis Magganas. Fullness of flavour guaranteed freshness, and minimal food miles are guaranteed, along with conscientious service that’s setting a new standard on Karteros beach. Sarah Siese
Price: suites from around £513 per night
Address: Karteros Beach, Heraklion, TK 71500, Greece
hotelSt Nicolas Bay, Agios Nikolaos
In the unspoilt eastern side of the island, nestled between the town of Agios Nikolaos and the fishing village of Elounda, where local fishing boats pootle about the marina, life at St Nicolas Bay Resort feels simple. It’s hard to put this blissfully soothing cliff-side hotel into words: a hidden Greek far from the madding crowds, with twinkly sea views in every direction, teamed with a comforting, relaxed vibe that will see you and your brood scooped up, set down and looked after. Families can’t get enough of the chic new Olives & Sea suites, with separate bedrooms for the sprogs, private terraces and a pool so you can do laps and drink rosé, gazing across the spectacular Mirabello Bay, while they nap peacefully inside. The hotel is scattered about its six acres, with a rustic, authentically Grecian style, all-white stone walls fringed by blossoming pink oleanders and olive trees, with its own sandy beach and oodles of tucked-away spots under the fragrant bougainvillaea or beside the ancient church, ideal for diving, nose-deep into a book.
There’s a brilliant kids’ club run by the kind-hearted Roula, a baby and Olympic-sized infinity pool and no shortage of tempting food - from the Greek Kafeneion, where a bouzouki band serenades as you tuck into wood-fired souvlaki to the fine-dining Minotaur and its famed sushi. However, this place is all about the people. Eleni remembers every child by name with a high-five, Nikos happily picks up a tantruming toddler for a whirl around in his hotel buggy, and manager Alex treats every family coming here like his own. So very different from the run-of-the-mill resorts that Greece has become synonymous with, you’ll feel clever for finding this spot. Annabelle Spranklen
Price: from £252 per night
Address: Thesi Nissi, Ag. Nikolaos 721 00, Greece
hotelCretan Malia Park, Malia Village
A considered boho revamp has given this classic Crete hotel on the north-east shore of the island a second wind. Opened by the Sbokou family in the 1980s, with low-rise buildings set in tropical gardens of banana trees, palms and cacti, it is now drawing in a curious Euro crowd. On the private beach, Italian couples kick back and sunbathe, a bookish Parisian flicks through the latest Prix Goncourt-winning novel and a group of Germans order a round of Negronis. As one of our favourite family hotels in Europe, little ones come out of the kids’ club giggling before splashing into the river-like swimming pool, racing for the pink-flamingo and crocodile inflatables. Teens hang out at The Place, with its hammock-strung outdoor cinema where parents are kindly invited not to come. The modernist spaces were cleverly designed more than three decades ago – despite having 204 rooms the property never feels overcrowded. Nature envelops it all: the many trees provide shade throughout the grounds, and the grassy lawn makes everything smell cool and fresh even in the searing summer heat.
When Agapi and Costantza Sbokou undertook the complete renovation in 2019, they focused on sustainability and the Cretan soul of the place. Designer Vana Pernari opted for knocked-back tonal textures for the interiors with lots of ceramics, wood and stone, plus nature-inspired jungle green and Aegean blue alongside works by urban artists Thanassis and Dimitris Kretsis. Make a beeline for the deluxe family bungalows – with their built-in bunks and separate bedrooms for the grown-ups, they get snapped up early. At Mouries restaurant, the large open kitchen with a huge fireplace hosts cooking lessons using vegetables from the garden during the day and becomes a farm-to-table taverna after sunset. It’s lovely to feast on local flavours under the starry sky listening to the sound of the lyre.
Price: from £144 per night
Address: Malia 700 07, Greece
Christos DrazoshotelKapsaliana Village, Rethymno
Crete's glorious beaches are difficult to resist, but if you want to experience a slice of the island's more authentic charms head inland to Kapsaliana, a stone-built village buried in olive groves and sweet-scented citrus orchards a few miles from 16th-century Arkadi, one of the island's best-known monasteries.
As patient as the ant in Aesop’s fable, the resort’s architect-owner Myron Toupogianis has been buying houses in the village since the 1970s and restoring them as rooms and suites linked by a warren of cobbled paths and original features. Think lofty timber-beamed ceilings, writing desks made from the giant pitted stone wheels of an olive press and beds handcrafted from sweet-scented olive wood – along with plenty of modern extras, including plump beds and walk-in showers. This beautifully restored village centres on a raised terrace where traditional Cretan-inspired breakfasts and dinners are served beneath the perfumed shade of citrus trees.
Price: from £172 per night
Address: Καψαλιανά 741 50, Greece
hotelElounda Peninsula, All Suite Hotel, Elounda
On the eastern side of Crete (about an hour’s drive from Heraklion airport), the Elounda Peninsula, All Suite Hotel is a sprawling resort with its own private beaches, sailing boat for charter and nine-hole golf course. In 2023 it unveiled a new waterside Italian restaurant in partnership with the Ferragamo fashion dynasty. Plus, there's a coveted Six Senses spa with a serious range of treatments and wellness programmes – including even a dedicated kid's spa menu. It’s the kind of place that offers everything, giving little reason (but curiosity) to leave, especially when the weather is very hot. It's also the real winner for groups and families, with accommodation only comprising spacious suites and villas that are beautifully modern and minimal in style. We were staying in a one-bedroom villa that came with a huge outdoor terrace, private pool and pathway to a hidden cliffside swimming spot with steps directly into the sea. And as an LGBTQ+ couple, we can also attest to feeling very welcomed and comfortable. Jenny Southan
Price: from £396 per night
Address: Pigadakia, Schisma Elountas 720 53, Greece
Georg Roske Creative lead & concept by Lambs & Lions Berlin (https://lambsandlions.com)hotelDomes Zeen Chania, Chania
It’s one of our favourite Greek island hotels, particularly for families. The Palm Springs-style concrete bungalows and pavilions dot the hillside towards the sea, some of which have been purpose-built for families and have private pools. Outside there’s a black-tiled pool surrounded by thatched parasols for snoozing under, and the kid’s club is a whimsical oasis with yurts and teepees. When you want to go for a wander, guests can take a boat trip or venture into pretty Chania.
Price: from £277 per night
Address: Apteron Road Parigoria, Kon/nou Paleologou, Chania 731 00, Greece
Nick Kontostavlakis/Globe & TrotterhotelThe Royal Blue Resort, Rethymno
Along a sweeping stretch of the northern coastline, The Royal Blue is set up to resemble a Cretan village, with a series of honey-hued stone buildings lined with colourful flower beds. A total of 38 pools are dotted throughout, some public, some shared between a few rooms while others are completely private. The main swimming event is a heated expanse overlooking the sea and lined with sun loungers, a hand-full hovering within the pool itself. Order lunch direct to your lounger or drag yourself a couple of steps away to the poolside Alati restaurant for freshly baked bread rolls with olive tapenade (a beloved signature of all four restaurants here), and zesty sea bass ceviche with avocado and a jalapeno kick. Down on the beach, the man-made setup is akin to a sheltered bay, providing easy swimming conditions for all ages and plenty of well placed loungers and day beds.
Little ones are particularly well catered for here, from the cute kid’s spa menu to the multitude of pram-friendly ramps. All suites have large bathrooms with bathtubs. The family suite with private pool has the ultimate layout; little ones can nap on the fold out sofa in the lounge room while parents can sunbathe just outside by the pool. Even in the grown-up Elia restaurant, where the freshest catch of the day is brought out to you to choose from, and local musicians serenade guests, the atmosphere is still relaxed and a kid’s menu thankfully keeps youngsters happy. Lauren Burvill
Price: from £185 per night
Address: Panormo Geropotamou, 740 57, Greece
Minos Beach Art hotel, Mirabello Bay
As its name suggests, this charming hotel – with its manicured lawns, plant-strewn alleys spiked with sculptures and artworks, and trio of restaurants from chefs Poppy Kourkoutaki and Kyriakos Mylonas serving up skilfull farm-to-table Cretan cuisine – is all about aesthetics. Strung out along its own (very) private peninsula in a hidden corner of magical Mirabello Bay, it's fronted by a meandering seafront pathway strewn with beanbags and deckchairs and punctuated at regular intervals with ladders leading down into the mirror-clear waters below.
Set back from the seafront, the low buildings peeking out from a jungle of mature undergrowth have hardly changed since they were built here in the 1960s. Inside, however, there are now wicker furnishings and walk-in showers. For the best sea views, choose one of the Superior Waterfront bungalows where you’ll be lulled to sleep by the murmur of waves tickling the sea urchin-spotted rocks below.
Price: from £216 per night
Address: Agios Nikolaos, Crete 721 00, Greece
Nick Kontostavlakis/Globe & TrotterhotelNumo Ierapetra, Ierapetra
This adults-only village-like retreat sits on a black-sand beach that hugs the Mediterranean coastline on the southern side of Crete, a lesser-known, alluring side of the island that holds just as much beauty as the north but with fewer visitors. Rooms are dotted across the resort, some equipped with a private pool and terrace, all offering a sense of privacy. And while the final touches could improve, the soft colour palette and laid-back design offers a sense of serenity. Numo’s real strength lies in its swimming pool and beach club, where Crete’s rugged landscape is on full display. Daybeds seamlessly transition from pool to beach, giving you endless opportunities to awe at the unmatched blues of the Mediterranean – which I did endlessly. Be sure to order an ice-cold Mythos and Greek Sandwich from your lounger to soak up every last minute of sun.
Of the three main restaurants, Menoa is the stand out, bringing Peruvian and Asian cuisine to the Greek Islands. A buffer breakfast and dinner is on offer at Tamarisk, while lunches are a la carte – fresh Greek salads, perfectly (and I mean perfectly!) seasoned octopus, and mezze platters make for the ideal beach break. Make time for a sunset supper at The Coast by Tamarisk, Numo’s fine-dining spot serving meaty scallops drenched in garlic butter, rich lobster spaghetti and a melt-in-your-mouth red velvet molten cake that I’m still dreaming about.
Price: from £155 per night
Address: Epar.Od. Ierapetras - Sitias, Ierapetra 722 00, Greece
hotelNana Princess, Hersonissos
The sleek black stone buildings of this property close to the seaside town of Hersonissos offer a stark contrast to the popular resort’s souvlaki stands and souvenir shops – behind high stone walls the outside world fades away as you wander through glass-walled rooms lined with funky artwork overlooking two large pools and a small-but-sheltered beach.
Suites and villas have blissfully private sea view terraces with whirlpool baths or heated plunge pools and lots of high tech fixtures and fittings, including chromotherapy lighting, LCD mirror TVs and (for some) fully equipped gyms. Fans of pinball and Pac-Man should book the Royal Villa which has an entire basement room crammed with vintage games. But the icing on this stylish cake is the space-age spa which has an entire wing of treatment rooms where – wait for it – wellness therapies are tailored to suit your star sign.
Price: from £255 per night
Address: Old National Road (El. Venizelou), Drapanos, Chersonissos, Crete, Chersonisos 700 14, Greece
Paterakis VangelishotelCayo Exclusive Resort & Spa, Elounda
Cayo’s boho charms are the perfect match for the sparkling seas and near-deserted beaches of Elounda, the laidback fishing village where shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis and his jet-setting pals once loved to hang out.
On a low hill looking out over the Mirabello bay to Spinalonga, the leper island of Victoria Hislop's best-selling novel, public areas are decorated with a magpie-haul of beautiful objects brought back by its globetrotting owners on their various trips overseas and are linked by a funicular whose glass cabins give stunning views over the bay.
Light-filled rooms, suites and villas have gleaming blonde-wood floors, plump Coco-mat beds and terraces. Families will love the Cayo Grand Pool Villa with its basement bedroom that has a Bond-style underwater window looking straight into the villa’s sparkling pool. There’s also a (free) shuttle bus that carries guests down to the small sandy beach.
Price: from £237 per night
Address: Plaka, Schisma Elountas 720 53, Greece
hotelAbaton Island, Hersonissos
This classy spa overlooking a sand-powdered beach is ideal if you’re seeking a ‘no shoes no news’ getaway. A glass-walled reception with panoramic sea views opens onto wooden decks dotted with rocking chairs where you can sit and sip a cocktail as you gaze out over the turquoise mirror of the infinity pool. Narrow paths lead to rooms, suites and villas – many with a heated pool – housed in low white buildings scattered across manicured lawns fringed by soothing lagoon-like water features. Five restaurants serve everything from Cretan specialities to surf and turf and there’s also a pier stretching far out to sea – scattered with bean bags and tables this is the perfect perch for sun lazing during the day and romantic dining at night.
Price: from £231 per night
Address: Themistokleous Avenue, Chersonisos 700 14, Greece
hotelAmmos Hotel, Chania
Like jazz improv, the elements of this seaside hotel come together in wonderfully clashing harmony: uplifting interiors, great food, punchy cocktails and good-humoured staff who won’t flinch when a toddler smears tomato sauce over one of the designer chairs – all delivered with a dash of humour and lashings of genuine Cretan hospitality. Rachel Howard
Price: from €125 per night
Address: Irakli Avgoula, Chania, Crete 731 00, Greece
Tom ParkerCabanon Concrete Retreat
Two tiny cabins with glass façades peep out of a silver haze of olive groves here. Mid-century furniture, raw-concrete walls and modular, minimal living space with maximum comfort pay homage to Le Corbusier’s ideal of Mediterranean balance. A proper immersion in nature for those with a sharp eye for modern design. Rachel Howard
Price: from £141 per night
Address: Dermitziana, Kissamos 734 00, Greece