georgiapl

My family will be travelling to Crete at the start of July with our 3 children (ages 6,8,10) we are trying to decide which part of the island to stay. The Palace of Knossos is a must see for us as our children are already fascinated by the reading we have done on it so far. We will be staying for 5 nights and would like a fairly balanced mix of site seeing and relaxing at a hotel on the beach. Suggestions for which area of the island to see, specific hotels, ideally with a mini kitchen and children's activities, and additional sites to visit, given our short visit are appreciated!

stanbr

Well you might want to consider heading out to Rethymnon right after Knossos. There is a Venetian old town area a decent beach and a fortezza. You will have a hard time getting the kids out of there.
The first 20 images in this album are all Rethymnon
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr...7632115757899/

TravelingSeeker

You may want to visit the Cretan Aquarium as well. http://www.cretaquarium.gr/indexen.php

There is a dinosaur park as well west of the port but I am not sure which is its website. You can google it for more details.

I think that your kids are going to love these activities.

txtree

We stayed at the Ammos Hotel just outside of Chania and I can't think of a better spot for families. Like Rethymnon, Chania is a picturesque Venetian town - just beautiful and fun for the kids. You could do a day trip to Knossos, but there is a lot to do on the Western side of the island. Enjoy!

HappyTrvlr

Another vote for Chania.

phillipalstonbutler

Hey georgiapl,

We just returned from Crete and a three week working vacation. We stayed west of Chania at a villa, which I would highly recommend if not for the distance and time to Knossos. The reason I mention this is I myself was holding Knossos high on the see list. Funny thing, I only got there the day before our plane left (distance and too much to see).

For this reason I'd recommend Kriti Beach Hotel in Rethymno. That smaller city is so well thought of by the locals, and it is more centrally located. You could manage a day trip to Knossos or Chania, and a whole day at the Blue Flag beach right in front of the hotel.

Here is the link to Kriti Beach, within walking distance of everything in Rethymno. If you want Cretan cuisine while there, message me and I can direct you to a tavern in the mountains 15 minutes away that is stunning.

http://www.ok-rethymno.gr/?__utma=1....utmk=260633485

We also stayed at Lato Boutique Hotel in Heraklion, one of the best on the Island. Here is a piece I wrote for Visit Greece about the villa experience too. Hope all this helps. You need more days.

http://blog.visitgreece.gr/metochi-v...n-hospitality/