My family is planning a trip to Chania, Crete the last week of August. We have two children, aged 12 and 10. We're planning to situate ourselves around Chania, rent a car and take day trips from there. Ideally, we would stay in a vacation rental with a full kitchen and access to a pool. I realize there's limited availability in Chania-proper, so I've been exploring the surrounding area. Our price range: trying to keep it under 200 Euros per night, seven nights total.

A few years ago we visited Mallorca with the kids. Rented a row house in a small town. What we loved about this was that we'd park the car and then spend the evening in the town on foot, so we weren't driving around in the dark. Also allowed us to drink some wine with dinner and not have to worry about driving home. Being right in town, a little off the beaten path, we felt more a part of the local scene.

Would also appreciate some recommendations on the local beaches — looking for less touristed (if that's at all possible), but still with facilities. Good snorkeling would also be a plus.

Finally, my son is seriously into Greek mythology. He very much wants to visit Zeus's birthplace. Any recommendations around this trip from Chania would be much appreciated — especially anything one could do on the drive there and back.

Your best bet is to be on/near a good beach, with local bus access in 10-15 minutes to Chania. The place I've sent many people to is on Golden Beach/Chrissi Akti I think. This is an agency website that gives a good overview -- Golden sand, Hotels in Chrissi akti - chania Crete Greece and here's the outfit's own website - http://www.goldensands.gr/ -- It has apts & studio units -- I think u could keep it under 200 if you hav something like a 1-br studio with a main room w. 2 daybeds. However this is so popular with families like yours, it may be hard to book even in Feb. (altho with the current corona-scare, who knows!). The local-bus service to Old Town means u wd not need to have a car for the full time.

As for birthplace of Zeus, I think that's a VERY long excursion, do not even know if offered from West Crete, it's way up on a mountain area in Middle- to Eastern Crete. Driving from Chania, it would be very difficult to do it in 1 day -- here's just 1 website about it... https://oddviser.com/greece/crete/psychro-cave-visit also, there is nothing there to show a youngster anything about Zeus. The artifacts found there are all in the Heraklion Museum, and would not impress a youngster... fragments of pots, rudimentary tools, small bronze objects. Alas, so many USA kids are excited by those Percy Jackson books, they think that if they get to Greece they'll find amazing statues, and clues to gods... not like that. Better to find something else than a loooong trip hat will disappoint. Chania DOES have some exciting stuff for pre-teens -- its Marine Museum has a modern-day re-creation of an ancient tri-reme vessel, its (blessedly small) Arch. Museum has lots of very ancient & beautiful coins & jewelry, & small statuary. Get a good guide-book & read up on what will appeal to kids. For planning I love this Crete map - http://www.explorecrete.com/crete-ma.../Crete-eot.png - click & it gets huuuuge, u navigate using side-slides... shows terrain as well as roads, making clear the driving challenges.

For one thing, you could take the drive down Topolian Gorge -- you go thru a short tunnel built into a mountain and then -- 100 yards on, there's a stair bult into a cliffside for what Greeks call St. Sofia Cave --- but which has been prove to be an ancient cult-worship site from Prehistoric times - maybe 7000 years ago! Fab views from waay up.

Speaking of Percy Jackson films, most, I believe, were shot in Vancouver, Canada. For the Parthenon they chose Nashville, Tennessee.

Note to Percy producers --- There are 3 glorious Doric Temples about 800 metres from my house!! (The 1825 Philadelphia Waterworks buildings, erected at the height of Greek Revival Architecture in the US).

@travelerjan – Thanks. Very helpful info. Much appreciated.

I don't think my son had any illusions about finding statues of the Gods or anything — he has a vivid imagination and was interested to see the actual place where Zeus may have been born. But, it sounds like it's too far a trip. And, to your point, there are plenty of other things of interest to do while there that will engage the kids.