06-08-2025
20 of the best all-inclusive hotels in Crete
The southernmost — and largest — of Greece's islands, Crete was at the vanguard when tourism took off in a big way in the 1960s and 70s. A myth-steeped idyll where the scent of wild thyme carries on warm sea breezes, rugged limestone gorges fall away into almost impossibly turquoise waters and Minoan ruins lie scattered between low-slung mountains, its rare natural beauty shaped by ancient rhythms was never a hard sell. The island's hoteliers, however, have been busy crafting new stories in recent years, with basic beachfront lodgings making way for the kind of barefoot-chic escapes that sees landscape-led design, elevated local cuisine and sustainability come to the fore.
Among our selected properties is a stylish beachfront five-star just outside the lively city of Rethymno, a sprawling village-like Hersonisso resort complete with mini golf course, waterpark and kids' clubs, and a 1970s-founded pleasure palace — quite literally, having been built to evoke a Bronze Age Minoan palace — adjacent to a nature reserve right in peaceful Gouves. Their all-inclusive offerings leave tired, beige buffets in the dust: think Cretan olive oils and local Vidiano wines, art-filled suites and open-air cinemas under the stars. These are the best all-inclusive hotels in Crete.
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££ | 1 RESTAURANT | POOL | Best for city lights
On the beach just outside of the lively city of Rethymno, this high-design, five-star all-inclusive hotel has rooms (including suites with private pools) that spiral like a nautilus shell around a lagoon pool with a palm tree in the central island. You'll find a water sports centre almost next door, two outdoor pools, a spa and indoor pool, and access for guests with disabilities throughout. The restaurant offers plenty to choose from all day, including Greek and Cretan specialities, and it's a 20-minute walk into Rethymno with its museums, markets and romantic Venetian old port lined with seafood restaurants. The hotel also hires out bikes.£££ | 7 RESTAURANTS | POOL | Best for superb service
This is a huge all-inclusive resort that seems to effortlessly please everyone with its exceptional service. Laid out like a Cretan village, rooms, suites and villas come in soft grey and cream with typical Greek touches. The list of activities is long — an eight-hole mini golf course, a great spa, a large outdoor cinema and entertainment options galore. It's exceptionally family-friendly, with five children's pools, kids' clubs for ages 4 to 11 and teens, a waterpark and a long, sandy beach. Nearly all the food in its main and theme restaurants is produced in Crete, with vegetarian, gluten-free and lactose-free options.
Read our full review of Creta Maris Resort
£ | 4 RESTAURANTS | POOL | Best for tranquillity — and golf
This hotel, located in the cool hills above Hersonissos near Crete Golf Club's beautiful 18-hole course, impresses with its seasonal ingredients and dishes that closely follow Cretan recipes. Suites come with kitchenettes and cushy king-size beds; the pools have plenty of sunbeds so you can forget that early morning lay-a-towel scrum to book one. The staff are helpful and good-humoured; activities include yoga, mini golf, tennis and stargazing nights with an astronomer. If you need something livelier, there's a free shuttle to Hersonissos with its beach and nightlife. £££ | 6 RESTAURANTS | POOL | Best for wellness
Just south of Agios Nikolaos, this resort was blasted out of the cliffs, then rebuilt with the stone so all rooms and suites have sea views; most also have saltwater plunge pools. There's a stunning infinity pool, superb food and drink– all à la carte if you upgrade to the Residents' Club. And you can leave feeling better and fitter than ever, thanks to Daios Cove's vast range of wellness treatments (cryotherapy, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, vitamin infusions and more) at the Kepos by Goco spa and indoor/outdoor BXR gym.
Read our full review of Daios Cove
££ | 8 RESTAURANTS | POOL | Best for choice
This beachfront hotel is a five-minute walk from the village of Analipsi and is excellent at keeping everyone happy. Five freshwater pools are separated into family and adult zones, there are kids' clubs to suit every age from tots to teens and guests can choose between activities that range from water polo to archery. The standard doubles are slick and spacious, but you might want to splash out on a swim-up pool, or better still, a suite with a private pool. There's plenty of choice when it comes to dining too, whether you fancy a Greek taverna, Thai or Tex-Mex.£££ | 7 RESTAURANTS | POOL | Best for art lovers
Grecotel's all-inclusive, family-friendly resorts were founded on Crete in the late 1970s, and Amirandes is one of their jewels. The architecture evokes a Bronze Age Minoan palace in marble, stone and wood, floating over a lagoon lined with palms and Minoan-style pithos jars. Knossos is recalled in the Labyrinth sunken bar and the Minotaur, a gourmet Italian restaurant decorated with original ceramics by Picasso. There's a nature reserve next door, a host of land and water sports, including a Padi diving centre, plus an Elixir spa, fitness classes, kids' clubs, designer boutiques, e-bikes and farm visits. ££ | 4 RESTAURANTS | POOL | Best for a Cretan experience
Agapi ('love' in Greek) is the name of the woman who gave her life savings to her son to build this hotel five miles west of Heraklion in 1978. Over the decades, it has evolved into a luxury all-inclusive on a private, blue-flag beach (where sea turtles occasionally nest), with three pools amid the palm trees and gardens. Still family-run, the resort offers great food, much of it plucked from its own organic vegetable garden, and families are well catered for with activities and entertainment, including Cretan music and dance. Many guests are repeat visitors, so Agapi must be doing something right.£££ | 7 RESTAURANTS | POOL | Best for food and drink
Set on a kilometre-long, blue-flag beach five miles east of Rethymno, this stylish, bright white resort has 22 swimming pools, including a huge one heated in April and October (with rollerskating staff supplying drinks) and a special family activity pool, plus swim-up rooms and deluxe suites with private pools. Guests can relax in 1960s style in the Hippie Wellness space, or exercise with fitness masters. The food here is tempting, with gourmet, Greek, Italian, Mediterranean and Asian restaurants, an annual guest restaurant, a wine 'library' and a crêperie/ice-cream parlour, patisserie and chocolate shop.£ | 3 RESTAURANTS | POOL | Best for large families
A cheerful, eco-friendly resort on a blue-flag beach in Kalyves, just over five miles east of Chania, this well-run hotel has every kind of facility for families, whether your gang needs interconnected rooms, suites, apartments or maisonettes that sleep up to eight. On-site facilities include pools, kids' clubs, tennis, volleyball and a wellness spa for grown-ups; the hotel can also arrange a wide variety of excursions to some of western Crete's most beautiful beaches, including Balos and Elafonisi, walks down the Samaria Gorge and even a day trip to Santorini. The evening entertainment ranges from belly dancing and quiz nights to Cretan dances and karaoke: you'll never be bored.
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£££ | 8 RESTAURANTS | POOL | Best for activities
Only half an hour's drive from Heraklion, this long-established favourite on a blue-flag beach is now more luxurious than ever. Immersed in gardens, most of the upscale suites and bungalows have sea views. You can book tables at seven à la carte restaurants, or primp in the hair and nail salon. The tangle of seven waterslides (with a mini waterpark for tots) is a big attraction, as are the sports club, with a gym and fitness classes, wellness club and tennis club; the hotel can also arrange mountain biking, a horse ride, a guided hike or a diving excursion.
£££ | 7 RESTAURANTS | POOL | Best for fun
Only minutes from Heraklion airport, this resort has luxurious rooms with shared pools and swim-up rooms, and suites and villas (sleeping up to six) with private pools, but think twice about coming here — because children have so much fun they often cry when they have to leave. For youngsters there are three pools, mini, junior and teen kids' clubs, a children's disco and superb staff who keep everyone handsomely entertained, while parents can try tennis, windsurfing, waterskiing, canoeing and diving, or just relax in the spa or enjoy the fun at the main pool bar.£££ | 5 RESTAURANTS | POOL | Best for pools
This design-savvy resort west of Chania offers guests an ultra-all inclusive package (if you book an upscale room) that includes everything except private treatments at the spa. The Euphoria has entrancing views of the sea, a heated indoor pool and, among the outdoor pools, one of the largest in Greece. There's also a waterpark with super-speedy waterslides and a club for children aged 4 to 12 among dozens of other activities, plus evening entertainment for children and adults. There's plenty to explore nearby, including the beautiful Balos beach and the Samaria Gorge.£££ | 3 RESTAURANTS | POOL | Best for chilling out
Not far from the Bronze Age palace of Malia, this very friendly, adults-only beachfront complex is part of the larger High Beach Hotels Collection, but kept serenely separate from boisterous families. It's Cretan-Minoan minimalist in style and the sandy beach offers the chance to swim to the pretty islet of Afentis Christos, which is topped with a snow-white church. The enticing Aegeo resort spa uses Cretan herbs and natural products; the all-day pizzeria and refined à la carte rooftop restaurant Elia (open from May to October, weather permitting) are big plus points.£££ | 6 RESTAURANTS | POOL | Best for luxury cocooning
This striking adults-only resort east of Heraklion is designed for lovers, where Bali meets Crete with wooden decks and bridges, palm trees, hammocks, giant inflatable flamingos, swim-up rooms, others with outdoor Jacuzzis, and bungalows built over the water, all embraced by an enormous lagoon pool. There's a pampering spa, with treatments for couples, an indoor heated pool, tennis courts, fabulous cocktails, a lovely pool bar and exquisite dining at the à la carte restaurants included in the Spoil Me all-inclusive deal; if you stay longer than three nights there will be free transfers from the airport.£££ | 7 RESTAURANTS | POOL | Best for recreation
This friendly resort on a blue-flag beach 30 minutes east of Heraklion takes its inspiration from baroque Venice, with luminous rooms, bungalows and suites in white and gold with turquoise accents. There's an indoor pool and spa, and plenty to keep you busy, with windsurfing and canoes, yoga and aerobics, art and swimming classes, tennis and excursions; offspring have their own mini club and children's disco. Among a fine selection of restaurants and bars, guests can try out the champagne, wine and sushi bar, lively nights with the DJ by the pool bar, and regularly organised special events.£ | 3 RESTAURANTS | POOL | Best for a bargain
This five-star hotel, set in well-tended gardens, is is one of the smaller, quieter all-inclusive resorts along the sands east of Heraklion, but is set on one of the very best sandy beaches, with options including two-bedroom family rooms that sleep up to five. It has a wellness centre, a heated indoor pool, kids' club, and mini golf, plus vegetarian and gluten-free choices in the restaurants. The Orion restaurant features Crete's favourite firewater, raki — well worth a try.£££ | 5 RESTAURANTS | POOL | Best for splashy fun
East of Rethymno, a ten-minute walk from the pretty fishing village of Panormo, this long-established, village-style complex features airy Aegean-style rooms, apartments and bungalows, including family accommodation choices, some with kitchens. Along with the beach, there's a palm-fringed lagoon pool and large, colourful waterpark, a kids' programme and another for teens, healthy food that kids like and a nightly disco for youngsters, all amid beautifully landscaped gardens.££ | 4 RESTAURANTS | POOL | Best for dramatic setting
A five-star, adults-only hotel, the Seaside Resort swirls in tiers around a cliff that's half an hour's drive northwest of Heraklion, overlooking a sandy beach on one side. Natural colours dominate in the light, bright and contemporary design, with golf carts on hand to buzz you to your room or suite. There are several saltwater pools to choose from, tennis and padel courts, yoga and Pilates, and a striking sea cave spa with a heated pool and ice fountain. Dining choices include UMI, featuring Peruvian/Japanese fusion and the traditional Minoan Cretan taverna.£££ | 4 RESTAURANTS | POOL | Best for young children
Midway between Chania and Rethymno, two of Crete's most beautiful cities, this shipshape, bright white resort enjoys a beautiful setting, located next to a river in a protected Natura 2000 zone. The wide, blue-flag beach with shallow water is usually safe for small children; the kids' pool, playground and club are all concentrated nearby. The rooms have a luminous riviera feel (some come with private or shared pools); the food and entertainment are excellent, and friendly, professional staff win kudos from all who stay.££ | 2 RESTAURANTS | POOL | Best for young couples
Located within easy striking distance of lively Rethymno, this adults-only beach resort has a young, quirky, bohemian vibe and African-themed decor, with plenty of woodwork and wicker — there are even jungle suites, with ceiling fans, private gardens and outdoor Jacuzzis. Highlights include watching the sunset from the rooftop garden with a pool and a bar, and trying a wide array of street food from around the world (the staff are also good at packing picnic baskets, with a day's warning, if you want to go explore). A spa, yoga classes, concept store and films at the outdoor cinema are added bonuses.
• Best villas in Crete• Best family hotels in Crete
Additional reporting by Alexandra Whiting and Hannah Summers
