A Greek family honeymoon: 7 days at the Minoa Palace Resort, Platanias, Crete
Where? Platanias, Crete
When? 23rd – 30th October 2025
How old were the kids on this escape? 4 years old + 2.5 years old
Honeymooning with kids might seem like an oxymoron but for us it was the perfect holiday and chance to reconnect after a hectic few weeks of wedding planning and the wedding itself. Our resort and destination of choice? The Minoa Palace Resort & Spa in Platanias, Crete.
Because of school (our eldest son started Reception in September), we opted for the last Jet2 flight to Crete (Chania) of the season, which overlapped with October half term. We both adore Greece in general (never a bad experience – so far), and Crete was the last option left at this time of year. We booked the last outbound flight for 2025 out of Newcastle Airport on Thursday 23rd October and the last flight back in on Thursday, 30th October.
Flying with Jet2
With our children being so small, flight times have always been a consideration for us. I’ll usually opt for earlier sociable flight times and resorts with short transfer times, but this time this wasn’t an option. Before we get into this holiday, here are some of many reasons why I prefer early flight times with small children:
Twilight check-in the night before. When you fly early with Jet2, you have the option to drop off your luggage at the airport the night before. Since we’re only 15 minutes from Newcastle Airport, this has always worked well for us.
Kids are still sleeping as you get prepped. Flying at 6 or 7 am means a 4 am wake-up in the dark. This may not sound great but if your kids sleep through the night, there’s a good chance they’ll still be in a deep sleep once you’ve lugged yourself out of bed. This means you can shower, dress and sort any last-minute hand luggage packing before you go without interruptions.
Get up and go. We usually take a taxi to the airport, so once my husband and I are ready, we wake the kids up 15 minutes before our cab’s ready to go. The kids then go to the toilet, brush their teeth and quickly change. Before we know it, the taxis here and we’re on our way.
No mess-making. Flying early means you can tidy the house the night before, knowing that there’ll be no breakfast or toy mess undoing your hard work on flight day. We simply get up and go. We’ll then grab breakfast together at the airport once we’re through security.
Flying to Chania was fine in the typical Jet2 sense (I did notice they’ve stopped playing Jess Glynne – no doubt a blessing). Our kids were excited so they didn’t sleep on the flight (which wasn’t an expectation of ours anyway to be honest) so we entertained them with sticker books, games of UNO and our new favourite, Plus Plus. I enjoyed a glass of Prosecco, and my husband had tea.
The kids devoured their pre-packed snacks (raisins, crackers and pain au chocolats from Pink Lane Bakery). The toilets were clean and the staff were friendly. It was your typical Jet2 flight – no drama and no distinctions. Pleasant and straightforward (but with very little leg room).
Choosing Crete for a family holiday
Crete was a first for us all, however, I’d heard lots of great things and my sister has been a couple of years on the trot with her family. It’s also home to Matala, where Joni Mitchell spent time in the 1970s and penned songs for Blue. For this reason, I’ve always wanted to go and explore the famous Mermaid Cafe that Joni sang about, but its location in the South meant it wasn’t possible for this holiday. Maybe another time.
So, back to the week-long family honeymoon in northern Crete. We chose Minoa Palace Resort and opted to upgrade our default family room booking to the Executive Suite since it was our honeymoon. The original family room would have provided enough space inside but we’ve learned from past holidays that large balconies or terraces make us happier and better parents (it just means we have more space to sit, read and enjoy a drink while one or both children nap – important if you want them to stay up a little later without having a total public meltdown).
The Executive Suite balcony provided ample space, with two sun loungers, a sofa and table set and a dining table and chairs – and plenty of space for the kids to sit and play. Oh, and me to wash/dry food-sodden clothing. As it happens, this upgrade paid for itself since it meant we spent a lot more time on the balcony pre and post-dinner (including for sunset drinks), which ultimately saved us money on drinks and unnecessary snacks. It also meant we had a spacious place to sit and enjoy the afternoon sun while my 2-year-old daughter grabbed her nap.
Arriving at Crete Chania Airport
The flight from Newcastle to Crete (Chania) was later than our usual flight choices, departing at 17.10. Because of the two-hour time difference, we touched down in Chania around 23.25 local time. Arriving at Chania Airport was painless. It’s a small airport and since it was later on during the quiet season, passport control and baggage collection was fast and fuss-free.
In the past, we’ve often chosen to use the complimentary Jet2 coach transfer, but because of the late arrival (and our bad experience last time in Madeira – more on this another time), we decided to pay extra for a private taxi transfer through Holidayextras.com. The driver was great. He was waiting for us with a sign at Arrivals, helped us with our luggage and supplied and fitted the baby seat and booster seat we’d ordered. The drive itself took around 35 minutes. The roads were quiet, and the lights of Chania were pretty to look at. Our holiday/honeymoon got off to a good start.
Arriving at Minoa Palace Resort
We arrived at Minoa just after midnight (local time) to a warm welcome (and a glass of prosecco) from staff, who also helpfully transported our luggage upstairs for us. At this time, the resort was quiet, but we could see it was clean, spacious and stylish. We already knew we’d have a great time here.
As we’d been in correspondence with the hotel a few months before our holiday, they were aware it was our honeymoon and had kindly provided a few treats for us in the room. This included a complimentary bottle of prosecco; strawberries, chocolate and nuts; a voucher for a complimentary 3-course a la carte meal for four people at their beachside restaurant with Greek wine included; a voucher for complimentary cocktails for four people; and a voucher for sauna use for two people in their on-site spa. They’d also placed sugar-coated almonds (koufeta) – a Greek wedding custom – in a heart shape on our bed. All of these were nice touches.
Since it was late, the kids were tired. They settled into bed, and Richie and I spent half an hour unpacking the bags, which meant when we woke the next day, we were all unpacked and ready to start the holiday (one of the pluses of arriving late at night, I soon discovered). Another great thing about the Executive Suite was the space and extra storage. The kids essentially had their own adjoning room with a bathroom and wardrobe. We always kept the adjoining door open, but still it meant we didn’t have to step over their cots just to simply put our shoes away (a hotel bedroom situation we’ve been in before).
Breakfast at Minoa Palace Resort
The first thing we did on Day 1 was get dressed and head down for breakfast. This was the first time we’d seen the resort in daylight and everything looked wonderful. The Minoa wasn’t too busy but full enough (we soon discovered that the hotel only had 10 days of opening left before closing for the season until April, so for this reason it was quiet) and there was a nice mix of guests from different parts of the world – mainly Sweden, Germany and the UK.
There are two parts to the Minoa Palace Resort: the main building and the seafront building across the road, connected by a spacious and easy/quick to access footpath. We stayed in the main building, so we enjoyed our buffet breakfast at the Elia restaurant – a very clean and contemporary-looking space. Here, you can choose to dine inside or in the ‘outdoor’ section with cover.
On the first day, we chose to sit ‘outside’, but we found the seating to be too far away for our frequent buffet trips to accommodate the many needs of two small children, so we chose to sit inside closer to the buffet on the other days. Both options were very pleasant.
Food-wise, there was everything you could want for a decent holiday breakfast: cereals, fruits, hot buffets, salad bar, hams and cheeses, freshly made omelettes, ample choice of pastries and a sweet section with biscuits and cakes. There was also fresh (and decent) coffee made to order, as well as a selection of juices and infused waters. On weekend days, there was also a choice to help yourself with prosecco and strawberries but we didn’t partake this time (we did in Madeira, and I found it made me feel sleepy for the rest of the day).
Breakfast: 10/10
Dining at Minoa Palace Resort
For our stay at Minoa Palace Resort, we’d booked bed and breakfast and so everything else (meals, drinks and lunches) was charged as extras. Due to the ease and convenience of many of the hotel’s facilities, including a selection of swimming pools and a children’s area (all surrounded by safe grass), we grabbed ‘snacks’ for lunch from the Tholos Pool Bar or the Thalassa bar at the beach. This would usually be a couple of chicken gyros (12 EUR) and a portion of fries with tzatziki (6 EUR) to share. Not super-cheap for a lunch, but the service was good and it was tasty enough.
As I’d mentioned before, we did receive a complimentary 3-course a la carte meal for four people in the restaurant’s beachfront Thalassa restaurant as part of our honeymoon. We used it on our first night as we were finding our feet. Here, the food was fantastic. We shared the ‘flavourful tomato salad’, ‘grilled corn salad’ and ‘siglino and black truffle’, followed by the Black Angus Strip Loin Steak and Butterfly Chicken Fillet with grilled vegetables, complemented by a bottle of Greek wine. The kids ate chicken bites and fried potatoes and a mini cheeseburger, followed by ice cream.
It’s clear the quality of food is high; the ingredients are fresh and everything’s cooked, presented and served to a high quality. There are also lots of choices (even the pool bar’s ‘snack’ menu presented gyro, burger and salad options).
Platanias with kids
Now that our children are old enough to enjoy a few later nights on holiday, we prefer to book the ‘bed and breakfast’ option to allow ourselves the freedom and motive to go out and explore different restaurants on an evening. We also find buffet restaurants hard work with two little ones (how many times can we stand up and sit down?). Buffet breakfasts are tricky enough.
To our delight, the Minoa Palace Resort was perfectly located for exploring the many different restaurants on the beach and main strip. As Minoa Palace Resort has a beachside location, a lot of the beachside restaurants were accessible from the hotel via a lovely beach walk, which we preferred to do.
However, as we were staying in late October, most of the beach restaurants closed for the season halfway through our holiday. Luckily we still managed to explore a couple of the main ones close to us:
Kyano beach restaurant – superb food and service and the kids loved climbing the big tree
Therino beach restaurant – delicious food with generous portions and typical Greek holiday vibes. I had the Cretan salad and my husband had the gyros – both plates piled high
Yamas – we only grabbed a drink here, but the vibes were not that great. It was as if the staff were wishing it were the end of the season already. That said, the prices were reasonable and the beach was right in front of us, so it was always going to be at least okay.
The closing of the beachside bars meant that we headed to the main drag (accessible in 1-2 minutes’ walk from the hotel lobby), and fortunately, there was so much choice in terms of family-friendly restaurants. Huge shout-outs to Mama’s Food and Stamna, which geniusly provide children’s playgrounds in the outdoor seating area. Our kids loved playing on the slides and swings, which meant we were able to enjoy an actual conversation over dinner and wine while watching them play.
We also grabbed a drink at the Green Garden Restaurant on a couple of nights. The place serves pretty decent margaritas, and the kids enjoyed the atmosphere there long enough to play a game of UNO or read a couple of Julia Donaldson books. Win-win (for 45 minutes max).
The highs of staying at Minoa Palace Resort
Minoa Palace Resort was all the things a hotel should be: clean, comfortable and accessible with friendly staff and plenty of facilities. But the resort went a few steps beyond this. It may be my favourite place we’ve stayed as a family. Here’s what I loved:
Location: At just under an hour away from Chania airport and slap bang in the middle of Platanias, Minoa Palace Resort is easily accessible, with Chania itself just over 30 minutes by taxi (we paid 25 EUR each way, including tip). It’s also right on the beach and within a short walk of ample bars and restaurants.
Facilities: Minoa Palace Resort has a selection of outdoor swimming pools, plus an indoor swimming pool at the spa (open to families between 10-11 am daily at the time of our visit). There’s also a children’s playground next to the children’s swimming pool, which is surrounded by grass for safety (toddlers and slippy concrete floors do not mix).
Food: The food was delicious, and the breakfast choice was vast. My children loved choosing their own cereals and pastries each morning, and the pancakes were a huge hit with my daughter! My husband had made-to-order omelettes most days.
The lows of staying at Minoa Palace Resort
I don’t have many criticisms of the Minoa Palace Resort but if I were to criticise I’d point out:
Pool water temperature: The water in the outdoor pool during October was freezing (even when temperatures were 27 degrees C). My son struggled to get used to it so we visited the indoor swimming pool on one day - much more comfortable!
No happy hours or lunchtime offers. Although we were very grateful for our honeymoon gifts and vouchers, the hotel does lack when it comes to happy hour deals or lunch-time offers.
