As a mum of two boys I’ve put plenty of research into finding the best luxury family hotels that strike the balance between being parent-pleasing and child-friendly. It’s no surprise that we’ve ended up taking several family holidays to Greece.
We love the beautiful islands of Greece and have visited the mainland several times too. The scenery is always beautiful, hospitality is world class and the food is some of my favourite in the world! In this guide I have curated a selection of the best luxury family hotels in Greece.
Amanzoe
Amanzoe is located in the Peloponnese, this hotel from the Aman group is one of the best in Greece and quite honestly, one of the best in Europe.
Rooms are stunning and spacious, the pool is gorgeous plus there’s a children’s activity program and child-friendly dining. Amanzoe is one of the most luxurious resort hotels I’ve been to in Europe, it’s truly amazing.
Design – The hotel is designed to look like a 21st Acropolis, its nothing short of breath-taking with stone columns, olive groves and tranquil bodies of water. A pure classically inspired sanctuary.
Room – Every room is a free-standing pavilion with indoor / ourdoor living spaces. We had a huge terrace with private pool and though we didn’t have Oscar and Noah when we stayed there, they would have loved the freedom to swim.
Activities – Multiple pools, sports, a beach club, spa, excursions to ancient ruins you can even learn about farming a bee keeping. The perfect combination of education and relaxation.
Kids – There’s no ‘formal’ kids club but based at the pool and beach Club, a children’s host coordinates daily activities and crafts for younger guests during the summer months.
Food – The Restaurant serves Greek food, there’s Japanese at Nama plus Spanish and Greek at Nura at the Beach Club.
Ikos Aria, Kos
Ikos Aria in Kos, is of course part of the much loved Ikos group, known for being THE name in family-friendly all inclusive hotels.
Design – We loved the minimalist design with Mediterranean touches.
Room – Our spacious deluxe one bedroom suite allowed us to have our sleeping areas and also sleep in style.
Activities – There are multiple pools – including the splash pad, beaches, watersports, cycling, fitness, team sports and plenty of adults only areas too. For an extra cost – we loved our private boat charter and there is also the popular Football Academy. There are nightly shows, kids discos and a weekly white night party.
Kids – Ikos Aria has tailored kids programs from infants to teens and Noah loved hanging out in the Heroes Creche while Oscar enjoyed the Heroes Kids Club for aged 4 plus.
Food – The hotels all inclusive concept really makes the holiday hassle free and there are 8 restaurants and nine bars. Every restaurant is child-friendly and includes children’s and baby menus, high chairs and baby friendly cutlery.
Domes of Elounda
Domes of Elounda, Autograph Collection – Located in Crete, Greece’s largest island. Domes of Elounda is a great family-friendly hotel option.
Design – With the feel of a Cretan village and lots of indoor / out door space. Domes of Elounda has a very natural feel to it with exposed brick, natural material and colours. It’s understated but still feels luxurious. FYI Domes was very hilly so not the best choice for people with mobility issues.
Room – Our ‘Haute Living’ suite was really spacious with a large bedroom and separate living area. We had a terrace and our own private pool.
Activities – multiple pools, private beach and an amazing view of Spinalonga Island. Parents will love the St Tropez-inspired Vilebrequin La Plage, CORE (an outdoor hub including exhibitions, installations, popups, and street food trucks) and the refined spa.
Kids – For kids there’s kids club, watersports, tennis and football academies and evening entertainment.
Food – There’s several restaurants at Domes of Elounda. Tholos is the main Buffet, Makris is Michelin level Greek food, Vilebrequin La Plage Restaurant showcase where Mediterranean flavours, Antonino’s is the signature Italian restaurant. CORE is a plaza concept with deli stalls and food trucks.
Daios Cove
Daios Cove is also in Crete but quite different to Domes of Elounda as it has a smaller more boutique feel.
Design – The resort architecturally stunning with a design that blends seamlessly into the landscape. The way the resort is wrapped around the cove means there’s stunning view of the Aegean sea from every angle. The hotel design was inspired by water and earth and the rustic brick work blends into the cove with the resort sprawling across the hillside. The concept is all about natural materials; wood, marble and stone to create a minimalist look that is still luxurious in feel. FYI the hotel is also hilly and you need to take stairs to the beach.
Room – We had booked a suite in ‘The Collection’ which makes up the hotel’s best selection of rooms and we had a premium one bed suite with sea view and private pool. The pool is even heated though it is still a relatively chilly 25 degrees and there’s the option to put a safety gate on it.
Activities – There one main pool with a small baby pool inside it, adults pool and indoor pool at the spa. There’s a lovely big beach, water sports, and a programme of local excursions. The spa is a real jewel in the crown here and parents will love it.
Kids – Daios Cove offer a Children’s Club for aged 4 – 12 included in the price of the hotel and a Crèche Club for age 4 months to 4 years at an extra charge with either the morning or afternoon session bookable. I was extremely impressed by the nursery staff who were lovely – its run by UK childcare experts Worldwide Kids Co who have qualified nursery staff meeting UK standards.
Food – As part of the Residents’ Club we were staying on an all inclusive package. There are five restaurants including Pangea the buffet, Taverna is the hotel’s Greek / Cretan restaurant with a beautiful view overlooking the cove, Ocean Restaurant is the hotel’s most fine dining restaurant, The Beach House is a rustic beach front space with Mediterranean-inspired dishes and RHO is the hotels raw concept and is for over 14s only.
Sani Resort
Sani Resort in Halkidiki – Widely regarded as one of the greatest hotels for families, Sani really is the GOAT. Owned by the same people as Ikos, they know what they’re doing! If you’ve never stayed at a resort like Sani you might find the concept a little confusing. The resort is five hotels each differing to suit the needs of different guests and all are based around a marina lined with high end shops and restaurants accessible to all the guests.
Sani Beach – this is the ‘entry-level’ hotel and the cheapest. It is also the most child-friendly and includes a splash pool, play ground, creche, kids club and private beach.
Sani Club – has all the child-friendly perks of Sani Beach but the style is more luxury, less tower blocky and better restaurants. It is set a bit further out from the other hotels and the Marina which affords more privacy but less convenience in accessing shared hotel facilities.
Porto Sani – is the next level up in luxury and has all the child-friendly amenities but no private beach though you have access to other beaches in the hotel and the benefit of being right next to the Marina.
Sani Dunes – is the hotel’s higher end offering, though less child friendly, this hotel has Michelin menus and is surrounded by a lagoon-like swimming pool and private beach. There is no kids club or splash pool but kids are still welcome to stay and guests can use creche and splash pool at other hotels.
Sani Asterias – the resort’s most luxurious offering being the smallest and most boutique. Asterias has the finest food and spa and rooms overlooking the Marina or the hotel’s private beach. Again there’s no kids club or splash pool but kids are still welcome to stay and guests can use the creche and splash pool at other hotels. We chose Sani Asterias despite this as we also had my elderly in-laws with us and we felt it was the best hotel for them and we could still easily use the facilities of Sani Beach and Porto Sani which are adjacent.
Kids under 12 stay at Beach, Club, Porto and Asteria for free and at a very reduced rate at Dunes.
Activities – Sani is a huge resort encompasses everything you can possibly imagine in a resort hotel. Some of these facilities are shared between the five hotels such as the shopping marina with a huge number of shops, the port, the Rafa Nadel Tennis Academy, The Chelsea FC football academy, the theatre, the sports centre, the Bear Grylls Survival academy. All hotel guests have access to these shared facilities.
Every hotel has it’s own spa and child-friendly pool (or multiple pools) but not every guest has access to every pool. For example as we were staying at Sani Asterias, the highest level hotel we were able to access the pools and splash pad at Sani Beach however to keep the Sani Asterias pool private and exclusive, other guests weren’t allowed to access it. Check when booking your pool access and what’s right for you. Note Sani Dunes actually has the largest heated outdoor pool in Greece!
Kids – As well as the many acitvities listed above there’s a Creche for under 4s and Kids Club for aged 4 – 12 years. Sani also operated Ozone Teen Room which is a clubhouse style hangout with some organised activities.
Food – Sani has twenty five restaurants and fifteen bars. Of course this means a wide variety of cuisines, lots of different settings with different levels of formality. Most restaurants are child-friendly with a children’s menu and a few are adults only, there are also a number of more casual pool bars and cafes there are also a few buffet restaurants. Every hotel has their own restaurants within the premises and then there were a number of restaurants and bars on the marina. There’s even a baby menu designed by Donna Hay, Australia’s leading food creative.
Further reading: My Sani vs Ikos Review
Hotel Grande Bretagne, Athens
My recommendation for Athens is Hotel Grande Bretagne. It’s one of the best luxury hotels in Greece and is located very central near the Acropolis with views of views of the fabled Acropolis, Syntagma Square and Lycabettus Hill.
We loved dining at the GB Roof Garden Restaurant which serves Mediterranean cuisine. The hotels also sports a rooftop pool, the GB Spa and fitness studio. The hotel welcomes children and has children’s menus, bottles and high chairs on request. There’s a 50% discount on all laundry and dry-cleaning services for children’s clothes and baby sitting on request.
PIN IT!!
