Luxury resorts that cater equally for couples and families are not easy to find, but Anemos Luxury Grand Resort, near Chania in Crete, does just that, and more.
A week in the Greek island of Crete is almost a right of passage nowadays for students, the Inbetweeners coming-of-age movie having compounded the assumption that Crete is a party island. I was that soldier many years ago, however at that time I wasn’t aware that the west coast of Crete heralded a completely different vibe to the east coast, and I had never even heard of Anemos Luxury Grand Resort.
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Until recently there were only flights from Ireland to Heraklion Airport, so unless you were going to spend two and a half hours in a car to get to the west coast, it was going to remain undiscovered by Irish travellers
Fortunately Ryanair came to the rescue a few years ago and introduced a more authentic part of Crete to the Irish market, with direct flights thrice weekly to Chania from May to October.
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We hired a car and after a leisurely 40-minute drive from Chania Airport, we arrived at Anemos Luxury Grand Resort. The sliding doors automatically opened as we approached and we immediately felt the wow factor. The lofty reception was beautifully designed with bright white tiles and blue soft furnishings, and this continued outside to the large pool area.
The traditional Greek colours complemented each other perfectly. We took a seat and enjoyed a glass of fruit juice and cold towels while we waited to be shown to our room – it was a nice first impression!
We stayed in a two-bedroom deluxe suite and the wow factor continued. The décor was modern and elegant and I loved it. As well as looking good, it was extremely well equipped with two bathrooms, two TVs, two terraces, one with sun loungers and a private pool, the other with a table and chairs. It was extremely spacious and could have easily slept up to six.
Dining at Anemos Luxury Grand Resort
We arrived in the evening time and immediately explored our options for dinner that night. We booked our accommodation on a half-board basis, so breakfast and evening meals were included in the cost of our stay. Anemos has four à la carte restaurants to choose from, but these should to be booked at least a day in advance, so we opted for the buffet on our first night.
I am not a big fan of buffets, but this one was particularly good. There was a wide selection of hot and cold food, as well as live cooking stations. I enjoyed some typical Cretan starters from their Cretan Corner, and penne with salmon and broccoli for my main course.
Cormac and the kids were happy too, there was plenty of choice, including a massive selection of desserts. The chocolate fountain, and rolled up ice-cream with crumbled Twix, were favourites with the kids. I might have had some too….
We booked à la carte restaurants for the other evenings and enjoyed sushi in the Asian Restaurant – Kaze, tasty prawn saganaki in the seafood restaurant at the beach, and delicious Italian fare in Osteria.
Osteria was our favourite restaurant in Anemos and we returned a second time for our last night. The risottos, penne arrabiata and pizzas were particularly good, and the service was excellent.
While I loved the setting in the seafood restaurant, I found the menu a bit limiting. We opted to pay additional fees for premium dishes, rather than eat the dishes included in the half-board arrangement – however this was the only restaurant in which we had to do this.
Overall we thought the food was great in Anemos, with a wide selection to choose from. There are children’s menus available in all restaurants, but I loved that the kids are welcome to choose anything from the adult menu too, at no additional charge.
Portions are large and you are allowed four – five courses as part of the half-board arrangement, so we always ended up having too much food! We swapped dinner for lunch on a two occasions, as it was nice to explore the nearby towns during the evening time. My only complaint is when you swap dinner for lunch you cannot eat in the à la carte restaurants, but have to eat in the buffet.
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Breakfast is superb, the array of fresh fruit is one of the best I have seen, and I loved starting every day with a massive fruit plate. There is also a wide selection of artisan breads, a Cretan corner with local foods, as well as traditional hot dishes such as bacon, eggs, omelettes etc.
Bars a plenty at Anemos Luxury Grand Resort
Anemos has four bars, but our personal favourite was the rooftop bar, Nostos. It is a beautiful place to go for pre-dinner drinks, and I am told it attracts a livelier crowd after 11pm. Although called a champagne bar, we had cocktails every time. Priced at €9-€10, I thought they were reasonable for a 5-star hotel.
Wine on the other hand was quite pricey at €9 for a small 187 ml bottle. The beach bar Sirocco is also a nice place for sundowners, or snacks and drinks during the day. There was live entertainment on every night at 9.30pm, ranging from magic and acrobatic shows, to a tribute to Il Divo and the Three Tenors. We tended to eat late so didn’t get to see much of it.
Anemos has super facilities for young children
It is rare to find such great facilities for children in a luxury resort like Anemos. The pool area consists of two massive pools, but while they look the same, one is actually deeper than the other.
It was great to see a large pool that kids could swim in, as usually children’s pools tend to be small. There is also a small splash park with water slides and a large playground for young kids at the kids club area.
I was really impressed with the variety of activities in the kids club, which is open from 10-6pm daily. As well as bowling, zumba and gym classes, there are team building and survivor games, mini Olympics, pirate and super hero play. Many of the activities take place outdoors and some are at the beach, so you can see what your kids are up to while chilling out the beach.
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There also two hours of free play per day from 10-11am and 5-6pm, and movie time in the afternoon, which can be handy if you want the kids to get out of the hot sun. The hour-long mini-disco was a big hit with young kids, but I felt it could offer more for teenagers.
It is easy to stay active at Anemos
The sports activities are excellent at Anemos. You can start your stay with stretching on the beach – how fabulous is that? They also have aqua gym, soccer and volleyball at the beach every day. If it is particularly windy in the sea the aqua gym is held in the pool.
The word ‘Anemos’ means ‘wind’ in Greek, and it tends to be windy at the pool and the beach. I loved this because it never felt too hot, even when it reached 32 degrees on one occasion. In the afternoon there are classes in the conference centre that are alternated each day and range from yoga and zumba to traditional Greek dance.
There is also an ample fitness room which I frequented on a few occasions. It was nice to be able to run in an air-conditioned room with a sea view! There is also a spa which has an indoor and outdoor pool, and a wide selection of treatment options.
If you are a beach lover you can rent cabanas beside the sea for €25 per couple per day. This includes a bottle of Prosecco, water and a fruit plate, which I thought was great value. We loved this – the staff came along with cold towels every few hours to cool us down, it was bliss!
Things to do near Anemos Luxury Grand Resort
One of the main reasons I booked Anemos Luxury Grand Resort was because of its proximity to Chania and Rethymno, two beautiful towns with Venetian ports. They are full of narrow side streets, waterfront cafés and colourful buildings.
There is a super bus service that goes to both towns every hour, and the bus stop is right outside the hotel. The buses are like luxury coaches rather than a typical public bus, and the cost is €3.30 to Rethymno and €4.50 to Chania.
There are also some of the world’s best beaches in this area. Elafonisi, aka The Pink Beach, was my favourite. It is a two-hour drive, but worth it! Depending on time you can also take a full-day trip to Santorini from Chania – something that I would love to do, but probably best without kids in tow…
Closer to Anemos Luxury Grand Resort is the pretty town of Georgioupolis, which is home to the beautiful Greek Orthodox Agios Nikolaos Church, as well as some great Greek restaurants. See my post on things to do near Chania, Crete here.
Why choose Anemos Luxury Grand Resort?
Anemos is a modern luxury resort, and its close proximity to Georgioupolos and the larger towns of Chania and Rethynmo, as well as its quiet beach-front location, offers a perfect balance of relaxation and adventure. Anemos manages to cater perfectly for couples and families, without being intrusive on either side, and the service from staff is superb.
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How to get there:
Ryanair fly from Dublin airport to Chania three times a week from April to October. I booked a package deal with Best4Travel, who at the time had lower rates than booking direct with the hotel. They can also arrange flights and transfers, or car-hire, if required.
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Like this post? Read my top things to do near Chania, Crete.
This post on Anemos Luxury Grand Resort was sponsored by Best4Travel but all views, as always, are my own.
Sarah
