Hersonissos Hotels with Swimming Pools for Families

Crete's summer sun is strong and the sea can be choppy when the wind picks up, so a well-designed hotel pool is often where young children spend most of their swimming time. In Hersonissos, many hotels add slides, splash zones or shallow pools for under-fives, and several run shuttles to the Star Beach water park, which keeps days varied without hiring a car.

For a water-park holiday without leaving the hotel, SENSEANA Sea Side Resort & Aquadventure is the clear choice. This five-star complex on Analipsi beach has its own water park with ten slides, a kids' aqua zone with mini-slides and a 2,500 square metre pool area separated from the adult zones, with a sandy beach right outside the gate. Paradise Island Villas, on the Anissaras coast, combines a private pool for each of its fourteen villas with a shared family water park area with three medium slides and a kids' pool. I would book SENSEANA for children aged six to twelve.

For toddlers, the smaller pools and splash areas matter most. Sunshine Village Hotel, 200 metres back from the central strip, has two main pools, a kids' pool with three small slides and a separate splash zone with a mushroom fountain, plus family rooms with a kitchenette for four. Villa Iokasti, a family-run three-star in Koutouloufari, keeps a kids' pool with two splash mushrooms next to its single outdoor pool, and its eight family rooms have kitchenettes and balconies. My advice for families with children under five is to choose one of these two.

The hillside hotels trade the beach for space, views and easy outings. Bella Vista Hotel by Checkin in Ano Hersonissos, rated 9.4, has two outdoor pools, one with a small slide and one shallow pool for under-fives, a pool deck that is one of the largest in the area and 38 family rooms with kitchenettes and balconies. It also runs a daily shuttle to Star Beach Water Park, and Villa Iokasti offers a free seven-minute shuttle there too. I would pick Bella Vista for a week that alternates hotel pools and water-park days.

For a calmer stay with older children, two hotels stand out. Paralos Kosta Alímia, rated 9.5, sits on the beachfront with direct sea access, an infinity pool, a hot tub, a spa, a tennis court and gardens, which suits families with teenagers who like a quieter pool. Paradise Island Villas, rated 9.8, the highest score in this list, adds full kitchens in villas sleeping four to six and a private beach with a buggy access ramp. I would choose Paradise Island Villas for families who want space, privacy and a pool of their own.