Family Hotels in Crete with Golf Nearby
6 family-friendly hotels with golf in Crete . Handpicked for families who want the best.
There is exactly one full-size golf course on Crete: the Crete Golf Club, sitting in the hills above Hersonissos. That single fact shapes every family golf holiday on the island. You stay near the course, you tee off at sunrise, and by mid-morning you are back at the pool with the kids before the heat lands. The five hotels below all sit within a 15-minute drive of the clubhouse, all welcome families, and all let you treat golf as one part of the holiday rather than the whole thing. Prices start around €390 per night for July family rooms and climb to €1,500 for the beachfront five-stars.
Hersonissos is two towns in one. Down on the harbour you get gelato shops, splash pools and the slightly chaotic main strip. A 10-minute drive uphill takes you to old villages like Koutouloufari and Ano Hersonissos, where the lanes are narrow and the views drop down to the Aegean. Crete Golf Club sits between the two, perched above the resort sprawl with mountain backdrops on every fairway.
Why Crete Works for a Family Golf Trip
Crete Golf Club is the only 18-hole championship course on the island, which simplifies your decision tree. You book your tee time, you stay within 15 minutes of the clubhouse, you play before the kids wake up. The course was designed by Bob Hunt and uses the natural terrain, which means it forgives the holiday handicap.
Greens fees in July run roughly 110 EUR for 18 holes, with juniors paying about half. The clubhouse has a kids menu and a swimming pool, so a non-playing parent can park themselves there for the morning. Lessons for older children are offered by the pro shop and need to be booked a few days in advance.
Outside of the course itself, every hotel below offers either bike rental or a kids club, so the spouse who is not playing has options that go beyond reading a paperback by the pool.
Parent's take
Honestly, the trick is treating golf as one slot in the day, not the day itself. Tee off at 7am, you are back for breakfast at 11am, and the kids have only just put on sun cream. Skip afternoon golf in July: it is 35°C on the fairways and the family will revolt. Save the round for one parent at sunrise and let the other take the early shift at the pool.
Our Top 6 Picks
Hotels in Crete with golf, sorted by guest rating.
Sunshine Village Hotel
Hersonissos
Wonderful
580 reviews
A proper resort with three pools, on-site mini golf, a kids club from age four, and the big Crete Golf Club a 10-minute drive away. Parents get their tee time, kids get their water slides, and nobody is ever bored before lunch.
From
€845/night
Why families love Sunshine Village Hotel
This is the one parents recommend on every Crete forum. The kids club runs morning and afternoon sessions with a real schedule, the splash zone has shallow steps for toddlers, and the buffet handles allergies without making a fuss. The mini-golf course is a hit with primary-age kids who want to copy mum and dad.
Paralos Kosta Alimia
Anissaras, Hersonissos
Wonderful
480 reviews
A beachfront five-star with both indoor and outdoor pools, a full spa, and Crete Golf Club a 15-minute drive inland. This is the splurge pick: families who want one parent on the green and the other floating in the saltwater pool by 10am.
From
€1483/night
Why families love Paralos Kosta Alimia
Strong all-round resort for families with mixed ages. The kids' pool is shallow with steps, the indoor pool means rainy days are a non-event, and the beachfront setting saves you the daily 'where are we eating lunch' debate. Service is the kind that remembers your toddler's name on day two.
Bella Vista Hotel by Checkin
Ano Hersonissos
Wonderful
410 reviews
Hillside apartments with kitchenettes, sea-facing balconies, and Crete Golf Club a five-minute drive down the road. The pool deck is set back from the action, so the soundtrack is cicadas and splashes rather than nightclub bass.
From
€389/night
Why families love Bella Vista Hotel by Checkin
Self-catering parents love this one. The kitchenette handles toddler dinners, the supermarket is a short walk, and the indoor play area keeps kids busy when there's a heatwave. The shuttle to the golf club leaves daily and staff will pack you a takeaway breakfast if your tee time is brutal.
Thalia deco City & Beach Hotel
Hersonissos
Wonderful
320 reviews
A walk-everywhere hotel right in central Hersonissos, with Crete Golf Club just 3km up the hill and the family beach two minutes from reception. Compact rooms, big personality, and parents who finished a round can roll back to the pool before the kids notice they were gone.
From
€454/night
Why families love Thalia deco City & Beach Hotel
Families like that everything works without a car. The pool is small but warm, breakfast keeps fussy eaters happy with pancakes and fruit, and staff happily store golf bags behind the desk. The walk to the sand is flat, and the high street has enough gelato spots to keep teenagers occupied for a fortnight.
Creta Blue Boutique Hotel
Koutouloufari, Hersonissos
Wonderful
350 reviews
A quieter boutique tucked into the old village of Koutouloufari, ten minutes uphill from the harbour and four minutes from Crete Golf Club. Stone-walled suites, a small adults pool, and one of the best on-site restaurants in the area.
From
€1281/night
Why families love Creta Blue Boutique Hotel
Best for families with primary-age kids and teenagers who want their own space. The suites have separate sofa beds, babysitting can be arranged with a day's notice, and the village square outside has tavernas where kids can run between tables. Younger toddlers will find the steep lanes a workout for the buggy.
Wonderful
2,180 reviews
Five-star resort with four tennis courts and the only on-site golf in east Crete (a 9-hole par-3 academy course). Family suites and bungalows have direct sea or pool access, and the Six Senses spa runs supervised teen programmes.
From
€606/night
Why families love Porto Elounda Golf & Spa Resort, Six Senses Spa
The combination of tennis, golf academy and Six Senses spa makes this the best multi-activity resort on the Elounda strip. Families with golfing parents and tennis kids genuinely play in parallel here. The 9-hole course is short enough that beginners (and kids 8+ with handicap) can play a full round in under two hours, and the tennis academy works alongside it.
💡Tips From Parents Who Have Played Crete With Kids
- 1Book the earliest tee time the course offers. By 9am the heat is already serious in July, and any round that runs into 11am becomes a slog. Crete Golf Club opens from 7am in summer and the first slot books out fastest.
- 2Bring your own clubs if you are precious about them, but the rental shop is decent. A full set rental runs around €40 per round, which is less than the airline excess baggage fees on most low-cost carriers.
- 3Reserve a hotel with a shuttle to the course. Three of the five below offer it; the others are a five-minute taxi which costs roughly €10 each way. Either beats hire-car logistics with kids in tow.
- 4Pack a swimsuit in your golf bag. Crete Golf Club has a pool at the clubhouse, and finishing your round with a 20-minute swim before driving back is the closest thing to a holiday spa moment.
- 5Skip golf entirely in early August. The mid-summer heat plus crowded tee times makes the experience worse than it should be. Late May, June and September are the sweet spots for family-friendly golf trips.
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