Kiani Beach Resort All-Inclusive 5 Star Hotel, Chania, Crete | Our Family Holiday and Review

 

*We were guests of Kiani Beach Resort and our accommodation was complimentary in return for social media and blog posts. We paid for flights and other expenses for our trip ourselves.

We've just returned home from a beautiful family holiday at Kiani Beach Resort in Chania, Crete. Crete is a stunning island and an ideal holiday destination for families. We were so excited to take our boys on their first holiday out of Ireland since 2019 and I'm delighted to say that it was an amazing experience for us all.

Kiani Beach Resort is an all-inclusive 5 star hotel which is perfect for families. The resort literally has everything you need in once place.

Situated right on a beautiful beach (the sun loungers overlooking the beach and sea were our favourite place to be during our stay), with multiple swimming pools and other amenities galore and just a 20 minute walk from the nearest town, Kiani Beach Resort is a little slice of happiness for families.

We spent 10 days at Kiani Beach Resort and let me tell you, we weren't bored for any bit of it. There is so much to do at the resort and with two boys aged 9 and 5 to entertain we were glad there was so much for them to do.

The resort feels like a very safe place and we were able to relax completely while we were there. The staff are all very friendly, helpful and accommodating. The accommodation was clean and comfortable and I loved that in every area of the resort it felt like it was aimed at families.

For our stay we stayed in a Maisonette Loft Sea View Room, which was perfect for our family. The accommodation featured a king-sized bed downstairs with a balcony looking out to the beautiful sea, a kitchenette with fridge and hobs for cooking and a shower room. 

Upstairs were two single beds. This room can accommodate up to 6 people comfortably, so it's a great option for those with larger families.

The rooms have fans and air conditioning, which is great for cooling off after being in the beautiful, warm sunshine. Our room was cleaned daily during our stay. Extra pillows and towels for use on the beach/pool areas were provided in the wardrobe.

Stays at Kiani Beach Resort are all-inclusive and honestly, this is such a great aspect when traveling as a family. It meant that we could enjoy drinks and snacks whenever we wanted throughout the day. We also had the VIP upgrade which meant we could enjoy premium drinks such as cocktails (not me though as I was pregnant during our stay!), etc. whenever we liked.

There are 3 restaurants, a beach bar and a pool bar within Kiani Beach Resort. Our favourite was the Symposium Restaurant where we ate every evening except for two nights. The food is served buffet-style, meaning you can take what you enjoy. They had something for all tastes within the restaurant and it felt very relaxed there - which was great when dining with two boys who don't normally go to restaurants!

The other restaurants are the Pool View Restaurant and The Roof Top Restaurant, these are both situated in the new wing at Kiani Beach Resort. The Pool View Restaurant is buffet-style also, but the Roof Top Restaurant has 4 set menus with meals cooked to order. The food at the Roof Top Restaurant was absolutely delicious! The mushroom risotto was something I would eat again and again! Meals at the Roof Top Restaurant are not included within the all-inclusive package but are very reasonably priced, with menus starting at €30. Reservations are needed for the Roof Top Restaurant and you can make this at reception - no reservations are needed for the other two restaurants and again, this is a very family-friendly aspect to staying at Kiani Beach Resort.

Kiani Beach Resort boasts two large unheated outdoor swimming pools, a smaller children's pool with mini water slides, a baby pool and a large indoor heated swimming pool. We all loved the pools and my boys would have stayed in them all day if they could! 

The pool and beach areas at Kiani Beach Resort have lifeguards on duty too, which is very reassuring for parents.

The baby pool and one of the outdoor pools are located almost on the beach too, so we divided our time between these most days. It was great to be able to leave our belongings safely on the sun loungers without having to move anything between the beach and pool as they're so close to each other.

As we visited in April, two days out of our trip were a bit too windy to enjoy the outdoor pools, so we made great use out of the indoor heated pool - this is another fabulous aspect to the resort.

Kiani Beach Resort have an animation team which organise activities such as water aerobics, volleyball, etc. during the day. There's also a kids club - which our boys didn't use as they were happy being on the beach and swimming in the pool, but they also offer a range of activities for children each day. 

The resort also has two playgrounds which our boys had great fun visiting each day. One playground is situated by the beach bar and one by the pool bar, so no matter what side of the resort you're at, there's something to keep the children entertained.

A great addition to the resort are two bouncy castles which are situated by the pool bar. These are inflated between 6 and 8.15p.m. each day. Our boys loved jumping on these before and after dinner. There are also little rides, table tennis, air hockey and a pool table by the pool bar.

There's also a little arcade down by the beach bar which our boys loved too. It was great entertainment after dinner and they managed to win a few things which brought them great joy. 

The resort has a tennis court and a volleyball court for anyone who wants to play during their stay.

Each evening there is entertainment between the two resort bars. One evening there was beautiful classical music, karaoke, a DJ and so much more to keep young and old entertained of an evening. The music, etc. stops at 11p.m. and can be heard from the sea view apartments but it didn't bother us.

The resort boasts the lovely Aegeo Spa, in which I enjoyed a really relaxing facial and massage. Having this element to the resort is lovely for parents and other adult guests to have a bit of a pampering session. The VIP upgrade entitles guests to a 30% discount on spa experiences. I highly recommend a trip to the spa if you can manage it during a family holiday!

Next to the spa is a gym, which I didn't use during my stay but did see people using while I was there.

During our stay we went on an excursion to Elafonisi Beach. This excursion was organised through the hotel by their excursions office which is located within reception. I will write about this excursion and the other two trips we went on (which we paid for ourselves) during our stay in another blog post. 

The area of Chania has so much to explore and it's definitely worth a day trip or two during your stay at Kiani Beach Resort. They also offer scuba diving experiences and have an office for that located in reception also.

Kiani Beach Resort also has a sister hotel, the Kalyves Beach Hotel, which is a more 'boutique' hotel, situated in the neighbouring town of Kalyves and right on the beach too. Both hotels are beautiful and have a lot to offer for guests.

Kiani Beach Resort is offering 20% off their stays for the remainder of 2022 and they also offer a free 48 hour cancellation policy which is great to see.

Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Kiani Beach Resort. It was the perfect family holiday for us, offering the perfect mix of relaxation, activities to enjoy and day trips. We enjoyed it so much that we're already looking into returning someday soon - when our little one is safe and well with us once he's born.

You can see more highlights, pictures and videos from our trip on my Instagram @dollydowsie