Family Travel Planning for a Villa Stay in Crete
A villa suits families for reasons that have little to do with holiday photography: separate rooms, a kitchen, somewhere for a toddler to nap while everyone else is still awake, and no lobby to cross at seven in the morning.
What it does not come with is a resort’s infrastructure. There is no kids’ club, no childcare and no member of staff watching the pool. That trade is worth making for many families and worth thinking about carefully for others, and the planning below is designed to help you decide which you are.
By Argyris Skordilis, owner and host · Updated
Start with Who Is Actually Travelling
Almost every family question we are asked comes back to the same handful of details: how many adults, how many children, what ages, whether grandparents are joining, who needs to sleep near whom, and whether anyone in the group finds stairs difficult.
Total capacity is the least useful number in that list. A villa that sleeps eight is not automatically right for eight people who include a baby, a teenager and a grandparent, and it is the room allocation rather than the headline figure that decides whether a stay works.
Tell Argyris the composition before you book. It takes one message and it prevents the wrong booking.
Choosing the Villa for Your Family
The four villas are genuinely different houses, and the differences matter more to families than to couples.
Villa Asteri sleeps up to eight across four bedrooms with four bathrooms, and has both a private pool and a separate children’s pool. Two bedrooms are on the ground floor. The villa is arranged over two levels, and it is not officially wheelchair-accessible.
Villa Kitron sleeps up to six across three bedrooms, with three bathrooms and an additional WC, including one ground-floor twin en-suite bedroom. Its pool has a hydromassage feature, which is a comfort feature and not a child-safety one. There is no children’s pool, and the pool is reached by four steps down from the house.
Villa Myrrini sleeps up to six across three bedrooms and two bathrooms, with all its rooms on one level inside, a private pool and a small separate children’s pool. There are 17 steps from the parking to the front door, and the villa is not officially wheelchair accessible.
Villa Argiris sleeps up to eight across four bedrooms and four bathrooms. Its indoor accommodation is arranged on one level, while its outdoor spaces are arranged over two levels. It is in Stavromenos, near the coast but not beachfront: the nearest beach is approx. 800 m away.
If two of those sound plausible, ask rather than guess. Argyris will tell you which fits your particular group and, more usefully, which does not.
Bedrooms, Ages and Who Sleeps Where
Room allocation is the part most families under-plan.
A baby usually needs to be near the adults. Two children may share happily at six and refuse to at thirteen. A teenager may value a room away from everyone else, and a grandparent may need to avoid stairs at night. These requirements can conflict inside the same booking, and the villa that resolves them is not always the one with the most bedrooms.
Send the ages and your preferred sleeping arrangement when you enquire, and ask specifically about which bathrooms are en-suite and which bedrooms are on which level. Those two answers settle most family layout questions.
Cots and Highchairs
Cots are free (up to 2 at Villa Asteri and Villa Argiris, 1 at Villa Kitron and Villa Myrrini) and every villa has a highchair. If you need them, tell Argyris before arrival so that it can be prepared for you.
For anything beyond that, such as bed guards, stair gates, baby baths, changing equipment or children’s tableware, ask in advance so that availability can be confirmed for your villa and your dates. Please do not assume an item will be waiting simply because it is common in family accommodation.
Pools and Supervision
This is the part of the page we will not soften.
Children must be supervised by their parents or accompanying adults at all times in and around every villa pool.
None of the pools is supervised by staff. Do not assume that a pool, terrace or outdoor area is fenced or childproof; ask for the specific access and safety layout of the villa you are considering. A children’s pool provides a different depth and a separate space, but it does not remove drowning risk and it does not replace an adult who is watching. Villa Kitron’s hydromassage feature is a comfort feature, not a safety one, and its pool is reached by four steps down from the house.
Beyond the pool, treat the same way anything else a house contains: stairs, balconies, terraces, doors, the kitchen, the barbecue and the outdoor spaces. These are private homes rather than childproofed environments, and the guidance we can give you honestly is factual description rather than reassurance.
If it would help to know exactly where the steps, thresholds and level changes are at a particular villa, ask, and you will be given the facts rather than a general promise.
Multigenerational Groups
When three generations travel together, the useful questions are about rooms and steps rather than about square metres.
Ground-floor bedrooms are available at Villa Asteri and Villa Kitron. Villa Myrrini has all its rooms on one level inside, but there are 17 steps from the parking to the front door. None of that constitutes formal accessibility. If someone in your group uses a wheelchair, has limited mobility or finds steps genuinely difficult, ask Argyris for a factual description of the specific villa, covering dimensions, steps, thresholds and routes, and decide from that rather than from a ground-floor bedroom count.
It is also worth agreeing in advance how much of the holiday is shared. Grandparents who want a quiet afternoon and children who want six hours in the pool can coexist comfortably in a house with enough separate space, and less comfortably in one without.
Two Households or More
If two families want to travel together, MAZI combines Villa Asteri, Villa Kitron and Villa Myrrini for up to 20 guests.
Each household keeps its own kitchen, living space, bedrooms and private pool. There is no shared pool, no shared facilities and no central childcare: MAZI is a relationship between three independent villas, not a resort. Each villa is booked and paid for separately, with its own reference, even when one person coordinates for everyone.
For families, this can work particularly well when separate households want to stay close while keeping their own routines, kitchens and living spaces.
Getting There with Children
Three practical points, each covered in more detail elsewhere.
Car seats are requested through the transfer or car hire company, not provided by us. Give the children’s ages and any details the provider asks for when you first enquire, and treat it as a request that has to be confirmed rather than something guaranteed.
Luggage grows faster than families expect once pushchairs, travel cots and beach equipment are included. A vehicle that fits the passengers does not always fit everything they brought, so be realistic when the request is made.
Arrival timing matters more with young children. Check-in is from 15:30, and a morning landing means several hours to fill. Read the arrival guide before you travel, and if you would prefer not to drive straight after a flight, a transfer is worth considering.
Your First Day
The first day tends to go well or badly for practical reasons rather than emotional ones.
Consider arranging an essential supermarket stop on the way to the villa rather than going out again after you arrive, particularly if you are landing in the afternoon. Whatever time you arrive, the first evening is easier with a meal out: book a table at the village taverna rather than trying to cook after the journey. It is far more restful for everyone. In Asteri, Poliou House is a short walk from the villas; Argyris can recommend the right taverna for your villa. Expect the children to want the pool straight away, and make sure at least one adult is watching it while everyone else unpacks.
With every direct booking, a Cretan Breakfast Basket is waiting when you arrive, providing a few local essentials for your first mornings.
What to Confirm Before You Book
Ask about:
- the sleeping arrangement for your exact group;
- which bathrooms are en-suite and which bedrooms are on which level;
- the pool and children’s-pool situation at the villa you are considering;
- steps, thresholds and outdoor level changes;
- a cot or highchair if you need one;
- car seats and vehicle size;
- parking if you are bringing more than one car.
If the answer to any of those decides your booking, ask before you book rather than after. Argyris would far rather have that conversation in advance than have a family arrive at the wrong house.
Facts checked against our four villa pages · Last reviewed by Argyris Skordilis, owner of Amazing Villas in Crete.
Frequently asked questions
Which villas have a children’s pool?
Villa Asteri has a private pool and a separate children’s pool, and Villa Myrrini has a small separate children’s pool. Villa Kitron and Villa Argiris have no children’s pool; at Villa Kitron the pool is reached by four steps down from the house.
Are the villa pools supervised or fenced?
None of the pools is supervised by staff, and children must be supervised by their parents or accompanying adults at all times in and around every villa pool. Do not assume a pool, terrace or outdoor area is fenced or childproof; ask for the layout of the specific villa.
Can we have a cot and a highchair?
Yes. Tell Argyris before arrival so they can be prepared. For other items such as bed guards, stair gates or baby baths, ask in advance so that availability can be confirmed for your villa and dates.
Which villa suits grandparents who find stairs difficult?
Villa Asteri and Villa Kitron have ground-floor bedrooms, and Villa Myrrini has all its rooms on one level inside but 17 steps from the parking to the front door. No villa is officially wheelchair accessible, so ask Argyris for a factual description of steps, thresholds and routes at the specific villa.
Can two families stay together?
MAZI combines Villa Asteri, Villa Kitron and Villa Myrrini for up to 20 guests. Each household keeps its own kitchen, living space, bedrooms and private pool, and each villa is booked and paid for separately.
Do you provide car seats?
Car seats are requested through the transfer or car hire company rather than provided by the villas. Give the children’s ages when you first enquire, and treat it as a request that has to be confirmed.
Plan the Details with Argyris
Tell Argyris who is travelling and when you arrive, and he will help you plan the details. He usually replies within 12 hours.
More Plan Your Stay guides
- Villa AsteriThe Carpenter’s House · 8 guests · children’s pool · Asteri Village
- Villa Kitron6 guests · every bedroom en-suite · Asteri Village
- Villa Myrrini6 guests · children’s pool · Asteri Village
- Villa Argiris8 guests · one level, sea views · Stavromenos
- Compare the villasAll the facts side by side
