Any parent to a toddler will tell you, the concept of coordinating and then embarking on a carefree, relaxing holiday is an elusive one. If you add to the equation that I’m a nervous traveller, and an anxious mum to boot, our chances of success drop from slim to microscopic. For this reason, up until now we’ve kept our holidays fairly close to home, mainly consisting of long weekends in the British countryside, perpetually decked out in our well worn waterproofs. Our furthest journey to date was a ferry crossing to the French island of Île De Ré for a week of blissful, unexpected sunshine in May last year. However, after what feels like a very long cold and damp stretch, the time had come to venture further afield. Grecotel’s LUXME White Palace, LUXME translating to ‘Luxury Made Easy’, on the North coast of the Greek island of Crete, is not only seafront situated but also exceptionally family friendly, and therefore, an irresistible proposal. So we packed up my nerves, negotiated the minimum amount of Paw Patrol vehicles one could without requiring extra baggage allowance, and set off, expectations high. And boy did White Palace deliver.
We were met at Chania International airport by our driver Giannis. The drive to the hotel is just over an hour of winding roads, the sea following the curve of our route below. At every turn is a streak of pink wildflowers, the Nerium Oleander, blooming roadside. LUXME White Palace, Grecotel’s flagship property, lies close to the historic city of Rethymno or Rethymon, depending on who you ask. We discussed linguistics with Giannis, including the confusion over the city’s name, which he explained stems from a switch between traditional and modern language. The hotel sits on a fairly innocuous road, dotted with a few souvenir shops and supermarkets, but the building itself is a sprawling cube and pristine white. You arrive on the third tier, looking down onto the spectacular, saltwater pool and it’s panoramic ocean view. This pool is one of 22 that the resort boasts, which includes private, sharing, a family activity and children’s pool. We arrived at sunset, golden light bathing through the poolside palm trees and I truly felt my shoulders soften.