The Land of Make-Believe

Talk about having your vacation inspired by your children…

Our daughter is – how do we say this – very imaginative. We've recently learned that, formerly unbeknownst to us, she has a whole other family, including parents, a brother and a sister, all of whom live in a big house. Every now and then we are told that if we behave, we will be allowed to visit this house. Conversely, when we are doing things she disapproves of – like reminding her for the 5th time to brush her teeth – the prospect of a visit is whisked away from us, as she informs us that she will not be taking us to Citia.

Because apparently, that’s where this estate, complete with secondary – or, depending on her mood, primary – family, is. In Citia.

We’re not sure if that’s how it’s spelled, because she's just now learning that her name starts with D. So for fun, we decided to do a search on Citia. After all, it is possible that somewhere on the planet there exists a place with that name, and wouldn’t it be funny if we found it and went there?

Lo and behold, there is a Sitia, on Crete. Furthermore, online you can find an amusingly earnest travel guide to Sitia with a rather sketchy view of its history and tourist attractions, which are mostly in the form of taverns and beaches – which is absolutely fine with us.

We were thrilled to find that there is actually the possibility of a luxury family vacation, at the Elounda Gulf Villa & Suites. The 18-villa & 10-suite boutique hotel is a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World. While there isn’t very much here that is geared towards children aside from the children’s pool – which is often enough - your young ones are welcomed, and either very young children or those old enough to not to need constant “kiddie” entertainment should be fine here.


Spa Villa
copyright Elounda Gulf Villas & Suites

The hotel’s accommodations consist of a mix of suites and villas, with the smallest suite ideal for a couple with one child. The villas here are real stunners – each has its own pool and a large terrace with teak lounges that look out over the Gulf of Mirabello. European-style kitchens make in-house relaxation easy, or the Argo Restaurant will feed you an authentic Greek lunch and dinner, with a special menu just for the little ones.


Elounda Gulf Suite bathroom
copyright Elounda Gulf Villas & Suites


We don’t know exactly when we’ll be visiting Sitia. If we were to go anytime soon, it might be more than her 3-year old imagination could bear: we don’t want to traumatize her by robbing her of her special world, although she probably wouldn’t accept that it was Sitia anyhow. But maybe when she's left her personal Sitia behind, we’ll make a visit to the Elounda Gulf Villas & Suites, with a special thanks to her for leading us there.


Elounda Luxury Villa pool
copyright Elounda Gulf Villas & Suites


Rates for the Elounda Gulf Villas & Suites start at 240 Euros per night for a Luxury Senior Suite; Villas with private pools start at 575 Euros per night. Rates for suites include continental breakfast in the hotel's restaurant. Children under 12 stay free of charge in the suites, and the hotel provides complimentary baby cots, high chairs and playpens. To book, click here or call the hotel's reservation line at +30 2810 227132.