The Royal Senses, Crete: A Family-Friendly Review
Want to know my dream holiday? It involves interiors so beautiful they fill my camera roll, sea views capable of physically lowering my shoulders by several inches and food so good I’m still thinking about it long after the suitcases are unpacked. My four-year-old son and two-year-old daughter, meanwhile, have slightly different criteria – namely waterslides, buffet dining and a boogie before bedtime. On paper, finding a hotel capable of delivering both feels optimistic at best
But The Royal Senses, Curio Collection by Hilton in Crete proved be *the* unicorn to delight us all. A place where child-centric doesn’t mean sacrificing style and where chic design, exceptional food and a breathtaking spa coexists beautifully with a splash pad, waterslides, kids’ clubs and the kind of effortless ease every parent dreams of. I returned from The Royal Senses with the ultimate holiday souvenir – an actual sense of feeling rested. The few days we spent here felt every bit as magical for my husband and me as they were for the kids. Here’s our first-hand family-friendly review
Words by Frankie Collinson
Published: 2nd June 2026 | Last updated: 18th August 2026
Your most asked questions, answered
The Royal Senses: What makes it so good for families?
At first glance The Royal Senses seems like the kind of hotel you’d normally bookmark longingly before remembering you have children to factor into your travel plans too. But here’s the clever part: despite looking every inch the glossy grown-up Greek retreat, it’s actually primarily geared towards parents
This is luxury family travel done properly and at more of an accessible price point than a lot of the big name players. Boutique in size, it’s definitely rich in facilities. The star of the show for most children is the waterpark, complete with slides, splash areas (and sumptuous sunloungers). There’s also an excellent kids’ club, (3+ with a stay and play invitation), tennis courts and plenty of baby bits to borrow. But the resort manages to retain a calmer, more elevated feel than many of Europe’s larger family hotels. There are no giant mascot parades or blaring poolside dance routines here. Instead, The Royal Senses leans into understated luxury: sleek suites cascading down the hillside, olive trees swaying in the sea breeze, earthy contemporary interiors and endless panoramic views over the Aegean
But don’t mistake ‘an adult ambience’ for ‘not child-friendly.’ Families are very much at the heart of the experience, from complimentary lunches at the kids’ club and baby purée menus, nappies stocked in the mini market, sterilisers and baby monitors on request, to low-key evening entertainment designed with little ones in mind. There’s more than enough to keep even the most high-energy holiday companions happily occupied… just with better wine lists, calmer surroundings, and considerably more attractive decor
What's the dining set up?
The resort operates on a half-board basis. Your package includes daily breakfast and dinner at Gea, the main buffet restaurant, but describing Gea as just a buffet feels wildly unfair. This is one of those beautifully executed setups where breakfast becomes a daily event rather than a logistical necessity. Think fresh pastries, local honey, Greek yoghurt piled high with fruit, made-to-order eggs and enough excellent coffee to restore even the most sleep-deprived parent. Dinner follows the same philosophy with live cooking stations and a strong farm-to-table focus
If buffet dining every night isn’t quite your style, The Royal Senses has built in plenty of flexibility
Half-board guests receive 15% off dinner at both Mitato and Cretamos within the resort, as well as at the two à la carte restaurants at sister property The Royal Blue, a complimentary five-minute shuttle ride away. For something extra special, there’s also the intimate 15-seat Cretamos fine dining experience onsite, which, bonus! also has kids menus. During peak summer months, it’s well worth emailing ahead to reserve your à la carte dinners, as the most sought-after tables book up quickly
And if you’re keen to also venture beyond the resort, the concierge team are exceptional at recommending and arranging local tavernas and hidden gems nearby. One experience that absolutely deserves a spot in your plans is Thursday’s Cretan Night at Platia: an atmospheric evening of traditional food, live music and dancing, with the half-board dining discount included there too
One thing worth noting: standard half-board packages don’t include drinks with dinner and meals can’t be swapped for lunch instead (where there’s the choice of poolside dining or a sit down at Platia, the market square). But the setup for families is particularly handy here, thanks to complimentary Kids’ Club access that includes a free daily lunch for tiny travellers. Parents will quickly appreciate both the money-saving element and – perhaps even more importantly – the rare opportunity to eat an uninterrupted lunch and drink a glass of wine in relative peace. I did not manage to leave my little boy alone in the Kids Club (he’s just not the type) but we did swing by as a family so they could both enjoy lunch on the house!
Where is The Royal Senses?
The Royal Senses sits on Crete’s north coast near the sleepy fishing village of Panormos, around a one-hour drive from Heraklion International Airport and one-hour-twenty from Chania
Because of its elevated position, the hotel itself isn’t directly on the beach, but the setup to reach the sea is super simple. A regular (and complimentary) shuttle whisks guests down to the resort’s private beach area in just a couple of minutes, where you’ll find sunbeds, calm shallow waters and two beach bars (with lounger service!)
Panormos itself is a lovely little traditional fishing village nearby (around 5 mins drive away), filled with waterfront tavernas, tiny sandy coves and that slower-paced, authentic Cretan charm that’s becoming harder to While Rethymno’s beautiful Venetian old town is 30 minutes in a taxi, plus mountain villages and boat trips are also within easy reach
Best Time To Visit The Royal Senses
Open from the end of April through to mid November, Royal Senses enjoys one of the longer seasons on the island and the beauty of Crete this far south is that even the edges of the season can still deliver wonderfully warm, sunshine-filled days
We visited in May and, as someone who normally associates a good holiday with guaranteed 30-degree heat, I was slightly apprehensive seeing temperatures sitting in the low 20s before we arrived. But it honestly ended up being ideal. When you’re spending your days carrying toddlers, running between pools and generally parenting at full speed, having sunshine without relentless heat makes everything so much more enjoyable
At the heart of the resort are two enormous family pools sitting side by side: one heated, one unheated. I honestly think it’s one of the smartest pool set-ups I’ve come across at a family hotel. The heated pool is properly, gloriously warm, then right beside it, the cooler pool acts as the perfect reset when the Cretan sun gets too much. Moving between the two really does feels like some kind of luxury thermal spa circuit, except instead of hushed adults in robes, it was children on inflatables
Peak summer is a no brainer, but for those not tied to term time, the sea is still wonderfully warm in September and early October and flight prices to Crete are often a lot lower
Rooms & Suites
Sensational sea view suites
The balcony comes with a table and chairs rather than loungers (those are reserved for the private pool suites), but honestly, with views like that, we barely noticed. It’s worth knowing there aren’t baths in any room types here, but my kids personally loved the huge walk in shower, spending half their time playing with toy animals in it, and baby baths can be provided
If you fancy a private pool opt for a King Grand Deluxe Room, these are smaller in size than the family suites, and in my opinion best suited to a family of 3 (although they can technically fit a single bed and a cot). None of the rooms at The Royal Senses have second ‘bedrooms’ as such, but the Villa categories are 2-storey, with single sofa beds on the ground floor. You can fit a family of 4 (plus a cot) here and these (unlike the other) private pools can be heated (although at a surcharge). I temperature tested these in May and although not *warm* they were definitely comfortable enough for kids to splash (and parents to lounge) in. I also appreciated the steps leading in, meaning toddlers could easily sit and play. So many private pools are just drops off, making them actually quite difficult for newbie swimmers to use
Kid's Entertainment
A stay & play Kids Club
The kids’ club setup was a pleasant surprise – especially for a Greek resort, where ‘kids’ club’ can sometimes mean little more than a small classroom with a colouring table. Here, it’s on a different scale. The space is enormous, with indoor and outdoor areas designed to work for children of all ages, while still offering age-specific activities for 3-6s, 6-9s and older children. More importantly, it actually felt alive. We’ve stayed at resorts where the kids’ club sits eerily empty all week, but here there were always plenty of children around, which meant endless opportunities for kids to make friends. ‘Inside’ the open air rooms, there’s loads for younger children to explore independently: a play kitchen, vanity station, toy supermarket, DUPLO, Magna-Tiles, books, puzzles and board games, plus table tennis and foosball for older kids. My son was immediately drawn to the climbing frames and water-play areas, and there was enough variety that he kept moving happily from one thing to another without getting bored. The supervised sessions are available for children aged three and up, but what I really appreciated was the stay-and-play setup
Technically my four-year-old is old enough to be left at kids’ clubs, but he absolutely wouldn’t go in on his own – whereas my very confident two-year-old would happily march straight in, make friends and start playing with new toys. Spaces like this are our favourite kind of kids’ club because they work just as well for children who want independence as they do for those who still want mum or dad nearby. If you’ve got a more cautious child, younger siblings tagging along, or simply prefer spending time together, being able to properly use the space as a family felt like a godsend
And as someone who likes to spend as much time outdoors as possible on holiday, I especially appreciated that it wasn’t all confined to a dark indoor room – the sunny garden spaces made it somewhere you genuinely didn’t mind hanging out for a while. Depending on the day, activities included face painting, bug hotel building, messy play, mini Olympics, labyrinth building, sack races and even Greek vase design workshops. And although the space isn’t specifically designed for babies, little details – like the baby changing facilities and emergency stash of wipes and nappies available in the toilets – made it stress free to bring your youngest along too
In the evenings, they alternate between cinema nights and mini discos from 5-6pm, which I’m sure any parent attempting to maintain even the vaguest semblance of a bedtime routine on holiday will appreciate more than the standard 8pm entertainment kickoff. And for those whose little ones want to stay up later, there’s the chance for another dance with the evening DJ. Although aimed at grown-ups, we spotted lots of kids happily darting around the dancefloor in front of them. It summed up the resort perfectly: sophisticated enough for adults to feel like they’re on holiday too, but relaxed enough that nobody minds kids being part of the scene
For those wanting to fully lean into holiday mode and, gasp, eat a meal using both hands, babysitting is available from six months-old, with private babysitters bookable from €22.50 an hour, and this service can also be used in the Kids’ Club during the day
Wining & Dining
Family-friendly dining that still feels destination-worthy
Food can make or break a family holiday for me. Breakfast quickly became one of my favourite parts of the day. The buffet is enormous, but still feels polished rather than chaotic, with a mix of classic luxury-hotel staples and genuinely good local Cretan food. There’s a tea and a fizz station (which feels delightfully indulgent at 8am), baskets of flaky croissants, different local honeys, omelettes made to order, fresh juices, smoked meats and cheeses, plus every variation of ‘holiday breakfast’ your children could possibly demand (mine like to live off pancakes and waffles). Dinner service starts at 6.30pm, which sounds like a small thing until you have young children melting down from hunger at 7.45pm while waiting for a table somewhere stylish. The earlier opening made evenings feel infinitely more relaxed and family-friendly. Guests on half board, as we were, have a buffet dinner (but not drinks) included. Offerings changed nightly, and our plates were piled high with the likes of baked beef, oven-roasted lamb, grilled tuna, salmon and sea bass cooked to order, tortillas with minced meat, fried mussels with aioli, duck pancakes, chicken in a Cuban marinade, pasta, pizza and garlic bread alongside a truly impressive spread of salads, dips, chutneys and local dishes
The Cretan corner changed daily, with things like zucchini and feta pies, pepper pie and even snails for anyone wanting to fully embrace the regional cuisine. For kids, there’s a mini buffet (handily at their height) with a mix of fussy eater favourites and more local specialities. There were dedicated vegan corners at both breakfast and dinner, plenty of dairy-free milk options available, and allergens were clearly labelled throughout the buffet
We didn’t personally try the other two a la carte restaurants (Mitato and Cretamos), as we really loved the buffet (both the food and the vibey setting, reader: this feels like dining in a destination-restaurant, hotel dining hall it is *not*), but they looked beautiful and I’ve heard great things from other guests. For those of you interested, dishes in these two restaurants ranged from €18 for a starter to €30 for a main – and remember you get 15% off food (as well at 2 of the restaurants down the hill at The Royal Blue). On the menus? Goodies such as sea bass risotto, lobster tail gnocchi, beef cheeks and aubergine, lamb saddle, grouper fillet and king crab ravioli
Lunches by the pool leaned more relaxed and exactly what you want on a hot family holiday day: pizzas, burgers, poke bowls and an excellent club sandwich I ended up ordering more than once. Mains sat around the €20 mark, cocktails €14, a glass of wine €9 and beer €6, which felt pretty standard for a luxury Greek resort. There wasn’t a separate children’s menu here, but ours happily shared pizzas and you can take them (whatever their age) to the Kids’ Club for a complimentary lunch (just make sure to let the staff know in advance!). You can also head to Platia if you fancy a proper sit down lunch (and you still get views of the pool), here you can expect a menu including cured tuna, ceviche, mezze, pasta and gyros. The kid’s menu includes chicken nuggets and chips, but also mini greek salad and fish croquettes. There’s also a baby food menu (including purée options), which can be served in room free of charge, but the hotel does ask requests are submitted 24 hrs in advance
One little thing I really appreciated was the on-site shop, which understood that parents don’t want to get in a taxi every time somebody suddenly ‘needs’ a specific snack. The mini market stocks all the practical essentials – nappies, baby food, drinks, crisps and biscuits – alongside the truly important items: ice lollies and recognisable emergency holiday bribes like Twix & Mars ice creams. Because however beautiful the buffet may be, sometimes children simply want the basic goodies
Swimming Pools
Europe’s most aesthetically pleasing waterpark
The pool set-up at The Royal Senses Crete completely exceeded my expectations – and honestly, if you only saw the photos on Instagram, you’d probably assume the entire resort was adults-only. Twin olympic length pools face the ocean, peppered with palm trees and sunbeds, framed by flowers. I filled my camera roll taking the same shots over and over again – they really are that beautiful. But what I loved most is that these insanely gorgeous swim spots were still full of floats, pool toys and gleeful children. It somehow manages to feel design-led and genuinely family-friendly at the same time, which is surprisingly rare. The adults-only pools are actually tucked higher up in the resort by the spa – one indoor and one outdoor – so families really do get to properly enjoy the main pools without feeling like they’re intruding on a couples-only atmosphere. One of the two main pools is heated to 28°C and I can hand on heart say it felt bath-water warm. I’m such a wimp with cold water and usually spend the first ten minutes of any holiday swim trying to acclimatize, but here I was straight in. Honestly, it’s one of the warmest hotel pools I’ve ever swum in and I could happily have stayed there all day. It’s standing depth for adults too, which somehow adds to that giant-luxury-bath feeling
The second main pool isn’t heated and felt more geared towards proper swims and quieter moments overlooking the sea, although we still spotted children happily swimming well into the evening. There’s also a separate heated splash pool tucked slightly to the side, with shade overhead. We never struggled to find a sunbed (and reader – these are *luxe* loungers) at any point during our stay, which at a family resort in peak swimming hours feels almost unheard of. Food and drinks are ordered through the hotel’s app, but it never felt impersonal. The staff were constantly circulating, checking if anyone needed anything. Another small detail that made a huge difference for us: while the waterpark doesn’t open until 10am, the main pools open at 8am. So many resorts wait until 9am, but that extra hour is golden when you have early-rising children
I wouldn’t have believed myself before I stayed here, but I can confirm an aesthetically pleasing water park is, in fact, a thing. The aqua tower was such a hit with my two and four year-olds. There are two smaller slides that felt like the perfect ‘starter’ speed, plus the sweetest little bunny slide and mushroom shower area which my almost-three-year-old became completely obsessed with. There isn’t a dedicated toddler splash pad (the kind with sprinklers shooting up from the ground rather than into a pool, if you know the type I mean) but the water depth around the aqua tower sat around chest height on my nearly three-year-old, which gave her enough confidence to properly enjoy it independently. Above the smaller slides are three faster flumes with no height restrictions, and even my very timid four-year-old ended up loving them by the end of the trip. My son is usually the type to go blue-lipped the second he gets cold, so I was slightly nervous when I realised the water park pool itself isn’t heated. But honestly, with outside temperatures sitting in the low-to-mid twenties, it felt exactly the temperature you’d want it to be for cooling off. In reality, we were dragging both children away from the slides every evening rather than coaxing them in. One thing I really appreciated as a parent: the whole set-up makes supervision genuinely easy. There are super-comfortable bed-style loungers right by the slides (although there aren’t loads, so at busier times you might not snag one), a snack bar nearby, and the kids’ club sits directly underneath, so it’s very easy to yo-yo between both without trekking across the resort
To swim in the sea, you can hop on the complimentary shuttle to the private beach at sister The Royal Blue Resort every 30 minutes. It takes less than 5 minutes in the car and there are borrowable car seats available for babies. The beach itself is beautifully set up: calm, crystal-clear water in that unmistakable electric Greek blue, soft sand, and sheltered swimming thanks to the man-made cove. It’s the kind of beach where children can paddle and play without parents needing to shadow their every move. You’ll also find loungers and bar service, complete with press-for-service buttons at your sunbed for maximum holiday laziness. The only compromise is the view outward: the man made rocky cove walls mean you don’t get that endless sweeping horizon you might picture from postcard Greece. But honestly, once you’re waist-deep in perfectly still turquoise water while your children happily paddle nearby, it feels like a very fair trade
Our Verdict
The Royal Senses is one of those rare family resorts that manages to deliver luxury and child-friendliness in equal measure. Not ‘family-friendly’ in the token sense of adding a plastic slide beside an otherwise adults-only aesthetic, but a fully fledged family hotel that also happens to feel boutique, polished and genuinely luxurious
What struck me most during our stay was how relaxing it felt as a parent. Family holidays can sometimes feel like relocating the chaos of home to a hotter country, but Royal Senses creates an atmosphere that feels calm, spacious and restorative without ever making children feel like an inconvenience. Despite some building work and telephone lines on the outer edges of the resort, your eye is constantly drawn back to the real focal point: the huge uninterrupted sea views stretching out in front of you. The whole place still feels peaceful, cocooned and incredibly scenic
My children are four (almost five) and two (almost three), and honestly, they felt like the perfect age for this resort. My son absolutely loved the lower-tempo water park setup – exciting enough to feel special, but not so overstimulating that I spent the entire time in a state of low-level panic – while the wide shallow steps leading into the family pool were ideal for my little girl, who could happily sit for an hour playing with her dolls at the water’s edge. And the temperature? *Chef’s kiss*. The resort was at 100% occupancy when we visited, and you definitely couldn’t tell. The service was seamless and there’s a very generous guest : staff ratio. We never struggled to find a bed, although you may have to wait a little bit around the waterpark by the late afternoon
The age setup here also works brilliantly for that slightly awkward in-between parenting stage where one child is technically ‘kids’ club age’ and the other still very much isn’t. If you want to properly make use of the supervised sessions, I’d say three-plus is the sweet spot. But if you’re more like us and prefer a stay-and-play setup where younger siblings can join in and parents don’t feel rushed to disappear, Royal Senses really excels. Plus, the gorgeous private pool rooms, baby food menu and babysitting options make it great for preschoolers too
One of the biggest concerns people often have with half-board resorts is whether the dining will start to feel repetitive after a few days, but The Royal Senses handles this brilliantly. Alongside the expansive main buffet, which changes nightly and offers a genuinely impressive range of fresh, high-quality options, there are multiple additional restaurants across the hotel itself and its sister property down the road to mix things up throughout the week. And because the resort never feels isolated, it’s also incredibly easy to venture out for an authentic local meal, with excellent Cretan tavernas just a short taxi ride away
We personally paired a few days at The Royal Senses with a stay at Creta Maris Resort, and you can read my full review here. Whether you’re sold on a full week at The Royal Senses (and if so, can I come back and join you?) or tempted by the idea of a two-stop Crete trip instead, our Tiny Travel Agency can plan the whole thing for you, simply submit an enquiry here
The Royal Senses: Our Tiny Travelship Take
Themes: Where to go when by month, with kids, The Family Friendly European Edit,
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