Had we known how good the food would be, we would have opted for half-board rather than bed and breakfast.
The staff at the hotel’s restaurant would happily whisk the children away to see the kitchens, or watch the sunset, while we ate. But some nights we just headed to the more low-key White Bar for snacks.
For those moments when you fancy straying from the hotel, there are several beautiful restaurants – some low-key, some more upmarket – is a regular local bus service that stops outside the hotel and travels along the main road around the island. It can get a bit hot and pongy in the heat of the day but it is cheap and efficient, and will take you to a number of beaches and restaurants, including Kolios which is perfect for kids – set in a quiet, sheltered bay. Sadly the taverna here has closed down, but there is a nice bar and snack area at Vromolimnos, which is in the next bay along. To access Lalaria, the purest beach on the island – no bar, taverna, just beautiful crystalline water and a few small boats, you need to hop on a boat.
If you fancy something more cultural, head to the monastery of Evaggelistria with four museums nestled in beautiful verdant surroundings, where older kids will lap up the magical atmosphere. Beware, though, this is not a place for easily manouevring buggies.
Enjoy a coffee under the pine trees at the public coffee house on Bourtzi, which divides the port into two parts.
Best of all, walk three minutes from the hotel, along a shaded path to the world-famous Koukanaries beach, with its endless golden sands and a stone pine forest running behind giving off a delicious scent. Let us be honest, unless your kids are slightly older you are unlikely at this stage to be able to pull out a book and snooze on the sand for the next hour. But who cares? Spread out your towel, lay out the buckets and spade, dose up on sun-cream, breathe in the smell of the ocean, and relax.
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