Multigenerational Perfect Vacation in Crete and Santorini with Teens and Young Adults
- Mema
- Sep 8
- 8 min read
Updated: Sep 9
This Grandma’s eighteen and nineteen year old grandchildren wanted a vacation in the Greek Islands and had no interest in Athens or the Parthenon! Researching all the possible island choices, I decided Crete and Santorini give a great introduction to the many Greek Islands. Having been to both before enabled me to hone into experiences that would excite the teens/young adults.
We were joined by the nineteen year old’s parent and significant other, so selected hotels with separate villas and separate private pools, where they could have privacy and we could have a grandmother-grandchildren vacation as well.
ELOUNDA, CRETE
Crete is one of the largest Greek islands, and one must choose the east or west side. Elounda is located on the northeastern coast of Crete, known for luxury hotels and resorts and scenic coastal setting, near the larger town of Agios Nikolas, Spinalonga Island, and especially, Knossos, designated a World Heritage site just two days beforewe arrived. From the airport and port of Herkalion, an hour from Elounda, one can take a high speed catamaran to Santorini in one and one half hours. Sold.
HOTEL: DOMES OF ELOUNDA
Marriott, Autograph Collection
Tsifiki Elounda, Crete 72063 +30 2841 043500
The DOMES OF ELOUNDA: A five star experience in a five star location, and if you are a Marriott rewards member there are special perks and upgrades, if available. Domes of Elounda is a resort that wants you to have the most enjoyable stay and does its best to make that happen. The view of Spinalonga Island is spectacular.
Our two bedroom 2 1/2 bath duplex villa, with living room, dining room and private pool
was beautiful and has a great view of the sea.
The Domes of Elounda is a five minute walk from the village of Plaka which has a small selection of excellent tavernas, a few coffee shops, a supermarket and a couple of other shops. The town of Elounda is approximately 40 minute walk or 10 minutes by taxi. Elounda will give you an even greater choice of lovely tavernas, shops, bars etc.
Hotel tips:
Our villa was in an older section of the Domes of Elounda, but we found our accommodations wonderful, albeit up fifty steps to get there which was automatic exercise! This is a resort with accommodations going up a high hill. Know that there are lots of steps in this area of the resort if you have mobility issues. It was very quiet and very close to the main area of the resort, which did not require us to take a golf cart, except when we had dinner at Core one night, because we did not use the fitness area, which was outside there nor the family pool there. Our family had another pool suite in the newer area which we understand was beautiful and view even better up higher on the hill but requires waiting for a golf cart transfer to get to the lobby area, breakfast, some restaurants, and adult pool and beach.
ELOUNDA EXPERIENCES
The eighteen year old was surprised that we were not on the go morning to night. I explained that London and Switzerland this March was a trip and now in July we were on vacation—laid back and enjoying being! However, now to the experiences.
PRIVATE GUIDE
Some inquire how I select a guide. I use Tripadvisor and read all of the comments about the guides, and just select who will be flexible for our designated family group. This group with adults and older teens/young adults was under the expert guidance of George Dermitzakis who tailored all of his tours to suit older teens who wanted highlights only and more time to relax. He was outstanding and took care of all of our needs, and airport and port transportation. We did all of our excursions under his guidance.
GEORGE DERMITZAKIS SunSud Tours
+30 694 434 0482 +30 694 434 0482 whatsapp
SunSud Tours Email: sunsudtours@gmail.com
Address: 3 Androu St, Heraklion, 71303, GR
KNOSSOS PALACE
We visited the palace and the complex and saw the highlights in one hour, with George selecting the Knossos guide for us.
Having just been designated a World Heritage site, it contains the oldest throne known, made of solid stone. It is an interesting ancient site with structures uncovered from three
different periods, the oldest being 2,000 BC of the Minoan civilization. The Minoans
clearly had a fine aesthetic sense and were sufficiently developed to support skilled
artisans, creating early plumbing and bathtub drainage, as well as terraces to catch the
wind and avoid the sun. Some of the features were fully "restored" by British
archeologist Sir Arthur Evans in brilliant colors. Others remain ruins, though stabilized.
Tip: The upper plaza is accessible to anyone, including people with mobility challenges.
The lower rooms can only be accessed via uneven stone steps. Anyone who uses a
cane or trekking poles should bring those along. Although it's called "the Palace," this is more accurately descried as an administrative complex that includes a royal residence.
SPINALONGA ISLAND
George did a one hour tour for us, and provided the private boat transfer to and from the
island. Spinalonga is a small island very close to Elounda and on the east part of the island of
Crete. It accommodated in isolation people suffering from lepra until 1957. Through the
centuries it has been inhabited by the Venetians, the Turks before it isolated the lepers.
VASSILAKIS ESTATE
“The accumulated experience of five generations goes into every bottle of award- winning Vassilakis Estate extra virgin olive oil. The Vassilakis family have been producing olive oil since 1865, and are today one of Crete’s top exporters.” This was a highlight of our stay in Crete, with and Olive Oil and Wine Tasting Combo. We bought our souvenirs and gifts here.
We learned all about olive raising, harvesting, and processing of their award winning olive oil and had an outstanding charcuterie lunch and wine tasting of wines unique to Crete:
Expert-led olive oil and wine tasting session with appetizers: Professional tasting of 4 different olive oils: how experts judge olive oil quality and learn how to recognize it for yourself. Includes appetizers.
Cretan wine-tasting session with a qualified sommelier and appetizers: Professional tasting of 5 different Cretan wines accompanied with a generous selection of local Cretan delicacies, renowned Cretan foods including cold cuts, cheese, traditional double-baked rusks,olives and olive spreads and seasonal fruit.
FAVORITE RESTAURANTS NEAR DOMES OF ELOUNDA
Paliria Taverna, by the sea in Plaka
Olondi, Harborfront in Elounda,
Kanali: Akti Olountos, Schisma Elountas
Moon Spinners Restaurant Harborfront Elounda
HIGH SPEED CATAMARAN FERRY TO SANTORINI. Heraklion to Santorini 8:00 am -9:35 am SEAJETS CHAMPIONS LEAGUE JET 1 via *WEB TICKETS AVAILABLE ON “FERRYHOPPER” APP 48 HOURS PRIOR TO DEPARTURE
Domes of Elounda is approximately one hour to Heraklion to go on the high speed catamaran ferry for one hour and a half to Athinios, Thira port in Santorini.
SANTORINI
Santorini, known since ancient times as Thira, is one of the most famous islands in the world. Santorini is one of the Cyclades islands in the Aegean Sea. It was created by a volcanic eruption in the 16th century BC. The whitewashed houses of its two main towns, Fira and Oia, cling to cliffs above an underwater caldera (crater), both hilly and charming. The streets in Oia are covered in marble. They both overlook the sea, small islands to the west and beaches made up of black, red and white lava pebbles.
SANTORINI HOTEL: ANDRONIS ARCADIA OIA
Oia Street,santorini Gr 84702,GR
The correct pronunciation of "Oia" (Οία) is "ee-ah". The Andronis Arcadia is the place to stay on Santorini, a new magnificent five star hotel with wonderful five star service in a perfect location, steps away from the town of Oia. The enormous pool complex is drop dead gorgeous with a gorgeous view, with seats in the water and lounges right near the water.
Tip: Although our two bedroom two bath villa had a pool, it was too warm and the main pool was too beautiful to miss. The three level villa was missing a half bath on the main
floor.
SANTORINI EXPERIENCES
PRIVATE GUIDED TOUR UPON ARRIVAL WITH KOSTAS: Discover the South of
Santorini:
Kostas Sakavaras Licensed Tourist Guide www.santorini-private-guide.com
Kostas’ cellphone: +306977785359,.
From his arranged pickup at the Seajets pier to dropoff at our hotel in Oia for check-in, we had a wonderful tour with Kostas. We learned about the creation of Santorini, the caldera, and the history of Santorini to the present. Ever sensitive to the needs and desires of our eighteen and nineteen year olds, Kostas varied the tour so we visited Thira and recommendations with his texted guide down the village path from top to bottom. We saw the beautiful beaches and had lunch at a delicious restaurant on the Perivolos Beach Ta Sixiva, The Nets. A wonderful day with a wonderful guide. If Santorini is on your itinerary, definitely see it with Kostas.
ASK TO STOP: Atlantis Gallery (in the area of more upscale shops in Thira)
Ipapantis 13, Thira 847 00, Greece Phone: +30 2286 022241e-mail
MANY VISITS TO SHOP, EAT, AND SNACK IN OIA: The most famous village of the
Caldera and the best spot to enjoy the sunset. Clifftop village known for its romantic ambiance and narrow streets lined with boutiques and cafes. Renowned for panoramic sunset views and traditional architecture.
A walk in the streets of Oia reveals the unique architecture of the rock-cut houses with their whitewashed arches. At the water’s edge, there are plenty of options for fresh fish and ouzo, with spectacular views of the sea and the sun setting. Main Street: The promenade stretches along the whole town, and delivers beautiful views of the entire caldera. The most known and representative part (Nikolaou Nomikou Street) is lined with 19th-century marble. When planning what to buy in Santorini, consider local wines, olive oil products, handmade pottery and donkey-themed souvenirs. Jewelry, textiles and natural beauty products also make wonderful gifts or keepsakes.
SANTORINI YACHTING CLUB SUNSET CRUISE
Santorini Yachting Club Sunset Cruise: Private 4 Hour Sunset Cruise with the Highland 35
Power Catamaran; SNORKELING GEAR PROVIDED, STAND UP PADDLEBOARDING;
BRING BATHING SUITS; WITH DINNER.
Santorini Yachting Club is an experienced sailing company. The owners of the company, Triantafillou Family, have first introduced sailing tours in Santorini over three decades ago. Having a long nautical heritage, they guarantee you a carefree and enjoyable sailing experience. Explore the most beautiful beaches and sheltered coves while sailing the crystal waters of Aegean Sea.
We had a five star 35’ catamaran private sunset cruise for the five of us on THE ENJOY with Demitri and George. All of us consider this the number one experience to have in Santorini. We had four stops on the Caldera, for snorkeling and stand-up paddle boarding, driving and swimming, going into Hot Springs, seeing villages above us and other boats all around us. The barbecue meal cooked by Dimitri and George was one of the best we have had in Greece. Their service was outstanding. Their timing is spectacular. We landed right in front of the famous Santorini sunset at exactly the right time to see it set and in exactly the right place. You should not miss this experience in Santorini.
FAVORITE RESTAURANTS
Ta Sixiva, The Nets. Perivolos Beach, Agios Georgios 847 00 Taken by Kostas for lunch
Lycabettus Restaurant Oia
Nik. Nomikou S/N Andronis Luxury Suites, Oia 84702 Greece
Tephra Rooftop Oia Bar, Greek, 2 minutes from hotel Crete and Santorini are wonderful to experience with children and grandchildren with
Joy,
Mema
