Kiani Beach Resort: An excursion to Chania

Last month we enjoyed the most incredible week at Kiani Beach Resort, a holiday we still speak about on a daily basis, and made the most amazing memories to treasure for always. Encapsulating everything we could ever want from a family holiday, our stay was absolutely perfect from start to finish and made all the more wonderful by the staff who went out of their way to make our holiday as stress-free as possible.

One of the great things about Kiani Beach Resort is the on-site excursions office where you can book a whole range of trips and experiences in the surrounding areas during your stay. Having flown into Chania airport we were keen to see more of the city and so for our first excursion out of the resort we did exactly that.

Chania is the second largest city in Crete and just a twenty five minute drive from Kiani Beach Resort. There is also a shuttle bus at the end of the road for those who would prefer to visit in their own time. Having been dropped off in the city centre and arranged a pick up time and location, we set off to explore and there’s not prizes for guessing where we headed first!

The ice cream in Crete is absolutely delicious, rivalling even the finest gelato we have tried previously in Italy, and there are stands and stalls on every corner. The great thing about a place like Chania is that even on the outskirts you can just sit back with an ice cream and there is so much to see!

Although the streets were very quiet earlier in the evening, as we sat eating our ice creams we saw several horse and carts pass us by with tourists enjoying the ride and the closer we got to the centre the more we realised this is a really popular means of sight seeing in Chania. As you. can imagine the children loved seeing the horses pass us by!

Chania has a very different feel to other European cities we have visited and an atmosphere I would struggle to put into words. The outskirts feel incredibly peaceful where you could literally hear a pin drop, although it still feels very much like you are on your holidays with the sun cracking the flags. As you move closer towards the centre and the more popular tourist areas, Greek music fills the air and that sense of hustle and bustle echoes down the streets. It was our first time in Crete so I can’t say how Chania compares to other cities or large towns, but I do know that we absolutely loved it!

That said, Chania, and many parts of Crete as a whole, have typical Venetian architecture with arched paved streets and high buildings, all of which are beautiful to look at. We enjoyed wandering around the streets admiring the buildings and particularly inside the churches where the children did what they always do during our travels, and lit a candle for Joseph which is always very special.

Chania is definitely one of those places where you can just wander around, doing nothing at all specific, and still have an amazing day, and for the first hour or so that’s exactly what we did. There are lots of little lanes to explore, statues to admire, and windows to peer in and of course if you want to stop for a drink or something to eat the options are literally endless!

The most amazing thing thing about Chania is undoubtedly the Old Venetian Harbour which is both breathtakingly beautiful to look at but a real hive of activity. Here you will find rows of bars and restaurants and gift shops, as well as all of the many boat excursions you can enjoy during your trip.

The Old Venetian Harbour was built by the Venetians during their colonisation in Crete between 1320 and 1356 and was an important centre serving the Venetian military ships as well as one of the most important commercial ports of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. In the 16th century a fort was constructed next to the entrance of the harbour after Turkey was perceived as a threat. Later in the 19th-20th century the port was gradually abandoned in favour of the larger harbour of Souda which serves the passenger and commercial traffic of Crete today. As a result, the Old Venetian Harbour remains very much a tourist hot spot.

It is at the harbour where you will find all of the horses and carts, all lined up in a row, and although we didn’t hire one this time with there being six of us, they did look like a lot of fun! Even better, they were all shaded by large parasols which was definitely necessary in the sunshine!

The heat is definitely something to take into consideration in Chania, particularly at the harbour where there is very little shade. We visited in the evening, arriving at 5pm and yet with hindsight we would have waited until closer to 7pm when the sun wasn’t as strong and simply had a later night with the children.

Luckily we did find lots of places to stop for a drink and to cool down and large bottles of water available around the harbour for just one euro which is unheard of in many cities! We found Crete very affordable in general, far more so than other countries we have visited recently, and we were told in comparison with mainland Greece or many of the smaller islands, eating out in Crete, or food shopping in the supermarkets, was far cheaper.

At the harbour you can walk right the way out across the harbour walls to a lighthouse at the end which was originally build by the Venetians in the 16th century to protect the harbour. During the Turkish occupation the lighthouse fell into disrepair and was eventually rebuilt in 1824 in the form of a minaret. The lighthouse is now often referred to as Egyptian as it was built during a time when Crete was occupied by Egyptian troops. Renovated in 2005, the lighthouse is absolutely stunning and although you can’t go up the tower, it’s definitely worth the walk to take a closer look!

This is definitely the best spot to enjoy the views across the harbour and also lovely and peaceful, especially for the time of year. Although masks were not mandatory at the time of our stay, everybody maintained social distancing and as we walked along the breakwater our personal space was respected at all times. We found that Crete as a whole was incredible in the way they dealt with Covid and we felt incredible safe throughout.

Along the harbour walls there are lots of gorgeous spots to explore and so many perfect photo opportunities! It sounds silly when I write it down but as we walked along those walls I very much felt that we were in Greece and a whole world away from home. I think when I look back on our excursion to Chania those moments just sat taking in the view or shading beneath a giant palm tree will definitely be the moments we remember.

After walking right to the end, when the heat got too much and we needed to cool down even further, we simply kicked off our shoes, waded into the water and splashed each other looking out at the views, And that was a pretty special memory too.

Back in the centre the Venetian architecture is more apparent than ever with the narrow lanes and terracotta buildings standing beneath the most beautiful flower arches I’ve ever seen! It is here you will find even more restaurants, a little quieter than those found around the harbour, and the smell of Cretan cooking as you walk through the streets is enough to make anyone feel hungry!

As a tourist spot, there are lots of little shops, stalls and stands to explore down every lane and the children loved choosing out their holiday souvenirs for themselves and our family back home. I remember the excitement of doing the same when I was a child and how important it was to choose the perfect magnet for my best friend on our return to school!

At the end of our evening we made our way back to our allocated pick up point where our transport from Kiani Beach Resort was waiting for us at the exact time we had arranged. It really couldn’t have been easier, especially with the children!

It’s safe to say that we absolutely loved our excursion to Chania and if you are staying at Kiani Beach Resort, or visiting Crete elsewhere, we really cannot recommend it enough. It’s one of those places that just feels like the perfect holiday location and whether you love to stroll along the harbour, admire the architecture or simply some traditional Cretan food, it’s well and truly worth a visit.

** We were invited to Kiani Beach Resort for a complimentary stay in exchange for our honest opinion. All excursions were included within our package. **