Rooms

From the cool, dark lobby, a spiral staircase loops up to 8 capacious rooms - 4 with double beds and 4 with a double and a single - set square above each other over 2 floors. Basted in tones of beige and chocolate and bathed in a gentle refracted light cast by individually designed mosaic glass lampshades, these high ceilinged quarters are decked with heavy window drapes and flower-sprigged cushions. Balinese-style four-posters or black leather double beds float in a sea of lacy voile at the centre of each of these cocoons.

Bathrooms are cramped but functional enough, with plenty of hot water (but no overhead shower head attachment), so if you like to wallow as you wash, choose # 13, which has a small bath. If you hanker after peace, make sure you pick #13 or #14 giving onto the interior courtyard - these are also the best rooms if you like to pad straight from your room to breakfast without having to pass reception. Parents with older kids will want to book #22 and #24, which have steep ladders leading to single bed mezzanine sleeperies tucked high up beneath the honey-toned wooden rafters.

Features include:

• Minibar
• Safe box
• WiFi

Eating

Splanzia is owned by a local family, so the copious breakfast, served by son Nikos, is spiced up with mum's home-baked melomakarona (spiced honey biscuits) and kalitsounia (crispy filo pastry pies oozing with mithizra goats cheese). You can eat in the lobby when the weather’s bad, but the peaceful shaded courtyard is the best place in sunny weather. Bring a book and you can linger all morning, listening to mass chanted in the church next door and sipping excellent coffee.

There’s no restaurant in the hotel, but a plethora of eateries nearby means that you will be spoilt for dining choices. If you’re seeking something typical, duck out of the rear of the hotel and, in a cobbled square clustered around the minaret, half a dozen ouzeries serve a succulent selection of mezedes (tapas-style nibbles) with drinks.

For more ample nourishment check out The Well of the Turk, a historic building converted to an atmospheric restaurant, serving confit of lamb, cheescake with rosewater and other interesting takes on Mediterranean and Middle Eastern specialties. Down near the harbour, you’ll find plenty of buzzing tavernas.

Features include:

• Bar
• Breakfast
• Restaurants nearby

Activities

• Explore the bustling town of Chania on your doorstep: its picturesque fishing harbour, its arsenali now converted into a gallery space, its lovely little archaeological museum with finds from Minoan, Roman & Hellenistic times, and its maritime museum where model ships sit side by side with a medley of objects dredged up from the sea
  
• Visit the Byzantine monasteries of Ayia Triada (beautiful Italianate architecture) and Gouvernetou (nearby hermit's chapel), both of them about 30 minutes' drive away; from Gouvernetou, a path leads down to the rocky shore - a perfect spot for secluded bathing
  
• Take a day trip to Knossos (about 2 hours drive each way), seat of the Minoan palace culture and legendary home of the labyrinth and Minotaur; stop off for a bite in one of Heraklion's excellent restaurants, and a tour of its imposing Venetian sea walls
  
• Trek through the world-famous Samaria gorge (along with the crowds; open May-Oct) or the Ayia Irini gorge (fewer crowds; open all year); both are a full day’s hike, catching a boat and/or a bus back
  
• Sunbathe and swim from the sandy beach west of town; or, for truly idyllic beaches, drive 2 hours southwest to Elafonisi (try and get there before the afternoon crowds), or 1 hour west to Falassarna and Balos (the latter requires a short hike, or a boat from Kastelli)
  
• Crete is an incredibly diverse island, with lots to see and do. For more of our favourites, check out our destination guide
  

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Historical sites
• Museums / galleries
• Nightlife
• Scuba diving
• Shopping / markets
• Swimming
• Traditional cultures

Kids

Four of the rooms have a double and a single bed, and are fine for small families. Two of these have their single bed on a mezzanine level, so are great for those with older children. Cramped bathrooms and lack of space could be a problem for parents with younger children.

Best for:

Children (4-12 years)

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

Splanzia Hotel is in the old quarter of Chania, on the north coast of Crete.

By Air:
Chania (15km) is the closest airport, served by daily flights from Athens the year through, and by charter flights from most European capitals in summer. Alternatively, there's Heraklion(110km). Click on the links below for a list of airlines serving these airports.

By Boat:
For a really romantic approach - fly into Athens and then take the overnight ferry from Piraeus into Rethymnon or Chania-Souda. There are also occasional sailings from Gythion (Peloponnese) to Kastelli, also called Kissamos.

From the Airport/Port
The hotel can organise a taxi transfer from Chania airport See Rates, 15km away. There is also a regular bus service between Panormos, Chania and Heraklion.

By Car:
If you want to explore the island then see our car rental recommendations.

Detailed directions will be sent when you book through i-escape.com.

More on getting to Greece and getting around