Hello, my name is Emmy and I’m the Digital TV and Film Editor at HELLO! - but I also write travel reviews for the publication, and have been lucky enough to visit some incredible places in that time, from the Maldives to Dubai to China. So when I tied the knot, I had my work cut out for me to find a mini-moon destination that would be a trip worth remembering. After all, it’s the first one so it had to be special, right? Find out why Crete - and the Seaside Resort - was my top pick…
How to find the perfect mini-moon destination
So, what should you take into consideration when arranging your first trip as a married couple? First of all, I took into consideration the distance, time of the year, and activities to make the stay perfect for us as a couple. As my now-husband and I love relaxing, we enjoy a luxe holiday spot where our favourite thing is to do very little except read, play games and occasionally have a splash in the pool, so we knew that an activities-heavy vacation for our post-wedding relaxation wasn’t for us. As such, I was looking for a chilled-out destination.
Next up, distance. As this was a mini-moon, we didn’t want to go too far afield with long travel days with their multiple airports, jabs, visas and major time differences. Europe it is! And finally, we have to consider the time of the year. Our wedding was at the tail end of summer in late August, and so we wanted somewhere still guaranteeing sunny skies as the days skittered into Autumn.
Crete is Greece’s largest island, and despite not quite having the reputation of its cooler cousins, Santorini and Mykonos, it is a huge tourism draw for holidaymakers across Europe and indeed the world, with the Seaside A Lifestyle Resort hosting fellows guests from Germany, Italy and the UK to name a few.
We had plenty of resorts to choose from, and after a welcoming stay at the Wyndham Grand Hotel in Mirabello Bay, review here, we spent the lion's share of our stay at the beautiful Seaside A Lifestyle Resort - and here’s why it was the perfect choice.
A little about the Seaside A Lifestyle Resort, Crete
Located in a secluded corner of Mononaftis Bay, it was quick to see that the resort was designed to be the ultimate in relaxing stays.
Rebranding as an adults-only wellness resort back in 2021, with its sister accommodation the ACRO Suites - located right next to the resort - the Seaside A Lifestyle Resort had a very relaxed atmosphere, with something for everyone during the stay.
With several restaurants, the resort embraces the modern while also maintaining an authentic Greek feel, particularly with its Cretan Taverna, Minoa, with everything catered to making your stay peaceful, restorative and getting back to you. Or, in our case, it was the perfect place to begin life as a married couple.
The accommodation
But where to begin? First of all, there’s the view. The resort is a multi-levelled one, in which I imagine your stay would be notably different depending on where your villa is located. Since most villas have either a private or a shared pool, we often spotted couples who had clearly spent the day sunning themselves from their own rooms, not feeling the need to leave, enjoying the seclusion.
Perhaps most spectacularly, I spotted an incredible room which had a private pool right by the ocean, and remarked to my husband that I would never be leaving that spot if we had booked it. We were in a pretty garden villa with a shared pool, that was about a two-minute walk to the main resort’s restaurants and pool areas. As an all-inclusive resort, we opted to set up camp at one of the two main pools within close proximity to a bar packed with tasty cocktail options, a coffee window, and perhaps the best crepe-maker that single-handedly undid my stringent pre-wedding fitness spell.
That being said, the resort also boasted of the most impressive gyms - and fitness programmes - and left us very impressed. The gym is located in a stunning space that would encourage even the most lazy (AKA me) to visit and jump on a treadmill. With the top range, and up-to-date equipment, it truly was a pleasure to visit. In a smaller, yet equally visually dynamic space, guests also had the option of joining Cross Fit or Yoga classes. Since yoga was the early morning start, we took part in a class during our time there and were left impressed with the instructor and looking forward to doing more. Namaste!
For more active guests, there are also countless activities to get involved in, from the tennis courts to basketball. There are also plenty of activities for an extra cost, including scuba diving and banana boats.
Then there’s the view. Although the resort has a slightly pesky issue of simply being a big, spaced-out resort, with everything requiring a bit of a hike rather than being right at your fingertips, the multiple-storied layout of the villas, the pools, the restaurants, right down to the beach at the bottom of the resort, meant for utterly beautiful views of the island’s cerulean waters. To say that the resort is picturesque is an understatement, and you won’t be able to resist pulling out your camera to take all of the photos of your surroundings.
Is there a spa?
The crowning jewel at the Seaside Resort is the Cave Spa, an atmospheric, moody space that lives up to its name. With a sauna, steam bath and indoor pool, guests needing a break for the sunshine are welcome to visit to unwind. Then there are the treatments. While the spa offers everything from mani-pedis to facials, we mini-mooners were treated with ‘The Ritual’, a one-hour and 40-minute treatment consistently of a body scrub, body wrap, facial treatment with a lengthy massage to complete the experience. A gorgeous trip highlight.
If the spa isn't your thing, the resort also offers Asana Fitness Club for gym-goers to enjoy.
Where to eat?
Aside from the crepes situation at Pelagos’ pool, in which the creator of such crepes really ought to have a guest starring role in The Bear season three, the Seaside Resort does not just feed its guests on pancakes (though we probably would have been fine with that). Instead, the resort has a huge main restaurant which has a very impressive, all-inclusive buffet for breakfast, lunch and dinner, which includes everything you could ever want including a juice station and extensive healthy corner.
There are also several a la carte restaurants, including the Minoan Cretan Taverna, with a menu full of local specialities. If you’re spoiled for choice in the starter department, don’t worry, they bring all of them to you - giving you a chance to sample plenty of authentic cuisine. As for the main courses, we’d recommend the moussaka and the lamb (with unique, homemade pasta).
A favourite of ours was the UMI Restaurant, which departs from tradition with Peruvian and Japanese cuisine. We could barely decide what to choose from its gorgeous menu, and it was clear that a lot of love went into every single dish. However, if we had to choose, we’d recommend the shrimp tempura rolls, the beef gyoza and perhaps the most delicious lamb that we’ve ever had. Beautiful!
Finally, there was the Kullinarium Gourmet restaurant, perhaps Seaside Resort’s most romantic spot with softly lit tables, right by the ocean. The restaurant’s service was second-to-none, with our waitress telling us the history of our picked out wine while serving, and gifting us the cork ‘for luck’. Like the other restaurants, the cuisine was flawless, and the seafood soup, shrimp dumplings and beef Puttucini were among our top picks.
To conclude, where you spent those first few days with your new spouse completely depends on who you are as a couple - but for us, we certainly made the right choice with the Seaside Resort. We wanted relaxation, great food, glorious weather and more fizzy cocktails than we could count. And if you want the same sort of thing, check out how to make a reservation here.
To book at the Seaside A Lifestyle Resort, visit here.
