Amirandes

New in July, Amirandes is Crete’s big buzz for 2007. They’ve chosen the location well, a quiet, 70,000sq metre landscaped estate with two coves of golden sand. Yet you’ve got easy access to Heraklion’s international airport (a 20 min drive) and the island’s top archaeological site, the Palace of Knossos (20 min) Crete’s natural credentials surround you: hills of olive trees, flowering shrubs, tropical palms and the sparkling blue waters of the warm Mediterranean. This sense of calm is brought into the resort with its sleek, blazing white architecture with natural stone terraces and view-framing arches. Opt for a room in the principal hotel building or bungalow suites arranged like a traditional Mediterranean village. There’s a lobby bar, an Elixir Spa offering Ayurvedic therapies and five restaurants. This is the largest aqua paradise on Crete, with 2,000sq metres of shallow palm-fringed lagoons, a hundred private pools, and an Olympic swimming pool.