Christine Faughlin checks into an all-inclusive resort in Crete that offers guests as many reasons to venture beyond its gates as it does to stay put on a sun lounger.

Where is it?

Near Rethymno on the northern coast of Crete, about halfway between Chania and Heraklion.

What’s the accommodation like?

There are loads of options to choose from, ranging from double rooms with mountain or garden views to seafront villas with private pools. We’re staying in a spacious swim-up room with views over the Cretan Sea. The interior has an airy elegance, with white-on-white decor, a dreamy day bed, a private deck and direct access to a shared pool. There’s a mini bar that’s replenished daily, a Nespresso coffee machine and even a pillow menu.

What did you eat and drink?

Grecotel’s LUXME approach turns the all-inclusive concept on its head, with book-ahead à la carte restaurants to choose from in addition to a vast buffet restaurant offering three sittings a day. It’s a buffet unlike anything I’ve seen before, with sourdough stations and oozing honeycomb slabs at breakfast, whole rooms dedicated to desserts and charcuterie for lunch and dinner, plus a wine-tasting room with a consulting sommelier. During a week’s stay you can dine once in each of the à la carte restaurants, including the option to head out of the resort for an evening at the hotel’s Agreco Farm, a 17th-century-style stone taverna surrounded by olive groves and vineyards. Back at the resort, we enjoyed all the Greek classics in Tavernaki, an upscale take on a traditional Greek taverna, had a near faultless degustation menu at the adults-only White Restaurant and, at the waterfront Lobsteria, we swooned over a four-course set menu with lobster – yes, lobster! – at the heart of every dish.

What is there to do?

As tempting as it is to stay at the resort, it’s worth taking in the Crete landscape, which is rich in mythology and archaeology. One day, we booked an excursion covering some of the island’s famous sites, including the sobering Arkadi Monastery and the vast cathedral-like Melidoni Cave, a place of worship since Neolithic times and the site of a massacre in 1824 during the Turkish occupation. We also spent time strolling the pretty streets and pottery shops of the village of Margarites. On another day, we took a guided tour of the Ancient Eleutherna Museum – a live archaeological site, perched high on a hill – and checked out ancient artefacts at the nearby museum.

What do I need to pack?

Sunglasses… with the white-on-white décor reflecting the sea and sky at every turn, you’ll be in full squint mode without them.

Lasting memory

You aren’t short of spots for relaxation at the resort, but the sand-and pebble beach running the length of the resort is the most alluring. Each morning, I'd take in a sea swim before anyone else awoke. Aside from sharing a friendly nod and a polite ‘kalimera’ with staff setting out sun loungers and raking the sand, it felt like I had the entire place to myself.

Sainsbury’s magazine insider tip

Download the Grecotel app a week before you arrive, so you can book into the à la carte restaurants ahead of time. And do make use of Grecotel’s 24-hour WhatsApp concierge service – the team promptly deals with all queries and requests both before and during your stay.

How to book

Swim-up rooms at Grecotel LUXME White start from €326 (approx. £278) per night based on two people sharing, including all meals, snacks and drinks. Flights and transfers not included.