soon signed up to a deeper dive later in the week which took him to discover a shipwreck and the aforementioned underwater art installation. He was sold — well worth the €75 it cost him.

For a while Greece shot itself in the footby upping prices and getting a reputation for being a rip-off country. This resulted in thousands flocking to neighbouring arch-enemy Turkey, but the locals have learnt their lesson and prices are remarkably reasonable again. The service is consistent and — knowing how vital tourism is for their economy, especially on the islands — the welcome is genuine and friendly. I’m delighted to see the “old Greece” back again. Long may it last.

This hotel is one of a trio of resorts in Mirabello Bay, each with a different audience in mind. Minos Palace is a great escape for couples and adults. For the family, while Minos Beach is fine, Candia Park is even more child-orientated, so more the place to go if you have children young enough to go to kids’ clubs.

Jet2.com offers low fares, good flight times, and a generous 22kg baggage allowance to Crete from Edinburgh airport. Flights start from £82 one way including taxes. Minos Beach’s superior bungalows with bed and breakfast start from £184 per room per night; minosbeach.com

6 December 3, 2017 The Sunday Times

Scottish Travel

CRETE FOR A KING

I f I told you I recently jetted off toCrete, you could be forgiven forpointing out my time for all-nightraves in Malia was behind me.Correct, which is why I headed

straight for Agios Nikolaos, a resort situated in the beautiful Mirabello Bay.

Known as Ag Nik to locals, it is a medium-sized town but its gently bustling cafes and tavernas breed feelings of familiarity that only a small town can offer. It has three outlooks to the sea: Lake Voulismeni and the port, Kitroplatia beach, and the marina.

This abundance of water gives it a serene and tranquil setting and that’s exactly the atmosphere you find at the Minos Beach art hotel.

I needed a rest, a real rest. I’d undergone surgery and clocked up far too many flights in recent months to want to do much more than just flop, read, eat andsleep, so I looked long and hard when I was choosing a hotel.

Perched on the waterfront, just 10 minutes from the main hub, Minos Beach offers luxury accommodation and friendly service, so it’s easy to see why it has it has gained status as one of the best small luxury hotels in the world.

It prides itself on making a close connection with nature, whether it be through the aromatic herb gardens, the adjoining winding coastal paths, or the underwater art installations lying just off the hotel’s private beach. It all blends together nicely to produce a relaxing base for a break.

On offer is a variety of accommodation,from smart double rooms with aqua-blue sea views to villas that sleep up to six people and have private pools.

When I visited, despite the venue beingfully booked, there was never that dreaded morning rush for a sunbed; indeed, the manager proudly boasts that the hotel has more sunbeds than guests.

I knew Crete from previous visits. It’s afabulous island but on this trip I wasn’t up for hiking in the Samaria Gorge, or trailing round the Heraklion Archaeological Museum, and I couldn’t even sum up the enthusiasm to revisit the amazing Arkadi Monastery. On my one big outing I simply went over to the island of Spinalonga — not too far away, just off the north coast, but still an all-day tour.

You start with a visit to Ag Nik, and thentravel to the port side at Elounda. The boat drops you off to explore a fascinating Venetian fortress and one-time leper village. After a walking tour of the preserved buildings and streets, the excursion will usually finish with a barbecue lunch and time for a swim before the journey back.

Suitably exhausted from my efforts, itwas time to retreat to one of the hotel’s three bars and four restaurants, followed by a visit to the hotel’s Aegeo spa.

Minos Beach is affiliated with the neighbouring Pelagos Dive Centre. Run by a welcoming Anglo-Greek family, the dive school offers more than just the standard scuba diving excursion. My husband, who is pretty much a beginner diver, really took to the teaching and confidence-building offered by the instructors. After completing an exploratory first dive, he

The Minos Beach art hotel offers quiet luxury in Agios Nikolaos, writes Katie Wood

Agios Nikolaos hasthree outlooks to the sea and this abundance of water gives the resort a serene and tranquil setting

The pretty resort of Agios Nikolaos, in eastern Crete, has Lake Voulismeni, above, as well as the seafront, right. The island of Spinalonga, below, with a Venetian fortress, is a boat trip away

The Costa Blanca resort is adding a touch of Thai to shrug off its image of boozy Brits and blaring nightlife, writes Katie Wood

BENIDORM — THE FAR EAST IN DISGUISE

Let’s play word association.Benidorm — what springs tomind? Boozy Brits with facesreddened from an excessof UV light and cut-price San

Miguel; the waft of fish and chips 24-7; tacky B&Bs; and loud nightlife that endsat dawn.

Well yes, I won’t deny that does still allexist — although I could take you to areas of the city where you’d be astonished at how different it can be. However, just 15 minutes’ drive away is a world where whale music, five-star luxurious rooms, tropical gardens, infinity heated pools and an atmosphere more familiar in Phuket than the Costa Blanca is on the cards.

You can literally see the towers of “Benny” from the resort, although Asia Gardens would never describe itself using that as a selling point. This is, after all, a member of the rightly prestigious group called “leading hotels of the world”, and it describes the resort as being on the “pine-covered slopes of the Sierra Cortina in southwestern Spain”. Fair enough — technically, it is.

So, what exactly is this place called AsiaGardens Hotel and Thai Spa? If you wish it to be, it can be one of those destination resorts that it’s unnecessary to leave. Benidorm need never be on your itinerary, and for a few days of R&R you have it all within its gated walls.

Just 35 minutes from Alicante airport,the weather is great for nine months of the year; the decor is Zen, but not sterile; the scale of it all is gargantuan; and the Balinese-inspired bedrooms are a haven ofquality bedding, luxurious toiletries and space. Although it has 290 rooms and 20 suites, one never feels the resort’s size due to clever landscaping.

It’s a tad strange to find Spanish staff wearing traditional Thai outfits and bowing a lot, but hey, it all adds to the feeling of tranquillity, so who’s snitching about genetic detail?

The grounds are impressive, withmore than 60 species of flowers and trees. On the other hand, while the Thai, Indian, Japanese and Mediterranean restaurants were all good, they were not great. There can’t have been an Asian chef on the night I ate at Koh Samui. I’d have far preferred some authentic greens, such as crunchy pak choi, although, in fairness, the nasi goreng was delicious.

The spa is a huge selling point of this resort, and the outdoor swimming pools were top notch.

If you need or want to travel with children, the youngsters are particularly well catered for — and there’s separate pool if you don’t.

The kids’ club looked appealing,and Condé Nast Traveller Spain has voted it the best family hotel in 2017, so that explains the groups of happy, laughing multi-generational families that I saw at breakfast.

The resort is just 10-15 minutes away from the attractive town of Altea, one of the most charming on the Costa Blanca, and a convenient place to appreciate medieval cobbled streets and a palm-fringed promenade. It’s also an ideal spot to enjoy a coffee and chat with the locals and multinational expats.

The theme parks of Terra Mitica and Terra Natura illustrate that Benidorm has enough to keep any family happy. It has Blue Flag beaches and some excellent restaurants. These days it’s also got some good five-star hotels. If nightlife is your thing, it’s Las Vegas on the Med.

With inexpensive easyJet flights to Alicante from both Glasgow and Edinburgh — £50 one way is average — for a quick escape from home to enjoy warmer climes and a bit of Asian pampering without the rigours of jet lag, this is one to bookmark.

Rates from £213 in a double deluxe room in bed and breakfast; asiagardens.es/en/

Asia Gardens is one of those destination resorts you’ll never feel a need to leave

The Sunday Times December 3, 2017 7