By Christine Fieldhouse

It’s not for nothing the Greeks call Crete Megalonisos - which means the great island. As the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean, there are two sides to her character. There’s the Crete we see on picture postcards - the white houses with blue doors, dusty donkeys wearing hats, sandy coves and the tavernas where you can lounge and eat mezes for half the day, no questions asked apart from, 'How are you?'

Then there’s the sophisticated side – the luxurious hotels, award-winning spas, beaches with exciting watersports and fine dining. It seems, over the millennia, Crete has learnt to cater for all tastes.

It’s a good job too, for we’re a pretty mixed bunch. While my husband Ian is fascinated by history and likes a sandy beach, our son Jack, who’s 15, loves the water. I like walking, swimming and reading… and, of course, we all like eating, which is perfect because the Cretans like feeding.

Our first port of call is only half an hour’s cab drive from Heraklion Airport on the north coast. Capsis Out of the Blue Resort has everything, even its own peninsula. The five-star resort offers five hotels - ours is the modern Crystal Energy, where we have a two-bedroomed suite with three bathrooms.

When we go out to explore, sunflowers so tall you expect them to have cartoon smiley faces line the way and we lose count of the swimming pools we see. Every day we discover something new – the Cladissos beach with a trampoline and inflatable in the sea, a cactus garden and an enormous Minoan adventure park for younger children.

While breakfast in the Red Pepper restaurant has a huge choice, including mackerel and tuna, as well as the usual cereals, eggs, fruit and pastries, it’s the Euphoria spa that is the resort’s piece de resistance. I sample the wellness capsule, which claims to help us lose 600 calories per session, which is good because I haven’t learnt the Greek for “no thank you” whenever I am offered delicious Greek pastries such as baklava.

Through a little gate, near the open air cinema, is a narrow beachside path that leads to the lovely resort of Agia Pelagia. The front is lined with tavernas, where a main meal and a drink costs under £10 - about a third of prices in restaurants at the resort. Our favourite is the very stylish Almyra, where we watch the last of the swimmers leaving the beach, and tuck into delicious meatballs and bouillabaisse.

Next, we head to the hills. The village of Maroulas is an old-style Venetian settlement, with architecture so medieval we feel we’re on the set of a spaghetti western. So many buildings in Maroulas are half finished. One man, building a taverna, is asked when it will be open. “This year, next year! Who knows!” he replies, waving his hand as if it doesn’t really matter.

Maroulas was once the seat of about 12 olive mills, which were worked with donkeys pressing the olives, so it’s fitting that our villa was once an olive mill. Last used for oil in the 1960s, it had fallen derelict until its present owners lovingly restored it to the luxurious holiday sanctuary it is today.

If it could talk, the Old Olive Mill would cry out: “Enjoy me!” Every single comfort has been thought of, from a roof window for star gazing in the mezzanine bedroom to a small pool, a jacuzzi, a hammock surrounded by orange trees and an al fresco dining table with a barbecue. If you want a beach, Platanias is a ten-minute drive away, and for shops the old part of Rethymno, with its cobbled streets and fine leatherware, is perfect.

For a small village, Maroulas is resplendent in tavernas. Katerina’s is on your doorstep, via a few alleys. We drive up to Panorama and watch the sun go down, and at Thavma, we eat pastitio, rabbit and beef stifado, all washed down with home-made lemonade and local wine.

She may be fifth in the size class, but Crete gets an A star for our three holiday essentials – lovely beaches, friendly people and delicious food, and we return home, our batteries recharged and several kilos heavier!

TRAVEL FACTS

• A one-way flight from Newcastle Airport to Heraklion with Jet2.com starts from £93, including taxes and a 22kg baggage allowance; www.jet2.com
• A one-bedroomed suite at Capsis Out of the Blue Crystal Energy costs from £185 per night and includes breakfast; www.capsis.com
• A week at The Old Olive Mill is between £595 and £1,195; www.ownersdirect.co.uk or www.holidaylettings.co.uk