Time for our annual summer holiday dilemma. Where to go to keep the whole family happy?

Mum Sally ( beach lover ), Dad (beer/sun worshipper) and our two boys, Tommy (16, adrenaline junkie) and Archie (11, water baby). The answer? Sun, sea and – SplashWorld!

Our destination was the Atlantica Akti Zeus Hotel in Crete which, after a complete renovation last summer, emerged as the newest member of the elite First Choice SplashWorld club.

This all inclusive beachside complex in Amoudara, which means ‘big sand’ in Greek, is perched on the north coast of the island. And handily is just a 30-minute drive from Heraklion airport, a bonus for families travelling with excited children!

We were greeted with a warm welcome in the stylish reception area, packed with lots of little nooks and crannies, perfect for chilling out and keeping up with the latest tweets, posts and gossip – you can access free wfi across the complex.

From there it was on to our accommodation for the week, a family room with double bed separated by sliding doors from the kids area with twin beds. The room also had two large satellite TVs, one for each section.

Once unpacked, it was time to get the trunks on because staying at SplashWorld means you are not going to stay dry for long! Head straight for the pools. One, designed for children, is also the venue for the morning aqua aerobics. The second, a large lagoon style pool, is the location for the afternoon water polo.

A few short steps takes you to the beach. The pool area has lots of free sun loungers, so there’s no need to pay the £4 charge for beds on the beach.

Between the two you’ll find drinks and snack bars serving hot and cold food from 10am until 6pm, including help-yourself ice-cream, of which the kids took full advantage!

And if after all that splashing around you’re still craving more, then it’s time to get over to the free on-site water park.

Pooling power: Hotel has two pools plus park

It has two pools for the little ones, packed with a selection of miniature slides and plastic animals spurting out jets of water.

For the bigger kids (and grown ups), there are larger slides, where epic family races take place, including a flume that you can ride through solo or buddy up on a pair of inflatable rings. Even more scary when attempted backwards.

Then there’s the sink hole, in which you get spun round and round and then dumped through a hole at the bottom. It’s impossible to style it out. I did try, several times. There’s also another huge slide, which shoots you up a steep slope and back down again.

The water park bar is a pay for facility but there is a free bar about 50 yards away. Tell them it’s for the pool and they’ll put the drinks in plastic glasses. Even better, they don’t stop you taking food or drink into the park.

Of course, after all that excitement you’ll need to refuel. As with any all-inclusive resort, the buffet can get a bit repetitive but there was such a good choice available each night there always seemed to be something new to try.

As you might expect, the Greek salads were best, full of feta and the juiciest tomatoes. The breakfast was especially good, particularly as fresh pancakes were on the menu every day – a big hit.

Minoan Magic: Palace of Knossos

The package includes one free visit to the Faidra Greek & Grill Restaurant. Make sure you try the meze starter – it’s a feast of taste and colour. For a treat, try the Italian restaurant, Remus which, with its sea views and attentive waiters, delievered the best meal of the holiday.

The beef was succulent, the pizzas large and the chocolate explosion pudding delicious. At around £75 for four people, including starters, mains, puddings and a bottle of wine and soft drinks it was good value.

One day we forced ourselves away from the luxury of the complex for the Minoan Magic excursion, a morning spent exploring the ruins of the Palace of Knossos, once ruled over by King Minos, according to the Greek myth.

It’s here, the story goes, that his mythical half-human, half-bull creature the Minotaur lurked in a labyrinth, feeding on humans thrown into the tunnels.

From there it was on to Heraklion, Crete’s capital, for a stroll around the market.

If retail therapy is your thing you will also love the bustle of the city of Rethymnon on market day (Thursdays). With its maze of narrow streets, it’s one of the prettiest places on the island.

We also spent an evening strolling around the local area, at the base of beautiful mountains. A 20-minute walk brings you to a small rustic residential area with a handful of shops and bars. But if you are looking for something a bit livelier catch a bus to Heraklion (£1.50) – it
stops straight outside the hotel and takes around half an hour.

Capital gain: Take a trip to Heraklion

Evenings back at the hotel can be spent sipping cocktails in the lobby bar, they also have kids’ cocktails. It soon became the norm to ask for a cosmopolitan and an ‘apple frazzle’.

Most people head for the main rooftop bar where the entertainment team work tirelessly and throw themselves around during the kids’ disco. Keep an eye out for the hilarious ­“champions chicken” dance.

It then moves on to the variety shows including the ‘Mr Atlantica’ talent competition, which my wife seemed to enjoy a little too much.

Being a family complex, the music gets turned down at around 11pm. Good news for parents who need to get the young ones down.

There are plenty of daytime activities on offer too, including a spa for a relaxing massage, a gym to work off all those puddings, table-tennis, pool, beach volleyball and, what else with all those pools, lots of water sports!

Travel File

When to go: In high summer, temperatures can easily soar up to the scorching 30°C-plus. In spring, the island’s spring flowers are spectacular and temperatures can be still be in the balmy 20s in early November.

Culture vulture: Should visit Heraklion’s Archaeological Museum, home to a fascinating display of artefacts uncovered on the island, dating as far back as 5,000 years (entry £4.50).

Book it: First Choice offers seven nights all-inclusive at the four-star SplashWorld Atlantica Akti Zeus Hotel starting at £316pp based on two adults and two children sharing a family room with flights departing from Manchester on May 10 and transfers. firstchoice.co.uk 0871 200 7799

More info:visitgreece.gr/en/greek_islands