http://www.unison.ie/travel/stories.php3?ca=333&si=1462403 Captivated in the land of the Minotaur Sunday September 4th 2005 LOOKING at a map of Greece, Crete always strikes me as the older, indulgent sister, lounging on her back by a pool, cocktail to hand, glancing up lazily at her bolder, younger, more playful siblings - the Peloponnese, the Cyclades, the Dodecanese - frolicking in the fabled Aegean. Of the many wonders of the Greek archipelago, I've only sampled Crete and colourful, cosmopolitan Mykonos. But the map metaphor strikes me as apt: where the smaller island is hectic and vibrant, Crete has a stately grandeur all its own. Fifteen years had passed since I'd been there, and the changes were apparent. A new highway links the capital Heraklion with the various resorts. Our destination was Hersonissos, a handy half-hour away. Happily, our apartment wasn't in the honky-tonk town - though we did discover one reason to visit it: fake designer sunglasses for €10 - but someten minutes drive higher up inthe mountains. Our resort, the (three-star plus) Marni Village, was set into the curve of a mountain, and from our sun beds, we had a vista of shimmering sea in front of us and flocks of goats on the mountains to our right and left. The altitude also meant it was slightly cooler. The resort was a delight: pretty, unpretentious, friendly. As a parent, you felt utterly relaxed - with two swimming pools, tennis courts, table tennis and a very watchful staff, you knew your children were both safe and enjoying themselves. The apartments were scrupulously clean, with maid service every second day - though we spent much of our time outside on the balcony overlooking the ocean. Marni is a five-minute walk from the traditional village of Koutouloufari, where there was an abundance of restaurants and tavernas. Out of the many we tried, I'd particularly recommend the slick and swanky Galinis, where a small carafe of house wine is poured with great ceremony from a crystal decanter and the food is served on huge, intricately carved white platters. And in terms of both flirtation and obsequiousness, the waiters are a parody of themselves. The other restaurant worth mentioning is the family-run Taverna Emmanuel, situated in the middle of the village, under a canopy of old trees. The speciality here is lamb baked in a wood oven, and we were looked after by a lovely young girl from Sandyford. Greek food, to my mind, gets an unfair rap - but then, I'm one of those rare people who actually likes moussaka. There's also stuffed vine leaves, lamb kleftiki and, of course, the incomparable Greek salad. My daughters discovered the joys of breakfasting on Greek yoghurt laced with lavender honey. Most meals with a couple of starters, three main courses, a glass of wine and a couple of minerals would be around €25. And we were always offered something on the house - ice creams for the children, a digestif for Mum, on one occasion, a plate of icy wedges of watermelon. The greatest appeal of Greece is its antiquity. And we were located in the perfect place from which to explore one of the most important archaeological sights in the world. I took the bus early one morning for a trip called 'Minoan Highlights'. We started with a visit to the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion, which houses the most important collection of Minoan art and artefacts in the world. The collection itself is awe-inspiring - giant olive urns, delicate jewellery, extraordinary frescoes - but the museum itself belongs in a museum, it is so dated. A new one is planned: there's just the not inconsiderable problem of what they found on the site - the remains of a Roman villa and a Venetian aqueduct, part of a Turkish town and a Franciscan monastery. After a brief coffee stop, we proceeded to Knossos. Until the distinguished archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans excavated the site at the beginning of the last century, Knossos was believed to be a mythical place where Theseus slayed the Minotaur and escaped the labyrinth with the help of Ariadne's thread. You can now view the palace and its throne room and other remnants of a highly sophisticated and thriving civilisation that existed over 3,000 years ago. As I stood looking down at a grassy avenue leading away from the place, and listened to the guide describe it as the oldest road in Europe, I shivered: Knossos truly is one of those rare places where you really feel the weight of history, almost hear the sounds of our ancestors going about their business. The only downside to our resort was that it was a taxi ride away from the nearest beach, the Creta Maris, a crescent of blond sand sloping down to clear, turquoise water where a long, low sliver of rock makes for great surfing waves. For the more daring, a couple of kilometres up the coast there's a naturist beach but my fastidious 17-year-old daughter was having noneof that. The eight-year-old, however, insisted on a visit to a water park. I was irritated by the tour rep who tried to sell us a trip to a nearby water park - a morning for the three of us would have cost around €70, including the bus journey and entrance fee. He must have known that a 15 minute-walk from our apartment was Star Beach, a beach-based water park where the entrance is free, as are the beaches and the half dozen swimming pools with their lazy rivers. For a very reasonable €8 per person, you also have unlimited use of the flumes, rides and tunnels. Our family got their various fixes - shopping (Natasha), sports (Julia) and culture (Mum). And there's endless amounts to do. For twentysomethings, jeep rides exploring the south side of the island were widely praised. There was also para-gliding, riding (at twilight, if you so desire), and for the fit, a walk through the fabled Samaria gorge is, I'm told, a sublime experience. That's Greece for you: a sun holiday with all the frills, set deep in the heart of an ancient civilisation that cannot fail to touch your heart. Madeleine Keane