Minos Beach Art Hotel

Minos Beach Art Hotel sits right on the water at Agios Nikolaos, on Mirabello Bay in eastern Crete, and belongs to the Design Hotels collection. Bungalows and villas are spread along about 2 km of coastline, each a few steps from the sea, and some villas have their own freshwater pool.

Art is the thread that ties it all together. The G. & A. Mamidakis Foundation collection fills the grounds and Sculpture Garden with more than 55 pieces by Greek and international names, and there are two private sandy beaches with shallow, clear water. The hotel has been welcoming guests for over 60 years, and most of the team come from the region, which you feel in the service.

The hotel plans weddings, vow renewals and honeymoons through a dedicated team, and the setting does much of the styling for you. Art, gardens and the sea make a ready backdrop, so keep the decor light.

For dinner, the hotel offers private dining by the sea, barefoot on the sand or on a waterfront deck, with a private chef or butler on request. La Bouillabaisse, the fine dining restaurant at the water's edge, holds a Greek Cuisine Award. The hotel tells us it hosts weddings for 20 to 100 guests. Ceremony spaces and packages are not published, so ask where vows can be held, whether a legal or symbolic ceremony suits UK couples, and when the music must stop.

Guests stay in bungalows, villas and rooms in the main building, from 26 square metre seaview bungalows to villas with a private pool. The total is not published, so ask how many can be held for a wedding, and look to Agios Nikolaos for overflow.

The days around the wedding fill easily. On site there are private wine tastings, cooking classes, the Ananea Wellness spa and a PADI dive centre. Further out, the hotel runs wine tours to Cretan wineries, boat trips around Mirabello Bay and visits to Kritsa village and the island of Spinalonga in the Gulf of Elounda. Heraklion airport is about 50 minutes by car, and Chania airport about three hours.