Earlier this summer we spent an incredible week in Parga where we stayed at what has fast become one of our favourite family-friendly resorts in Greece.
Nailing not just the aesthetics, Parga Beach Resort is in a prime location on a gorgeous sandy beach just a short walk or taxi boat away from buzzing Parga town.
Over the last few years the resort has undergone a massive makeover, adding a new extension in 2024 and revealing for summer 2026 a stylish new look for their main pool, beach club and restaurants. We booked it based on what we’d heard from previous guests about the design and location but were actually blown away with its chic new look that still feels authentically Greek thanks to the warm and friendly staff and some frankly outstanding landscaping.
We also loved that while this is technically a large resort, with more than 100 rooms and suites, the layout makes you feel as if you are staying somewhere much more intimate.
Rooms are spread across individual bungalow-style buildings, scattered throughout lush gardens and often centred around a small shared pool, so it feels like several boutique hotels rather than one big complex.
The kids club is also fairly small and intimate – which we saw as a good thing – run by a friendly professional team that we had no worries about leaving our 7-year-old with.
Parga Beach Resort also offers an all-inclusive board basis that makes life easy for families and the 3 restaurants on site each have their own personality with beautiful settings.
As a family who usually stay in boutique hotels and villas in Greece this was an eye-opening holiday. If you’re looking for a stylish, family-friendly hotel in Greece let me explain why Parga Beach Resort ticked all our boxes.
Location, Location, Location
One of the biggest draws of Parga Beach Resort is its setting. I got chatting to another mum one evening who said she’s long been searching for a 5-star family-friendly hotel in Greece that’s on a sandy beach and within walking distance to town and it’s so much harder to come across than you’d think.
Parga Beach Resort is situated on Valtos Beach, a sandy, Blue Flag beach that is one of the best in Parga. It’s a fairly busy organised beach but honestly that didn’t bother us one bit. There were plenty of plush sunloungers available directly in front of the hotel and hotel guests don’t have to pay for them!
You can rather conveniently order food and drinks to your sunbed and charge it to the room or you can have a wander along the beach and try out some of the local tavernas and beach cafes.
Our top picks for places to eat on Valtos Beach:
Parga’s atmospheric harbour town is just a short walk away (up and over a hill), or you can hop on one of the taxi boats that regularly run between the beach and the town centre. This makes it incredibly easy to spend evenings wandering through narrow streets, browsing local shops and enjoying traditional Greek tavernas before returning to the resort’s stylish bubble.
Our Accommodation
We stayed in an Eden Suite within the resort’s newer extension, and it was a really great size for the 3 of us. The Eden Suite is all one room so our son slept on a sofabed, which I tested myself and found comfortable. There is a privacy curtain you can use to divide the room although we didn’t make use of it.
We liked that there was a mini fridge plus tea and coffee making facilities in the room and fresh drinking water was provided daily. We found there was ample storage for the 3 of us although not many drawers so we made use of our packing cubes on the open shelving.
One thing to note is that the Eden Suites are described as having pool or garden views and I had wrongly assumed they were all ground floor. We were allocated a room on the first floor (room number 349) and while the balcony was beautifully framed by foliage that offered some privacy we essentially looked out onto someone else’s garden. For the price we paid it was a very stylish and comfortable room but if we were staying again I’d consider upgrading to an Aura Suite or Aura Suite with private pool for a little more outdoor space, ideally on the ground floor.
It’s also worth noting that not all room types have been fully refurbished. I obviously couldn’t see inside other guests’ rooms but I did speak to guests staying in the original part of the hotel who said they would be rebooking to stay in an Eden Suite next year as they prefer the newer interiors.
If you check out the photo galleries on the hotel’s website you can see that some room types have a different style of décor to ours. If you’re at all unsure on what room to book I recommend contacting the hotel and asking for more info.
Dining Options
We opted for the breakfast-only board basis, despite all-inclusive also being available.
For us, this was the ideal choice as it allowed us to experience different restaurants in Parga during the evenings. That said, we still ate at several of the resort’s own venues and were genuinely impressed.
Highlights included:
- Kokona – The traditional Greek taverna near the children’s pool has a lovely relaxed atmosphere and delicious Greek dishes with a modern twist. The children’s menu has a mini chicken souvlaki that Miles loved and my husband enjoyed the baklava cheesecake so much he ordered it twice. On a Wednesday night they host a Greek night with live music and dancing that I have heard is epic but unfortunately due to our flight timings we missed it.
- Lianolia – Situated on a stunning seaview terrace, Lianolia offers refined Veneto-Epirote cuisine by two-Michelin-starred chef Georgianna Hiliadaki. We are not massive foodies but we loved our meal here. The pastitsio cannelloni combines two of my favourite ever dishes, my steak was cooked to perfection and please just order the Lemons of Parga because it was the best dessert I’ve eaten in a long time.
- Parga Beach Club – We had lunch a couple of times at the very chic and convenient beach club. Offering salads, sandwiches, burgers and pastas its perfect for relaxed lunches by the sea. My top tip: order a frappe with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and thank me later.
Breakfast is served in Iporia, which has some lovely tables shaded by trees and close to the sea. I’d say there was a fairly standard array of food on offer, the Greek yoghurt and honey was a highlight for me, and there is a children’s section with cereals and pancakes that was very popular with the little ones.
We liked that you never had to wait for a table as staff were constantly cleaning and resetting them but the downside is that nothing is brought to your table – not even drinking water – so there were often queues for tea, coffee, juice and water. As a family it felt like we were getting up and down a lot so we found it more relaxing to have tea/coffee and a light breakfast in the room – there is a minimarket very close to the hotel where you can get supplies.
Facilities for Families
For us Parga Beach Resort has just the right amount of family-friendly facilities.
The Kids Club (for ages 4+) is complimentary and opens from 10am to 6pm Monday to Saturday with a stay and play session for all ages between 1pm-2.30pm and all day on Sunday.
Rather than feeling overstimulating or crowded, it was intimate, welcoming, genuinely engaging and as part of the part of the Luxury Childcare Association we felt it was run very professionally.
Our son (age 7) happily spent time enjoying crafts, pottery, cookery sessions and other activities around a daily changing theme, while also benefiting from some much-needed air conditioning during the hottest hours of the day.
Some staff members were English, which helped Miles feel more at home, and he made friends easily with the small group of children there. You needed to prebook sessions via the app but could drop in and out at any time depending on when you wanted to use it. I couldn’t take any photos inside but from what I saw the space was immaculately tidy with lots of new looking toys and furniture.
The resort also features:
- 8 swimming pools including a gently sloping children’s pool that’s ideal for babies and toddlers
- A small playground (open 10am to 6pm)
- A ‘Teen Club’ programme of activities with games and tournaments
- A small gym and daily activities including yoga and fitness classes
- Laid back evening entertainment including some live music and a beach movie night each Tuesday. (We watched Ice Age under the stars which was wonderful and surreal!)
The hotel’s swimming pools are open from 10am to 6pm which I thought sounded quite restrictive when we checked in but I think it really helps to give a sense of calm to the resort outside of those hours. If that doesn’t suit your little ones it might be worth splurging on a room with private pool. Alternatively, if you head to the beach first thing you’re more likely to get a sunbed on the first row so it can work in your favour to have early risers there!
Watersports are also available on Valtos Beach from a couple of external suppliers. We tried the ‘crazy ufo’ a couple of times and hired a pedalo and the prices were really reasonable.
Things to do in the local area
Although there is plenty to see and do in the region, this was very much a “do less” kind of holiday for us.
For most of the week we happily alternated between the pools and the beach at the resort, which honestly felt like enough.
We spent a couple of evenings in buzzing Parga town. The taxi boat from Valtos Beach to Parga is a short walk from the hotel and costs just 3 Euros per person. (Cash only but there’s an ATM at the minimarket opposite the resort.) The journey takes about 10 minutes and boats run every 30 minutes subject to demand. It’s also quite easy to walk into town although you do have a short but steep hill to climb that’s not ideal with buggies/children. Taxis are also available via reception. It’s a minimum fare of 7 euro to get from the hotel into town.
We hired a car for one day so we could explore at our own pace. (We booked online via Discover Cars and my husband walked into town to collect it.)
Sarakiniko Beach was absolutely extraordinary, while nearby Piso Kryoneri was equally beautiful and well worth visiting for a lunch with a view at Atrium Bar.
I’ve shared a guide to Sarakiniko Beach here and a mini guide to Parga here but some of the highlights we think you can’t miss are:
- Watching sunset from Parga Castle or Kastro 1380
- Taking a water taxi to Sarakiniko Beach (you can also drive here and park at Resalto Tavern like we did)
- Doing a boat trip to Paxos & Antipaxos (group tours depart daily from Parga or you can arrange private boat hire)
- Enjoying lunch at Atrium Bar overlooking Piso Krioneri
- Having an adventurous day out on the Acheron River
- Visiting magical Meteora
- Booking a dinner at Med Parga for the best views of Valtos Beach and Parga Castle
- Try Taverna Yannis, Taverna Lithos & Taverna Petros for classic Greek dishes (make reservations in advance though – we couldn’t get child-friendly timings at any of these restaurants so unfortunately missed out.
- For a tasty and affordable gyros we recommend Simple on the harbour
- Don’t miss Chillbox Parga for the best frozen Greek yoghurt
Getting There
The nearest airport is Preveza, which we found pleasantly small, modern and easy to navigate.
The transfer to the hotel takes approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes on mostly straightforward roads. We arranged a private transfer through Jet2, although the resort also offers complimentary transfers for guests who book directly.
How to book
We booked a flights plus hotel package at Parga Beach Resort through Jet2 in their January sale. You can also book packages through British Airways or book with the hotel directly.
Top tip: If you are booking through an online travel agent don’t forget to sign up to TopCashback. Jet2 had a deal on that meant we earnt enough cashback to pay for our private transfer and it literally costs you nothing to sign up. Plus if you use my referral code you get a £10 sign up bonus.
Final thoughts
Parga Beach Resort ticks an impressive number of boxes for families without feeling like a generic all-inclusive complex.
From its beautiful beachfront location and thoughtful design to its friendly staff, excellent dining options and inviting kids club, it manages to offer families an elevated experience with a distinctly Greek flavour.
If you’re looking for a stylish, family-friendly Greek beach resort where parents can genuinely relax and children are brilliantly catered for, Parga Beach Resort deserves a place at the top of your shortlist.
We’d go back in a heartbeat!
You may also like:
