Domes Zeen Chania, a Luxury Collection Resort, Crete — Hotel in Municipality of Chania

I have little to add to all the positives other reviewers mentioned: I actually like the very modern design and decor of the resort, the food is great, and the service mostly good. Like others have pointed out, this is a resort which attracts a lot of families with small children, so you really shouldn't mind that. There're some activities, but because we visited right at the end of the season, we couldn't really test those. I can also imagine that I don't want to visit when it's fully booked, because I can't imagine it be very comfortable. (The breakfast area was buzzing as it was, and I could hear the telly and child of the neighbouring villa extremely well, wich surprised me.) |The mid: some communication with the staff was a bit weird, but that's maybe a cultural, 'lost in translation' kinda thing? On our last evening, a staffer came to our dinner table and quizzed us about our stay. When we gave the stay an 8 out of 10, she looked shocked and told us that's supposed to be very bad for a Marriot? So we shrugged (wanting to get on with dinner) and gave it a 10...|The bad: these are the reasons why I won't return to Domes Zeen. In the whole resort, all the greenery is tropical plants, which require a lot of water, different to native plants. On an island that regularly (heck, our taxi driver from the airport to the hotel mentioned it during the first five minutes) suffers from devestating droughts, I find that weird, to put it mildly. On top of that, pools are filled with fresh water instead of sea water. I've stayed in resorts in Greece having their own desalination plants and would've liked to see that here. A luxury collection resort should also emplay top notch technology. |(Related to that: the millions of 300ml water bottles handed out to guests. Do we have to do that?!)|The last point are the numerous cats on the property. I love cats, and there's no doubt some of the staff care for them. Still, here the resort as the chance to do something for the whole community and implement a proper spay and neuter programme. Cats can multiply very, very quickly (getting pregnant twice a year and having those kittens having kittens themselves 9months later - colonies can grow exponentially). Not only are they a threat for the local wildlife like birds, diseases can spread quickly. Also, spaying and neutering makes the cats much more pleasant to be around - no unwanted spraying, aggressive behaviour etc. A TNR programme could truly benefit the community and also alleviate suffering. The cats were a big hit with a lot of the children when we were there, but also used to beg a lot during mealtimes. Managing the colony would have a lot...

Leaving the Domes Zeen Chania (previously Casa Cook) after 16 wonderful days really hurts, as it was for sure the best hotel we ever stayed in (and we stayed in a lot of them all around the world).

Absolutely „ instagrammable“ Design, Planting and Architecture everywhere, stunning bungalows with a lot of space and privacy makes you feel like home immediately. The „vibe“ in the hotel is really cool and relaxing, thanks to pleasant mixture of guests, setting, nice selection of music and especially the young staff, which is unexceptionally super friendly and well trained without being to pushy (reception, restaurant, shuttle service, etc.). Covid 19 measures have been respected perfectly by staff at any time (Masks, Distance, Cleaning, etc.)

An extra praise goes out to the Concierge Team for inviting us to a nice restaurant in Chania („Salis“, highly recommendable by the way) including a private shuttle service. Additionally we received a small gift the day before departure which is a nice gesture.

„Nobody is perfect“, though the Domes Zeen is pretty close to it. If you wonder, what might be improved, the list below might be an indication: Beach: If you have visited some of the incredible beaches at Crete (Balos, Seitan Limani, Elafonissi, Falassarna, Marathi, etc.) you will be disappointed by the local Beach(es). But as we we were aware about that before our arrival, we were not really disappointed and didnt chill there a single day (We had a rental car, which we recommend as a must have anyway). Not sure if the hotel is allowed at all to „pimp“ it somehow, but if yes, it would definitely boost the hotel further.

Planting is not finished yet in some areas, e.g. around the gym or the restaurant terrace.

Wifi could be improved in some areas, e.g. in last rows of pool area

Service in pool area should ensure that trash and ordered stuff is cleaned up / picked up more frequently and actively

The outdoor gym could be a little bit bigger incl. some more equipment

Food is really delicious but could be more diversified (especially if you stay more days like we did). Especially breakfast (served as well) can get pretty monotonous after a few days.

Salt, pepper and Sugar should always be available at the table (which was finally the case during our last 2 days)

House keeping should ensure that always same amount of towels is being provided and that coffee pads are being filled up regularly and proactively

Again, some of the points above might be fixed (fast & easily), but still this didnt impact our overall experience negatively, therefor we can highly recommend the Domes Zeen Chania and would come again...

Relaxed hotel with friendly staff on a hillside 10 minutes outside of Chania. We had the Two-Bedroom Sapphire Suite with Private Pool. One bedroom faces the sea, with a king-size bed, great views and full windows on two sides, the other bedroom is in the back, with one smaller window and twin beds. Both have ensuite bathrooms and showers. They are separated by a large living room that also faces the terrace and private plunge pool. There are TVs in all three rooms, as well as a minibar (stocked with one set of complimentary drinks) and coffee facilities in the living room. The terrace is large, with a sitting area, two lounge chairs and the small, but comfy private pool. Two units are above each other, but the other units are separated by the two outside areas, giving you more privacy when outside. Our unit had direct sun between 11 am and 3 pm, but there are others that get more sun.

The common areas are mostly clustered down by the pool and beach, where you'll find the bar, the two restaurants and the outdoor fitness facilities. The spa is near the reception, up on the hill. There are loungers at the (large) pool and the beach and you can order food and drinks from the bar. Breakfast (and dinner, which was included in our "Haute Living" rate) is served at the Beach House restaurant.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, you have to sign up beforehand for your breakfast and dinner slots via a QR code system. Make sure to do that the minute you arrive, as slots tend to book out very, very fast. That is really my only gripe, and one that's only partly on the hotel: we sometimes had to wait up to 30 minutes past our reserved slot, when it was busy. Other times, it was only a few minutes. They have reduced capacity due to social distancing guidelines, but we were always able to sit outside. The food was good, and the wine list features very good local Cretan wines. On Wednesday, there was a free wine tasting hosted by a local winery. Breakfast was amazing and varied, served directly by staff.

Staff wore PPE throughout and we got the sense that they took disinfecting, etc, seriously. Staff was very professional and engaged Housekeeping is only allowed to enter when you're not in the room. Laundry is expensive as per usual. Due to our Gold status, we got a complimentary spa treatment (30 minutes, plus 15 min extra for 25 €), which was very relaxing.

Overall, I can fully recommend the hotel. We had a great and very...