Domes Zeen Chania

We were greeted by everyone ! Prior to coming they reached out and told us about our stay. We had a welcome tea and as platinum were upgraded with a welcome gift. Everyone was perfect - the property and room pristine! Thank you all- my husband and I could not be happier!

This is a nice and relatively new hotel. We arrived at Chania quite late as our ferry actually docked at the other side of the Crete island, which takes a good 3 hours to commute. The little path leading to the hotel is also a bit "doubtful" and even the taxi driver wasn't sure if it's the right way. Anyway, we finally made our way through the darkness and saw our anticipated Domes Zeen Chania. We were greeted by a very hospitable staff at check in which also provided a lot of information on the hotel and the city area's attraction. Very helpful indeed. As it was quite late, we quickly settled down in our room and went to their signature restaurant, Gallina. Its a very nice restaurant and the food quality was up to standard. Only comment is the portion of their lobster pasta, with a price tag of Euro120, I would expect the lobster would be of a more generous serving. Otherwise, overall, it was a very nice meal with a very intimate and romantic (dimly lit) setting. Breakfast was also served at the adjacent restaurant Enino (almost feel like the same place as Gallina restaurant as they are so close) with a la carte breakfast menu. Again, high quality cooking with well presentation. An alternative place for breakfast would be the poolside cafe with buffet style. It has a busier atmosphere and I think families with kids may prefer this setting. The hotel spans across a large area and it is common to be transported by their golf cart. They are usually very efficient in picking up as well. There is also a lounge area at reception where they provide light snacks and drinks for all guests, not just Bonvoy members. I think the key success of this hotel is the hospitable staff. On the last day when we checked out, I was also greeted by a lady manager who addressed me by name (very personal touch in deed) and ensured our stay was pleasant. There are numerous Domes hotel collection in Crete and we are glad we choose this one.

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 of benefits.

Lovely buildings and friendly staff but end of season so probably more issues than usual. Breakfast service was smooth as self service but dinner service this week has been slow despite fabulous friendly waiters and waitresses. Last night - some white wine by the glass unavailable - again probably due to being end of season. Shame for such a nice relaxing hotel location. You only get one holiday opportunity even if it is towards the end of season

This is a beautiful hotel however we felt it lacked atmosphere and felt cold. The rooms felt dark. The breakfast buffet and the dinner we had were great, plenty of choice for everyone. One thing I must mention, when we stayed 20/9/24 there were a lot of young families holidaying, mainly under 5’s so just be aware of this if you are expecting more of chilled quiet pool vibe. It’s a 10 euro taxi ride into Chania which is absolutely beautiful.