Domes Noruz Chania, Crete hotel review (Marriott & Fine Hotels + Resorts® property)

My wife and I just spent the last eight nights on vacation in Crete, a Greek island in the Mediterranean Sea.

We spent the first five nights at the adults-only Domes Noruz Chania which is part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection that we booked through Amex’s Fine Hotels + Resorts® (FHR) program using hotel credits from our personal and business American Express Platinum Cards®.

Domes Noruz Chania Bottom Line Review

Just before the card refreshes last year, Shae and I had several Amex Platinum hotel credits we wanted to use up in the hope that using those up to $200 (at the time) credits would mean we’d also get a new set of up to $300 credits to use on each card post-refresh.

That plan worked.

It did mean though that in mid-September I was frantically scouring MaxFHR to find a good place to use the credits. Domes Noruz Chania caught my eye for a few reasons. It looked very pretty, it’s a Marriott property and so my lifetime Platinum elite status could get us an even better upgrade than the FHR-related one, the price was reasonable for some dates (~$275 including taxes and fees), and those dates happened to be over my birthday, thereby making it an ideal time to take a trip.

The hotel is only open seasonally; it opened in April the day before our arrival and closes at the end of October/beginning of November. The first and last weeks of opening are priced lower than the rest of the year, so if you don’t mind visiting Crete during shoulder season, it can be a great place to stay to use your FHR credits and not have anything (or very little else) to have to pay on top.

We had a very nice stay at Domes Noruz Chania. The staff were friendly, the food and drinks were good, we received a nice upgrade to a Wellness Loft Pool View with a whirlpool on the balcony, it’s right on the Mediterranean Sea with lovely views of Thodorou Island (especially at sunset), it’s adults-only, it’s a short walk to all kinds of restaurants and coffee shops, and it’s only a relatively short drive to the incredibly charming Old Venetian Port of Chania (pronounced ‘harnya’ rather than ‘chaineer’.)

Our stay wasn’t entirely perfect. Although it was spread out over two floors, our Wellness Loft felt a little cozy, especially the bedroom area. The pools aren’t heated, so they were a little too chilly to enjoy as the temperature was 60°-70°F (15°-21°C) outside during our stay; during the height of summer the pools are probably perfectly nice.

Service was well-meaning but inconsistent, but that might be a function of them only having opened again for the season the day before we arrived, so it may well be that a lot of the staff were new to the hotel. On the plus side, they did merge our five separate one night bookings into one stay which ensured we didn’t have to check out and back in each day. On the negative side, our stay posted as a one night stay which means we only earned points for one night and only received one elite night credit. After contacting the hotel, they said I’d need to claim the points and elite night credits through Marriott Bonvoy, despite it being the hotel reporting the incorrect information.

Overall though, we very much enjoyed our stay and would be more than happy to return there if we decide to go back to Crete in the off-season and also happen to have Fine Hotels + Resorts credits to burn. Given the cash and award pricing though, I might look elsewhere if paying cash or using points—especially during peak season—as it’s not a cheap place to stay and I’m not convinced it deserves its high costs compared to all the other accommodation options in Crete.

• Points Price: For our dates in late April, it would’ve cost 88K Marriott Bonvoy points per night. It looks like prices in the summer are in the 95K-110K points per night range.
• Cash Price: For our dates at the end of April, the nightly rate ranged from $260-$280 per night which seemed reasonable. In the summer, the nightly rate when booking directly ranges from $650-$850 per night.
• Points Value: Not particularly great. During the off-season it’s generally going to be a poor use of points, but in the summer you can get a reasonable cents per point value. It could also be a good use of 85K free night certificates, especially now that you can top those off with up to 25K Marriott Bonvoy points, allowing you to book nights costing up to 110K points.
• Resort or Destination Fee: There’s a Climate Resilience Tax of €15 (~$17.50) per night that had to be paid for at the hotel (the room rate was prepaid via FHR).

• Parking: Yes, there are a small number of parking spaces at the front of the hotel and parking is complimentary. The entrance to the hotel is a little unusual as you drive down a narrow side street in a residential neighborhood and the hotel is towards the end. If all the parking spaces are taken, there’s a large public parking lot at the end of the road which is also free.
• Wellness Loft, 1 Bedroom Suite with whirlpool: We initially booked a base level Upbeat Retreat room that has a plunge pool, but were upgraded to a Wellness Loft which is a two-level, one bedroom suite with a whirlpool on the upstairs balcony. The Wellness Loft offers more privacy as the Upbeat Retreat rooms appeared to be on the ground floor, whereas a Wellness Loft suite is on both the second and third floors.
  When entering, the bathroom was on the left and the bedroom straight ahead. Behind the queen bed was a counter with a stool, as well as the “bathroom” sink despite it not being in the actual bathroom.
  On the right hand side at the entrance was a closet with a sliding door to also access additional storage with a safe, beach towels, bathrobes, etc., along with a refrigerated minibar with various drinks and snacks for purchase.
  Off to the left of the sink was a larger fridge which was appreciated as it meant we could keep several bottles of water, prosecco, soda, etc. in there, along with the delicious welcome amenity (more about that shortly).
  The bedroom area featured a queen bed looking out towards the Mediterranean Sea, although you couldn’t really see it while in bed. There was a separate cabinet off to the side providing more storage, as well as wall-mounted storage and a bench on the other side of the bed. It reminded me of some Ikea showrooms—lots of smart storage that helps in a cozy space, but it still feels cozy.
  Upstairs was a living room with a couch and separate chair and a second TV.
  Both levels had a balcony. The bedroom balcony featured some yoga equipment, a long bench to laze on, and a deckchair. The upstairs balcony was even better as it had a whirlpool, two beanbag loungers that Shae absolutely loved, and views of the Mediterranean Sea and Thodorou Island.
  The bathroom was small, but the walk-in shower was large enough for two people. There was both a rainfall showerhead and a handheld one; the water pressure from the rainfall shower was excellent.
• Housekeeping: We normally decline housekeeping during our stays, but didn’t this time. Housekeeping were always good about coming while we were out to refresh our room, but they did neglect to do things like refill the tea and sweeteners; we stayed five nights and they came most mornings and evenings and didn’t replenish them once. I’m British and brought my own tea supply so it wasn’t a big deal, but it was surprising that it was overlooked the entire time.
  When arriving, we also found a cleaning rag in one of the cupboards and a pair of swimming shorts hanging up in the corner on our top balcony which were presumably there from the last guests to stay in the room the previous year. It therefore didn’t seem like they’d been entirely thorough when cleaning the room last fall and when checking it again before opening.
• Turndown service: This is offered every night. We were always provided with a carton of water on each side of the bed, as well as some kind of small snack like chocolate, a cookie, or some other kind of Greek treat (one of them was a little like a citrus/rose Turkish delight).
  Turndown service usually included a small white mat/towel on each side of the bed with slippers, but not always, so that was another inconsistent aspect.
• Internet: This was good. The first night I was a little wary as the connection seemed quite slow, but after that it appeared to be fine. I had to work during our stay, we had a Zoom meeting, etc. and never had an issue with the connectivity. When leaving the hotel and returning, our phones automatically reconnected rather than having to log back in each time.
• Dining: The hotel isn’t particularly big, so there are only a few dining options:
  • Topos Restaurant – This is the main restaurant where breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served. Breakfast is available until 11am (although the website incorrectly states 1pm), lunch is from 1pm-3:30pm, while dinner is from 6:30pm-10:30pm. You need to make a reservation for dinner so that’s something to be aware of, although there are lots of other great local restaurants that are a 5-10 minute walk away.
  • Raw Bar – This is the poolside bar. Food is served from 12pm-6pm, while drinks are available from 10am-midnight.
  • In-room dining – This is available 24/7.
• Club Lounge: No. There is some kind of lounge available if you book into a Haute Living room type, but it’s not accessible for those with Marriott Bonvoy Platinum status or higher.
• Spa: Yes – Soma Spa is open 10am-6pm each day. We didn’t end up getting any treatments there.
• Fitness Room: Yes, there are two – sort of. The main fitness room inside has several pieces of cardio equipment and weights, although it’s not a particularly big space. What is nice though is that there’s an outdoor gym setup with a few other pieces of equipment; this is shaded and overlooks the sea, so that’s a preferable option for most people.
• Pool: Yes – two. There’s a quiet pool which our suite overlooked, then there’s the main pool which has the poolside bar. Music did play there throughout the day, but it wasn’t obnoxiously loud, thumping music, so it was relaxing by that pool too.
• Welcome Amenity: We received a few things. Waiting for us in our room when we arrived was a bottle of prosecco on ice, as well as a chocolate cake with a ‘Happy Anniversary’ message on it. That was a little surprising seeing as it wasn’t our anniversary; I think the front desk agent who showed us to our room clocked it—especially seeing as they’d also left Happy Birthday balloons on our bed (it was my birthday during our stay)—because when we returned from dinner that night we had an additional cake stating ‘Happy Birthday.’
  This was no bad thing because that cake was delicious. It had some kind of thin sponge base, but the rest of it was a rich chocolate mousse. Chocolate cakes overseas can be hit-or-miss in our experience, but this was hands down one of the best—if not the best—chocolate cakes we’ve ever had anywhere. Even better: we got a third one on my actual birthday too, as well as a bottle of rosé prosecco.
• Service: It’s hard to know how to truly assess this. Everyone at the hotel was always very friendly, but they weren’t always on top of things.
  For example, I accidentally spilled some water on the floor in the breakfast area, so Shae went to get an employee as there weren’t any napkins to mop it up ourselves. I stood next to the water as it was in the middle of a walkway and I didn’t want anyone to slip on it, but it took her highlighting it to three different staff members over the course of several minutes before anyone did anything (and their solution was to move a ‘wet floor’ sign next to it rather than mop it up.)
  That same morning, the hot water urn for tea—separately to my spill—leaked over the table it was on and all over the floor and next to its electric outlet. The water ran directly into the main restaurant walkway, so I had to get the attention of one of the employees as no one seemed to notice the leak despite it having been an issue for several minutes and many staff members walking back and forth past it.
  On the first morning they asked if we wanted tea or coffee, so I asked for a pot of tea which they brought. The next morning I asked for a pot of tea, but they said we have to get it ourselves inside. I tried doing that, but the “hot” water urn dispensed barely-warm water, so I asked if they could get me a pot of tea. They brought the teapot with hot water, but no tea.
  When checking out, I wanted to pay for our room charges with a Marriott gift card. Apparently only the manager was able/allowed to process those and they were in a meeting at the time, so we had to hang out for an extra 15-20 minutes in order to use that.
  There were various other unpolished service experiences but nothing major and, with the hotel having just opened for the season again, we figured a lot of those issues were new staff member teething issues. Still, it wasn’t really what I’d consider the service level to be at a Fine Hotels + Resorts property.
  That said, we did have some very good service experiences. Giorgos and Efi at breakfast were always extremely friendly, helpful, and hardworking. Another time, a server at the poolside bar accidentally spilled Shae’s prosecco on the table, so she brought her an additional complimentary glass even though only a small amount had been spilled. Meanwhile, the front desk always answered quickly when we called for ice and that usually arrived promptly too.
• Pet Policy: Yes, dogs are allowed. You’re allowed one dog per room and they can weigh up to 15 kgs (~33 lbs). The pet fee is €100 (~$117) per stay, rather than per night.
• Location: Domes Noruz Chania is located on the western side of Chania, about four miles from the quaint Old Venetian Port of Chania (which takes 15-20 minutes to get to), and about 16 miles (about a 30 minute drive) from Chania International Airport (CHQ). Crete has an additional major airport in Heraklion (HER), but that’s about a 2.5 hour drive away.
  In addition to the hotel’s beach, there’s another beach a few minutes walk away that appeared to have gentler waves. There’s a Lidl nearby if you want to buy groceries, plus there are loads of restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and convenience stores within a ten minute walk.
• Elite Benefits: I have Lifetime Platinum status with Marriott, but we also booked through Fine Hotels + Resorts which conveys its own set of benefits.
  • Complimentary breakfast for two – This is an FHR benefit, as well as an optional welcome amenity for those with Marriott Platinum status or higher
  • 1,000 bonus Marriott Bonvoy points – This is the alternative welcome amenity if you don’t want complimentary breakfast (or if your rate includes that). Free breakfast for two is far more valuable than 1,000 points, so breakfast is always the better choice if you have to choose between the two. That wasn’t necessary for us; because breakfast was an FHR benefit, I was going to pick 1,000 points anyway as my Marriott welcome amenity. That proved to be unnecessary as the front desk agent who checked us in said they were going to give me both anyway.
  • Complimentary 15 minute massage for each of us – I suspect this was a Marriott Platinum benefit rather than an FHR-related one. Sadly, we never got around to taking advantage of this.
  • 4pm late checkout – We could’ve made use of this as an FHR benefit. Those with Marriott Platinum status are eligible for a guaranteed 4pm checkout, but I’m not convinced that would’ve applied in this case as it’s a resort. Either way, we didn’t need to make use of it as we checked out in time to stop by the Old Venetian Port on our way to check in at our next hotel.
  • $100 property credit – This is an FHR credit and could be used for spa treatments in addition to the usual food and beverage charges.
  • Room upgrade – I’d checked the hotel website for our stay dates a couple of days before arrival and it said that it was sold out (on at least one of the days at least), so I assumed we wouldn’t get a room upgrade. We were therefore very pleased when checking in when we discovered we’d been upgraded to a Wellness Loft for all five nights. I’m not sure if this was by virtue of booking through FHR or for being a Marriott Platinum member. It did seem like they do value those with Marriott elite status (they wanted our feedback at the end of our stay as a Platinum member), so I suspect it was that rather than an FHR upgrade.
• Would I stay again? Yes. We enjoyed its location, the Wellness Loft was a lovely room type despite not being massive, the views were superb, and dinner in the restaurant was very good. We’d probably only book towards the beginning or end of the season though, as the peak season pricing is too high for our tastes.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Location – We were initially unsure about the location as it was down a residential street, but the Mediterranean Sea views were glorious and we loved that we could walk to lots of great local restaurants.
• Elite recognition – This seemed to be like a hotel where they do like having elite members staying with them.
• Special occasion recognition – It was a nice touch having birthday balloons, a cake, and prosecco when we arrived, as well as getting another cake and another bottle of prosecco on my actual birthday.
• Large fridge – Having a good-sized fridge meant we could keep all our drinks cold, as well as the chocolate mousse cakes.
• Breakfast variety – A lot of the hot options and pastries were rotated each day, so that helped ensure there was variety.

Cons

• Service – At times it was very good, but other times it was somewhat sloppy.
• Pool temperature – If you go early or late in the season, be prepared for chilly pool water.
• Pricing – It’s not a cheap place to stay in the summer, no matter whether booked with cash or points.

Image Gallery

Wellness Loft 1 Bedroom Suite with pool view & whirlpool

Amenities

Breakfast

Other Dining

Topos Restaurant

Raw Bar

Special occasion recognition

Lobby

Nearby

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