There wasn't a dedicated thread on this property, so I figured I'd start one to share our recent stay.
Overall, we were very impressed with the hotel and would go back.
The property is open seasonally, April to October, though just opened this summer. It is located near Marathi beach on the Akrotiri Peninsula, northeast of Chania, not far from the airport. The road from the airport (or town) is very windy, but well-paved. Different parts of the property face different directions. The restaurant, most of the rooms, and pools face southwest, towards Souda Bay, with nice views of the rest of Crete. Other rooms, including the villas, face east into the open sea.
Property view
Property layout
We booked the lowest category room (the Deluxe room) n the Luminous rate, and applied nightly upgrade awards for our stay as well. There are actually very few deluxe rooms, and most of the property is larger rooms with private pools, clustered in small buildings around the property. I think all of the Deluxe rooms are on the second floor. A few days before our stay, our upgrades cleared to a Junior Suite (with private pool). And then the day before our arrival, we were further upgraded to the 2-Level Villa.
Main building
Main building
Check-in took longer than expected, but we were brought a welcome drink and a towel. We were told the hotel was at 90% occupancy, even in October--the last week it was open. We were taken in a golf cart to our villa, which was all the way at the far end of the property. We ended up walking most of the stay, though.
Villa view
Two level villa
The villa, though lovely, wasn't what I'd think of when I say villa. I'd say it was a really nice suite. It was a free standing building with two "villas" connected. The pools/patio space were right next to each other so not totally private. On the main floor, there was a large living room, a smallish main bedroom with a King bed, and a hallway that had the closet, a single sink, water closet, and huge walk in shower. The bathroom area actually felt a little cramped for a room that size. There was no kitchenette or anything, just a minibar and coffee station in the living room.
Villa living room
Villa living room
Welcome amenity
Villa pool
villa hallway/main bathroom
Villa walk in shower/bath
Villa outdoor space
Upstairs, there was a second bedroom with two beds, and another full bedroom.
Upstairs bedroom
Upstairs bathroom
Upstairs bathroom
The best part of the villa is the outdoor space. From the main level, you can walk out onto a sheltered patio with a large dining table, and from there or from the living room, you can walk to the private pool, with a variety of loungers.
There is a sheet of activities given at check-in. The gym is large and well-equipped.
Gym
Activity sheet
There are three common-area pools, which never were super crowded - a perk of most guests having their own pools. One is supposed to be adults only, and one is shallower, but there is no signage as to which is which. We accidentally ended up sitting by the child-friendly one one day but it was fine. There are also loungers set out on the rocks of the sea, with a platform for going into the water.
Main pool area
Service definitely had a light touch. Some days we received plastic water bottles, some days we didn't. There was a box of chocolates at turndown each night. We didnt really hear from staff our whole stay. Our request for late check-out was granted.
There is complimentary valet-only parking right outside the main building, where there is a lobby, check-in, large bar, and the main restaurant which serves breakfast, and then is open for Italian most nights. Breakfast was a little hectic, as a lot of guests seat themselves rather than wait at the hostess stand. The spread was massive though, with a huge variety of hot and cold items. You could also order egg dishes to order. And what a view We went to the Italian restaurant one night. The pizza was underdone, but the rest of the dishes were superbed. There are other restaurants on the property we didn't try.
We went into Marathi for dinner one night. You can walk, but we were coming back from other sites. The small beach in Marathi is cute, but there are better beaches on other parts of the peninsula. Chania is far for dinner. I think this is a property where it really makes sense to have a car.