Domes Noruz Chania, Autograph Collection - Chania, Greece [Master Thread]
 

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/trave...ph-collection/

Category 9.

A Lifestyle Resort Exclusively for Adults
Domes Noruz Chania, Autograph Collection Adults-Only Resort, offers a unique hospitality concept for discerning Autograph Collection guests 16 years and older. Enjoy tranquil, leisurely days in a child-free holiday environment.

"Located in a dreamy seaside setting, Domes Noruz Chania, Autograph Collection is a contemporary lifestyle resort that combines modern Greek design with a wide range of experiences and a cosmopolitan view of the world. From delicious cocktails made from local ingredients to moonlit live jazz events at the beach and helicopter rides at the breathtaking Samaria Gorge, guests are invited to a highly curated world where unique experiences are the forefront.

By embracing the past and the present of the city Noruz offers a fresh, contemporary way for design-savvy guests to explore Chania and enjoy it differently. The hotel's close proximity to the city makes it even more ideal, as Chania is amongst Mediterranean’s ‘must see’ cultural destinations. The old town offers a blend of Ottoman, Venetian and Greek architectures creating a stunning setting. The promenade, the old light house, the Venetian castle and port, the Turkish mosque and the Greek captains’ houses are perfect for exploration."

Cheers.

Anyone here stayed in the hotel? I'm likely to book it (the only Marriott option in Chania, it seems) for a business trip there for a conference in October.

Curious about any experiences or opinions...

Looks like the first day it's accepting reservations is August 1st.

Noticed this:

"This hotel has a smoke-free policy
Hotel was built in 2016
Parking & Transportation: Complimentary on-site parking
Hotel Services & Amenities:
Evening turndown service
Housekeeping service twice daily
Full business center, onsite"

"This resort is for adults only-16 years and older. For families, see Domes of Elounda Resort, Crete."

And this; looks like the hotel has a 2-week cancel policy. "Regular Rate, deposit required, non-refundable if cancelled less than 14 day before arrival" and also a 1-night deposit policy: We will need a credit card prepayment to reserve your room. We will charge XX your room charge plus tax for your first night"

If we don't get a trip report before your conf in October, please do one after your stay. Thx!


Cheers.

Marriott press release re: the property today.

http://news.marriott.com/2016/08/aut...n-august-2016/

"Rooms start from €330 (£276/$363 at current exchange rates) per night for an Upbeat Retreat, pool view room with plunge pool in August"

Cheers.

Anyone stay here? A little pricey for what I'd normally go for 45K pts/night but wondering if my current platinum status would help...

Ended up booking a pts stay for August, hoping we can get an upgrade out of it.

I stayed here end of April and loved the property. It was my first time at an adults only resort and having previously spent 4 nights at the Domes Elounda it was such a relief to relax in peace and quiet away from all the kids.

The hotel was completely sold out during my stay. My husband is Marriott gold and we were upgraded 3 days before arrival to a sea view sublime loft from the cheapest room. We loved the room, although I'm sure some people would complain about the relatively small bathroom and weird sink in the middle of the room with the faucet coming out of the ceiling. The sink does spray all over the place and the mirror is awkward and ours broke the first day and had to be replaced. However, we just loved hanging out on the upstairs deck and looking out to the sea every day. The room also felt so clean and airy. They also provided the same olive branded bathroom supplies as the Elounda but nearly twice the size. There is also a nespresso machine with free pods. At the Elounda they charged for the cheap nescafe pods.

Staff greets you and you sit in the lobby for check in where they serve spa water and candied dates then take you to the room. We were told we were upgraded but no mention of Marriott status or benefits. Everyone also receives a bottle of Cretan Wine, mineral water, and small snacks with a welcome letter. Bottle water and small chocolates are delivered every day with turn down service.

We paid a rate with breakfast included which only cost an additional $5/night more than the base rate. It had a good selection of the typical hot breakfast foods, delicious pastries that rotated daily, healthy options, sparking wine, and fresh squeeze orange juice they deliver to each table. A lot of people would finish breakfast then take a glass of sparking wine to one of the nearby lounge chairs.

There is an quiet zone pool which resides between the buildings and another pool with a bar situated right behind the beach area where music is played. There's also a small beach area in front connected to the public beaches but with sun loungers, umbrellas, and towels that are just for guests. The beach is nothing special but it was kept clean and a nice place to relax. There is also a gym, and an indoor pool and spa which we didn't check out because it was so nice outside.

On the last night of our stay they had a DJ play at the outdoor bar and offered all guests a complimentary drink which was just the same sparkling wine served during breakfast. We grabbed some cheap takeout from a nearby gyro place and ate on our deck listening to the music and enjoying the sunset before checking out the party downstairs. It was such a lovely way to end the stay.

Overall we had a fantastic time at the Domes.

Thanks for the detailed trip report. Much appreciated & sounds lovely.

Cheers.

Wife and I are finishing up a 7 day stay here.

Not much more to add as far as the descriptions go, but:

Hotel was completely sold out during our stay and wewere upgraded from the upbeat room (standard room using points) to a wellness loft (a loft room with a small jacuzzi tub on the bottom level and you automatically get 20% off on any spa treatment). I'm a platinum premier member.

My wife decided to keep the standard upbeat room as it includes the plunge pool and outdoor bathtub. We asked about keeping the 20% spa discount and were told "no".

We were given free breakfast every morning as a platinum member.

Keep in mind, while the property is kids only, the beach area and ocean is not (the dedicated DN beach lounge chairs are for guests only). The property is surrounded by other hotels and immediately adjacent to the very popular iguana cove (and therefore you cannot escape kids and families). It wasn't much of a nuisance, however (and we have two kids at home!).

The staff was very kind and attentive, however, we did not find they would go over the top. Just "enough" to get you what you asked for.

There are no pool service attendants, so you will need to go over to the bar every time for drinks. The beach does have buzzers to call over an attendant. Alcohol is very expensive here. A 333ml mythos beer is 6 euros, while 200 M away (at a local taverna), a 500ml mythos beer is only 3.5 euros.

Don't bother eating lunch or dinner at the hotel restaurant "Zeen". It is extremely overpriced! There are PLENTY of good local restaurants within walking distance (make sure to eat at Talos). The rest of the amazing restaurants are in Chania town (3 miles away) and you can get there for 20 euros, round trip.

Lastly, the concierge is somewhat useless. Other than booking taxis they are not helpful. They really want you to stay on property. We booked our own tours online (use GS tours in Chania). Owner was delightful and we had an amazing Manousakis winery tour and olive oil tour. We also used him for a one day excursion to Santorini. All they recommended was to make reservations at hotel restaurant, gave us a map of Chania town and explained how expensive the hotel excursions are (which is why you can use viator or the local GS tours/fabulous Crete).

All in all, a beautiful property, meticulously kept and a wonderful place to stay. We did enjoy it but would look for another property (for variety not because of our complaints) for our next getaway.

Thanks for the update. Much appreciated. I think you meant to say adults only vs. kids only?

Cheers.

Yes, sorry. The property is adults only. However, the very public beach is not.

The property does have exclusive beach loungers on a small strip of the beach, but, kids and families not staying at the resort can walk along the "hotel's beach" and will be in the water in front of the resort.

The hotel is wedged between (and amongst) quite a few other hotels.

Again, it was fine with us (made us miss our kids a little) but something you need to be aware of if you were under the pretense that you'd never see nor hear little ones on the beach.

Of course, no kids (under 16) will be on the property...

And just in case our tone seems off, it is a beautiful property and was a very enjoyable week in Crete!

I added that to the wiki, so thanks for the info! :)

Cheers.

Completely torn on which Domes to stay at for a mid-May milestone vacation. Earl 30s couple, no kids.

Was originally thinking Elounda as it’s closer to HER airport/port (which has more travel options for us). But the reviews about the kids/families there has me hesitating. I’ve also read some not so great reviews of the Domes Chania - hence needing some help from FT.

We’ll be coming from Santorini (3-4nights there). Looking for a bit of everything - relaxing by the pool/beach, good restaurants to explore, and mix in a bit of sightseeing. While the Domes Elounda is more expensive with cash, I’ll be using points so the same price.

Outside of some nitpicks and not getting the best upgrade, my wife and I really enjoyed our stay.

What’s your hesitation? There’s plenty of good restaurants in walking distance and an inexpensive cab ride to old Venetian port where there are even more amazing ones...

Just make sure to buy alcohol at the store a few blocks away and you’ll save plenty from having to buy at the hotel.

Feel free to ask any questions...

Thanks. I know to take tripadvisor reviews with a grain of salt, but there were some negatives that caught my eye. Rooms/plunge pools not being private, bad service at the restaurant, and hotel is wedged between other hotels. I'm guessing overly picky people, but trust FT members much more than TA so thought I'd check.