Chania, Greece

Domes Zeen Chania

Price per night from$197.31

Price information

If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (including tax) available in the next 60 days.

Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (EUR182.38), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.

Style

Mod-Aegean idyll

Setting

Isle of gods

Bordering a private beach on Crete’s north-west coast, Domes Zeen Chania is an Arcadian idyll fit for the post-modern age. Berlin-based designers Lambs and Lions have teamed mid-century and brutalist shapes with stone, grainy woods and rattan, creating a tropical aesthetic with a distinctly modern lean. The restrained rooms have oversize windows and terraces in which to bask in the Cretan sun. Riffing on the concept of ef zeen, a classic Greek term for wellbeing, Domes also brings a duo of gourmet restaurants, a beachfront spa and classic island experiences to the table, including cookery and ceramics classes, wine tastings and coastal hikes. Children have just as much to look forward to, with the kids’ club offering everything from painting classes to sleepovers in a teepee (giving parents the chance for a night off).

Smith Extra

Get this when you book through us:

A free cocktail session in the Beach House Bar; GoldSmiths staying seven nights or more get a three-course lunch

Facilities

Photos Domes Zeen Chania facilities

Need to know

Rooms

101, including 64 suites.

Check–Out

11am, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 3pm.

Prices

Double rooms from £177.38 (€207), including tax at 13.5 per cent. Please note the hotel charges an additional government tax of €10.00 per room per night on check-out.

More details

Rates include a buffet breakfast.

Also

The top-tier rooms and villas are part of Domes’ Haute Living Selection, for which half-board guests receive a three-course à la carte lunch or dinner served in The Beach House and one romantic three-course served in adults-only Enino for every five nights booked.

Hotel closed

The hotel is closed from 31 October to 2 April.

At the hotel

Kids’ club, gym, free WiFi throughout, laundry. In rooms: flatscreen TV, minibar, Nespresso coffee machine, Marshall radio, tea kit and Elemis bath products.

Our favourite rooms

The inch-perfect interiors are the work of Berlin-based design studio Lambs and Lions, who used earthy materials to create mid-century and brutalist shapes. Concrete, stone, wood and rattan create an organic look that chimes perfectly with the tropical greenery, beach and rust-red hills outside. The modernist sensibility also means high ceilings, vast windows and large terraces. If it’s just the two of you, go for one of the Sapphire Bungalows for the Aegean views. For all-out luxury, book one of the pool-toting pavilions.

Poolside

The vast, black-tiled pool is near the restaurant, overlooking the sea and surrounding hills. It’s more than long enough for lengths, but the closeness of the pool bar and a pergola-shaded lounge area make it more of a social hub. There’s a second, shallower pool for children.

Spa

The open-air Jungle Spa is right by the beach, ensuring treatments are soundtracked by the lapping waves. The menu includes massages, hot stone-therapy sessions and beauty treatments that are inspired by age-old traditions and the bounty of nature – two things Crete has in abundance. The spa also has a gym and a studio for yoga, Pilates and other fitness classes. Personal trainers are available on request.

Packing tips

The hotel’s private beach is mostly pebbly, so you might want to pack a pair of flip-flops or sandals.

Also

All of the common areas are accessible for wheelchair users, as are two of the Tropical Bungalows on the ground floor.

Children

The hotel has several types of family room, an impressive kids’ club, babysitting services and children’s menus at its Beach House Restaurant. Activities run the gamut of sports, arts and crafts, and even STEM-themed challenges. Pre-booking is essential.

Best for

Designed with families in mind, there's something for children of all ages.

Recommended rooms

The hotel has a variety of spacious and functional child-friendly rooms, crafted with the modern family in mind. The Tropical and Sapphire family pavilions come with a private pool that your little ones are sure to love.

Crèche

Keep your little ones entertained with puppet theatre, bubble shows and art activities at the Kiepos Kids Club & Creche. Run by international childcare experts, the crèche caters for babies and children up to four years. Sessions run for three hours, at €30 for children age four to 23 months, and €25 for children age two to four years. Pre-booking is essential.

Activities

The Kiepos Kids Club & Creche at Domes Zeen has a unique concept that encourages children to get creative, explore their surroundings and learn about local culture through play. Nestled among yurts and teepees, the space is a nurturing Mediterranean Neverland offering different age-appropriate activities each day including gardening, painting, pool games, storytelling and STEM challenges. The kids' club is open to all children aged four to 12 years and operates all week, from 10am to 1pm and 3pm to 6pm, with additional evening slots available for €15 a session.

Meals

Children are welcome in the Beachouse Restaurant, and there’s a special menu aimed at little ones.

Babysitting

Fancy a romantic dinner for two? The hotel provides a top-notch babysitting service ran by seasoned childcare professionals. The cost for one child is €25 an hour, with a minimum session of one hour. Bookings must be made 24 hours in advance.

Food and Drink

Photos Domes Zeen Chania food and drink

Top Table

You can’t beat a table on the terrace.

Dress Code

Take inspiration from your surroundings and go for sleek minimalist threads in natural tones.

Hotel restaurant

True to its name, Beach House has the laid-back looks of a oceanside Malibu home. The interiors are very much in the spirit of Geoffrey Bawa’s tropical modernism, with grainy woods, tropical greenery and stone sitting alongside concrete and vast windows that can be opened up to the sea breeze. Head chef Dionysis Pliatsikas has drawn up a menu with strong Cretan and Venetian influences, made with organic produce that comes from local farms and fishermen. Seating just 45 diners at a time, Enino Gastronomy Restaurant serves a medley of Cretan, Mediterranean and international dishes in a six-course degustation-style dinner, accompanied by local and fine wines.

Hotel bar

The Beach House Bar is by the main pool, which means it’s only a short walk between your lounger or spot on the beach and hydration. The mixologists have drawn up a list of signature cocktails, and can also point you towards some of the best wines made on the island.

Last orders

At Beach House, breakfast is available from 7am to 10.30am; lunch from 12.30pm to 4pm; and dinner from 7pm to 10.30pm. At Enino, dinner is served from 7pm to 10.30pm. The Beach House Bar serves from 10am to midnight.

Room service

Room service is available around the clock. The full menu is available during restaurant opening times, with a reduced selection keeping night owls sated through the early hours.

Location

Photos Domes Zeen Chania location
Address
Domes Zeen Chania
Apteron Road
Chania
731 00
Greece

Domes Zeen Chania is a luxury beachfront hotel on Crete’s north-west coast. The Old Town and Venetian harbour are a 10-minute drive away.

Planes

The best place to touch down is Chania Airport, served by seasonal flights from London Heathrow, London Gatwick and Bristol airports. It takes around 25 minutes to drive from the airport to the hotel; transfers for up to four people are €40 each way; it's €70 each way for up to six people.

Automobiles

Hiring a car isn’t a necessity, but it will make trips into town easier. Most of the large rental firms have outlets at Chania and Heraklion airports.

Worth getting out of bed for

Crete might be the keystone of Western civilisation, but the hotel makes a strong case for whiling away a day within its shapely walls. Before breakfast, salute the sunrise with a yoga class or charge your senses with a dip in the Aegean-facing pool. If you’re feeling the effects of a long journey, make a beeline for the Jungle Spa, where the therapists are experts at eliminating fatigue in all its forms. On a hot day, ask for an alfresco massage, which will put you within earshot of the lapping waves. If you have kids in tow, they'll be in equally adept hands at the kids’ club, where they can let loose in the miniature village or splash away in a dedicated pool. There are educational offerings too, including painting workshops, conservation classes and kids’ cooking lessons. There’s also a supervised sleepover in teepees, giving parents a chance to have a night to themselves.

The concierge can arrange tastings of Cretan wine and olive oil, ceramic workshops and private walking tours of Chania’s picturesque old town. Foodies will relish the Tastes of Crete cooking class, held in a 17th-century farmhouse. You’ll start by visiting a local market with the chef, using the fresh produce you pick up to prepare an authentic Cretan feast for lunch. For a dramatic coastal hike, head to the wild Gramvousa Peninsula, where hills covered in henna-red soil descend to the white beach and bright-blue waters of Balos. Falassarna Beach is one of the best spots for kitesurfing, and is famous for its soft sand and crystal-clear water. Mountain biking, horse-riding, diving and sailing can all be arranged by the concierge.

The Lighthouse of Chania is the old town’s most famous landmark, cresting the wall of the Venetian harbour since the late 16th century. It was given a facelift in the 19th century by Egyptians who had occupied Chania in support of the Ottoman Empire.

Local restaurants

If you're looking for a laid-back lunch spot try the bustling mod-Mediterranean restaurant Pallas, which occupies a waterfront building dating from 1830. Opt for a spot on the rooftop for a high-end shift in ambience and stunning views over the old Venetian Harbour. The menu is full of hearty Cretan fare with an Italian influence, adding plenty of cured meats, fresh pasta and creamy risotto into the mix. Chania has countless seafood restaurants, but ask a local for their favourite and there’s a good chance they’ll send you to Neoria, where you can eat overlooking the boats bobbing in the harbour. Everything from the crispy calamari to the grilled sea-bass is a winner, and there are plenty of choice wines to pair them with. Oinopoieio offers the classic taverna experience, serving no-nonsense Cretan fare and bang-for-your-buck local wines by the carafe. You’ll find all the classics here, including zucchini flowers, stuffed peppers, fried snails and succulent braised lamb in a red-wine reduction. For a taste of modern Crete along the waterfront, have dinner on the pared-back terrace of Salis, where head chef Afshin Molavi deconstructs traditional island cuisine. The farm-to-table food is complemented by an award-winning wine list that runs to 900 labels. If in doubt, ask the excellent sommelier, who’s a veritable fount of knowledge.

Local bars

The building that plays host to Boheme has been standing since Venetian times, when it was home to a cell of monks belonging to the Monastery of Saint Francis. Fast forward several centuries and it’s one of the best cocktail bars in town, serving divine wines and devilishly good cocktails. Take your drinks out to the terrace, where you can sit beneath a tree that’s at least 400 years old.

Reviews

Photos Domes Zeen Chania reviews

Anonymous review

Every hotel featured is visited personally by members of our team, given the Smith seal of approval, and then anonymously reviewed. As soon as our reviewers have returned from this design-lovers hotel in Greece and unpacked their Cretan olive oil, a full account of their beachfront break will be with you. In the meantime, to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick peek inside Domes Zeen Chania in Crete…

What do Zeus, El Greco and Nikos Kazantzakis have in common? The god of thunder, renaissance painter and author of Zorba the Greek were all sons of Crete, an island that has punched above its weight since antiquity. History, legend and natural beauty abound here, and the island can even lay claim to being the birthplace of the first advanced civilisation in the Western world, the Minoans. Safe to say it’s a place that’s thoroughly steeped in tradition, but one look at Domes Zeen Chania and you’ll see it’s not all stuck in the past. Designed with 21st-century travellers in mind, the hotel is built in the style of tropical modernism, with natural materials and lush greenery mingled with smooth concrete, vast windows and minimalist lines. The earthy-toned rooms will induce inner calm at every turn, but the hotel is about much more than looks alone. The restaurants, spa and programme of activities are rooted in Cretan culture, and a stellar kids’ club ensures that children can also get involved, trying their hand at Cretan cooking, painting and pottery.

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Price per night from $197.31