Nature's Calling: JW Marriott Opens On The Island Of Crete

Forbes

7 hours ago

The Greek island of Crete is no stranger to outside influences. It was, perhaps most famously, home to the ancient Minoans (2600-1150 BC), considered one of the most important civilisations of the world, and has been occupied and ruled by many, including the Ottomans and the Venetians, with the island only formally joining Greece in 1913.
The latest arrival to set down roots is the American hospitality brand JW Marriott, which, this month, has opened the doors at its first address in the Mediterranean. Located close to the pretty town of Chania, on Crete's north west coast, JW Marriott Crete Resort & Spa brings a sense of grandeur to this picturesque corner.
The entrance to the resort gives a striking hello. (Credit: © Christos Drazos Photography | www.drazos.com)
Stretching across 100 acres of prime shoreline, with 160 rooms, suites and villas, the resort's architecture was conceived by Block722, an acclaimed Athens-based architectural studio. The design echoes the complex criss-crossing of cultures that is intrinsic to the heritage of the island. The main public space (housing the lobby, the urban-style Eēxis bar and Fayi restaurant) is the most striking. Its minimalist design, consisting of chocolate-brown steel pillars, shallow water installations and bamboo-like screens on the façade, are dramatic and a contemporary riff on the pavilion-style buildings of ancient Greece.
Set on the Aegean, all rooms boast glorious sea views. (Credit: © Christos Drazos Photography | www.drazos.com)
The large openings in and out of the buildings, combined with large-scale glazing, means everywhere is airy and drenched in light. Across the resort, all buildings have flat roofs, which would otherwise look austere except they are softened with an abundance of planting of herbs and flowers on top of them. It's a novel extension of the hotel brand's signature JW Marriott Garden concept (a green space, usually filled with herbs and vegetables, which is found across all 30 hotels). At JW Marriott Crete, it means as you walk, the air is filled with whispers of thyme and lavender cascading on the breeze from above.
The landscaping throughout the property also immerses you in nature, with boulders, rocks, and plenty of plants and flowers, all of which are currently fledging but they will soon grow to fill the walkways with pops of colour. Meanwhile, craggy olive and carob trees root you in Crete, helping the buildings to blend seamlessly into the surroundings. There is also a separate kitchen garden where produce is harvested by the chefs.
The resort immerses guests in nature. (Credit: © Christos Drazos Photography | www.drazos.com)
The resort not only looks good but it also boasts solid sustainable credentials—from geothermal and solar energy systems to heat recovery from air conditioning for hot water, and the use of treated grey water for irrigation. General manager, Iosif Christakis, comments: 'This commitment to environmental responsibility has guided every aspect of the resort's development, resulting in a hotel that not only seamlessly blends with its surroundings, but is also deeply shaped by them.'
The interior design is pared-back with natural textures and colours. (Credit: NIK)
JW Marriott is the luxury arm of Marriott Bonvoy yet the new hotel, with its bold design and sustainable ethos, has an independent spirit, rather than feeling like a cookie-cutter chain hotel. This plays out further in the interior design, also spearheaded by Block722. Suites feel sumptuous with their cream-on-cream décor: from the soft linens to stone floors; natural wood furniture to textural, sisal mats. Colour is added only from the glorious scenes outside: fling open the terrace doors to find the inky-azure Aegean beyond, as if someone has painted it across a sky-canvas—no matter how many times you look, the luminous turquoise is always pleasantly shocking to the eye. You'll also find a private plunge pool, an outdoor dining area and sunbeds with plump olive-green cushions for mindful moments.
Bathrooms, meanwhile, are a treat with their egg-shaped tubs, walk-in showers, stocked with Aromatherapy Associates products, and swirly taupe marble vanities. The contemporary design language also stretches to include soft boucle headboards, Japanese-style linen lantern lights and low-slung, curvy bench-sofas for a top-tier level of comfort to the space.
Planting, natural rocks and water features gie a timeless aesthetic. (Credit: © Christos Drazos Photography | www.drazos.com)
Costing a reported £70 million to build, the resort will soon also open a collection of luxury villas with indoor-outdoor living, aimed at families and groups of friends (launching in July). While all rooms and suites at the hotel have stunning sea views across to the tiny islet of Palaiosouda; the villas, which are perched high above the property, have wilder, uninterrupted panoramas and are set slightly apart from the main hub of the hotel, for an elevated feel.
This is a place where it is easy to stay put in the day, lounging on one of the squidgy beach beds—they are mounted somewhat precariously (although aesthetically pleasing) on rocks and connected by boardwalks—or at one of the three pools (including a kids' and adults-only). If you can muster the energy to rise from the thick cushions, you can pad down to the tiny beach to try your hand at watersports, such as kayaking or paddle-boarding. Perhaps you'll take a boat trip to visit local islands (Santorini is but a mere three-hour boat ride away). The hotel can also organize tours to visit the historic town of Chania, with its unique Venetian harbor; take you in the hills to local farms, as well as organise hikes in the nearby mountains.
At JW Marriott Crete, you can delve into local experiences. (Credit: © Christos Drazos Photography | www.drazos.com)
GM, Iosif Christakis, reveals that he has big plans for the resort to elevate guest experiences further. 'There's so much potential here,' he says. 'Located just off our beach, for instance, is a secret cave, dating back some 4,000 years. It will soon be ready as a special place where we will be able to offer private dining and one-off spa treatments. It's very unique, so we are also hoping to offer mindfulness experiences, such as sun-set healing rituals, for an experience you can only find here.'
As it happens, 'mindful moments' is JW Marriott's tagline and the box is ticked here with guests able to take a slow hike over nearby hills, to find a hidden yoga deck for sunrise classes. At the Anoseas Spa, this also comes to the fore, especially with the traditional Cretan healing rituals, which use local thyme or lavender-laced oils to execute timeless massage practices. The decor in the spa feels especially cocooning, with curvy, rough-hewn concrete walls and pebble tiles underfoot to lead you to a sun-lit, vitality salt-pool. Inside the nearby sauna, the heat is infused with mint and eucalyptus; while the steam room has mint-infused vapour—a thoughtful way to immerse you in the destination.
The Onalos seafood restaurant. (Credit: JW Marriott Crete)
Also tapping into locality is the dining offering. There's a dedication to local produce across the six dining venues. Head to Suncti by the Pool for lunch, which offers light bites, such as a Dakos Bread salad, with Messinia feta cheese and plump capers from the garden; make sure you leave room for the Cretan caramalised milk tart. Anoee is one of the signature restaurants, overlooking the sea with Cretan open-fire cuisine by chef Manolis Papoutsakis. The meat-heavy menu is inspired by the mountains of the island, with standouts including Antikristo—slow-roasted lamb cooked on the traditional antikristiera (fire pit) and Keftedes (Cretan meatballs) pan-fried over open fire and served with crispy fries cooked in olive oil. Onalos, on the other hand, is a local fish restaurant with dishes such as octopus served with yellow split beans and taramosalata; there's langoustine tartare and 'Spanakorizo' with Grouper—a Greek rice with spinach emulsion, herbs and lemon.
As well as an Italian eaterie, the Fayi restaurant for breakfast and all-day dining and light bites in the Eēxis bar, there is also a JW Market—a café concept, selling locally-sourced produce from small artisans. It's a delight to return home with local wine, olives and nutty olive oil, but that's not all you'll bring. There's a real sense of peace that comes from this Cretan corner of authenticity.