"We left JW Marriott Crete over a month ago and I'm still checking their Instagram each day wanting to go back. We were upgraded to a suite, which was larger than the room we originally booked. We had a gorgeous view of the sea and the pools. The whole hotel was very quiet and zen and even when there were people around it never seemed crowded.
The room was very large and I loved that the bathroom area had a giant sink. The shower also had a clear top so you could see outside. The bed & pillows were very comfortable. The pool area was large and included a nice table for eating outside and 2 lounge chairs. Our room got sun most of the day so it was lovely to sit outside and the pool was very refreshing. A few evenings we heard goats and were surprised to see them strolling on the roof of our room munching on all the plants and flowers.
First I will commend all the ladies running the kids club. Thank you Lauren, Karen, Jessie! They did crafts and activities in the air conditioning for part of the day and some days they went to the pool. On Wednesday, they held a movie night for the kids with pizza and popcorn. It was the cutest thing but no other families showed up so my daughter and the friend she made had the whole place to themselves. I think the hotel should probably print out the weekly activities and/or leave info for families on these activities the night before because we didn't understand why no other kids were there. We thought it was a great perk that seemed very underutilized by other families and we had no idea why.
We did not use the pools (we have a pool at home) when we are away we prefer the beach so can't comment on getting loungers or temperatures, but it always looked as if there were space for people at each pool. The beach loungers became progressively more crowded each day depending on where you wanted to sit. The closer to the sandy patch it was harder to get so if you didn't mind walking or just entering the sea from the other entrances on the rocks you were fine. Each pair of seats/umbrella had a number and you could order from the app or press a button for service. Once pressed they came super quick. The staff must be incredibly fit from running around and up and down all day long. If you are older or have mobility issues, you would probably want to stay further left of the sandy area. It was much flatter to walk over there.
Breakfast was a nice selection each day. They had someone making eggs and then a large choice of other food to pick from. We ate at two of the restaurants at the hotel - the pizzeria and the Cretan. Both were nice for hotel food. Other nights we did room service which arrived very quickly and was always hot. The pool menu was ok, if they could update it with a few more Createan options, like a pita and dips or a gyro that would be great. It was very catered to Americans/Brits so there was a lot of non-Greek options.
The spa was nice, I got a massage. It was very large and quiet. They had a sauna, steam room and an area where you could ice down as well as a decent sized indoor pool. They did have hours kids could use the spa but they didn't seem to be enforced. My husband used the gym early and said it was fairly quiet and they had good equipment. They also offered yoga and pilates several mornings- I think other workout classes to.
The hotel was a 5 minute walk from Marathi beach, there were three restaurants, and a small grocery store. If you wanted to organize boat rides/scuba or other activities (not through the hotel) then you could sign up there. We tried two of the restaurants and both were good; it was nice that many locals frequented them.
The only faults we had during our 7 night visit was on arrival - when you arrive to the hotel it looks like a back entrance (there was not a ton of signage) and there is just a rail blocking you from coming in - there is an office but it's not close so if someone is on break or not paying attention you are sitting in the car confused if you are in the right place. The second was there were ants in our room, and it was my own fault for not calling them as soon as I saw 1 but they came to spray and clean right away. The housekeepers need to just keep checking when they clean.
I wanted to highlight the great service we received overall but especially from Georgia at check-in, the amazing staff at the Kids Club: Lauren, Karen, Jessie. Wonderful beach service from Anastasia & Kostas and Maria & Giannis at the bar, then Mariana at breakfast. Thanks so much and we may be back next summer!"
