Infinity pool, crystal clear ocean, excellent cocktails, fabulous rooms. There’s plenty of important criteria when you’re picking a honeymoon hotel. However, a recent stay at The JW Marriott Crete Resort & Spa has tipped the scales. For me, the true test of a lavish luxury honeymoon might just come down to the daybeds. Just kidding! It’s one of five reasons. Here’s all the ways this hotel has stolen my heart for honeymoons.
Daybed daydreams
Like I said, there are daybeds, then there are daybeds. Dotted around the rock face between resort and ocean, these daybeds look straight out at glorious Souda Bay. They’re literally bolted onto the rocks, so from a distance they appear to almost float on the horizon.
We could be on a deserted Grecian island all by ourselves and all you see is beautiful azure water and deep blue sky. The daybeds are connected by boardwalks to the resort’s pool and bar areas, so fresh towels, cocktails and lunch are never far away.
The daybeds are hot property, but as guests move between these, the pools, and their own private plunge pools, we’re able to sprawl out for a few hours of bliss. Ladders are also bolted onto the rocks so you can head straight down to the ocean, into the bay and to a plunge pool-sized rock pool straight out of the movies.
Olive oil under the stars
There’s something extra special about the evenings in Crete. The sun sinks below the horizon, the ocean settles down to a glassy finish, the cicadas come out to chirp just as the fairy lights switch on. There’s a gentle breeze whispering through the olive trees. That’s before the champagne arrives.
Tonight we’re drinking champagne, with an olive oil tasting. Life’s greatest pleasures are often the simple ones. Dunking slow-fermented sour dough into three local olive oils at Anóee as the sun sets is a core memory for sure. Add in some bubbles, and this evening is one for the history books. Then there’s the rest of the menu. A Cretan open-fire grill is the weapon of choice for chefs working with Crete’s famed fresh local produce so the evening only gets better.
Pools, pools and more pools
Now, I love an ocean dip. Especially in Crete, where the water is warm and clear, and many of the beaches are sandy-bottomed. But there’s just something special about a spectacular pool. There are more than 100 pools at the JW Marriott Resort & Spa. That includes 100 private plunge pools. Some are your typical hotel plunge pools, but some of the pools I spotted in the suites and villas would give the average Australian backyard pool a run for its money. We spend a marvellous afternoon hidden away at the Adults Only pool, where we use QR codes to order cocktails from the Suncti bar straight to our lounge chairs. The cocktails are part of a partnership with Line Athens, the bar famous for its spot on the World’s 50 Best Bars list.
Breakfast bowls of champions
Fayi is the hotel’s main restaurant, home to rather spectacular outdoor seating, with expansive views out across ornamental pools to the bay. Just as expansive is the breakfast spread inside the restaurant. Start off with freshly squeezed orange juice, with a dash of prosecco, at the self-serve Mimosa station. Move on to spanakopita spinach pies, fresh fruit drizzled in honeycomb and topped with Greek yoghurt, carrot cake, sweet halva squares, chia pots, and pistachio cookies. That’s before we’ve even discussed the omelette bar and pastry station. My advice is to make a beeline for the Dakos Station. Cretan Dakos salads are legendary on the island. Here you can assemble your own, choose from bowls of bright heirloom tomatoes, chunky rusks, feta and red onion.
Get serious about self-care
It might look like an entire day on a daybed, with a good book and a few cocktails. Or sipping a strong Greek coffee at Fayi before the other guests start their day. Morning meditation at the rustic open air yoga space perched above the adults only pool is another option. Self-care looks different for everyone. High on my list is always time in the gym. At the JW Marriott, the fitness centre takes me by surprise. It’s vast. There’s a room for stretching, with weights, TRX ropes, rollers and balls, plus a larger room with plenty of treadmills, bikes and lifting space. Then there’s the Anoseas Spa, where self-care really ramps up. The adults only vitality pool feels like you’re swimming in a private cave lagoon, with a skylight beaming through just the right of sunlight to soften the space.
For me, it’s dreamy daybeds, dramatic swimming pools and sprawling breakfast spreads, but there’s plenty of other ways the JW Marriott Crete Resort & Spa ticks the buckets of a perfect honeymoon.
About the Author: Lisa has spent the past decade travelling the world writing for Australia’s leading newspapers, magazines, and blogs about all things travel. Her own honeymoon was her pièce de résistance – an epic journey to the Maldives and South Africa. Now she loves nothing more than sharing destinations and tips to help other newlyweds work out how to have the honeymoon of their dreams.
*Photography by Christos Drazos
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