Domes Miramare a Luxury Collection Resort

This was an extremely quiet resort and hotel. For us it lacked atmosphere (no music around the pool or in restaurants (that you could actually hear) Beware the half board trap - all is not as it seems. Waste of time looking at the restaurant menus as you get a set menu in each restaurant which they don’t tell you till you arrive. There are a maximum of 4 options on each course. Many of which are not on the main menus. They were disappointing choices. You can order off the main menu but you pay full price. If you order 3 courses off it you get 15 euro discount (this doesn’t stretch far. We found the food to be pretty average. Raw was probably the nicest. We went for a 2 min walk to a local supermarket to buy water and soft drinks as all drinks are chargeable and water starts at 6 euros. Most people did the same! The rooms are very nice. The hotel is pretty, and the grounds immaculate. You cross a road to get to the main hotel (not the emerald plus rooms). There is a hotel underpass with stairs or lift. We paid £5500 for a week HB and would say it’s not good value. We would have been better at an IKOS, the only Exception being this is adults only which in the summer is lovely if you would rather avoid children. We found the staff to be really pleasant and helpful. You can walk down the beach to some other bars and restaurants- all very casual but you can get a lunch time gyros for 7 euros instead of 22euros in the hotel. The sea is so calm it’s more like sitting around lake como Super pretty We wouldn’t come back as it’s not really our vibe But if quiet and sedate is what you’re looking for it’ll given you that :)

We booked a beach front Emerald Suite which was amazing. Very spacious and well thought out attention to detail, housekeeping visited twice daily to clean, ensure fresh towels, bedding and to replenish water. Upon arrival there were welcome drinks and some local produce to sample. The different little touch each evening from housekeeping was something my husband looked forward to, sometimes a little nougat or chocolate with fresh water at the bedside. Our suite had a fridge, hairdryer, ironing board and iron, laundry service is also available. Shower gel, handwash, shampoo and conditioner are of nice quality.

We stayed half board and had access to Haute Living, where drinks and snacks are available throughout the day. Aurelia and her team of staff could not be more helpful. Aurelia booked taxis for us and gave recommendations of places to visit, she made reservations in local restaurants for us. All staff are friendly and helpful, nothing is ever too much trouble.

The hotel has a choice of 4 restaurants with a good selection of food, these do need to be booked but this is easily done either online or hotel staff are happy to do this. The booking system works well as restaurants are never over crowded, staff can manage the number of guests visiting, there are no long waits nor do you feel rushed. Food and drinks are easily ordered from the comfort of your sun lounger and delivered by the efficient bar staff.

One evening returning to our suite we could not get the lights to work. Management are prominently visible and very approachable, Andrianos dealt with this quickly and efficiently, sending the maintenance team straight away - turns out this was purely operator error and not a fault! Andrianos is superbly engaging and very customer focused.

This hotel is very high quality and definitely 5 star, it has most certainly provided us with the holiday we wanted, very relaxing and restful. We would most definitely return.

This is a beautiful property, but in our view, service and details lag behind 5-star standards

​The Positives:

There is a lot to love about this hotel, particularly when it comes to the settings, comfort, and dining. The views are simply exceptional and breathtaking. Throughout the property, the decor is immaculate, spotlessly clean, and finished to a high standard. The rooms feature incredibly comfortable beds, while the balcony's jacuzzi and comfortable sunlounger are lovely touches.

Down by the main pool, the padded sunbeds are equally comfortable. ​The food was exceptional across the board, starting with a great choice at breakfast. The drink selection is excellent as well, with plenty of variety on the menu. If you want to venture out, there is a convenient supermarket, a pharmacy, and a good selection of great local Greek restaurants nearby. The staff were generally friendly and professional.

​Where it fell short of a 5-star / Luxury Collection experience:

Having recently stayed at another 5-star property in Chania (where you could conveniently order drinks directly to your sunbed via an app), a few operational and service details here didn't quite live up to luxury standards:

​Rigid Customer Service by the Pool: The music played around the pool area wasn't deafening, but it was loud enough to make relaxing or napping on a sunbed difficult. When another guest politely requested for the volume to be turned down slightly, the waiter refused and called the manager over—who also refused the request.

​Housekeeping & Maintenance Delays: Upon entering our room, the minibar overflowed and knocked over a beer and wine bottle, smashing glass onto the floor. We called reception for help, but after 30 minutes no one had arrived, so we had to call a second time.

​Restrictive Half-Board Setup & High Extra Charges: The evening half-board menu was quite limited, and you aren't allowed to mix and match between the half-board and à la carte menus. When we didn't fancy any of the half-board mains, we had to order entirely from the à la carte menu instead (where you get a €15 per person credit deduction). To make matters more confusing, we were told we could choose a dessert from the half-board menu, but it had no price listed next to it, yet it appeared on the bill with a random charge. It felt very non-customer-focused and resulted in us effectively wasting our half-board allowance for that day. Additionally, charging €6 for a bottle of water at meal times felt excessively steep.

​Summary: It’s a visually stunning resort with breathtaking views and fantastic food, but slow response times to room issues, rigid customer service, and confusing dining policies hold it back from delivering a seamless 5-star experience.

This experience ce wouldn't stop us from trying other hotels within the Domes collection in the future.