By the time my kids, Mila and Joe, were tweens, they’d become pretty savvy travelers. We had traveled as a family all over Mexico and Central America, to French Polynesia, and around Southeast Asia—Joe had even tagged along with me on a work trip to Egypt. But a family trip to Europe? Nope. I had been urged by a few well-traveled friends to save Europe for a time when my children would really appreciate it, when they could enthusiastically spend not just hours but consecutive days wandering museums and historical sites, when their palettes could handle sophisticated flavors, and when 10 p.m. dinners wouldn’t destroy the following day. I’m not sure why I chose to listen to this parenting advice while cavalierly ignoring all sorts of other cautionary tales and whispered warnings, especially since my kids ate everything, had been visiting museums since their toddler days, and frequently stayed up to 1 a.m. But I did, and year after year, kept punting on a family trip to Italy or Greece, countries I knew and loved and couldn’t wait to share with my kids when the time was right.
One of Greece’s most popular islands is getting a JW Marriott resort this year
03.01.2025 - 14:49 / thepointsguy.com
It may be the early days of January, but it's never too early to start pining for summer. And this coming August, Marriott Bonvoy loyalists — and those who just want to get away to Greece — can look forward to the first-ever JW Marriott resort on the island of Crete.
Now accepting reservations for stays beginning on or after Aug. 1, 2025, the JW Marriott Crete Resort & Spa is located on Marathi Beach near the city of Chania. The closest airports are the nearby Chania Airport (CHQ), mainly serving domestic flights, and Heraklion International Airport (HER), Crete's major international airport, about two hours away by car.
The new-build resort sits on over 100 acres of land and will have 160 rooms, suites and villas designed to look and feel modern and elegant, with layers of "authentic Cretan heritage" woven throughout. For guests in suites and villas, expect a private pool or jacuzzi.
Dining at JW Marriott Crete will include an open-fire seaside Cretan restaurant, an upscale seafood restaurant, an Italian spot open for dinner, a buffet and a la carte Mediterranean restaurant open all day — plus both a poolside bar and a main bar.
Throughout the resort, there will be plenty to do, including lounging around multiple swimming pools or sunning at Marathi Beach, hitting up the Anoseas Spa for a massage or other treatment and basking in the beauty of Greece.
"The debut οf JW Marriott Crete Resort & Spa will redefine luxury hospitality in the Mediterranean, and also reinforces Greece's position as an attractive destination for luxury brands and international jetsetters," according to Stelios Koutsivitis, president of Swot Hospitality, the company operating the hotel developed by Crete-based Vasilakis SA.
Reservations are now open for stays from Aug. 1, 2025, onward, with the lowest cash rates at the end of the season in October for about $290 per night. Unfortunately, Marriott Bonvoy point rates are not yet available.
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