We were never supposed to stay at Domes Zeen Chania. The hotel I originally booked for this leg of our Crete trip was listed as pet friendly on Expedia, and it was only when I reached out directly that they told me dogs were not actually welcome. Otherwise I would have rocked up with Daisy and a very awkward conversation would have followed. Always, always confirm with the hotel directly. So I went back to the drawing board, and Domes Zeen ended up being the risk I took.
Here is why it was a risk. Domes Zeen is family friendly, and we normally stick to adults only resorts. I had already stayed at Domes Noruz just up the road, and while I would go back there in a heartbeat, repeating a hotel felt like a missed opportunity to check out another great place. My logic on the kids question was simple. With the cheapest room at around €600 a night, this was never going to be a resort overrun with children. I was right. There were kids around, but the place never felt busy, we never once worried about sun loungers, and the whole resort was calm and quiet. The vibes were absolutely spot on.
Getting there was its own adventure. We were coming across the island from Domes Aulus Elounda, and halfway back the air conditioning in our rental car died and the battery symbol lit up on the dash. We had to call the rental company, divert to Heraklion, and swap the car. That little detour cost us close to two hours, which stings when you only have twenty four hours at a resort like this. We finally pulled in around five o'clock.
Check-In Experience
Two members of staff were outside ready for us before we had even parked. Bags taken, and everyone was so excited to see Daisy. We were told to sit down and relax, handed over our passports, and they took care of everything. The welcome drink was an all natural ginger drink, Daisy got a cup of water, and then came her VIP moment. She was presented with a Domes squeaky toy and her own bandana at reception. Daisy loves going to Domes for exactly this reason. She still has her squeaky toy from our last Domes stay, so watching her get so happy about a new one was a moment. A couple of pieces of paper to sign, including the pet waiver, and we were done.
Special mention to Nikos, who appointed himself Daisy's number one fan for the entire stay and took the role very seriously.
A member of concierge and the golf cart driver then brought us down to our bungalow, and we took the buggy for good reason. It was five o'clock, the ground was still too hot for Daisy's paws, and the room was a fair way down the hill. They gave us a mini orientation with the map when we arrived, though not quite the full run-through we got at our last two Domes stays, and the next morning we were still on the phone asking where breakfast was. In their defense, everyone was fairly busy making a fuss of Daisy, and I would take a Daisy fan club over an orientation speech any day.
The walk in to our Garden Bungalow, past palms and wooden panels, every room feeling like its own little villa.
One small observation, and only because the other hotels on this trip set the bar so high. This was our third stop, and it was the only one where a welcome bottle of champagne and glasses were not waiting in the room, and the only one without a room upgrade. It was also, and I say this fully aware of how it sounds, the only room of the entire trip without a pool. In fairness, it was peak season and the hotel was likely booked out. We did find a lovely welcome note, a bottle of red wine, raki and Turkish delights in the room, and the team could not have made more of an effort for Daisy. She has never once had a poor welcome at a Domes resort. At our last one she even got her own welcome letter, and Elounda went as far as holding a staff meeting ahead of her arrival. So nothing was missing here, the others simply did all of that plus the champagne, and we noticed. The full three hotel comparison is coming in its own post.
The Room
We stayed in a Garden Bungalow, and the whole design brief here seems to be Thailand meets the Bahamas, in Crete. Palm trees everywhere, wooden panels on the bungalows, and every room feeling like its own little villa. Some rooms have private pools, and there are plenty of room types to choose from.
Our bungalow was big, properly spacious, with floor to ceiling glass on two sides of the room. When we walked in there were balloons laid out on the bed spelling out a welcome back to Domes. Daisy loves balloons, so that landed well with the smallest member of the party.
Daisy's setup was one of the best we have had anywhere. A luxurious plush dog bed, water bowls, her bandana, the squeaky toy from reception, and poo bags. She was living her best life within about four minutes of arrival. The only thing missing from the usual Domes kit was a leash. Daisy already owns two Domes leashes from previous stays, so no tears were shed, but if this is your first Domes stay, pack your own and do not count on one being provided.
Daisy claimed the bed, the balloons and the entire room within about four minutes of arrival.
Now for the things that did annoy me, because no room is perfect. The door, for one. It is a typical patio style door and it was surprisingly hard to work out how to close and lock it. There is a key that sits in a slot in the wall, and when you take it out the door locks automatically, but that kicked off a small spiral of questions. If I take the key out, does the power go out? And if the power goes out, does the air conditioning shut off with Daisy inside? I left her napping in the room for half an hour and spent most of it doing the mental math. There was also nowhere to hang a do not disturb sign, so you have no way of telling housekeeping there is a dog in the room before they walk in. I am not actually sure what the official line is on leaving your dog in the room here, other guests were clearly doing it too, but a simple door hanger would fix the worry entirely.
The other quirk is that the whole room runs off a smart control panel, air conditioning included. Somewhere between pressing buttons before bed we managed to turn the air conditioning off altogether, and we woke up very hot. User error, probably, but a panel that needs a tutorial is a panel that will get switched off by accident at midnight.
Dining at Domes Zeen Chania
Let me get the confession out of the way first. We missed breakfast entirely. I had a press call that morning, so Daisy and I went down to the beach while I took it, and Cheryl had a work call of her own. Neither of us made it. I did spot another dog at breakfast from across the pool, so dogs are clearly around at breakfast time, but it is a buffet setup and I cannot tell you exactly how they arrange things with a dog while you go up and serve yourself. Ask at check-in if that matters for your morning routine.
Lunch
Lunch was the weak point of the stay. I ordered the burrata and Cheryl went for the Greek salad. The tomatoes were lovely, but the pesto sauce served with the burrata belonged on a pasta, not on that plate, and the burrata itself was not the oozing, cut-into-it-and-swoon experience you hope for. Maybe a 5 out of 10 for my dish. The bread basket was great, the olive oil was great, and the service was top notch, so it was not a write off. You are there anyway, and it does the job, but keep your expectations in check and save your appetite for the evening.
Daisy spent lunch in her stroller on her cool mat, making friends. We met a couple with a newborn baby who had their dog with them too, and I loved seeing that the dog still gets to come on the family holiday. They had the exact same stroller for their dog, so a solid ten minutes of stroller talk followed.
Dinner at the Seafood Restaurant
This is where Domes Zeen went from a very good stay to one I will not stop talking about. There are two restaurants for dinner, a bigger mainstream one and a smaller, more intimate seafood restaurant. Cheryl booked the seafood restaurant through concierge while I was returning the rental car to the airport, and because our flight was not until midnight, we got to do our last evening properly. We even used the shower facilities down by the pool to freshen up before dinner, which is a brilliant touch for late flight days.
The sommelier came over with the wine list, and I know my Greek wines well enough to recognize labels even when I cannot pronounce the estates. He recommended one of the estate rosés, and when the bottle arrived Cheryl just said, Pam, look. It was the Alpha Estate Rosé, my favorite bottle of wine, the same one we have now had three times on holiday, and the same one I once grabbed in Lidl for about €22. There was something very funny about being handed my Lidl favorite by a sommelier at a €600 a night resort, and I loved every drop of it.
The food was on another level. We shared ceviche and calamari to start, and I do not think I have ever had calamari this good in my life. Not breaded, nothing like the standard version you get everywhere else. Refined, super tasty, chef's kiss. For mains I had the lobster with potato puree and grilled vegetables, and the flavor coming off it was divine, buttery and rich and everything you want it to be. Cheryl had the steak, and it went straight into her all time top tier, up there with Piato in Agios Nikolaos, which holds her best steak ever title. We usually share mains, but medium well and medium rare cannot live on one steak, so for once we each kept our own plates.
And then there was Daisy's dinner. I asked if I could get some chicken for her, and they sent to the other restaurant for a chicken breast. It came out like a proper main, on a real plate with two sauces on the side, plus a kids plate for me to serve her on. Full five star treatment for a Shih Tzu in a stroller. I cut the chicken up on my plate, arranged it on her kids plate, and handed it over to the stroller, where she devoured the entire thing. The whole flow of that dinner, the sommelier, the food, the table for two plus one energy, made it one of our top three meals of the entire trip. 10 out of 10, no notes.
We did not try room service, and with restaurants like that outside your door, I am not sure why you would.
Hotel Facilities and Dog Access
Here is the headline. This is one of the most dog-inclusive resorts Daisy has ever experienced, comfortably in her all time top three. The official pet policy reads fairly standard, one small to medium pet per room, €100 fee per stay, dogs on a leash or in a stroller around the grounds, and no dogs inside restaurants, bars, the spa or the pools themselves. In practice, because every restaurant is outdoors and the whole resort lives outside, there was nowhere Daisy could not come with us. Pool area, restaurants, beach, all of it, together.
The pool area deserves its own paragraph. There is a really long heated pool, which is unusual anywhere and a lovely surprise. It is not your typical blue pool either, it has green undertones from the tiles with warm brown stone around it, and the sunbeds and umbrellas sit on gravel rather than the usual tiled deck. The whole thing feels like you have been airlifted to the Bahamas or Thailand and set down in Europe. Daisy was welcome throughout the pool area, always in shade, chilling on loungers like the professional traveler she has become. 10 out of 10 for that. Towels are laid out for you at the pool too, which sounds small until you have spent two hotels carrying your own towel around everywhere.
This matters extra if you travel solo with your dog. I often travel with just Daisy, and at most resorts a swim means finding someone to mind her. Here she settles on a lounger in the shade and I can actually get in the water. That alone puts Domes Zeen on my return list. No dog floaties in the pool obviously, I did not even ask, and that is fair enough.
Settled on the gravel in the shade while I actually got to swim, the whole point of a dog-friendly pool area.
The beach is a short walk down from the pool and it all flows together as one space. The sea was rough when we were there, so I would not have taken Daisy into the water, and you will want water shoes, which was true almost everywhere on this Crete trip. Funny enough, at Domes Noruz just up the coast I never needed them. The beach itself is calm and never crowded, and it was perfect for Daisy's early morning run before anyone else was out. Even at eleven o'clock there were multiple double sunbeds free at both the pool and the beach. After staying at a resort where you had to be out by 9am to claim a bed, that is luxury in itself.
Getting around is easy. Golf carts run you up and down whenever you call, and the resort is perfectly walkable too, with the one warning that the asphalt gets seriously hot in the afternoon. Paws and hot asphalt do not mix, so time your walks or call the cart. Daisy did all her business easily on the grounds, and there is plenty of green space for sniffing.
The Standout Moment
The seafood dinner is the story I tell first. But the moment that sums up Domes Zeen is smaller. Everywhere we went, staff and even other guests were calling out to Daisy by name, people who had met her hours earlier around the resort. On the golf cart, at the pool, at dinner. She was the absolute star of the show, and saying they made her feel welcome is an understatement. Some hotels tolerate dogs. This one celebrated her.
Practical Details
Domes Zeen sits in Kato Daratso, about 23 km from Chania Airport and roughly 20 minutes from Chania Old Town by taxi. A taxi into town runs about €15. There is a bus, but it looked insanely busy every time I saw it, so I would not advise it. We had already explored Chania town the night before, so we happily spent our whole day on the resort.
A few things to know before you book. The pet fee is €100 per stay for one small to medium dog, and you will sign a pet waiver at check-in, so have vaccination records handy. Book the seafood restaurant through concierge as early as you can, it is the smaller of the two restaurants and it is the one you want. If you have a late flight, ask about the pool showers, they saved our evening. On late checkout, temper your expectations in peak season. We asked and were granted an extension of exactly forty minutes, to 12:40, which is the most peculiar late checkout I have ever been given.
If you are still building your Crete itinerary, our dog-friendly Crete guide covers the rest of the island, and if you are not sure which resort suits you and your dog, plan your trip with Daisy and we will point you in the right direction.
One night was enough to see everything except breakfast, but it was not enough to enjoy it. Three nights is the magic number here. My other lesson from this trip is timing. Chania in July was too crazy for us. I had been before in May and I did not recognize the place this time, it was that busy, and the heat is a lot for a dog. We will not be doing July again. September, when the water is still warm, is my pick, or June before the peak madness kicks in. Daisy would have thanked us for it.
Who This Hotel Is Best For
Dog moms who want a proper luxury resort experience without leaving their dog behind at any point of the day. Solo travelers with dogs, because the pool setup means you can actually swim while your dog lounges nearby. Couples who want calm, understated luxury rather than a scene. And honestly, families too, this is a family friendly resort that never once felt like one.
Skip it if you want to be in the middle of Chania town nightlife, if you are on a budget, since rooms start around €600 and climb well past €1,000, or if all inclusive buffets are your idea of a holiday. This is the opposite of that.
The Final Verdict
We have now stayed at three Domes resorts, and my ranking is Domes Noruz first, Domes Zeen second, and Domes Aulus Elounda third. But they are close for different reasons, and Zeen beats Noruz on food. That seafood restaurant is better than anything we ate at Noruz, and it is worth going back for on its own. A full comparison of all three is coming.
Domes Zeen is understated luxury done properly, and Daisy was not a tolerated guest, she was part of it. One of the most inclusive resort experiences she has ever had, a heated pool she could lounge beside all day, outdoor dining where she joined every meal, and staff who knew her name within hours. The so-so lunch, the puzzle of a front door, and the forty minute late checkout are the only marks against it, and none of them would stop me returning in a heartbeat, next time for three nights.
10 out of 10, and yes, Domes Zeen is officially Daisy Approved.
