JW Marriott Crete Resort & Spa, Greece

Posted in Projects on 9 October, 2025

Construction and conservation combine to create restorative hospitality sustainably.

Set on the rocky hillside of Akra Pelegri in Marathi, Crete, with uninterrupted views over Souda Bay, a new Marriott hotel sits in perfect synergy with the wild coastal landscape. The resort was designed by Block772, which drew inspiration from the local architectural language and the island’s slow-living ethos. It represents a brand of quiet, sustainable luxury that scrupulously honours both place and tradition.

Stretching over the terraced site, the resort comprises 160 guestrooms and suites providing accommodation for up to 450 guests, alongside generous shared amenities. Visitors arrive at a spacious square planted with native shrubs that impart a warm welcome. As they progress, the sea slowly reveals itself in orchestra with the unveiling of the architectural composition and the natural surroundings.

JW Marriott Crete Resort & Spa, Greece. Right: Lobby

Planting continues inside the lobby, framing the reception seating, while natural light enters from above through a skylight, activating the internal garden and enhancing the connection to the surrounding landscape. The reception area is the first of a series of interconnected indoor spaces, furnished in calm, earthy tones and followed by the bar, the main restaurant and the JW Market. This is the communal core of the resort, arranged as a sequence of clean geometric spaces, that open up towards the sea through a series of grand pergolas, acting as a filter between interior and exterior space.

Natural materials filter the sunlight, creating a shifting interplay of light and shadow across the verandas and the reflective pool of water that wraps around them. Boulders work alongside the clean, geometric lines of the architecture to enhance tactility and connect guests to the elemental nature of their surroundings. The mediative quality of the environment can be enjoyed in the islands of sunken seating reached by pathways across the water.

Further amenities, including restaurants, shaded seating areas, pools and a wellness centre, are distributed across the lower part of the site between the rugged rocky terrain and the coastline. This allows for natural transitions between communal and private areas as guests ascend towards accommodation units that stretch over the higher elevations of the landscape.

Designed into a series of one and two-level geometric structures that are carefully positioned on the natural slope of the terrain, the guestrooms and suites sit in perfect harmony with the landscape, while the amphitheatre-style placement ensures uninterrupted views, privacy and a seamless integration into the surroundings.

Each room is conceived as an integrated living environment that dissolves the boundaries between interior and exterior space. Private pools appear to float within the landscape, creating natural cooling microclimates, while shaded terraces and planted rooftops allow the natural terrain to become an essential part of the guests’ daily rhythm.

The resort was designed by Block772, which drew inspiration from the local architectural language and the island’s slow-living ethos.

Block722’s vision of a harmonious marriage between contemporary architecture and ancient land is achieved through close collaboration with local suppliers, artisans and manufacturers for nearly all material, making and construction needs. Generations of local knowledge and craftsmanship are embedded into the project’s DNA.

The material palette throughout reflects the immediate environment. Stone walls are constructed using material harvested directly from onsite excavations while concrete elements incorporate aggregates sourced from the same earth. The colours, forms and textures of the fixtures and furnishings – made from raw, washed linen, terracotta tiling, earthenware, rattan and wood -–are drawn directly from the surrounding landscape to create interiors that feel like natural extensions of the outdoors.

The guestrooms and suites sit in perfect harmony with the landscape.

A commitment to sustainability and land stewardship has underpinned every design decision at the Marathi. Block722’s site-sensitive strategy was to organically embed the built volumes into the coastal landscape, preserving the original topography through post-construction restoration.

The planting strategy was key. Focusing exclusively on native, drought-tolerant species with minimal irrigation requirements, it supports local biodiversity, preserving and enhancing the existing flora. At all times, the built elements have been carefully integrated to work with, rather than against, the natural terrain.

Generations of local knowledge and craftsmanship are embedded into the project’s DNA.

Passive environmental approaches include optimal solar orientation, natural cross-ventilation and deep pergolas, all of which provide effective shading, improving thermal comfort and reducing energy use. Active approaches include renewable energy production through the inclusion of photovoltaic panels, water sourcing through an onsite well and green roofs that improve thermal insulation. These systems work together to minimize the project’s environmental impact while creating a destination that actively enhances the health of its ecosystem.

Here on this dramatic Cretan coastline, construction and conservation have come together to embed contemporary, restorative hospitality sensitively and sustainably into one of the Mediterranean’s most treasured landscapes. The resort stands as a living example to architecture’s power to honour place while creating transformative experiences – ones that connect guests not only to the idea of luxury but to the deeper rhythms of island life.

On this dramatic Cretan coastline, construction and conservation have come together to embed contemporary, restorative hospitality sensitively and sustainably into one of the Mediterranean’s most treasured landscapes.