Review: The Theodore Boutique Hotel, Crete

Here is our review and scoring of The Theodore Boutique Hotel, a small boutique hotel situated on the beach in Agia Marina Village on the island of Crete based on our stay in a seafront room (Revelation) in August 2021.

The Theodore Boutique Hotel is a small luxury boutique hotel/resort with 9 uniquely designed rooms with either a view of the sea or garden.

1.    Location 18/20: 

The Theodore Boutique Hotel has a convenient location: it is approximately a 15 minute drive from Chania town centre and 30 minutes from Chania Airport. It’s also close to some of the popular West-Crete beaches such as Elafonissi (90 minutes) and Balos (45 minutes). The hotel itself is located in a resort area, on a long stretch of beach, which at the time of our visit was very quiet and calm. The Theodore Boutique Hotel’s location is the perfect place to relax and explore the west side of Crete and around Chania.

You could get by without renting a car if you plan to spend time at the hotel, taking tours to visit the sites, walking to nearby restaurants for meals, or taking the bus to and from Chania for sightseeing and eating. We do find that since Crete is very large, renting a car makes seeing more of the island much easier. 

2.    Bed and sleep quality 18/20:

We slept very well at The Theodore Boutique Hotel; the hotel has good soundproofing and the bed and linens were very comfortable. The beds don’t have headboards which was a bit unusual, but extra pillows can be requested if needed.

3.    Room and room amenities 18/20:

All rooms either have a balcony or patio, slippers, bathrobes, and free toiletries. A safe and a minibar are also included (snacks and drinks in the minibar and space for your own items). The rooms also have a yoga mat, in addition to books for guests to read during their stay. Filtered water is also provided and replenished daily.  Our room had a private balcony with a spectacular seafront view. As the hotel is very small and compact, we were located above the restaurant but we did not find this to be noisy or disruptive at all. While the room did feature a Marshall Bluetooth speaker for music and fast wifi, there is no television – a feature we never miss when the setting and view is this beautiful. 

Upon arrival, we were very surprised to be treated to a welcome plate of snacks (olives, veggies, bread, local dips, and a bottle of local wine) to enjoy on our balcony as we settled in after traveling. It was so delicious that we wished we would have been able to order the plate again for a light dinner on another night! The hotel also offers a truly unique nightly turndown service. Each night we returned to our room to find a daily practice ritual based on Theosophy: Love + Wisdom. We won’t spoil this for our readers but offer a sneak peek only; the daily practices we received included quotes from Niko Kazantzakis’ novel “Zorba the Greek”.

4.    Bathroom 8/10:

The bathroom was functional and stylish and continued the hotel’s overall design theme with stone archways and unique tiles that reminded us of Morocco. This was accented by small local touches such as Greek toiletries by Korres, and a traditional hand-loomed Cretan vourgia bag used to store the hairdryer. 

5.    Hotel Public Areas and Amenities 9/10:

The hotel has a small welcoming lobby that flows into the indoor/outdoor restaurant where complimentary breakfast is provided.  Light snacks for lunch and dinner are also available and there is a small bar with beer, wine, and cocktails as well. The hotel has beach loungers, umbrellas, and floaties for guests to use at the beach. Tip: you can watch both the sunrise and the sunset from the water!

The complimentary breakfast is very impressive – easily one of the best we’ve had! The menu offers diverse local and international options for various dietary preferences. We highly recommend the cilbir (poached eggs with yogurt sauce and harissa oil), and yogurt with local honey. 

6.    Service and staff 10/10:

We can’t say enough about the amazing staff at The Theodore! Even before our stay began, the hotel was extremely proactive in trying to ensure you had the best experience possible, and this philosophy continued throughout our short stay. From the impeccable housekeeping (we always returned to a spotless room) to the thoughtful touches (cold water replenishments at the beach and unique evening turndown) there were simply no faults to be found. We were in awe that such a small hotel could still do so many things for their guests on a daily basis! We truly felt “Filoxenia” (Cretan hospitality) at The Theodore Boutique Hotel with their concept of “Theosophy”!    

7.    Overall Value 9/10:

While The Theodore’s rates were higher than many of the other hotels in the area, we were very satisfied with the quality of the accommodations, service, and overall experience that was provided. The location on the beach, the sea view, and the included breakfast were all among some of the best we’ve experienced.   

8.    Overall:90/100 

Would weleavetoday to go back? YES please; It was one of our favourite hotels on our trip to Greece and we thought of cancelling our trip to Santorini for a few more days here!