Nema Design Hotel & Spa

Facing the sea at Analipsi on Crete’s north coast, NEMA Design Hotel & Spa is a five star adults only retreat combining contemporary Mediterranean style, private pool accommodation and the exclusive EÉSO by NEMA collection.

NEMA has a polished identity of its own. Architecture is crisp and contemporary, softened by stone, timber, planting and a palette drawn from the Cretan landscape, with pools and terraces worked into the design so that water is almost as important as the buildings themselves. The atmosphere feels grown up and composed, with the sea providing a constant backdrop beyond the hotel.

There is plenty happening beneath that calm exterior. Good food, a substantial spa, private beach, pool and evening music give the hotel enough variety to make staying put genuinely appealing, while the promenade at Analipsi puts a little local life just beyond the door. For something more exclusive, EÉSO by NEMA creates a private enclave within the hotel with its own distinctive spaces and heightened sense of seclusion.

Rooms & Suites

The accommodation has considerable range, beginning with Garden and Sea View Retreats and progressing through suites with outdoor Jacuzzis and an extensive collection of private pool categories. Poolside Retreats bring the water immediately outside, while Elegance, Premier and Signature options create increasingly generous spaces for couples wanting more privacy.

EÉSO by NEMA sits at the pinnacle of the collection. The Atrium, Sanctum, Pavilion and Penthouse have been conceived as individual retreats within the wider hotel, with striking architecture, generous proportions and an emphasis on personal space. The Signature Suite with Two Pools is another standout, turning water and outdoor living into a defining part of the suite itself.

Dining

Euphoria is the hotel's main dining room, bringing Mediterranean cooking and Cretan produce together from breakfast onwards. The setting is bright and relaxed by day, then takes on a warmer mood in the evening when dinner becomes a more leisurely affair.

Rizes Cretan Gastrobar digs deeper into the island's culinary identity, drawing inspiration from traditional ingredients and familiar Cretan flavours while presenting them with a contemporary hand. It is the restaurant we would make time for, particularly if you enjoy discovering a destination through its food, while the hotel's bars and occasional live music give evenings an easy social rhythm afterwards.

Experience

The large outdoor pool creates the natural centre of the hotel, surrounded by sun terraces, loungers and gardens with the sea immediately beyond. A private stretch of sandy beach adds another choice for the day, making it easy to move between pool and Aegean whenever the mood changes.

There is plenty of scope for more energetic days too, from diving and windsurfing to horse riding and cycling, and a car opens up much more of northern Crete. Analipsi itself has a relaxed coastal character, while nearby Hersonissos brings a much broader choice of restaurants, shops and nightlife when you want a change of scene.

Wellness

Aegeo Spa is a proper part of the NEMA experience, with a hammam, sauna, steam room and relaxation spaces complementing a broad treatment menu. Massages sit alongside facials, body rituals and beauty therapies, while yoga and a fitness centre provide more active ways to start the day.

The private pool rooms and EÉSO collection make it particularly easy to carry that sense of wellbeing back into your own space. A morning at the spa followed by an afternoon beside your own pool works beautifully here, especially when the only decision left is where to have dinner.

Where

Analipsi gives NEMA a useful position for combining downtime with exploring Crete. Hersonissos is around two kilometres away, while the location on the island's north coast puts Heraklion and many of central and eastern Crete's archaeological sites, villages and beaches within comfortable reach for a day out before returning to the quieter atmosphere by the sea.

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