WEEBOBBY

I am staying Athens - Aug 31st
Santorini (non spg) - Sept 1-Sept 5
I am staying Athens - Sept 6th

I have the Grande Bretagne booked on C+P for Sept 6th (no C+P available Aug 31st)

OPTIONS FOR 31ST - WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

KING GEORGE 6000 POINTS+$110
-ve - We like a pool and that puts me off KB
GRANDE BRETAGNE - 16000 POINTS +$0
-ve - Have to use 16,000 points
ARION 6000 POINTS+$110
-ve - cant use public transport so will have to pay for taxi return to airport

3rdworldresident

I'll arrive at ATH around 10.15pm. and the next day i have a flight to santorini at 11.30am.

should i stay at Sofitel ATH (130.28 Eur a night) or get into town and stay at Hotel Grande Bretagne or King George instead? Is it worth to do so? (Both places have c+p availability on my dates.)

How can i get into town late at night? Does it still have metro or bus in operation at that time? I don't wanna take a cab.

Thanks in advance.

WEEBOBBY

3rdworldresident i am in a similar boat (altho i dont plan flying on as early to Santorini the next day. I am not keen on using 16000 points for GB when later in the week I am back again for another night at 6000+$110.
(Sat Aug 31st - GB 16000.KG 6000+110.Arion 600+110.)

you can get to KG/GB using M3 metro or x95 bus. google for timetable. i land 9.25pm and plan getting the bus as it leaves every 15 min vs 30 min for tube , it is cheaper and at night with little traffic i am told its a similar journey time.

let me know how u get on

TravelinSperry

Has anyone stayed at the King George? It's cheaper than the Grande Bertagne - but also shows as a luxury hotel. Wondering how it is.

BluHorseshoe

I am looking to book a trip to Greece at the end of May. I am looking to stay at either the Grand Bretagne or King George in Athens, has anyone stayed at both? I have seen a lot of great things about the Grand Bretagne, but I am not sure whether or not it is worth the extra points.

Afterwords, I am looking to spend a few nights in either Crete at Blue Palace or in Santorini at Vedema. Has anyone stayed at both properties? Is there a consensus that one is better than the other?

Thanks for the help.

JohnSIN

I have stayed at both and my personal favorite is Vedema. It is a very distinctive hotel that feels like a village of its own and it is very small and intimate. Blue Palace is facing the bay but I was neither particularly fond of the rooms, nor the hotel to be honest. For sure, the view at Blue Palace beats Vedema but I would go back to Vedema anyday, while one stay at the Blue palace was enough. Obviously subjective and personal.

rachel645

I agree with JohnSIN that Vedema is better than Blue Palace. Blue Palace, while lovely, is a mega resort and it's hard to have much quiet time to yourself outside of the room. It also is a long walk from the restaurant to the pool and beach (or you have to take an elevator). Vedema is a small resort so the staff really knows each of the guests and you could end up at the pool or hot tub alone.

Blue Palace is on a rocky beach and Vedema requires taking their complimentary shuttle or a taxi to their reserved area at the black sand beach. We were also easily able to get to other beaches via ATV.

Another plus is that Vedema is a short ride from the airport whereas the Blue Palace is about an hour drive.

In terms of Platinum breakfast, Blue Palace gave us access to the full buffet, but Vedema only gave us continental breakfast. This was in July 2012.

In general Crete didn't have the same feel as Santorini and even friends who've been to both (and not stayed at Starwood properties) have mentioned that Crete is okay once, but not a place you need to go back to visit.

BluHorseshoe

Thanks for the information about Vedema! Ibwull definitely be booking part of my trip there. Based on your comparisons it sounds like it is much more what I am looking for.

Anyone have experience with the two luxury collection hotels in Athens?

Thunderroad

I've only stayed at the Blue Palace (for five nights last month, in fact), but nevertheless want to echo these comments about the Blue Palace and Crete. Both are ok and my wife and I had a good trip (11 days in all in Crete). But unlike most of our vacations we weren't wowed by either the hotel or the destination. For instance, the BP has a supposed advantage by virtue of having a beach, but that "beach" barely qualifies as such...really just lots of pebbles with many dozens of lounge chairs crowded on it. (See my post at the Blue Palace thread for more details.) In fact, if I had to do it over again, I'd go to Vedema sight unseen, rather than the known quantify of the BP.

christianj

We stayed at the Grande Bretagne for 2 nights back in June as part of a 3 stop (Mystique on Santorini and Blue Palace on Crete) trip. When I booked the hotels the GB was also a Cat. 5 so it was a no brainer for us to pick it over the King George. With the difference in category now I would make a decision based on the following since the location is basically identical:

- How many nights will you be there?
- How much time are you actually going to spend in the room?
- How important is the per night points cost savings to you? If during low season the difference of 8k is pretty big and could make a big difference if you are staying a couple of nights. 16k for 2 nights could get you an extra night at a Cat. 5 hotel in another location during your trip.

UA-NYC

Any feedback on Vedema vs. Mystique? I have C+P booked at the former, but wondering if it's worth the add'l points/$ for the Mystique. Both are Cat 7, but cash rates also a good bit lower for Vedema. Thanks.

thaliajen

Anything new on Greece properties? I'm headed there in May and traveling with a friend. I was thinking we'd do 2 nights in Athens to start at Grand Bretagne, then Santorini for 2 nights (at Mystique or Vedema but I'm not sure about which is better for upgrades and overall stay) possibly a night in Crete, and then back to Athens for our last night at the Westin Astir Beach place.

I've finally saved the points I need for this trip. I'm a Lifetime Plat and I'm going to cash it all in on this trip. The Athens properties are showing at 12K now, and that means a LOT. The Santorini and Greece properties are showing 20K a night which is a lot. But they're Luxury hotels. I'm not used to sharing a room, in fact I don't even share when my hubby and I travel, so I'll always hope for a suite upgrade, but in the past I haven't fared well on points stays. Since my fellow traveler and I both have medical issues, we'd prefer out own rooms or a living room of a suite for her to crash in, but since it is my dream trip and I have just enough for one room, I'd certainly favor properties who treat SPG Plats well.

I'm also interested in the Costa Navarino property, but have NO idea how far it is from Athens. I also saw info about Starwood hotels offering transportation to and from other properties, but now I can't find it. I know we have to travel via water for Crete and Santorini. And someone mentioned to me that if you stay 3 nights on points somewhere, you can stay for less points? Anyone know about this? I haven't used my points in forever, which is why I have enough to do a week in Greece.

Any info on these properties would be greatly appreciated! For instance, which ones tend to upgrade better, which Santorini property is best, how to get from Athens Airport to Hotel Bretagne, any contact info or just advice about rooms. Also, is the Crete property as gorgeous as it looks? Is it worth it to go to Crete while already in Santorini? I won't be making our reservations until the Spring, but I'm looking at early May for the trip. This is my Bucket List highlight and I want it to go well. I have medical problems that are worsening, and I have dreamt of Greece ever since I re-broke my foot in Rome as a college student and had to miss the end of the trip- Greece. I flew home from Rome in tears as I've dreamt of this my entire life. Now that I may be looking at a wheelchair in the next few years, I am determined to take this trip ASAP.

Feel free to PM me or post, but I'd love to hear some recent info on these hotels and how to get from one to another. I'm in Europe almost every year but never made it to Greece. This is, as I said, a dream come true. (If the categories don't change or the points go from 12K to 16K as THAT would ruin the trip.)

Any new info would be so appreciated- thank you!

lcpteck

I'm heading to Athens for 3 nights and my research shows there's a subway from the Airport to the city (Line 3), you would get out a Syntagma Station which is right across from the hotel. There's also UberX which is estimated to cost EUR 18-24.

Transportation Options
visitgreece.gr

Why not use Uber since you could earn some Starpoints as well.

12k points redemption is low season while 16k points would be peak season.

Peak Season
5/14/2015 - 5/31/2015
6/1/2015 - 6/30/2015
7/1/2015 - 8/31/2015
9/1/2015 - 9/30/2015
5/23/2016 - 5/31/2016
6/1/2016 - 6/30/2016
7/1/2016 - 7/31/2016
8/1/2016 - 8/31/2016
9/1/2016 - 9/30/2016
10/1/2016 - 10/9/2016

stimpy

It's best that you review the master threads for these properties. For instance http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/starw...er-thread.html will have a lot more detail about the hotel than you can find here. And if you still have a question about the GB, it's best asked there. Yet the decisions will still be up to you. Regarding transport, some people take a bus, some take a taxi, and some like me rent a car so they can go exploring outside of Athens. Maybe down to the cape to get some beach time in. Equally some people report nice suite upgrades on award stays and some don't get a suite. You never know. I used SNA's at the GB so at least I knew a bit in advance that I had a suite.

As for doing both Crete and Santorini, I think for an average tourist you would be better off staying in one place and enjoying yourself. But please read the Mystique thread if you have reduced mobility and maybe call up the hotel. I've not been, but reports are that there is a lot of stair climbing to get to and from your room. These island hotels are built into the sides of hills. At the Blue Palace in Crete, at least there is an elevator that moves up and down the slope. Crete is obviously a massively larger island and there is a lot to see and do there. If seeing the sights is important to you, maybe look at all that Crete has to offer and skip Santorini. Renting a car in Crete is highly recommended and a lot cheaper than taking a taxi around.

And to your question about staying 3 nights for less points, that's not true. But Starwood has a 5th night free offer for award stays. Especially for the expensive properties it is recommended to try to stay for 5 nights.

Good luck in your planning!

thaliajen

Thank you! I've been doing research and while I DO want to go to Crete, I sold my friend on the idea by promising to go to Santorini. I just pray the Marriott deal doesn't mess all this up! We're going for 7 or 8 nights and I figure 3 at 1st in Athens (since we arrive at night) then a flight to Santorini if we can afford that over the water routes, 2 nights there, and 1 nights in Crete. Then one last night in Athens at the Westin Beach Astir something. Of course, this could all change. If we stay in Crete 2 nights, it sounds like there's more to see. All I know for sure is that we'll pick Hotel Grand Bretegne for 1st 3 nights. It looks perfectly placed and I like it. The pics remind me a bit of the Hotel Pulitzer in Amsterdam. If I can talk my friend into only 1 night in Santorini, then we can chill 2 nights at the end at Westin Astir Beach place. I think prices of flights from Athens to Santorini/Crete and back are going to be what makes or breaks the itinerary. We both want to go but have so little knowledge of the area. I know the UK and other countries so easily, but being as I've never seen Greece, the whole thing is pretty confusing. Yet, fun to figure out!