I thought I'd post some reflective thoughts after 8 nights at BP... FWIW we're a late 20's couple that generally enjoys keeping to ourselves on vacation but still appreciates staying in nice places and having simple requests taken care of expeditiously.
RE: The hotel
What we liked:
-The pool suite was a very nice comp upgrade given the occupancy of the hotel (>95% at check out). Quite frankly, we'd have been a bit disappointed with a standard bungalow, so I'm glad we did get the upgrade.
-The hard product of the room is pretty nice. Bathroom is well appointed and the room itself, while small, is more than adequate in a place where you should really only be spending time in your room if you're sick or sunburned.
-We truly did get a solid 9 days of great relaxation in, which is I suppose the best compliment I can pay the hotel.
-Breakfast was pretty good, and complimentary champagne is always a nice touch to a buffet. ^ to Blue Palace for including the full buffet as a platinum benefit, though it is fairly standard outside the US. The only thing really missing from breakfast is any type of "premium" hot option. The only hot options were eggs, sausage, bacon, potatoes, etc as well as made to order [sweet only] crepes and omelets, which generally didn't have too long of a line.
-Service was efficient (more on service later) and requests to bring things (ice, utensils, wine opener, etc) to the room or room service were all handled within 5-10 min.
The pool by the newer room wing was empty almost all the time. I'd go there if you're looking to relax.
What we didn't like at the hotel:
-The lunch/dinner food options were generally a huge ripoff, and we're glad we didn't eat on site much at all.
-Service was not very warm or in any way pampering. We're generally OK with this, as like I said, we like to be left alone for the most part, but for a "luxury" hotel...
-There was an incident at the spa, which they handled appropriately. Don't really want to say much more about it, but we also visited the Six Senses spa nearby, and it's much much better. I highly recommend skipping the spa and just heading to Six Senses.
-Not a fan of them charging 10 Euros for bicycle rental. Non-motorized stuff is typically free at resorts, and while 10 Euros isn't very much money, it's just the principle of it.
-As has been mentioned, not a huge fan of how the atmosphere at the pool off the lobby is generally ruined by kids yelling and jumping in the pool. That space could be tremendously relaxing as a place to grab a drink and just chill out, but our only attempt to do so was ruined by kids... and we're not curmudgeons about kids at all. It just doesn't make sense when the pool down by the beach is clearly so much better for kids not to force them to use it.
In all, the hotel was great and we wouldn't hesitate to return. I would not really be happy in a bungalow, though, as we did like to spend just about all morning and early afternoon in our room, and that wouldn't have been possible without the pool to cool off.
Recommendations to those going:
1) Eat in Plaka for dinner as opposed to the hotel or Elounda. There's lots of great options and we found that our favorite two were:
-The Carob tree (outdoor space near the eco store) where we could eat 2 courses each including a carafe or two of wine for 25-30 Euro. The service was super friendly, the food was great (though a bit homey if that matters to you), and they always included complimentary fruit and raki for dessert. We ate here 3 or 4 times and it was always fantastic. Lots of folks eating around us speaking Greek, so that was a good sign, too...
-Another one I don't know the name of, but it's all the way at the end by the public beach in Plaka. Not the pirate themed bar, but the restaurant right before that. The seafood was very good and fresh tasting, and prices were also fairly reasonable.
We also found the places in Elounda much cheesier and touristy. We went to "Friends" bar in Elounda to watch the world cup game figuring Elounda would be a bit livelier, but meh.
Ag Nikolaos -- past Elounda -- was much cooler than Elounda. Lots of shops, boutiques, places to eat, etc and much cleaner and less cheap feeling than Elounda.
2) I would hesitate to book a regular bungalow again in July/August when an upgrade is less certain. It seems like the pool bungalow is a standard plat upgrade, which is nice, but unless you plan to spend lots of time outside the hotel, it wouldn't be my first choice of room as a couple looking to relax. Family with kids going to the main pool and beach all day? Sure...
3) I'd base a room request on how you envision where you're going to be most of the day. The funicular is very slow and waiting can be tough. Not only that but at peak times it's packed full, hot and sweaty. So if you're going to want to be on the beach a lot, or walk up to Plaka a lot, I'd try to stay as close as possible to the bottom of the hill so you can just walk. If you want to relax in your room the most or want a quite pool, I'd go with the new wing.
4) Get half bottles of wine and champagne at duty free en route as the fridge is pretty small.
5) If you're renting a car, I'd use the hotel's car service. 90 EUR for a new Mercedes and no cab line was great considering it's a 1 hour drive. He also had wifi hotspot for us, which was nice.
6) The earlier you go to breakfast, the better. Not only is it still tolerable to eat outside, but it gets *slammed* between 945 and 1015.
Any questions feel free to PM...