OttoMH

I've been lucky enough to be Aegean Gold / Star Gold for 3 years. This is great as I fly quite a bit on SAS and LH through the year. First was comp'ed then downgraded then I made it back the long mileage way (no A3 sectors.) Last year I re-qualified by doing a 1 night stay in Kos from BRU as I was a few miles short of the 24k. It's a long time since I was in greece and I really loved it for a short trip and am thinking to proactively book a 1-2 night stay this year as a jolly/sector-run.

Any recommendations for a short break destinations that are a connection onward from ATH on OA or A3, not crazy expensive and not too much hassle to/from the airport?

I was thinking Chania maybe? Will be a solo-traveller for the sector run, I like nice food, wine and maybe a few drinks in a bar after.

KGS - Kos - €30 taxi to Kardemena / hotels about €60
CHQ - Chania - €30 to Chania town / hotels around €60
???
???

Swanhunter

I enjoyed Heraklion (HER). Nice place and some good history to explore too. Santorini (JTR) is spectacular but also quite a pricy destination unless you go right out of season. While it’s not an island Thessaloniki (SKG) has plenty going on too.

Considering Paros for my annual jaunt. Coupled with the upgraded vouchers these are a pleasure and never a chore and it’s fun exploring more of Greece.

OttoMH

I hadn't considered HER or SKG, I''ll check them out on the fare finder. Thanks! I did consider JTR but I think I would end up divorced if I didn't take the other half there hahaha..

KLouis

No problem with a divorce with respect to A3 and M&B: next time you could fly to Myconos and have a clean conscience! At any rate, add to your list Corfu and Rhodes if you want a "big" city. By the way, Corfu and Chania are perhaps the most beautiful large cities in Greece. Worth more than an overnight stay.

Tokyoite

Season does really affect the pricing. when are you looking to do the 4 segments?
January is drastically cheaper than June.

Arrivals

Don't miss out on Chania! Corfu is very nice too!

OttoMH

Looks like Chania is the best bet price wise - €240 all-in return for an up-gradable fare. The hotels and restaurants look great too. A bargain for securing StarGold through Oct 2021 (and a bit of a Jolly too!) Thanks all - I notice a lot of BMI folks in here too

Swanhunter

Interested to hear how you find Chania.

A3 does feel a bit like a retirement home for former Diamond Club members 😉 Despite some of the recent changes it still offers outsized value to me.

jetplane86

I'm also looking to do a jolly/sector-run sometime in early 2020! I've done Rhodes and Heraklion in the past. Chania also looks nice

Stoyan

I also can say Chania is very nice place. It has old venetian architecture and during the winter is very cheap.
By the way A3 also offers very cheap prices when flying xxx-ATH-CDG or xxx-ATH-IST (or vice versa for IST). For example sometimes you can fing SOF-ATH-CDG or even IST-ATH-CDG with airfare just 9 EUR + 33 EUR taxes on their website so it could be even cheaper bought from somewhere else.

Stoyan

P.S. Last year I helped my status in A3 with flights like DUB-ATH-MAD with 1 night in ATH. Instead of 2 sectors it also brings about 2500 miles booked on the cheapest classes - U, P or T.

jetplane86

Thanks for the tip!

OttoMH

Well....! It's that time of year again sector run time!

I had a fantastic deal booked for 25-27th Sept to CHQ to renew status with a lovely city center hotel that just fell apart when the Dutch government put ALL Greek islands on the quarantine list. Absolutely gutted. I was looking forward to spending a full day by the pool and a great dinner and Greek wine somewhere. Mainland is still permitted though so I booked to SKG instead. (which is really crazy from a Covid POV - a small island town vs. a busy city..)

Anyway.. I have no idea about Thessaloniki. I saw there's some nice hotels near and south of the airport, though maybe it would be nice to be closer to a town center. Does anybody have any recommendations for where I should stay and if there are any MUST SEEs for Thessaloniki? A Greek dinner recommendation would be welcome too.

Xandrios

Well you can still fly to the islands. Its just that things like insurance might work differently (or not at all).
The crazy thing is that Thessaloniki has been quite a hotspot too, definitely more than some of the islands (though not sure how it compares to Crete).

Personally I'm not very familiar with the city... but I do know that it is well known for its cuisine. Probably very different from the island style that you were hoping to find, but hopefully good/nice nonetheless.

Sebi1

You can rent a car and drive down two hours to Chalkidiki. There are nice beaches and it is a touristic area with hotels and apartments. Thessaloniki is not that spectacular and in my opinion you have seen everything there within a few hours.