Where to go in Greece?
 

I've never been to Greece. I have a ton of Skymiles, Marriott points, Hilton points, and Priority Club (holiday inn, intercontinental points). We want to go somewhere with fantastic beaches to just kick back and relax.

I'm very unfamiliar with Greece - would Athens fit this? Or do we need to go elsewhere?

Thanks in advance!

Athens is just about the antithesis of what you're looking for! It's a decent culture and food destination, but nature-wise it's not good. Back in the early 1990s, with non-catalytic cars and before they got the Metro and nat-gas network, air pollution was awful...That's been sorted now, but there are no great beaches within a couple of hours from Athens.
If you want great beaches and don't want to go to an island, I would look into Chalkidiki (near Thessalonika, with the added advantage that you can fly there direct from PRG and rent a car without having to mess about with public transport or the convoluted road network in and around Athens) or Western/Southwestern Peloponnese. If you do want to go to an island, there are plenty of options, but I haven't got a lot of first-hand experience of the islands to recommend anything specific.
The only serious national resort chain is Grecotel, but, of course, there are decent hotels and rooms-to-rent pretty much everywhere that's near a beach!

I lived in Greece for about a year. If you want culture, beach, and nightlife all in one, I would recommend an island. Mainland Greece just won't fit your needs. There are a few areas that have sortof what you want, like Nafplio, or Messinia, but overall, you will find more in Santorini, Mykonos, Rhodes, or my favourite, Crete. Starwood offers several luxurious accomodations in all three locations. Anywhere in Santorini or Mykonos will suffice. If going to Crete, I would recommend Agios Nikoloas or Elounda. I would stay away from Chania or Chersonissos (sometimes you'll see it spelled with an H instead of Ch). Crete offers several archeological sites, great beaches, and some spectacular nature. The Samaria Gorge is an absolute must-see, the food is great, and you can rent a car and drive the entire island without getting lost. There is really only 1 major road.
You can use your Skymiles to fly into Athens, then book a separate ticket on Aegean Airlines for the continuation onto the islands. Aegean is the best airline in Greece and intra-Greek prices are very affordable.
As for hotels using points, all three programs you listed have hotels, but only on the mainland. If you wanted to stay a few days in Athens before or after the trip, I would recommend just 2 nights. Everything you want to see and/or do can be done in 2 nights. The Marriott is quite nice and about 5 minutes from the city centre. It does have a free shuttle to Syntagma Square whch is quite convenient. The Intercontinental is basically next door to the Marriott. It looks like a nice hotel. The Hilton is kinda out of the way and is a very large hotel.
If I were you, I would go to Coupon Connection and see if someone would be willing to trade Starwood points for your Hilton/Marriott/Priority Club points so you can stay on the islands for free. Just my own recommendation.

Unless the OP wants to go in the super-high season (01.08-20.08), great deals can be had pretty much anywhere...I wouldn't bother going through the whole points exchange charade (unless I could be guaranteed a top-end bungalow/villa in Elounda).

5 minutes? Sure, if you have the helicopter ready!!

To be fair, it's not that far...but traffic can be terrible...It can easily take you 40 minutes from the Intercontinental to Syntagma! Hilton is more central, but still not really in the centre.

The Grande Bretagne is right in the middle of Syntagma, it's a landmark on its own right, and about the only Athens hotel I would seriously contemplate spending (Starwood) points on.

Well, the hotels in the Astir Palace complex have been nicely renovated and staying there when weather is fine can be pleasant.

But is the water clean enough for swimming? I don't think I'd feel comfortable swimming so near Pireaus.

Or do you mean they're nice for lounging around?

You're quite right :). Nice for lounging around, nicely renovated facilities, with a pleasant swimming pool for swimming. Though I agree that when in Greece, you should go to one of the thousands of pleasant beaches !

My friend, I've stayed at the Marriott no less than 20 times and taken the shuttle double that, and it has never taken more than 10 minutes with 5 minutes being pretty much routine. The Marriott is located just a 100m from Syngrou-Fix metro station which is just 1 station away from Syntagma. We are talking less than 2 kms in total distance from the hotel to Syntagma. It never takes 40 minutes. Perhaps from the Hilton to Syntagma, that would be accurate, but not from the IC and Marriott. It's extremely close to the centre. If you are up for a stroll, then you can walk from the hotel to the Acropolis which would take perhaps 15 minutes straight up Syngrou Avenue. If you are up for taking the metro, as I said, Syngrou-Fix metro station is just 100m up Syngrou Avenue. This line runs to Piraeus and to Syntagma and northbound. It's very cheap at 80 eurocents for a ride.
The Grande Bretagne is an amazing hotel. I did use points to spend 1 night there and it was absolutely wonderful. However, I would never pay the prices they charge to stay there. It is a great hotel, but way overpriced in my opinion.
The OP made specific mention of beach, so I assume in warmer weather. I mean, afterall, the islands are pretty much shut down from October to March anyway. Current high seasons with all the major hotels is running from 1 July to 30 August. Sheraton is offering specials for May and June if you are keen on paying for it. However, I still stand by my suggestion that if you prefer to go on the cheap and use points, a Coupon Connection trade with someone who has alot of SPG points is an ideal way to go. Of couse, this is only my personal opinion.
There is an interesting website for expats living in Greece. It often has interesting places to go and see. I would recommend taking a browse through some of the archived issues regarding beaches if that is your main goal. http://www.xpatathens.com/
Efharisto.

I stay a lot at the IC, as the price at the GB and the Hilton have gone way up since their renovation for the Olympics. It has occasionnally taken me 20-25mn by taxi at rush hours.

Another plug for the IC. We were there last May, and found that the rates for the Club floor were much less than a regular room at the GB. I used my BOGO which brought the price down even further. You could easily survive on the wonderful food in the lounge - hot breakfast, afternoond sandwiches and munchies, hot appetizers in the evening, open bar, free internet use with printing. The food was not only plentiful but GOOD. And, the lounge has a terrace with killer views of the Acropolis. Room was HUGE, with a complete sitting area with a couch, several easy chairs and a nice desk for working. Our room also had a great view of the Acropolis. If you are IC Ambassador, I can say that this hotel gave all the expected benefits and more.

We were concerned that it was outside of the immediate tourist area, but it turned out to be fine, the shuttle is free and regular and drops you off right in front of the GB. When it came time to leave for the airport the concierge in the lounge arranged for a taxi pickup at a set fee. When we went downstairs at the appointed time the doorman had our name and taxi number on a list, and he made sure we got the taxi that had been ordered. The price was exactly what we were quoted.

When the shuttle schedule didn't work for us a couple times we took the tram back to the hotel - easy to use and there is a stop about a 5-10 minute walk from the hotel, down a very busy and perfectly safe main street. There were some interesting looking local restaurants close to the IC, but we didn't explore them. We also walked back from the acropolis on a balmy afternoon and felt completely safe doing so - probably ~30 minute walk.

The hotel also has a very nice pool area, with lots of lounge chairs, etc. I would stay there again in a heartbeat.

And, on my first trip to Greece I would certainly plan a couple nights in Athens, since it would be a shame to miss the acropolis, etc., but would spend most of my time on the Islands. Be prepared for a big noisy and somewhat dirty city.

Thanks for everyone's replies. I failed to mention I also have Starwood points, so that option is intriguing on those islands.

Yes, we would be going in warm weather, probably July.

Thank you for everyone's replies.

Obviously it's not close to Athens, but I would strongly recommend a visit to the Meteors - Greek Orthodox monasteries built on tufa rocks - near Kalambaka in central Greece, near Larissa. They are out of this world, and are reached by steps from adjacent car parks. I have never been anywhere like them - lost in the mists of time and very peaceful despite all the tourists. Vaarlam and Grand Megatron are the most amazing places, but if you have mobility problems the nunnery (St Stephen's) is probably the easiest to reach on level ground. It's somewhere you could never replicate, even in St Peter's in Rome or the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. Please take the risk and the somewhat complicated journey and have an out of this world experience.

If this your first time to Greece, I would invest one full day in Athens to visit the Acropolis and Parthenon, and then move out the islands.

In terms of the Greek beaches themselves many are somewhat rocky (not like Caribbean Sea sandy white). What makes Greece so special is the tranquility on the islands, against the warm blue Mediterrean waters.

I would recommend that focus your time in the Cyclades Islands, as you will get lower humidity levels than on the mainland, and a stronger sea breeze.

Here is a link to a map of the Cyclades:
http://www.mykonos-hotels.info/image...slands-map.gif

I prefer the Cyclades to the Dodecanese islands (Rhodes, Kos) as those islands hug the Turkish coast, and get meaningfully hotter in the months of July and August.

Islands like Mykonos, Paros, Santorini, Naxos are really magical, and should not be missed. You can easily visit many of the islands, as they are only a few hours apart by the daily ferries.

I have not seen many of the larger hotel chains on the islands, and I doubt they have many locations. Most luxury hotels seem to be independent, or are affiliated with a European label

If you're really set on using your hotel points, there are some great beaches in Southern Turkey with wonderful Hilton properties. I have stayed at Hilton hotels in both Adana and Mersin.

It would be a shame to go to Greece and not witness firsthand the awesome wonder of the Acropolis and Parthenon. Beyond that, Conde Nast seems to always have Mykonos at the top of the list of the best islands in Europe, never mind Greece.

I don't really know a lot about Conde Nast, but I can tell you that Mykonos is devoid of any vegetation, overpriced and overcrowded. The nightlife, and particularly the gay scene, may be good, but that's about it.