Hotel Grande Bretagne, Athens, Greece [Master Thread]
 

I booked a room at the Hotel Grande Bretagne in Athens using points and then upgraded two of the nights to a Deluxe Suite, two nights are still at a Junior Suite, awaiting more points. My problem is I could not find a Deluxe Suite at SPG.com, I could only find a Grand Deluxe Suite. The telephone rep did not seem to have much information on what the difference was but said that they were different. Does anyone have enough experience at this hotel to tell me the differences between these 3 room levels? And why I would not be able to find the middle level at SPG.com?

What in general is the difference between a Junior and (real) Suite?


Thanks for any help.

/mod
Pre 2007 reports can be found here:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/starw...er-thread.html
/mod

Don't concern yourself with the issue of an upgrade. Your primary concern should be whether you have a drop-dead view of the Acropolis.

How were you able to upgrade after using points to book the room?

Booked a room online for 10k a night then called up and asked to upgrade. 11.5K gets you a Junior Suite and 20K gets you a Deluxe Suite. emailed the hotel and they said you could not upgrade any higher on points but for 550 Euro + 11.8% tax, I could get a Grand Deluxe Suite.

Do not know about how to get the view obscure2k spoke about, will try the anniversary card for the view and hope.

Look here:

http://www.grandebretagne.gr/html/ac...-suite-eng.htm

The hotel web site may promise more from a junior suite than it will deliver:

The exceptional views of Constitution Square, the Acropolis, or the Lykabettos Hill provide the finishing touches. There is a choice of king or twin beds in this accommodation.

I was (gold at the time) upgraded to a junior suite that opened only to an interior courtyard, but the room itself & quality of furnishings was outstanding.

I just booked a 2 night stay at the Grande Bretagne for May 2008 (yes....2008 due to the impending increases in redemption! Never know what will happen in two weeks with the categories.) I also booked the Junior Suite at 11.5k per night which I thought was a pretty decent deal. Also booked 3 nights at the Blue Palace for 13.5k per night in a deluxe bungalow with a private pool!

Worthwhile eating at restaurants in Grand Bretagne?
 

I'll be staying at the Grand Bretagne next week, having booked before they raised the category level. I read through all of the old threads on it, but couldn't find any comments on the restaurants inside the hotel. Any thoughts on whether they are worthwhile?

My wife and I ate at the GB Corner restaurant when we stayed there a couple of years ago. The food was very nice, pretty reasonably priced (for the standard of hotel) and the service was excellent. All in all I'd recommend it.

The afternoon tea in the lobby is also worth sampling if you like that kind of thing.

Enjoy your stay - it is a great hotel.

GB / Athens restaurants
 

We just returned from a 6 night stay.

Regarding GB corner, we never dined there but walked through a few nights. Very luxurious and everyone dressed to impress, jackets and elegant dresses. Expect to pay at least $30 Eur per entree and easily over $50 Eur p.p. for a full dining experience. The small portions looked great but not enough for me. I found an authentic souvlaki grill in Monastriki where I could get a hefty lamb gyro for $1.50 Eur. I followed the locals here, this was the best food in all of Athens and I returned back almost every day. Also recommend Taverna Tou Psiri for an authentic experience, however be warned of the thick cigarette smoke.

I would definitely recommend the roof garden bar ^ for a drink at the minimum. Fantastic views of the Acropolis and Syntagma.

As a Platinum, we were upgraded to a 2 room suite, however the courtyard view was quickly turned down for a balcony Acropolis view room on the 6th floor. Highly recommended! You must visit the spa for a water foot massage and an herbal steam room. I am not a foo-foo guy but I must say I felt "tingly" after this experience. One of the best starwood stays by far, exemplary service.

There is a nearby wine shop named Cellier where you can find great local and Italian wines at great prices and outstanding service.

My personal experience is that GB Corner is somewhat overpriced for an upscale brasserie style cuisine. In addition, the staff does not seem to be very knowledgeable about the Greek wines; the wines we were recommended on two different occasions were quite bland. The rest of the service, on the other hand, was excellent. Light lunch in the lobby was a very nice and elegant experience. The Spa and in the indoor swimming pool are just great.

another opinion
 

I was there beginning of Oct. 06. Make sure you tell the agent at check in what's more important, more space, better view, bigger bathroom etc. I've stayed there 4 times and the rooms are extremely variable. As for the restaurant, it's a bit much for my budget and the food in Athens is really good and you don't have to spend a bunch of money for a view. You can walk through the Plaka and get nice views of the Acropolis for alot less money. A great tip is the TimeOut guide to Athens - pick it up from a library and copy what you need or make notes if you don't want to buy it. Their food recommendations were uniformly correct. I found the restaurants in the Monistiraki area to fit what you might be looking for. Definately have a drink on the roof of the hotel, eat elsewhere.

Thanks for all of the replies. I will make sure to go to the roof top bar, at least for a drink.

I was just at the GB a few weeks ago (mid-February), and I have to agree regarding the Roof Lounge. The food was wonderful - fresh fish of the day wonderfully prepared, excellent and attentive service, and a very comfortable setting - but, the price was well-above what I thought was reasonable for Athens, even at a property like the GB.

You should ABSOLUTELY go upstairs, camera in hand, and go out on the terrace. You'll have some spectacular views of Syntagma (Constitution) Square, the Parliament building, the old 1896 Olympic stadium, and, of course, the Acropolis. Enjoy!

I just wanted to report my experiences at the Grand Bretagne restaurants for future reference. I tried the roof garden restaurant and can report that both the food and view are excellent. Menu items are 20 - 40 euros.

I also had the breakfast buffet. The breakfast room was closed so it was served in the roof garden restaurant. It is 24 euros, and has very high quality food. There is a huge variety of fruit (strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, etc.) as well as other standard breakfast fare. It is probably the best hotel breakfast buffet I've had.

The hotel has a list of their services that can be bought with starpoints. I'd didn't think any of them were great values, but I'll list them for those interested:
buffet breakfast 1,500 points
3 course lunch or dinner at GB corner 7,500 points
robe pack 9,000 points
body aromatherapy massage at GB spa 10,500 points
back treatment at GB spa 6,000 points
aromatherapy facial at GB spa 9,000 points

As others have posted, this is a great hotel and a great choice for Athens. It is very easy to get to from the airport -- the metro station is right next to the hotel. Excellent service and a great location.