Does anyone know what the weather is like here end of Jan/early Feb?

Monthly temperature averages for Crete.

Is the hotel even open in Jan/Feb?

Not warm!

www.weather.com under vacation planning will give you the high/low mean etc. But Greece in the winter is far from prime season!

The Blue Palace closes for the winter.

We are planning a trip to Greece in Oct 2007 and would appreciate some advice.

We are thinking of spending 2 nights at G Bretagne-- 3 nights at Vedema & 5 nights at the Blue Palace (all on points)

We have no problem paying the max for the nicest suite we can get at BP but have heard that the private pools are not heated and are freezing that time of year.

What to those of you who have visited this property think-- is the expenditure of extra points worth it in October? Are the private pools heated at all?

The descriptions on the SPG booking site are a little confusing:

Deluxe Seaview Suite, Seaview Veranda W/private Pool, Sep Spacious Livingroom, Marble Bathroom W/jacuzzi, Wide-screen Lcd Tv And Dvd
(For the private pool it does not say heated)

1 King Island Luxury Ste Non-smking, Seaview Veranda W/heated Pool, Private Livingroom, Separate Dressing Room, Wide-screen Lcd Tv And Dvd
(This suite rents for more and says "heated" but not private)

Thanks in advance!

Blue Palace experiences?
 

Hi FTers,

I'm a SPG Plat, taking advantage of some of the new C&P opportunities for an upcoming trip to Greece. Staying at Blue Palace on Crete for 3 nights with both a points-only and a C&P reservation. Based on one of the posts here that broke down the C&P point value for cat 6s in high season (which this stay would be), I'm tempted to make all of my nights at Blue Palace C&P. The only problem is that the C&P reservation guarantees only a standard room, and I've read from a few reviews in this forum that paying the extra 1675 points on a points-only stay to guarantee an upgrade to a superior bungalow with a private pool is worth it.

To maximize my chances of getting such an upgrade, I've booked the first night as points-only with the guaranteed upgrade, and the next two nights as C&P. Does anyone have any sense of how likely it is that they would force me to move rooms for my 2nd and 3rd night?

I would really hate to have to move rooms... Has anyone here had experience getting the private pool room upgrade, based on Platinum status alone?

Thanks for any and all advice...
Tannerrox

EDIT: Hmmmm, after reading some reviews and viewing some candid photos on TripAdvisor, I'm now rethinking the need to upgrade for the private pool. Most say they are too cold (although we will be visiting in late August) and not terribly private... Any thoughts?

Just wanted to bump this thread and ask if there's any updated advice on getting to the hotel.

I'll be visiting at the end of August with my girlfriend. We're traversing around Greece on a boat for the week prior and the idea is to end the trip with 2 nights at the Blue Palace.

But it seems rather difficult to get to. Coming from Athens, what does everyone recommend? Ther ferry information I've been able to research online (haha... ferries.gr ... hah) seems to indicate all ferries to Crete from ATH are overnight. We only have 2 days to spend for the "end" of our trip and I don't want to kill one of them on a ferry. Flying kind of negates the savings of spending points.

So, my question is, am I missing something on getting to the hotel? Is it worth paying the $500 for 2 people to fly r/t to Crete for a two day stay at the Blue Palace?

I stayed here at the end of May 2007 and had a wonderful experience. I flew ATH-HER Aegean Air for around $110 a round-trip ticket. The taxi that the hotel arranged for us was $75 each way. I thought it was kind of steep, but Blue Palace is way out there in a more secluded spot. The other option is a KTEL bus but I thought I'd spend a little bit more and have a faster ride.

I'm only a SPG Gold but was upgraded to a bungalow with a pool. I'm not sure whether mentioning that I was on my honeymoon helped in getting the upgrade. After staying for a few days, I'd say the hotel was half full if that, so it was probably more the fact of open availability that I got the upgrade.

I spent 299 Euro a night. Like others have said, the pool is not truly "private" but separated by low concrete walls. Someone could easily climb over and slip into their neighbors pool if they wanted.

Even though it was late May, about 80F, the water of the private pool was a little too cold (even for one me who is used to surfing in cold water).

But there are three pools on the property that are really nice.

That is a great rate. I am not seeing anything like it for mid September.

This is very useful information for me. I am currently booked at the vedema with my parents, but since we're coming from thessaloniki, I'm now trying to find another place to go that does not require a transit through ATH. There are non stop flights from SKG to HER, thus making this a better option. However, is that 75 bucks p/p or for your whole party to and from the hotel to the airport?

We only have two nights and one and a half days, so schelpping to and from the airport is a factor.

lala

The hotel is rather "remote." They do have a heli pad if you favor that form of transportation.

Don't think hiring a whirly-bird for transport to / from HER is in my budget for the whole trip... But thanks for the suggestion. ;)

I just inquired about taking the helicopter from Blue Palace to Santorini for upcoming visit. They quited me 6,000 euroes to transport 3 of us. I am opting for the high-speed ferry at 40 euroes each.

My husband and I are staying here on points 03 May to 06 May, 2008. He's a *wood Plat and I have asked for an upgrade from a Superior Bungalow Sea View & private pool as it is his 60th. Fingers crossed. Anyone know how much one way transport from airport to Blue Palace is by taxi vs. hotel transport? Our flight arrives almost midnight at HER so don't want to drive and get lost. Thanks.

Hi,

I stayed at this resort 2 years ago, using points. Three quick things:

1 - Make sure that if you get the private pool, you specifically ask for one that's at least 3 levels from the road. My first private pool room was right on the road, which was noisy and peeping-Tom like. I requested a higher room, and was immediately given another one.

2 - The hotel is about 60 minutes from HER, and through some winding roads. I believe the fare was 60 EUR each way via regular taxi, and around 90 EUR using the hotel car. I wouldn't drive, as it's a bit hard to find, especially late at night. :D

3 - The hotel is within walking distance to a small, charming town, with cute restaurants and shopping. Plus, there's a small grocery if you want to bring food back to the room, which we did. The hotel prices for food and drink are EXORBITANT, so I recommend this option if you don't want to be gouged for food, especially with the weak dollar!

Big thumbs up
 

Fabulous place. With the caveat that I haven't been to the Sardinia properties, I would say this is the best Starwood resort in EMEA. The views are amazing as are the deluxe pool suites. But I echo other posters who say to rent a car and eat elsewhere. Or at least walk the 300 meters to Plaka to eat as well as snorkel. I had no problems driving there. It was quite easy to find and the whole Avis rental was cheaper than a round-trip taxi would have been.