Looking at this property
 

So I'm looking to stay mid May next year and there are two rates available: Rack rate and Taste of Luxury.

After reading the thread, I think it's important to get a room with a private pool.

First: The property is not participating in the SPG50 program

I don't think Rack Rate includes free breakfast (?)

Taste of Luxury is 336 Euro a night and includes: (252 Euro a night if you count the free night and you are staying 4 nights):

4th night free
American Buffet Breakfast with Champagne Daily
Welcome Amenity including Fresh Fruits Basket, Flowers and Bottle of Wine
Mineral Water Replenished Daily
Rate includes all Taxes and Service Charges

This is for the Bungalow without pool. I assume there will be no problems getting an upgrade in May? I guess I could upgrade to a Bungalow with pool for 1500 points a night to be sure or is it a waste?

Any advice?

I got an upgrade, but I'm platinum and it was a very special occassion.

I did the drive no problem.

If you get the regular rate (without breakfast), you can have a lovely continental breakfast in your room for just 5 euros service fee (per room, not per person). The breakfast was nice, but not up to the quality of the rooms. If you enjoy a light breakfast in the room, no reason to pay extra for a breakfast included rate.

I think everyone gets 2 small bottles of mineral water daily.

When did you stay there? What upgrade did you receive as Platinum? The Taste of Luxury rate is cheaper than the rack rate and gives you the 4. night free

we are contemplating booking 4 nights here (we arent platinum) this summer/Autumn. clearly out of season gives us more chance for an upgrade, BUT if we dont get upgraded what are the rooms like, im confused on whether you get a small pool with the basic rooms...

No, you don't get a private pool with basic rooms. The rooms are nice, but not really spectacular. You aren't supposed to be spending a lot of time in them after all. ;)

any recent updates to this property?

I'm considering how to pay for a stay there (only SPG Gold):

options are:
1) points: 20k/night (5th free)
2) C+P 8k/night + $150 (seems the better deal)
3) checking with virtuoso or other travel agent to score upgrades and preferred treatment and rates (sometimes they have great deals and can finesse upgrades).

What's the best value in an upgraded room? A while back someone posted the following, is there any update to this?

Superior Bungalows are 12,000 (up to 16,000) points.
Superior Bungalows with private pool are 13,500 (up to 17,500) points.
Deluxe Suites are 24,000 (up to 32,000) points.

In my view, the deluxe suites are the only way to go. Your own private infinity pool makes all the difference in the world. Fortunately I got it as a Plat upgrade on a 5 night points stay. This was a superb value for the points.

Hmm. might be the flyertalk effect. the 20k/night and C+P options (which existed this morning on the website) are now gone for the dates I was looking for. I had to settle for a dbl points upgrade Deluxe Suite at 40k/nite 5th free. Without plat, I think I had to do it anyway to ensure the upgrade. The hotel looks great. If it goes well, I may have to give up my Schwab 2% visa card and go back to the starwood amex card and build the points back up.

Trip Report
 

My wife and I stayed at the Blue Palace as part of our honeymoon for one week (Sunday to Sunday) in early August. I'm SPG Platinum and I've been all over the world with Starwood. I found the Blue Palace to be one of the best resorts I've encountered and highly recommend the hotel to anyone here on Flyertalk.

I've tried to record our observations about the room, service, and activities at and nearby the hotel. If there are any questions, please feel free to post follows ups or message me.

Logistics

I booked via SPG on Cash and Points and had them note I was on my honeymoon.
I booked a car transfer from Heraklion airport via e-mail to Ultimate Guest Services. The cost was 90 Euros and I think I saw a Taxi was about 70... IMO, just book it through the hotel. Upon arrival at the airport, you'll be greeted by a representative of the Blue Palace and paired with a Mercedes driver, very nice service.

As for weather, in August, it was warm but not at all hot. There was a steady breeze that blew towels around but kept it comfortable.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by an UGS member, who congratulated us on our marriage, waited as we got checked in and took us to our room. We were upgraded to a room with a private infinity pool and awaiting us was a bottle of Piper Heidsieck champagne and fruits.

Rooms

The upgraded rooms with pools are clever... rooms are side by side and the pools adjoin close to the "infinity" point. If you are in the private pool the walls are built as such that you can't see others but you could hear them and you'd see folks when on the deck or getting out. They make for an amazing view and I highly recommend getting your own pool - it's lots of fun. I agree with previous posts here that you're going to want to request to be high up and away from the funicular and the roads. Also notable is the heated floor in the bathroom.

Being that we were staying at the property for over a week, I asked the front desk if perchance they had any suites available as part of my Platinum upgrade. My wife grimaced when I made the call to the front desk, but they had a suite available and moved our gear in the hotel car. This suite was located at the high end of the property in the "new building", attached to the Asian restaurant.

The suite itself is awesome: it includes a sitting area with couch and chairs, huge closet space, flat screen TV, and massive bathroom with Jacuzzi tub and separate spacious shower stall; Molton Brown products. Outside, we had two more chairs and across a footbridge was our private pool and two lounge chairs. They call these rooms "mountain view", but they include the key vista of the island and the full bay including the mountain. It's not an infinity pool, but larger than the others and the water is self contained. The pools are salt water and heated.

I believe our room qualified as a junior suite - the hotel also has bi-level suites that are good for families and then the Villas which I'm sure are even grander.

Dining

Over the course of the week, we ate at each of the restaurants at the hotel and ordered room service a few nights. We also "trekked" the quarter mile to Plaka for a few superb dinners as well. I've read frequent complaints that cost of food is high - we are of the opinion that you can expect nothing less at resorts in the middle of no place. In room, the cost is high but room service is wicked fast and actually has several great entrees.

There is a 5 euro continental breakfast option if you are not paying for breakfast as part of your room. They told me that Cash and Points exempted us from the 5 euro breakfast, which was unfortunate but understandable. Also we ordered breakfast as late as noon, though the technical cut off was probably around 10 or 10:30.

We loved the Blue Door and had a bunch of great lunches there - it's the Blue Palace's answer to a Greek taverna. We recommend ordering a bunch of appetizers - Zucchini, Dakos, Gruyere, Salads, Pita, Tzaziki, beers and just enjoy the view. Fish is served whole, and as with the local tavernas, you pay a fixed price per 100 grams, and the fish is weighed prior to cooking, bones, head included.

The Asian restaurant was a welcome break to Greek food about a week into our trip. Cool concept and was very popular with the guests.

We had one night at L'Orangerie and thought it was ultimately not worth the expense - the service was attentive but the atmosphere was sterile, save for the keyboardist who I'm positive played the opening theme to Scarface. Their food was great, though not mind-blowing in comparison to other fine restaurants. Plan to eat there once on a week long stay. Probably skip on a short stay.

Plaka is really a very short and easy walk, though I suppose Blue Palace will arrange a taxi for you. I believe it's 7 euros each way to go to Elounda. Both towns are a good break from the hotel restaurants. There are several good food options, though surprisingly, I didn't find my bills to be that much smaller at the end of the evening. The restaurants in Plaka have adjusted their prices not too far from the hotels. In this part of Crete, don’t expect to find a cheap meal in the tavernas. The value is there though - if you are eating fish it was very likely caught that morning by a relative of the chef.

Another note - the entry cost for a bottle of wine is higher than the states (at least California). My wife and I typically know our way around a wine list, but the Greek lists are hard to decipher. We generally found that there are some fantastic Syrahs and Roses, though the Syrahs really need at least 45 minutes to breathe. I recommend asking for a decanter (which they'll have at the Blue Palace, of course), or just letting it sit open while enjoying a glass of white. Try the Semeli Rose at the Blue Palace, it's one of their less expensive wines but is superb.

There is room for improvement on their menus from a vegetarian perspective. A vegetarian is someone who only eats vegetables - this is not really understood in Greece.

Recreation

As I said earlier, we went to Crete to disappear and relax so we spent most of the time on base, sleeping, reading, drinking and eating. Blue Palace is perfect for these things.

We went to the spa a few times, we found their prices to be reasonable and very much recommend their services. They are very proud of the Thallasotherapy, which I didn't care for but my wife loved. It's fun for couples because you can enjoy it together but is no substitute for a good massage. We recommend getting treatments in the evening when the spa is much more quiet and after the sun has gone behind the mountain. Perhaps I'm burying this point, but Greece is a bit like Spain in that the dinner action is late - it's totally normal to sit down at 10:00pm. That being said, the mountain to the south of the Blue Palace cuts off about 90-120 minutes of direct sunlight for tanning. And once the sun goes behind the mountain, people retreat to their rooms for a siesta. This is a perfect time to hit the spa or have a drink at one of the lounges.

We rented a car for a day to explore the plateau. There is a Hertz on site which was able to get us an automatic vehicle. If you are highly proficient in manual, you'll have a wide range of vehicles to choose from; you may need to make a reservation for an automatic a day or two in advance. We just wanted to roam a bit, so we headed up to the Diktanian cave (where mythology has it Zeus was hidden after birth) and then headed over to Kritsa to purchase arts and crafts, stopping outside of Agios Nikalos at the Cretan Olive Oil factory to see how they made it in the old days and purchase oil, jams, and spices to bring home. You could do more and go farther from the hotel, but that was enough for us. As a previous poster mentioned, it's worth stocking up on snacks and beer, it'll help you cut some corners on the room service tab. If you rent a car from Heraklion and bring it to the Blue Palace, parking is free.

Miscellaneous

The Blue Palace offers free internet, including wifi and two computer stations with printers, 24 hours a day at the lounge. Internet is available in rooms, of course, for a fee.

The quick boat ride over to Spinalongoa island is crazy expensive from the dive shop and is a flat fee for up to 4 people. Try to mix it up with a couple and split the rate, or just walk down to Plaka and pay half the price. Again, walking to Plaka is basically like walking to the other side of the hotel, it's very close.

There are no ATMs in Plaka, only Elounda. Another brilliant thing about the hotel is that the front desk will charge cash to your room, up to 300 Euros a day for no fee.

The hotel manager hosts drinks at least once night a week for guests (we were invited but didn't make it).

Bottles of water are complementary at turn down service. Newspaper service is not free, the IHT arrives in the afternoon around 2pm, hotel charges the cover price and will deliver to your door.

Finally, our perspective was that the Guest Service personnel are willing to do just about anything to make sure you are enjoying your stay... take advantage of their counsel and familiarity with the area.

Enjoy Crete!

LAXtime ... thanks for such a thorough review!! My wife & I will be staying there next Wednesday just after we spend a few days at Astir Palace in Athens. I'm looking forward to it that much more after having read your review!

I stayed there last year. I think it was on cash and points. We were upgraded to a little villa with a private pool. The resort and the local area are both truly magical. I hope it works out.

As a first time poster, many thanks to all for the information that you've shared.

I stayed at the Blue Palace for 5 nights last month on points with my wife and daughter, and, despite the fact that the hotel was fully booked (according to the front desk), got upgraded to one of the bungalows with a private pool as a mere Gold.

For those considering an award stay with a third person in the room, beware Blue Palace's charge of 100 euros per day for the third person. I didn't have to pay the charge, but only because I had called SPG before arriving to confirm that we'd have an extra bed for our daughter and that there would be no additional charge for her (I booked online, so I couldn't include a child in the reservation). The agent assured me that there would be no charge. Soon thereafter I received an email from Blue Palace confirming our stay and informing me of the charge. After a few phone calls, and SPG's review of the recording of my conversation with the agent, SPG confirmed that the charge would not apply.

We loved the resort and the area, especially Spinalonga, and, father afield, Knossos, but, unless you just want to disappear in a luxury resort, I highly recommend incorporating a Blue Palace stay into a longer visit to Crete. The western half of Crete is far more beautiful and authentic than the eastern half. Chania, a charming Venetian port, is the ideal base and allows day trips to the Samaria Gorge and the insanely gorgeous beaches at Elafonissi.

We are heading to the Blue Palace as part of our honeymoon this July. I'm a Platinum member and I'm wondering what my chances are for an upgrade this time of year? Everyone seems to have gotten great upgrades, I just want to make sure we get the infinity pool! :D

Well if you want to make sure you get a deluxe suite, you should book it. I never count on upgrades, but as posted above I got a deluxe suite with the pool on an award stay during high season. So it is possible.

Can anyone report on the 2010 status of breakfast for those of us staying on free nights? 2005 reports said breakfast was free on awards. By 2007, they weren't. Then folks talked about ordering breakfast for one to the room, that the a la carte items were about 15 euros and were generous enough to serve 2. The last report I read spoke of a 4 euro continental breakfast, but that folks staying on C+P weren't eligible to order it.