Marriott Bonvoy hotels in GREECE [Master Thread]
May 28, 2018, 10:07 pm
#166
Join Date: May 2013
Programs: UA Au Marriott Ti Hilton C
Posts: 159
We’re at the KG right now and received a very nice upgrade. Dinner and drinks overlooking Syntagma Square and the Acropolis were quite good last night.
I’ll keep an eye on FT in the next couple days and respond to any queries.
I’ll keep an eye on FT in the next couple days and respond to any queries.
May 29, 2018, 6:27 am
#167
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: CT/ Germany - Ich spreche deutsch
Programs: UA 1K, Bonvoy LTTE, HH Dia, HY Expl
Posts: 4,657
Since there is lots of talk about the itineraries, here is what we did 3 years ago as well as what we are doing this year: (sadly the origin and departure point for most US based travelers has to be Athens due to the limited flights to the islands without 2 stops)
2015 - 2 nights Athens GB, flight to Santorini with 3 nights at Mystique, high speed ferry to Crete and 5 nights at Blue Palace, flight back to Athens and one night at the HIX near airport due to early return flight
2018- 1 night in Athens at the Fresh Hotel, flight to Mykonos with 3 nights at the Santa Marina, high speed ferry to Crete and 5 nights at the Domes of Elounda, flight back to Athens and one night at the Sofitel ATH Airport
We like to relax and just chill in the sun on the beach so the 5 nights in Crete works well for us. One thing to keep in mind is that the transfer to either the Blue Palace or the Domes takes about an hour each way so I would not just do a night or two at either hotel since IMHO it would be too stressful while on a vacation I was taking to relax. As for Athens...I personally think 2 nights is plenty and I would much rather spend time on the islands.
2015 - 2 nights Athens GB, flight to Santorini with 3 nights at Mystique, high speed ferry to Crete and 5 nights at Blue Palace, flight back to Athens and one night at the HIX near airport due to early return flight
2018- 1 night in Athens at the Fresh Hotel, flight to Mykonos with 3 nights at the Santa Marina, high speed ferry to Crete and 5 nights at the Domes of Elounda, flight back to Athens and one night at the Sofitel ATH Airport
We like to relax and just chill in the sun on the beach so the 5 nights in Crete works well for us. One thing to keep in mind is that the transfer to either the Blue Palace or the Domes takes about an hour each way so I would not just do a night or two at either hotel since IMHO it would be too stressful while on a vacation I was taking to relax. As for Athens...I personally think 2 nights is plenty and I would much rather spend time on the islands.
May 29, 2018, 7:11 am
#168
Join Date: Apr 2017
Posts: 222
Since there is lots of talk about the itineraries, here is what we did 3 years ago as well as what we are doing this year: (sadly the origin and departure point for most US based travelers has to be Athens due to the limited flights to the islands without 2 stops)
2015 - 2 nights Athens GB, flight to Santorini with 3 nights at Mystique, high speed ferry to Crete and 5 nights at Blue Palace, flight back to Athens and one night at the HIX near airport due to early return flight
2018- 1 night in Athens at the Fresh Hotel, flight to Mykonos with 3 nights at the Santa Marina, high speed ferry to Crete and 5 nights at the Domes of Elounda, flight back to Athens and one night at the Sofitel ATH Airport
We like to relax and just chill in the sun on the beach so the 5 nights in Crete works well for us. One thing to keep in mind is that the transfer to either the Blue Palace or the Domes takes about an hour each way so I would not just do a night or two at either hotel since IMHO it would be too stressful while on a vacation I was taking to relax. As for Athens...I personally think 2 nights is plenty and I would much rather spend time on the islands.
2015 - 2 nights Athens GB, flight to Santorini with 3 nights at Mystique, high speed ferry to Crete and 5 nights at Blue Palace, flight back to Athens and one night at the HIX near airport due to early return flight
2018- 1 night in Athens at the Fresh Hotel, flight to Mykonos with 3 nights at the Santa Marina, high speed ferry to Crete and 5 nights at the Domes of Elounda, flight back to Athens and one night at the Sofitel ATH Airport
We like to relax and just chill in the sun on the beach so the 5 nights in Crete works well for us. One thing to keep in mind is that the transfer to either the Blue Palace or the Domes takes about an hour each way so I would not just do a night or two at either hotel since IMHO it would be too stressful while on a vacation I was taking to relax. As for Athens...I personally think 2 nights is plenty and I would much rather spend time on the islands.
Which did you like better? Blue Palace or Domes?
May 29, 2018, 7:46 am
#169
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: YQR
Programs: Nexus/GE, UA/MPG, Bonvoy Tit, LTP
Posts: 1,294
We just returned( within the last week) from 5 nights in Santorini ( Vedema), 5 in Crete ( Blue Palace) and 5 in Athens ( King George). Really enjoyed all 3 for different reasons. We rented a car on Santorini and Crete. In Crete I would suggest it's not much more expensive than 2 transfers and certainly opened up a lot of other options. I agree that Santorini is once in a lifetime, as although we loved it we are unlikely to return. Crete was the real dark horse. We expected to spend our time by the pool relaxing but after a couple of hours each day ( it was hot) we hopped in the car and saw lots of wonderful places in the area. Spinalonga, the island fort and former leper colony, is directly opposite the Blue Palace. We took the boat from Plaka , a short walk or drive away, and it was 10 Euros each. It was 135 Euros/ hour for the resort's exclusive boat and apparently 35 Euros from Elounda/ Agios Nikolaus The Dive shop at Blue Palace was great too. Very casual but extremely professional. Recommend the small village of Kritsa too ( if you end up with a car wherever you stay).
May 29, 2018, 9:01 am
#170
Join Date: Apr 2017
Posts: 222
We just returned( within the last week) from 5 nights in Santorini ( Vedema), 5 in Crete ( Blue Palace) and 5 in Athens ( King George). Really enjoyed all 3 for different reasons. We rented a car on Santorini and Crete. In Crete I would suggest it's not much more expensive than 2 transfers and certainly opened up a lot of other options. I agree that Santorini is once in a lifetime, as although we loved it we are unlikely to return. Crete was the real dark horse. We expected to spend our time by the pool relaxing but after a couple of hours each day ( it was hot) we hopped in the car and saw lots of wonderful places in the area. Spinalonga, the island fort and former leper colony, is directly opposite the Blue Palace. We took the boat from Plaka , a short walk or drive away, and it was 10 Euros each. It was 135 Euros/ hour for the resort's exclusive boat and apparently 35 Euros from Elounda/ Agios Nikolaus The Dive shop at Blue Palace was great too. Very casual but extremely professional. Recommend the small village of Kritsa too ( if you end up with a car wherever you stay).
May 29, 2018, 10:31 am
#171
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: CT/ Germany - Ich spreche deutsch
Programs: UA 1K, Bonvoy LTTE, HH Dia, HY Expl
Posts: 4,657
May 29, 2018, 12:40 pm
#173
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: YQR
Programs: Nexus/GE, UA/MPG, Bonvoy Tit, LTP
Posts: 1,294
May 29, 2018, 5:59 pm
#174
Join Date: Apr 2017
Posts: 222
https://www.hoppa.com/en/search-results
Has anyone tried this shared shuttle for transfers from the airport to BP/Domes?
Has anyone tried this shared shuttle for transfers from the airport to BP/Domes?
and write a good trip report!
Jun 17, 2018, 9:58 am
#176
Join Date: Apr 2017
Posts: 222
FWIW we actually have a similar plan to zagguru-- it is also our first trip to Greece
3 nights Grand Bretagne
3 nights Mystique
1 night Grand Bretagne
5 nights Blue Palace
In a perfect world we would have 5 nights in Santorini but we decided to spend a few days in Paris on our way to Greece
Our favorite number of nights per stay is 5. Our usual minimum is 3. Any shorter than that feels rushed to us, although on our recent trip we only had 2 nights at Scholss Fuchl and 2 nights at President Wilson and they were both awesome visits.
BTW Thanks @david55 for the Blue Guide suggestion!
3 nights Grand Bretagne
3 nights Mystique
1 night Grand Bretagne
5 nights Blue Palace
In a perfect world we would have 5 nights in Santorini but we decided to spend a few days in Paris on our way to Greece
Our favorite number of nights per stay is 5. Our usual minimum is 3. Any shorter than that feels rushed to us, although on our recent trip we only had 2 nights at Scholss Fuchl and 2 nights at President Wilson and they were both awesome visits.
BTW Thanks @david55 for the Blue Guide suggestion!
Also, does anyone know if a heated pool is needed for the last 2 weeks of Aug in Crete and Santorini?
Jun 17, 2018, 10:24 am
#177
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: La Jolla, CA
Programs: Marriott Ambassador, Lifetime Titanium, Delta Plat, Hilton Diamond , Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 2,615
We always travel off season- it becomes more difficult every year to avoid the crowds.
I don’t know about August but a heated pool was important to us in October.
Looking forward to your trip report
Jun 17, 2018, 11:07 am
#178
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Bainbridge Island, WA
Posts: 8,964
A lot depends on the location of your room/pool. Most of the rooms face East and the rooms lose most of the sun late morning. We stayed in May ( Blue Place) and our pool was too cold to swim. And our veranda which faced East was in the shade almost all day.
Jun 19, 2018, 4:00 am
#179
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: CT/ Germany - Ich spreche deutsch
Programs: UA 1K, Bonvoy LTTE, HH Dia, HY Expl
Posts: 4,657