A trip to Crete
Sep 11, 2015, 9:33 am
#1
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A trip to Crete
Today I start a new Trip Report about our last trip to Crete. It was a „Budget-trip“ as my wife wanted to save money. We ended up booking 5 nights at the Blue Palace Elounda (Luxury Collection) in a Bungalow with private pool.
We started our journey at DUS airport from were our flight to Heraklion with Air Berlin departeted. First we should start at 5:50, but they changed the times weeks before to 7:50.
Like more or less every journey from DUS it started at the „exclusive“ Hugo Junkers Lounge. Like I said in the past it´s an OK lounge with limited food offerings. Nothing to write home about....
View with rare airline:
Entrance:
Seating area:
Offerings:
DSC_0006 by Hello Friends, auf Flickr
The flight borded before time but left a few minutes late as a crew member was ill. I grabed Emergency seats at the A 321 which offered good legroom.
We arrived in time and lagguage-transfer worked relative well. We visited the restrooms at the airport and wished we had used the one at the plane....
I prebooked a rental car via billiger-mietwagen.de at Hertz. When we arrived at the rental car area the shock! No one at the Sixt-counter, no one at the Budget-counter, no one at the Europcar counter and no one at the Avis counter BUT the half plane at the Hertz counter. Cool!
After over 1 ½ hours we got our papers and could go to the pick up station. We got a Hyundai i30 Diesel (weakest one I guess) in basis-configuration. Not the worst car but if I had to drive it every day I would get mad...
Next: Blue Palace Hotel
We started our journey at DUS airport from were our flight to Heraklion with Air Berlin departeted. First we should start at 5:50, but they changed the times weeks before to 7:50.
Like more or less every journey from DUS it started at the „exclusive“ Hugo Junkers Lounge. Like I said in the past it´s an OK lounge with limited food offerings. Nothing to write home about....
View with rare airline:
Entrance:
Seating area:
Offerings:
DSC_0006 by Hello Friends, auf FlickrThe flight borded before time but left a few minutes late as a crew member was ill. I grabed Emergency seats at the A 321 which offered good legroom.
We arrived in time and lagguage-transfer worked relative well. We visited the restrooms at the airport and wished we had used the one at the plane....
I prebooked a rental car via billiger-mietwagen.de at Hertz. When we arrived at the rental car area the shock! No one at the Sixt-counter, no one at the Budget-counter, no one at the Europcar counter and no one at the Avis counter BUT the half plane at the Hertz counter. Cool!
After over 1 ½ hours we got our papers and could go to the pick up station. We got a Hyundai i30 Diesel (weakest one I guess) in basis-configuration. Not the worst car but if I had to drive it every day I would get mad...
Next: Blue Palace Hotel
Sep 11, 2015, 1:00 pm
#2
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Blue Palace Hotel
After an 1 ½ hour drive we arrived at the gate of the Blue Palace. The guard asked for our name and wasn´t ble to find it on the list. As usual she gave me the list and I pointed it out. It may be practical, but of course not perfect privacy. Only for the records we were asked every time for our room-number when we entered, I would have expected they knew us after a few days...
Entrance with lobby-building:
We drove to the main entrance and were immediately greated by the bellboy. A member of staff brought us to the lobby and told us we should sit down as the front desk was busy. I thought they would told us when they are ready to check us in, but nothing happened. So I went to the reception myself to check in. All not very luxury, a very underwhelming check in. Also they noticed my birthday during the stay, but nothing happened on my „special day“. OK, I can live with it...
After another wait we were escorted to our Bungalow. I booked a Bungalow with private pool with a best rate claim, no upgrade was granted as a gold-member. They claimed I got an especially nice room, but I doubt it.
We got „Bungalow“ 327, in fact it was a normal room with one room, a small terrace and a pool. The bathroom was OK with only 1 sink, a sparly separated toilet, a shower (which often flooded the toilet) and a bathtub. Not the nice freestanding tub they show on their website and also without television, but it wasn´t too bad.
The room itself was not really small with a small flatscreen, a kingsize bed and a sofa. The terrace had a table with 2 chairs, 2 chaises and a kind of (totally uncomfy) daybed. We also had a private pool which was not only really cold (at 35 degrees, won´t see it at coldr times!!!), it was also connected with the other „private“ pools. You could see in the neighbors terraces and Bungalows from it, so absolutely not private. I would call it useless, not the place to be. We had a nice view to Spinalonga (see separate post later). Over all not bad but the last time I booked a budget room!
The room:
Bathroom:
Terrace with pool:
View at night:
Bungalows from the path:
The resort is build on a hillside and separated by a road. You can use a kind of lift to come from the lobby to the beach.
Resort from the water:
The hotel hat 2 outdoor-pools. The first (fresh-water) is on lobby-level near the bar and was more or less always empty. It was also not very warm. To be fair it was nicely done.
Upper pool from the bar:
View from pool-terrace/ bar:
The second pool (saltwater) was on beach-level and had a good temperature. One part were only 0,77m deep for children and the other part was 1,35m deep.
They also had an indoor pool, but I didn´t used it.
We also used the fitnesscenter which was OK. The equipment was so-so, my crosstrainer crashed 2 times during different sessions, the bike once didn´t work.
The beach is relative big and was always relative crowded. It´s a pebbled beach, you best enter the water from a jetty. The water was relative warm but very salty. We also did some snorkeling, I´ll do an extra post for it. At the beach it was often very windy, so one time our drinks turned. Drinks were good.
First evening we ate at the Blue Door restaurant, their „traditional greek tavern“. I was nothing special. The food was prepared mediocre, we had better meals in taverns at Plaka. My wife coudn´t eat her main course, the bread was old. While quality was mediocre prices were fairly high. Service was OK at best but far away from luxury level. If you pay 30,00 € for a main course you may expect much more. After the first evening we decided not to eat at the hotel again.
Main course (30 € and not so good):
Desserts (good):
[url=https://flic.kr/p/xxFxgP]
We had 2 times drinks at the bar, whick were OK, but nothing really special.
Breakfast was served in a big room with terrace. It was always loud (many silverware clatter) and not my cup of tea. They had many choices on the buffet, but quality was mediocre. For example the fruits (peaches, melons) were mostly unripe while you get very good ripe fruits all over the island. I doubt it´s even possible to get such fruits on Crete, so I guess they import cheap good – really a shame!To be fair they had good pancakes, waffles and some nice delights. Bread was not high quality.
Last day we had breakfast via roomservice which was OK.
Bottom line
The Blue Palace is not a bad resort, but some steps under what I´m normally used to. You can´t compare it with real luxury resorts in any way. Perhaps I would return as Crete is really nice, but surely not in a Bungalow. While hardware lacks privacy, service could be improoved (but not really a problem, they are trying) and food must be improoved. In the end with the best rate claim it was at least good value (300 per night).
Entrance with lobby-building:
We drove to the main entrance and were immediately greated by the bellboy. A member of staff brought us to the lobby and told us we should sit down as the front desk was busy. I thought they would told us when they are ready to check us in, but nothing happened. So I went to the reception myself to check in. All not very luxury, a very underwhelming check in. Also they noticed my birthday during the stay, but nothing happened on my „special day“. OK, I can live with it...
After another wait we were escorted to our Bungalow. I booked a Bungalow with private pool with a best rate claim, no upgrade was granted as a gold-member. They claimed I got an especially nice room, but I doubt it.
We got „Bungalow“ 327, in fact it was a normal room with one room, a small terrace and a pool. The bathroom was OK with only 1 sink, a sparly separated toilet, a shower (which often flooded the toilet) and a bathtub. Not the nice freestanding tub they show on their website and also without television, but it wasn´t too bad.
The room itself was not really small with a small flatscreen, a kingsize bed and a sofa. The terrace had a table with 2 chairs, 2 chaises and a kind of (totally uncomfy) daybed. We also had a private pool which was not only really cold (at 35 degrees, won´t see it at coldr times!!!), it was also connected with the other „private“ pools. You could see in the neighbors terraces and Bungalows from it, so absolutely not private. I would call it useless, not the place to be. We had a nice view to Spinalonga (see separate post later). Over all not bad but the last time I booked a budget room!
The room:
Bathroom:
Terrace with pool:
View at night:
Bungalows from the path:
The resort is build on a hillside and separated by a road. You can use a kind of lift to come from the lobby to the beach.
Resort from the water:
The hotel hat 2 outdoor-pools. The first (fresh-water) is on lobby-level near the bar and was more or less always empty. It was also not very warm. To be fair it was nicely done.
Upper pool from the bar:
View from pool-terrace/ bar:
The second pool (saltwater) was on beach-level and had a good temperature. One part were only 0,77m deep for children and the other part was 1,35m deep.
They also had an indoor pool, but I didn´t used it.
We also used the fitnesscenter which was OK. The equipment was so-so, my crosstrainer crashed 2 times during different sessions, the bike once didn´t work.
The beach is relative big and was always relative crowded. It´s a pebbled beach, you best enter the water from a jetty. The water was relative warm but very salty. We also did some snorkeling, I´ll do an extra post for it. At the beach it was often very windy, so one time our drinks turned. Drinks were good.
First evening we ate at the Blue Door restaurant, their „traditional greek tavern“. I was nothing special. The food was prepared mediocre, we had better meals in taverns at Plaka. My wife coudn´t eat her main course, the bread was old. While quality was mediocre prices were fairly high. Service was OK at best but far away from luxury level. If you pay 30,00 € for a main course you may expect much more. After the first evening we decided not to eat at the hotel again.
Main course (30 € and not so good):
Desserts (good):
[url=https://flic.kr/p/xxFxgP]
We had 2 times drinks at the bar, whick were OK, but nothing really special.
Breakfast was served in a big room with terrace. It was always loud (many silverware clatter) and not my cup of tea. They had many choices on the buffet, but quality was mediocre. For example the fruits (peaches, melons) were mostly unripe while you get very good ripe fruits all over the island. I doubt it´s even possible to get such fruits on Crete, so I guess they import cheap good – really a shame!To be fair they had good pancakes, waffles and some nice delights. Bread was not high quality.
Last day we had breakfast via roomservice which was OK.
Bottom line
The Blue Palace is not a bad resort, but some steps under what I´m normally used to. You can´t compare it with real luxury resorts in any way. Perhaps I would return as Crete is really nice, but surely not in a Bungalow. While hardware lacks privacy, service could be improoved (but not really a problem, they are trying) and food must be improoved. In the end with the best rate claim it was at least good value (300 per night).
Sep 12, 2015, 10:13 am
#3
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Excellent report. Nice pics of Crete.
But that Hertz line?
No priority line/cut in privileges for #1 Club members?
Not sure about the pebble beach though.
But you did get the best seat on the plane. ^
But that Hertz line?
No priority line/cut in privileges for #1 Club members?Not sure about the pebble beach though.
But you did get the best seat on the plane. ^
Sep 12, 2015, 10:46 am
#4
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Sep 13, 2015, 3:39 am
#6
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As I picked up my car in Cape Town from Avis yesterday, I was given the choice between that Hyundai, a Ford Focus, and a VW Jetta equivalent/whatever they call it here. I went with the VW... Avis already pulled the Hyundai trick on me and I wound up with a car that had only 3 doors.
Sep 13, 2015, 5:42 am
#7
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The first day we decided to do Knossos and Heraklion.
Knossos may be the most important archaeological site on Crete, it is also a touristic hot spot and very crowded.... The palace itself is impressive, also I´m not a fan of Evans reconstructions.
A few impressions:
After Knossos we drove to Heraklion and visited first the Archaeoligacal museum which is quite impressive. It shall be the second most importang archaeoligical museum in Greece after Athen.
Heraklion itself has some nice buildings like the Venetian Loggia
the Morosine fountain
or the harbor with the (temporary closed) castel.
Knossos may be the most important archaeological site on Crete, it is also a touristic hot spot and very crowded.... The palace itself is impressive, also I´m not a fan of Evans reconstructions.
A few impressions:
After Knossos we drove to Heraklion and visited first the Archaeoligacal museum which is quite impressive. It shall be the second most importang archaeoligical museum in Greece after Athen.
Heraklion itself has some nice buildings like the Venetian Loggia
the Morosine fountain
or the harbor with the (temporary closed) castel.
Sep 13, 2015, 12:47 pm
#8
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Well €300 per night doesn't really sound budget to me.
It's interesting that your photos and text seem to tell a totally different story. From your photos it looks quite splendid but I guess you were slightly underwhelmed given your writing.
It's interesting that your photos and text seem to tell a totally different story. From your photos it looks quite splendid but I guess you were slightly underwhelmed given your writing.
.
Sep 13, 2015, 9:22 pm
#10
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As I understand, Sir Arthur Evans had little choice; if he had not intervened to protect the structure he was discovering, it would have been washed away in the rains.
Sep 14, 2015, 9:36 am
#11
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Didn´t study archaeology, but was it really necesary to rebuild that much. At Malia for example it´s not the case
Sep 15, 2015, 12:21 pm
#12
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I promised a few words about snorkeling. We snorkeld only at the hotel-beach as we doubted a snorkeling-trip would be worth the money. Snorkeling itself was nice, but not compareable to „real“ snorkeling hotspots. I woudn´t travel to Crete for it, but if you are there it´s a nice sport.
Sep 24, 2015, 2:34 pm
#15
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On the scond day we first drove to Gournia, an old Minoan town. It´s fastcinating to see the old structures, I really enjoyed it.
On the way back we had some nice views on the Gulf of Mirambellou.
We drove to Agios Nikolaos, which was praised as one of the nicest towns on Crete by our guide. OK, I can´t confirm that, I found it nothing too special. The archaelogical museum is still closed, so not much to see. We parked at the harbor
[url=https://flic.kr/p/xUKvKi]
and went to the main attraction, the Lake Voulismeni
OK, nice I have seen it.....
On the way back we had some nice views on the Gulf of Mirambellou.
We drove to Agios Nikolaos, which was praised as one of the nicest towns on Crete by our guide. OK, I can´t confirm that, I found it nothing too special. The archaelogical museum is still closed, so not much to see. We parked at the harbor
[url=https://flic.kr/p/xUKvKi]
and went to the main attraction, the Lake Voulismeni
OK, nice I have seen it.....