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To help sprinkle a little sunshine into the ongoing winter lockdown, we thought we would share some reviews of beautiful places visited in happier times. With the vaccine roll-out seemingly going well, you might be able to travel again sooner than you think, but in the meantime we have memories… and photographs!

Today’s Saturday Escape is from our good friend and colleague at InsideFlyer Germany, Steffen.

The Blue Palace, A Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, Crete

Crete is a great destination for luxury vacationers, with numerous top-notch resorts, including Blue Palace Crete, A Luxury Collection Resort & Spa. Although it is one of the older properties on the island, it is still one of the most popular resorts in Greece.

For the journey to the Blue Palace it is recommended to book a flight to Heraklion. From there it takes about an hour to get to the resort, which is located on the north coast of Crete in Elounda. Elounda is one of the most popular resorts on the island with numerous top-class resorts located in and around the town.

The Blue Palace Resort nestles on a mountainside and is thus designed in a stepped fashion with several levels on which the hotel’s various facilities are spread. The lobby is located at the top of the mountain and represents one of the two “hearts” of the resort with the Arsenali Bar and a pool. The second is down on the beach, which can be reached either by a panoramic elevator or on foot.

However, the Blue Palace experience starts for every guest in the airy and spacious lobby where, during check-in, everyone receives all the important information about the resort. In addition, one should download the hotel’s own app “Exclusivi”, through which one can, for example, make reservations in the various restaurants, order room service and much more.

Superior Sea View Bungalow

The Blue Palace Resort has various room categories, which are distributed over the extensive resort area. The most popular category are the Superior Bungalows, which all have a spacious balcony with a fantastic view of the bay and the small island of Spinalonga. In addition, there are bungalows with their own small pool, which connects directly to the balcony. Furthermore, the resort also offers various suites and villas, most of which also have a private pool. When choosing a room, however, you should definitely make sure that you can enjoy the picturesque view of the bay, as this is definitely one of the USPs of the resort. For elite Marriott Bonvoy members, the resort always does its utmost to ensure an upgrade. However, especially during high season, the Blue Palace Crete is often completely booked.

The Superior Sea View Bungalow for our stay is located two levels below the lobby, near the Anthos restaurant. The room is decorated in a Mediterranean style, combining a relatively bright design with dark wood. Next to the comfortable Luxury Collection bed, a small sitting area invites you to relax. The bathroom is also pleasant in size and is equipped with a separate shower and bathtub.

The clear highlight is the large balcony of the room, where you can sit for hours and enjoy the view. Recommendation: It is worth getting up early in the morning and watching the sunrise – here you can experience the magical colours of the sky.

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Pool & Beach

There are several pools scattered throughout the resort, so in combination with the numerous private pools, it’s almost never too crowded at any one. One pool is located next to the lobby at the Arsenali Lounge Bar, which in combination with the special architecture of the lobby building and the bar is a popular photo spot. Pictures taken at this location have made it into various high profile travel and lifestyle magazines. The most special atmosphere is again during sunrise.

Down on the resort’s beach is another pool, which is especially popular during the day. Another pool is located near the convention centre. The beach is – typical of Crete or Greece in general – a pebble beach. Guests who have booked a villa or Island Luxury Suite can look forward to their own area on the beach, The Haven, where some goodies like complimentary refreshments are also served.

Food & Beverage

The day at Blue Palace Crete starts at the Olea restaurant where breakfast is served. The spacious restaurant offers both numerous indoor seating options and a large terrace. The Haven, a designated breakfast area for guests in Villas, Luxury Island Suites as well as Marriott Bonvoy’s Platinum, Titanium, and Ambassador Elites, is also located there. This has the advantage that you can basically always get a seat on the popular terrace. The breakfast buffet includes numerous international and local Greek options, so no wish goes unfulfilled. Of course, omelettes, fried eggs, fresh waffles, pancakes and more are also freshly prepared. As a guest at The Heaven, you also get breakfast extras like avocado toast with poached eggs for free.

Apart from the Oleas, there are various other restaurants and bars in the Blue Palace Resort. Greek or Mediterranean cuisine can be found, for example, in the restaurant Anthos and in the Blue Door Taverna, which is located directly on the water. Be it delicious mezze, grilled calamari, fresh fish dishes or something completely different – you can taste your way through the diverse flavors of Crete.

In addition, there are other exciting culinary options with the Isola, the Isola Beach Club and the Asia Deep Blue – whether for a snack during the day or a delicious dinner. For a relaxed drink, the Arsenali Lounge Bar, where you can always find something suitable for the small appetite in between, is the perfect spot. In the evening, a sushi master prepares fantastic fresh sushi dishes. In general, you should reserve a table early enough, especially for dinner, either via the app or the concierge, so that you get a table at the preferred time. By the way, everything is quite reasonably priced (for a nice resort hotel): A glass of wine costs about 7 euros, most main courses are between 18 and 35 euros, and you pay 3 euros for a frappé.

Marriott Bonvoy Category: 8