During our recent trip to Greece, I was able to check out two Marriott hotels. In the previous installments I reviewed King George and I wanted to do the same with Hotel Grande Bretagne.
Hotel Grande Bretagne is a beautiful city hotel that is well maintained. Excellent food and beverage outlets, a large spa, and a rooftop pool are available at the hotel. The only downside to this hotel is that it has a lot of rooms, so it doesn't have a boutique vibe.
I redeemed Marriott Bonvoy points for a hotel stay. I value Bonvoy points at 0.7 cents each, which is the equivalent of almost 500 points.
The base room rate for our date in June was over 1,100 euro. It was a great redemption value, though I had to mention that the rates in Greece are very high this summer. Hotel Grande Bretagne is usually cheaper than King George.
You can take advantage of perks like a $100 property credit, complimentary breakfast, and a room upgrade if you book through the Marriott STARS program.
There is a lot of history in the Hotel Grande Bretagne. The hotel was built as a private house in 1842 and became a hotel in 1874. During both the Greco-Italian War and the Greek Civil War, the hotel housed the Prime Minister.
The hotel has undergone some renovations but the owners did a great job of preserving the property.
If you want to sightsee in Athens, the Hotel Grande Bretagne is an ideal place to stay. The hotel is close to a lot of places. If you are going to Athens, you want to stay in this location.
It will take around 30 minutes between the airport and hotel if you are flying in or out.
There is a lot of seating and high ceilings in the lobby of the hotel. Even though the hotel has a lot of rooms, there was never a long line at the front desk.
I chose breakfast after the associate thanked me for being a Bonvoy Titanium member and gave me a welcome gift. An upgrade to a one bedroom city view Grand Suite was booked using a suite night award.
There is a room on the third floor of the hotel. The public spaces of the hotel are well kept.
It can be difficult to find a room at this hotel, as there are many hallways.
Beyond the entryway was the living room.
There was a desk and chair in the living room. In case two people wanted to enjoy room service together, there was an additional chair across from the sofa.
There was a bowl of candy on the table.
There was a coffee machine in the living room.
The bedroom was separated from the living room by a doorway. There was a cushion in the corner of the bedroom.
The bathroom was off the bedroom and had double sinks, a shower, and a toilet.
There were toiletries from the town.
Since the hotel is in a charming area, the room had views of the nearby streets.
A bottle of water, some chocolates, and some liquor were included in the welcome amenity we received a couple of hours after check in. Since we were on a one night stay, that was great.
There was free and fast wi-fi in the room, as well as turn down service with chocolates.
There is a spa on the basement level of the hotel, as well as an indoor pool. The gym can be accessed 24 hours a day with your key card.
The entire space was beautiful, with all the usual amenities, from relaxation rooms, to steam rooms, to a juice bar.
The gym was modern but small for a hotel like this.
It was nice to have an indoor pool for people who like that.
There is a rooftop pool on the seventh floor of the hotel. The pool at this hotel has a lot of rooms so it gets crowded.
The pool has a bar that serves drinks and snacks all day long.
The main restaurant of Hotel Grande Bretagne is called the Roof Garden. The eighth floor is completely open air. Breakfast is available from 6:30AM until 11AM, lunch is available from 1PM until 6PM, and dinner is available from 6PM until 2AM.
The restaurant has great views of the city.
The buffet breakfast at the hotel can be supplemented with items from the menu at no extra cost. Breakfast consisted of cereals, bread and pastries, yogurt, fresh fruit, cold cuts, veggies, pancakes, eggs, sausage, and more.
Other drinks were also offered by the server. We had coffee and drinks.
At King George, we had strapatsada and a veggie omelette. It was really good.
Breakfast can get a bit chaotic if you show up later in the day. The breakfast at King George was a bit better because the hotel has fewer guests.
Alexander's Bar and Winter Garden City Lounge can be found on the lobby level of the hotel.
Winter Garden City Lounge is a great place to eat and drink all day. If you arrive before check-in time and are waiting for your room to be ready, it is a great place to sit.
There is a tapestry of Alexander the Great in Alexander's Bar. I didn't have the chance to have a drink at the best hotel bar in the world.
Alexander's Lounge is also located at Hotel Grande Bretagne. The cigar bar is located in the courtyard of the hotel and has both indoor and outdoor seating.
The service at Hotel Grande Bretagne was very good. Even though the hotel is large, the employees were friendly and eager to please. I feel like the service culture in Greece has come a long way in the last few years and I find it to be among the best in the west today.
The Hotel Grande Bretagne is a great place to stay. Even though it is a historic property, it has a lot of amenities and outlets. There is an indoor and outdoor pool at the hotel.
Hotel Grande Bretagne is a great place to stay if you want to stay in Athens. Don't think it will be cheap. Points come in that place.
What did you think about your stay at Hotel Grande Bretagne?
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