Travel

Hotel

Blue Palace, a Luxury Collection Resort and Spa, Crete

The ceremony will be held at the Blue Palace Elounda Resort (pictured above) which is located outside of the very small town of Plaka near the larger town of Elounda (note there is also a Blue Palace in Heraklion). For those interested in the wedding room block please contact us directly at jared.cummans@gmail.com in order to book. Unfortunately, guests cannot book their own rooms with our wedding discount on the resort website. Per-night rates are listed below. Please note that the room block requires a three night stay for the nights of Saturday Sept 4th - Monday Sept 6th: Single Occupancy - €290 Double Occupancy - €310 Rollaway charge for children age 2+ - €70

Flight

Heraklion International Airport

Greece's second busiest airport (HER) is the closest to the resort (about a 60 minute drive or cab ride) and will be your best bet for getting to and from the wedding. If you plan on spending more time exploring Crete before the wedding, consider flying into Chania International Airport. It is located 3 hours west of Elounda/Plaka (wedding location).

Rental Car

Rental Center Crete - Car Hire

This is the highest rated rental service in the area with 600+ reviews. The Heraklion airport also has standard companies like Avis and Hertz. Lyft and Uber are not available on Crete. Many travel blogs recommend renting a car to fully explore Crete. You would need an international driving permit to drive in Greece. We applied for an international driving permit for a trip in the past, and it's a quick easy process. We applied at a AAA office, and they took the needed "2 passport photos" on site: https://www.aaa.com/vacation/idpf.html Note that there are a lot of options for sight seeing, hiking, etc in the surrounding area - keep that in mind when deciding between a cab or a rental car (or just find a friend who is renting a car and make them drive you around)!

Travel Note

Cab Information

There are several cab companies that allow you to book a transfer from the Heraklion airport ahead of time, a few of them are linked below. The drive should take approximately 60 minutes. The resort website estimates the cab cost to be 115 euros or about $140. https://www.heraklioncrete.taxi/ https://www.herakliontaxi.com/en/index.html https://www.welcomepickups.com/crete/airport-taxi/

Travel Note

Van/Bus

Blue Palace does not have a shuttle bus from the airport. However, upon request you can schedule a Mini Van to the resort for 170 euros (about $203). It is also possible to reach Elounda by public bus, but it’s not easy. Unfortunately, there is no direct bus so you must first take the bus to Agios Nikolaus. This takes around 75 minutes. From Agios Nikolaus, it’s a further 30-minute bus ride to Elounda. You need to bear in mind that the bus service from Agios Nikolaus is not that regular so check the timetable before you set off. You’ll be travelling for over 3 hours so it’s not an option I’d recommend. However, if the budget is tight it is a very cheap alternative at 9 Euros.

House Or Rental

Airbnb

There are plenty of great Airbnb options in the surrounding area at very affordable rates. All are welcome at the resort for wedding activities, but for those who wish to stay elsewhere, Airbnb is a great option. Elounda is the largest town near the resort. It is an 8 minute drive south of the resort and about an hour walk according to google maps, 2.73 miles apart. There is a very small fishing town called Plaka right outside the resort with many Airbnbs available.

Hotel

Athina Villas

Athina Villas (from $90 per night): A good lower-cost option located in Plaka (15 minute walk from the wedding resort). Other hotels near Plaka: Cayo Exclusive Resort & Spa, Eloundra Maris Villas, Stellamare apartments, Elounda Island View Villas. There are many more hotel and resort options located in the larger town of Elounda, but be aware we will not have a shuttle for the wedding day, and it's an 8 minute drive to the Blue Palace resort (nearly an hour walk).