I guess I should start off by saying that we used Starwood Points to pay for our 5 day visit (use points for 4 nights and got the 5th "free"), and that I am a forty yr old gay male that travelled with my partner. That said:

Overall -- I think the hotel and the proprety were beautiful. The setting was incredibly picturesque and you almost felt like you were on a greek island since the hotel is on a penninsula. It is a modern hotel -- unlike the Arion next door which is more traditional. We liked the overall style of the Westin better than the more staid, traditional decor of the Arion (which looked beautiful as well). The hallways were a bit dated and you really felt like you were in a big chain hotel -- but that was fine

The rooms are quite modern, clean and fairly minimalist which we liked. This included the bathorrom, which had a frosted glass wall shower which was very nice and spacious. The bed was very comfortable and we had a great view of the pool area and a private balcony (all the rooms face the pool/water)

The pool area was stunning. It is a huge, gorgeous pool (there is a second smaller pool at the connected Arion Hotel...but the pool at the Westin is incredible). The views of the ocean from the pool, particularly near sunset were a real highlight for us.

The food overall wasn't bad in quality -- but was pretty expensive (which we fully expected). The morning breakfast which was included in the price of our room was extensive and of good quality. Other than that, we generally ate at the bar ( very limited menu...but good) or the pool area so in general we were able to keep the costs down -- but it was a challenge. One night we ate at the hotel restaurant and weren't really impressed (not bad, not great, definitely pricey)-- but this is fairly standard for a hotel restaurant.

We found the service consistently quite good and friendly -- I know others have felt differently on this site. I will say that we generally didn't ask for much and are low maintenance, but found almost every staff person very friendly and they tried to be accomodating. Our luggage was lost at the airport -- and a staff person from the hotel really took the lead in taking of this for us -- which he (they) did within 24 hours.

I would say the biggest NEGATIVE for us was something that is largely out of the hotel's control...the other guests. It is quite a scene: from US families, to wealthy Greek business men and their families, to Dubai families with their nannies in tow. It was very family oriented -- which in and of itself would be bsolutely fine with us. It wasn't as though we were expecting a gay-oriented scene or needed one. However, many of these familes (or their nannies) had no interest in paying attention to or disciplining their many children who often spent hours in the afternoon screaming (I kid you not) at the pool -- disrupting what could have otherwise essentially been near paradise. This lack of respect for peace and quiet and the needs of other guests continued at night. Next to our room were 2 nannies with 3 small children (from Dubai). They kept 3 large stollers in the hallway of the hotel the entire time, sometimes forcing us to move them to get to our room. At night, they would wake up (or get in) at 3-4 AM and begin playing and laughing with the children. This continued despite our concerted attempts to get them to quite down. So the extreme family-style nature of the hotel, particularly with in our opinion rude families who seemed relatively unconcerned with the experiences of others around them was a bummer (at times a big one). So -- hard to tell if this was just our experience or whther this is essentially the cleintele the hotel caters to??

But overall, we absolutely did not let that get to us and we had a great experience at what is really a beautiful hotel. We did not feel uncomfortable at all as a gay couple -- despite the family oriented chaos around us. If they could have had an "adult only" pool that might have enhanced the experience for us a bit.

You should know that the hotel has a 9AM shuttle that goes in to Athens and return at 3PM -- which in the summer during a heat wave was plenty of time to see some stuff. Otherwise the hotel is very isolated in Vougliameni. We actually rented a car a couple of days to travel to Sounion (about 90 minutes) and to go into Athens at night for dinner (rather than staying at the hotel.

This is a beautiful resort - lovely rooms, fantastic service, amazing food and views. I would not recommend this hotel to someone who wanted to be in the thick of things in town - the hotel is about 30 minutes outside of the center by car. It is, however, a great place to stay to relax by the sea.

This was a great resort to relax in after a day in Athens. The location is about an hour outside the city but the atmosphere is well worth it. All rooms have ocean views. The private pool and lagoon area is great. The hotel personnel spoke English but very fast and somewhat hard to understand. They have a free shuttle that will take you to Athens at 9am and take you back at 3pm. For a short visit to Athens, this was a wonderful place to stay.

Astir Palace – Nafsika. – Athens.

Astir Palace is situated in Voulagmeni Bay; this resort has three major exclusive hotels The Arion, Nafsika and the Aphrodile. The hotels are perched overlooking the sea with stunning views. We actually had booked The Arion but on arrival we were told that it was closed and our hotel was now Nafsika. Our check in was fast and efficient mainly because there were only a handful of people staying here due to the low season. Our room was modern and chic with a spacious balcony overlooking the empty swimming pool and ocean.

The room was spacious with elegant furniture with TV, CD but no coffee or tea facility. The bathroom was beautiful with a lovely bath, shower and separate toilet; fluffy towels and dressing gowns were also supplied.

Due to an empty guest list we were able to cruise through the resort checking out which hotel we thought was the best. After ward’s, we decided apart from the lovely private bungalows we were definitely in the right one, mainly because of its waterfront position and close access to the beach and swimming pool. The Aphrodite being in the worse position perched on top of the cliff with a long walk down the hill to the beach. The Nafiska also looked more impressive than the others except we did love the bungalows which where tucked away in the elegant gardens.

The Nafsika has numerous restaurants but most were closed and only the main fine dining open which we ate in every evening... I think the chef was happy to see us as it gave him something to do. The food was excellent and the staff well…happy to serve, seeing we were the only guests.

In high season this resort would have plenty of restaurants to choose from including the Gourmet Club House. The beaches are small and intimate and all the swimming pools looked large and modern.

PROS: Gorgeous rooms with ocean views, a delightful resort offering the best. The total exclusive appeal added a distinctive flavour. The Who Who guest list is highly impressive. Staff friendly, efficient and welcoming. A real 5 Star hotel with wonderful facilities. This would suit honeymooners.

CONS: A long walk into town…nothing else around except the resort itself. It’s very expensive.

RECOMMENDATION: Absolutely