Attalos Hotel, Athens

Advantages: Cheap, central, friendly staff very ready to advise on trips, restaurants, etc.,
Disadvantages: Only bookable on the Internet, very popular world-wide

Having never tried to book anything on the Net, last year we went for the adventure of a lifetime and booked a Hotel room in Athens. Fear and trepidation were rampant as the taxi took us away from the airport and into the very centre of Athens. There we stopped, less than 500 yards from the flea-market (Plaka) and in the middle of a busy commercial street. The entrance was not promising. Double glass doors led into a tiny reception where a middle ...
...in. He welcomed us in perfect English, asked if we had had a good journey and sent us on our way to the 4th floor. We managed to get our luggage into the two lifts and my wife, son and myself went upstairs to see how bad things could get. We found our room and went in. Three single beds, colour (Cable) television, air conditioning, en-suite bathroom, shower and toilet, and enough space to leave our luggage without falling over it for the duration. ... Read review

Advantages: central location, friendly desk people, rooftop bar
Disadvantages: cramped lobby, small rooms, slow lifts

In 2001 my family and I (at that time sons were aged 17, 15, 10) stayed several nights in the Attalos, taking 2 adjacent rooms. We were pleased to be just steps away from Monastiraki (with flea market and underground station) to the south, Omonia Square to the north and Syntagma Square to the east. The front desk staff were brilliant -- the night clerk could speak Arabic which was fun. The only minus here was the cramped lobby which meant that getting ...
...bit of a push. The view from the rooftop bar of the Acropolis is super; it's one of the best places in the city to have a drink and reflect on how the day's gone. I've stayed in Athens as a tourist (and also worked and lived there for 4 years) since 1968 and this is clearly my favourite hotel. ... Read review