Hotel Hera, Athens

Advantages: good for history
Disadvantages: no beach

...The trip to Greece, home of Homer, the Gods, Democracy, modern thought and a cast of characters too numerous to list and many with names too difficult to pronounce. The long awaited moment you have been saving for. But as you make your way through the Athens airport and then to your hotel downtown there is an uneasy feeling brewing inside. The traffic, the endless concrete of apartment buildings is not what they showed you on the tourist brochures. No men in skirts and pom-pommed shoes walking the streets of Athens. No sign of Anthony Quinn. Just a big sprawling, congested, noisy, chaotic, polluted city. You know that your Greek island paradise vacation awaits you but first you must survive this final test...Athens.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: other like minded lost souls go there too
Disadvantages: It aint like it is in the brochure

...When you go to Athens in Greece, the one place you will go to before any other is the Acropolis. This is some ancient building that was built back in the days before mobiles and laptops were invented. But i stress this with all my typing might dont go and see the ruins. You'll get a far better view if you buy one of the digitally remastered on sale in the shops by your hotel. The acropolis was a very beautiful building but what spoils it now is the fact that it is held up by scaffolding and there are cranes trying (unsucessfully) to rebuild it.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: History second to (almost) none
Disadvantages: The traffic and fumes, and the awful airport

...Arrive in Athens as I did, to the worst airport in the world, dumped from the airport bus in the centre of the city on a hot night, unaware of where I was even though I had a map, unable to read the street signs or get a taxi, and you’ll probably want to turn right round and go back home. However, the city grows on one, albeit rather slowly. I saw two completely separate road accidents while crossing the road to my hotel one day, and you need to take care on the pavements when approaching a corner because vehicles tend to use the pavements in preference to the road, and you may well meet one head on. Of course it is difficult to use the pavements anyway, because their main reason for existence is apparently to provide parking space for cars. However, on a brighter note, the history which meets you at every turn is incredible, and Athens... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful