Advantages: Position, Price
Disadvantages: Basic (but plentiful) breakfast

...The Plaka Hotel is a real find. It is ideally situated at the foot of the Acropolis and is amongst ,or within easy walking distance, of many of Athens attractions. It is on the corner of a small side street just a hundred yards or so from the metro station that is at the end of the line from the airport. Some bedrooms do have a direct view to the Acropolis. The hotel staff are friendly and helpful and the accomodation is generally clean and modern. Our room was quite small but not so much that it was a problem. There was an adequate amount of storage space. The bathroom was small and a bit dated but ok, considering the price! We paid £33 a night for a double room with breakfast and thought this was a real bargain. Make sure you compare sites for prices as they vary considerably. The breakfast was quite basic but included... Read review

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Advantages: Vibrant, cheap excellent public transport. Famous historic sites. Eating out
Disadvantages: Not as 'Greek' as it used to be. Poor air quality. The drivers!

...the gap', as some Metro stations were built on curves in less enlightened times. WHERE WE STAYED Our hotel for this stay was The Art Hotel, Marni Street. This was a short walk to the central Omonia Square, and therefore close to the Metro. I've written about this separately so I won't dwell on the fact except to say that the rooms were good, if a little small, and the people were wonderful. The walk back to the hotel at night involved short one-sided conversations with a lot of young ladies standing on street corners, but there was no menace to the enterprise, which brings me to… A SAFE PLACE? Like anywhere prone to getting crowded, it pays to know where your wallet is, especially after dark but on the whole, Athens seems to be a largely low-crime-rate city where you can relax a bit. Unlike some cities further... Read review

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Advantages: Luxury just steps away from the airport
Disadvantages: That I cant stay there more often

...Location: ######## Sofitel are a large chain of hotels across the world that are 4/5 star. I have only experience of the ones at Athens and Gatwick airports. The Athens Sofitel is the only hotel right on site at the airport. It is just across the road from the airport and is perfect for a transfer. All other transfer hotels are a coach ride away (Holiday Inn) or are in the town itself which is about 1 hour bus ride away. I found details of the Athens airport on the internet when searching for somewhere to stay to kill a 10 hour wait between flights and expected to get the normal bored airport reception that I have experienced before at a highly inflated price.I liked the fact that I could stagger across and not have to worry about getting back to the airport in the morning. The hotel itself looks like a square box... Read review

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Advantages: Free Wifi, helpful staff, airconditioning
Disadvantages: Bizarre fridge arrangements, terrible view

...Last year, I found out that my boyfriend would be going to a conference in Athens in June '08. I immediately decided that whether he wanted me to or not, I was going to be coming along. Well, not to the conference or anything but to Athens. I'd never been and did a bit of Greek history and archaeology at Uni, so I leapt at the chance. Although the conference organisers did suggest some hotels based on their local knowledge, it was also possible to just choose your own, and then the organisers would reimburse you for your accommodation after. Looking through Hotelclub.com, I came across the Aristoteles hotel. A quick perusal of reviews threw up the normal range of complaining Americans, whiny Brits, and obnoxious Aussies, but I've learnt to filter out any review that starts with "I have never been so disgusted in all my life... Read review

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Advantages: WEATHER-WAY OF LIFE-CHEAP COST OF LIVING
Disadvantages: CARS

...ATHENS THE BIRTHPLACE OF SOCRATES,ARISTOTELIS, AND MINE!THIS OPINION IS GONNA SOMETHING DIFFERENT THAT YOU HAVE COME ACROSS FROM A TRAVEL AGENT.ATHENS IS A PLACE FULL OF LIFE AND TO KNOW WHERE,HOW AND WHEN TO DO THINGS IS PRICELESS.FIRST OF ALL ,WHEN TO GO?ALL THE TIMES OF THE SEASON ARE GOOD, DEPENDS YOUR TASTE IF YOU WANT AN EMPTY CITY JULY-AUGUST ARE THE BEST MONTHS WHERE YOU CAN GO EVERYWHERE VERY QUICK.HOW TO GO? EASY JET IS A GOOD DEAL BOOKING FROM THE INTERNET AND ALSO CHARTER FLIGHTS WITH MANOS TRAVEL.FIRST THING YOU WILL SEE IN ATHENS IS THE BRAND NEW AIRPORT ELEVTHERIOS VENIZELOS, GRAB A TAXI ( YELLOW COLOUR) AND OFF YOU GO FOR THE CENTER.THE TAXI DRIVER SHOULD NOT ASK FOR MORE THAN 5000 DRACHMAS.GENERALLY THE TAXIS IN ATHENS ARE EXTREMELY CHEAP COMPARE TO ENGLAND.NOW THAT YOU LEFT STAFF IN THE HOTEL TIME TO PARTY ATHENS... Read review

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Advantages: Vibrant, lively, good food, great sights.
Disadvantages: Some dodgy bits!

...I recently took a four day break in Athens with my wife and thirteen year old son. Like all cities, we found it had good and bad bits, but on the whole, I would highly recommend a visit. Our hotel was located just off an area called Omonia Square. The guide book described this area as 'gritty'. I guess we should have read into that what we actually found. There are men with obvious Heroin addictions wandering around the area day and night. Prostitutes can be seen plying their trade. One of these was at least sixty-five years old and was wearing a skirt that revealed her bum cheeks. The shock registered by my wife and me was only matched by the amusement caused to my son. The stalls evenly dotted around the square sell the usual magazines, cigarettes, touristy stuff, and sweets, but also have a fine selection of pornographic videos... Read review

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Advantages: Luxurious but not over the top.
Disadvantages: mini bar prices

...The Hilton hotel in Athens is a huge structure in a fantastic location for people visiting Athens, 1.7 miles from the city centre. It is a short taxi ride from the airport (about 20 minutes) and is great for those on business or just there to soak up the culture of the city. The main entrance to the hotel is a sweeping drive taking you round to the front door. When you arrive (whether by taxi or in a rental car), the car door is opened for you, and you are helped with your bags. The concierge can arranged for bags to be taken to your room, although we did not use this service. After walking into the Hilton you realise that you are in a posh hotel. The jewelry shop sells rolex and bulgari watches. From the foyer, lifts take you up to one of the 12 floors. From my hotel room on the 5th floor I had a clear view of the Acropolis which... Read review

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Advantages: fun, charming and diverting city with plenty of interesting things to see and do; great variety of bars and restaurants
Disadvantages: has some shonky areas, may bring you to spend more than you'd like

...not since been challenged. Why you would want to, I don't know, but it would make for an interesting mediation and negotiation session. As far as accommodation goes, there is an enormous Holiday Inn in the centre of town - if you can't find a room here, you're struggling. But even if they are full, for whatever reason, there are still a few variously scary motels and hotels scattered around. Being a city where the focus is on living rather than touring, the selection may be limited, but it's not a resort town, so if you're after five-star luxury, you're better off somewhere a bit fancier and less student-oriented. The Holiday Inn we stayed at was perfectly adequate - comfortable, reasonable-sized rooms, without being ornate. It's pretty much the standard motel room you'd find anywhere. Not terrific, but not bad either. Athens... Read review

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Advantages: Too many. Everything!!!
Disadvantages: None

..., or at least an weekend to consider it free one) So we booked our self for 2 days on the main site of the hotel which is http://www.chandris.gr/athens/, for a corner suite, internet special 250 €/day, checking in Friday and checking out Sunday, the amount resulted to be 500 € with breakfast included. Ok, all this was happening at the beginning of September, because again, we wouldn't have free time to be there on the 26th. Each period, from what I understood, has a different charge, but this depends on how booked is the hotel. Mainly being a business clientele that will check in, is always busy, but not full booked al the time. We can consider ourselves very lucky to find a corner suite, because they are the most wanted. You really have to book your self with 15 days before to be sure you'll find one free. ~~ So, till here everything ok... Read review

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Advantages: Centrally placed with reasonable room rates. Nice staff. Well furnished
Disadvantages: Area never totally quiet - get a room at the back. No immediately obvious disabled facilities

...When I wrote about my experiences in Lisbon a few months back, I was taken to task for spending too much time describing the hotel, so this time, things are going to be a little different. With a distinct sense of trepidation I'm going to write about a hotel as a stand-alone item for the first time ever, quaking at the thought of my opinion being compared to one by Ciao's very own 'unpaid hotel inspector', Uncle Bill's nephew himself, Richada! I've just got back from 5 very enjoyable nights in Athens (and the days weren't bad either!). Part of what made it enjoyable was our stay at The Art Hotel, Marni Street 27, Athens. To be honest, it would be difficult to describe how to get there from the airport as we'd pre-booked a taxi, which ended up stuck in horrendous Monday night traffic, made worse by an obliging perfectly... Read review

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