Accommodation in Athens
 

Hi All...we will be in Athens middle of Sept for 2 nights. We would like to stay near the Acropolis if possible. We have looked up a few hotels (the standards like Hilton, etc.) but everything seems to be booked.

Does anyone have any specific hotels that they can recommend we check out?

Many thanks!!
marcy

First of all, you cannot stay "near" the Acropolis. It is up on a hill (which is what its name says), and it is alone on its hill.

Your closest choices are, basically, between the expensive hotels on Syntagma Square and the inexpensive hotels in the touristy Plaka area.

Since your taste runs to Hiltons, have you tried the Grande Bretagne or the King George on Syntagma?

A vote for the King George II, excellent position, very elegant and beautiful hotel, and in case you want to book it, it belongs to the Leading Hotels of the World.

P.S. I have stayed at the Grande Bretagne and can recommend it from personal experience.

It was from the King George's balcony that Karamanlis announced the overthrow of the Greek junta in 1974, but I daresay you haven't even heard of the event...

Thanks for your speedy replies...Our taste does not necessarily run with the Hilton - we just have a lot of points with them from business travel. We couldn't use our points there and the rep told us that the hotel was looking full. We checked a couple of other places from the web and they were full too.

Sorry for any misrepresentation...in fact, if we can keep the price under say, 100 Euros a night, that'd be great. All we want is a decent bed and a private bathroom.

Thanks
marcy

I have no particular recollection of the beds, but the Hotel Arethusa is quite close to Syntagma and was, when I was there, very reasonable.

It seems to be within your budget:

http://www.athens-greece.us/athens-h...s/Arethusa.htm

In October, we stayed at the convenient and nice Athens Cypria for 125 Euro.

The bathroom was well appointed and very clean; the staff were helpful and pleasant; the room was a decent size and adequately furnished.

I recommend a room on the 6th floor with a view of the Parthenon from the balcony.

Hi

We stayed at the Cecil Hotel - www.cecil.gr. Near the Plaka area. Nice building and rooms and helpful staff. Try to get a room off the main street though as this can be a little noisy. The Attalos - http://www.attalos.gr is a few doors down and also gets good reviews in this forum.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

Actually you can stay very near the Acropolis, at either the Phillipos or the Herodion. These hotels are on the other side of the Plaka from those mentioned, closer to the Acropolis, and either are fine places to stay. They are owned by the same company, with the Herodion being the better of the two properties.

Actually, the Acropolis IS the hill that the Parthenon was built upon, so yes, you can stay near the Acropolis. All the hotels in the Plaka area could be considered to be "near" the Acropolis, some just closer than others.

Thanks for all your comments, folks...and thanks Brotherleelove for straightening up that geographic fact. I was starting to wonder if I had lost my mind (or whether all the hotels that offered "views of the Parthenon, etc." really didn't know what they were looking at)!

marcy

The only hotel near the Acropolis that I know and can suggest is the ATHENS GATE. Simple, but well located. My firends stayed there and they had nothing to complain about it. Plus the view of the Acropolis from the Roof Garden is beautiful!. It is affordable too.

I've stayed at the Athens Gate, and wouldn't again. The rooms weren't clean, and the staff were indifferent.

We stayed at the Hotel Adrian in June for 108 euros, including breakfast. We loved the location right in the Plaka and a short walk to the Acropolis. Although it is on a main street (supposedly pedestrian only), we did not have any problems with noise.

I've stayed at the Adrian and would gladly do so again.

By the way, if you are going this month you better make your reservations soon. There are a bunch of conventions in town this month and hotel space is scarce.

thanks for the suggestions...I am in the process of contacting the hotels suggested in this thread.

marcy

I recommend the Acropolis View Hotel; close to Plaka and the Acropolis, which it does indeed have a view of. Not luxury, but clean, affordable, with friendly staff.

Any experience with the Parthenon Hotel or Hotel Rio?

We stayed at Hotel Parthenon (the one on 6 Makri Street, right?) - and it was perfect. At the foot of the Acropolis, a few minutes walk. And, steps from the Plaka. The beds were small but so comfortable...we talked about those nights of sleep the rest of our vacation. The free breakfast is also quite large and nice...I want to say we paid 90 euro for a triple (in Sept).

Thanks so much for your reply dopplehouse. Parthenon had good review on Tripadvisor. How long were you in Athens? I'm looking at a 6 night package, with one day for Delphi and another for maybe a one day cruise. Is this too long?

Centex - we stayed in Athens 2 nights, which seemed about right, since it was really meant to be a stopover en route to Santorini and Paros (which was quite a pleasant surprise), where we spent the next 10 days.

Thats funny about hotel parthenon being on tripadvisor - the guys who worked behind the desk practically begged us to post a review (which we actually forgot to do), as they knew how much travellers look to that site. Very pleasant service.