Athens, Greece, hotel recommendations
 

Greetings. A friend and I are taking an Aegean cruise in August and will be in Athens for a couple of days either before or after the cruise. I've searched several hotels and prices seem very reasonable for August at hotels located near the sights. Does anyone have a hotel they particularly liked? Our only requirements are location, cleanliness, 24-hour front desk, and maybe a bar/lounge. Price does matter, but is not at the top of the list. Something with some charm would also appeal to us. Many thanks!

Airotel Parthenon, Hotel Phillipos and Hotel Herodion (the latter 2 "sister hotels") are all located near the attractive no-cars promenade that skirts the south edge of the acropolis (Dionysus Aereopagitus? a tongue-twister!). I like this area, quieter, not near large avenues with heavy traffic. All r near the Acropolis museum; request high floors.

My favorite hotel in Athens is AVA Hotel and Suites, a small boutique hotel located in the Plaka. It's very close to the Acropolis ( about 10 minute walk) and Hadrian's Arch ( 5 minutes, opposite direction). Staff is lovely, rooms are large, some have great views of the Acropolis. We've been going there for years.

I have stayed at the Grande Bretagne, the Royal Olympic, and the Intercontinental.

The Grande Bretagne is in the best location.

Thin

AVA is in exact same neighborhood as Airotel and -- if price not an issue --would be my top choice in that area.

I agree with Thin for best location, Syntagma Square . There are othwr less expensive properties near the GB.

I actually prefer The Plaka to Syntagma Square. And while the public areas of The Grande Bretagne are spectacular, many rooms leave a lot to be desired. I finally gave up a few years ago when our room was just about the size of my hall closet with less of a view.

Years ago, we were given a huge suite at the IC that had a terrace with a spectacular view of the Acropolis.

We had a wonderful stay in 2013 at the Electra Palace - views of the Acropolis from our room and from the rooftop restaurant. Perfect location in the Plaka.

We had a terrible,actually an awful stay at the Electra Palace and would never stay there again and a wonderful stay at the Grand Bretagne, upgraded to huge suite. They couldn't do enough for us. Marriott was nice, large rooms but far away from central area.ni wouldn't stay in the Plaka area.

Depends where in the Plaka. AVA is on a side street that is very quiet at night yet only minutes from Hadrian's Arch and The Acropolis Museum.

Ava is an excellent choice, and WWK is right, the Plaka is a much nicer location compared to busy Syntagma....

Now as for the Grande Bretagne, it's Athens's number one historical hotel and one of the best the city has to offer ( if not THE best). As with all the hotels, there are rooms that are less attractive( especially in the lower category)and getting one during a busy period is a matter of (bad)luck..

No doubt that The Grande Bretagne is magnificent, especially as I said earlier, the public areas - lobby, restaurant with its incredible views (!), spa.

But over the years even in the higher categories, I've gotten rooms that had interior courtyard views, which is quite disappointing if you're paying a decent amount of money.

That's the main reason why we started looking around for something better, and switched over to the Plaka and AVA Hotel.

NJV Athens Plaza, which is on the same block as the hotel Bretagne. We loved it, admittedly we were upgraded to a suite with a wonderful view of the Acropolis from a huge terrace.

Wow - thanks all! You've given me a lot to think about. Price isn't always a issue, and since we'll be visiting the Acropolis, a view from the room may not count for much. My travel partner could sleep in a tent, but personally, I like space to move about in, everything in clean, working order, and an exciting, convenient location. So - thanks again.

You probably think I'm a part owner of AVA by now, but for the same price we paid at Grande Bretagne, we get a big suite with a bedroom, living room, small kitchen, and large terrace facing Hadrian's Arch in one direction, the Acropolis in the other.

Also the hotel is only steps away from restaurants and shopping in The Plaka. For me, it's hard to beat that location.

We always look for hotels in large cities that have interior courtyards so different opinion from WWK.
We turned down aDelixe Palace view for the GB's inner courtyard suite and it was quiet, just what we wanted.

Shanna, most tourists visit the Acropolis, a view of it from your hotel shouldn't be discounted.

Even though the Acropolis is located in the heart of Athens, overlookig the city, most hotels do not have Acropolis view.. due to how the city is build.

Some hotels are charging more for Acropolis view ( which is a rarity) and hotels that don't charge anything, usually have very very few rooms so that can't guarantee the view upon booking.

Another vote for AVA. Great location,rooms and staff. Would stay there again.