Hi all,

Does anyone have any opinions on the Athens Hilton hotel ? We will be in Athens for 3 nights this September (our last stop before heading back home) and are considering staying at the Hilton. One of the main reasons for this is - we have enough Hilton points to stay free for 3 nights.

Is the Hilton conviniently located for all the major sights and attractions ? How about convinience as far as the airport is concerned - we have a very early (6am) flight from Athens, so want to make sure we can get to the airport easily.

I did a search on previous posts and some of the posters had negative opinions on the hotel itself, the service, location etc. Does this still hold true ? Should we avoid it, inspite of having the free nights ?

Thanks in advance.

The location hasn't changed -- it's still not great, but the hotel underwent a major reworking before the 2004 Games. It was the headquarters for many high-ranking IOC.

It sits at a busy intersection and is a long stroll or short Metro ride from most attractions.

If you really want to burn the miles, stay there, but I'd be tempted to use them at another Hilton on another trip in a better spot.

Thanks repete - would the Hilton be a good place to catch the metro from ? I dont mind walking a short distance (short for me means less than 5mins) to the metro station.

What say folks ?

The Hilton is very close to the metro - last time i was there, it was a one block not overly steep uphill/downhill walk. Most convenient.

For your early flight you will need to take a taxi. It will cost about 20-25 euros and, with the new roads and time of day, takes 20-30 minutes depending on how fast your taxi is going.

The Hilton is not where i would prefer to stay unless using award points or the like. What are you looking for in a hotel?

The only thing I'm looking in a hotel is a safe, clean place to sleep ! I presume we will be traveling all day - leaving the hotel early and returning late at night. If breakfast is included that would be a good thing too, since we can fill up before we leave in the morning. Finally, it has to be close to public transportation so that we dont spend a lot of time\money in visiting all the attractions.

Eleni - why do you say that you wouldnt stay at the Hilton ? What are some of the -ves about the hotel ? Is it location ?

Location is part of it, honestly, maybe most of it. it also is sort of boring/hotel interchangeable for me.

So why don't I like the location? It's better since the metro went in, that's for sure. But still, it is a little far away from the places I like to go at night. For example, some of the best food in Athens is in Psyrri, and to get back to the hotel at night from there, you either have to take the Metro or face a doable but relatively, long walk. In addition, much of this walk is along a busy street. We prefer strolling around central Athens, which has many mostly car-free areas. For the things I like to do, the Hilton is simply inconvenient. And I guess what I mean about the rooms is the Hilton is not really much of destination in and of itself, so there is nothing much to make up for the inconvenience.

What you have to make up for the inconvenience is the free hotel rooms. I think to pay for a double, the Hilton rooms go for about $350/double. Go to Psyrri and then to the Monastiraki metro for a straight shot to the metro station nearest the Hilton. Use the metro to see the sights. Don't pay for a hotel room if you don't have to!

One thing on breakfasts that are included, I have never seen one that is available at the time you are leaving your hotel. For 6 am flights, we usually have the taxi get us at our hotel at 3:30 am. I have done this many, many, many times and never had a problem. When I stay at hotels that have it, I always arrange to have room service bring me coffee and breakfast at 3:00 am, so that I can at least get some coffee in me before I have to start wrangling with the day.

On evening food, i'm not sure what you mean by getting in late.

My DH and I have an award stay booked for Nov. The value for Hilton points cannot be beat. Check out www.flyertalk.com go to Hilton under Hotels, search for Athens. The hotel get very nice reviews. If you are eligible for the exec floor, they serve breakfast in the AM and snacks-drinks at night. You can pay a small fee for this if it is not included in your reservation. (The flyertalk web site even has instructions on which airport bus to catch and where to get off)