Lily

I can't afford the Grand Bretagne and even the Electra Palace is out of my price range but the budget hotels seem so charmless. Any thoughts?

I know many travellers say that they don't spend much time in the hotel room anyway but I find if the hotel room is charmless than it can be a bit depressing! And that's how many of the budget hotels are described so maybe I need to splurge a little while in Athens and if so I'm considering the Erandius. Any thoughts?

cheryllj

Did you check out the Magna Grecia?

I've never stayed there, but it was a place I considered when planning my trip to Greece in May. (We are stretching our budget and going with Electra Palace.) I also considered the Hotel Plaka and Hermes.

Lily

Cheryl, thanks for your reply. I was seriously considering the Electra Palace too. What made you decide to go with this hotel and as you say "stretch your budget"?

Luisah

<<I find if the hotel room is charmless than it can be a bit depressing!>>

I agree.I had a really depressing hotel room in Prague and it did affect my overall experience. However, I don't think increasing the budget is always the answer. I've stayed in hotels from two star to four and five and some of the most charming were a couple of the two star, family-owned in France and Italy where the owners had good taste and made an effort to decorate.

I wonder if there are any hotels of that type in Athens. I'll be watching to see if you find an answer.

Lily

You're right Luisah, I've had the same experience in other cities but so far in Athens, I haven't had much luck. Stay tuned and maybe we'll get some suggestions.

cheryllj

I was seriously considering the Electra Palace too. What made you decide to go with this hotel and as you say "stretch your budget"?

Basically, for the same reasons you are talking about re: finding a good budget-ish hotel in Athens.

To sum up: We are arriving in Athens after a long transatlantic flight, it's our first time in Greece and we don't want to be disappointed by arriving at a dump on our first night, we are only going to have two nights and one full day to sightsee so location in/near the Plaka is paramount, etc. We decided the Electra Palace seems to fit all our needs perfectly, and is worth the splurge. (If only the GB were a little cheaper!)

We are staying in much cheaper places in Mykonos and Naxos, so the EP will be our priciest place, but our average price over the 2-week trip will still end up well within budget. (Naxos is super cheap!)

That's probably more info than you wanted to know, but there you go.

Lily

It's exactly what I wanted to know as I am thinking the same way - that the money we save on the accommodations we've booked in Santorini and Naxos will balance things out in the end. We are also only staying two nights and don't want to stay in a depressing hotel. Thanks Cheryllj.

cheryllj

Just out of curiosity, Lily, when are you going and where are you staying in Santorini and Naxos?

I'm going in May and we're staying at the Hotel Rochari in Mykonos, the Hotel Galini in Naxos (40E!), the Strogili houses in Santorini (Oia), and then one night at the Sofitel in Athens before flying home.

I tried to stick with a budget of 150E/nt max, and we are coming in well under that for the trip as a whole (avg. about 125E/nt), mainly thanks to the Galini.

jrjcolllins

Last May, we stayed at the 5-star Intercontinental Athens that we got on priceline for $100US a night. It's not in plaka, but they have a free shuttle that goes back and forth to Syntagma Square. Check biddingfortravel.com for the lastest bids being accepted for this hotel.

Lily

Hi cheryllj, we're going in May too! Although the end of May, for two weeks and also staying at Hotel Galini in Naxos! In Santorini, we're staying at Delfini Villas but I didn't consider the Strogili Houses which I will now. We're also going to Nafpoli staying at Hotel Leto for 50 Euros per night. I find it uncanny that there are two of us in the world planning almost the same trip!
And jrjcollins, thanks for the tip. I use Priceline but I'm a little concerned about using it for this trip as it's not until June and I'm hesitant to book without being able to cancel. Closer to the time, I may do that.

cheryllj

Lily: We're planning the same trip!

We considered Delfini Villas and it was one of my top choices in Oia. I forget why we went with Strogili now, but we were looking for a place with two separate beds, so that limited our choices somewhat in Oia b/c it seems so geared to honeymooners.

We will be at the Galini from May 16-19 and in Oia from May 19-23.

Lily

Oh too bad because I would love to meet such a kindred spirit - we only leave home on May 29th for our trip. Let's keep in touch to continue to compare notes on our trip planning. You are going to Athens and three islands? We're going to Nafplio, mostly due to travellerjan's recommendations, for three nights so we will only go to two islands. Are you travelling to the islands by ferry or air? We're doing a mix with a flight to Santorini from Athens then ferry to Naxos and ferry back to Athens.

cheryllj

Oh, that's too bad that we won't overlap. We come home on May 24.

I'm going to Athens, Mykonos, Naxos and Santorini. (I'm going to Mykonos mainly to visit Delos.) You can e-mail me at my user name at yahoo.com if you want to compare notes.

I think our final choice in Oia was down to Strogili and Delfini, iirc. I also looked at Chelidonia, Aris Caves, and a few others. I can't remember why we went with Strogili when Delfini looks a little cheaper. I think my traveling partner preferred Strogili b/c it has a pool? Not sure now, but they both look great.

If I win the lottery, I will upgrade to Katikies.

cheryllj

Oops, I forgot to answer your other question. We are flying from Athens to Mykonos, ferry to Naxos, ferry to Santorini, fly back to Athens for our last night.

After booking our Aegean flights and then doing more research, I decided I wanted to go to Napflio, but it's too late to cancel our flights now. Maybe next time! (I really wanted to go to Crete, too, but it didn't seem feasible.)

Delos was a must for my friend and Santorini a must for me, so there is only so much one can see in 2 weeks. Oh, to be European with their two months of holiday time (or whatever they get).

Lily

Me too or maybe the Oia Castle Hotel. We were considering the Rimidi Villas which I found a reference to on this site and it's highly recommended under B and B's on tripadvisor but Delfini had more recommendations.

Lily

I understand that it's possible to do a day trip from Naxos to Delos and Mykonas which we're planning to do as we'd like to see Delos too. But I was concerned about Mykonos' reputation for being a party island with lots of young people and we're middle aged. We like to have fun but I can't keep up with the party people like I used to.

cheryllj

Lily: that is so funny, because I have the same concerns about Mykonos.

When I decided on the itinerary, I didn't realize it was easy to visit Delos from Naxos, b/c I had read that visits to Delos were done via Mykonos.

But now that we've booked our flight to Mykonos, I'm making the best of it and finding that Mykonos has a lot more to offer than partying. (Although we are two young-ish gals who enjoy a good cocktail, our disco days are long behind us.)

Lily

I'm sure you will have a wonderful time on Mykonos - my friend who has been to Greece three times in the last few years really enjoys Mykonos.

worldinabag

Hi Lily

I stayed at the Cecil Hotel - http://www.cecil.gr - and found it "olde world charming". Excellent location too in Monastiraki, right next to the Plaka.

artnuvo

we stayed at the adams about 2 blocks from the acropolis metro and a few blocks from the tourist area at the base of the acropolis. checkout current tripadvisor reviews. our front room overlooking the lobby and with a small balcony several years ago was under $100. other rooms were smaller so ask about the configuration.