Wow! The exchange rate USD to Euro has me rethinking our plans for where to stay in Athens before spending two weeks hiking in the islands. We were originally planning to stay at the Grand Bretagne, an old favorite, but I am cringing at the prices.

Any recommendations for a good, clean, well-situated hotel in Athens that will not break the bank?

I stayed at Hotel Plaka and enjoyed it very much. Be sure to ask for a room with a view of the Parthenon.

http://www.plakahotel.gr/

Thanks. Any other thoughts?

I was happy with the Art Gallery Hotel. It's three blocks from the Acropolis (though on the unfashionable Marygianni side, not the Plaka side) and the rooms were perfectly fine. Breakfast is not included but can be purchased for 8E/pp (not very good--standard Greek continentail). We paid 100E/nt in September. You can book online. I reviewed all the hotels I stayed in here: http://travelathomeandabroad.blogspo...in-greece.html

I can't comment on the hotel personally (since my first trip to Greece will be in May), but the Elektra Palace Hotel gets rave reviews in every guidebook and message board, including this board. We are going with some place a little cheaper, but I strongly considered the Elektra Palace because of the location.

Oops - it's actually the Electra Palace Hotel (spelled it wrong), in the heart of the Plaka.

www.electrahotels.gr

THe "unfashionable" Marygianni side may soon be the more-desired side, as the gorgeous new Acropolis museum nears completion, right by the Acropolis Metro station. --- the Philadelphia Sunday Inquirer just yesterday published an article on the museum that was so touching I had a lump in my throat.

BTW, what's up with the Search function on this board??? If a message has "Rome" in the title, it will appear when you search"Italy" but this message, with "Athen" in the header, does not show up in the GReece category.

In 2005 we stayed at the Electra Palace (Plaka) noted by Cheryllj. We were very happy with the selection. The room was quiet and comfortable and the service was excellent. We like the location. Walked to the Acropolis and to many nice restaurants. A particular treat was the rooftop view at night. We took the metro into Athens, and walked to the hotel which was just a few blocks. Departing, the hotel ordered a driver to deliver us and our stuff to the airport.

We stayed at the Adrian Hotel in the Plaka (right around the corner from the Roman agora) in May 2006. We thought the location was excellent, the prices reasonable, and the accomodations very clean and quite adequate.

We also stayed at the Elektra Palace, three years ago. The rooms are fine; we had one with a terrace and Acropolis view. If you choose that option, be aware that the view is a bit distant, but nice just the same. The hotel has no charm and staff were not particularly warm but the location is good.

We were very satisfied with the Athens Cypria--ask for a room on the 6th floor with a view of the Parthenon from the balcony.