I have enough miles for a hotel for the 2 nights we will be in Athens in September. Location is important as well as convenience. A feeling of comfort for our last 2 nights would be great.

We'll probably be coming from Delphi so one consideration would be dropping the car and either driving into Athens or dropping it near public transportation. Since this could change, it won't be my determining criteria.

The hotels that have caught my eye include Athens Gate, Magna Grecia, Athens Diamond Hotel. A few of the large hotels that are about the same # of miles as the Athens Gate are the Athenaeum Intercontinental & Crown Plaza Athens City Centre.

Also on the list, using fewer miles, include Athens Cypria, Art Hotel, Metropolitan, and a number of the other places that are mentioned regularly on the board.

Since we are otherwise more budget-minded (if I didn't have the miles, I'd probably go to the Metropolitan or something similar), I thought a "nicer" hotel for the last 2 nights would be terrific. I'm leaning toward Athens Gate because of all the positive feedback on the board. Should I consider any of the others instead? If so, why?

Many thanks again for the help and feedback!

The Magna Grecia Hotel is conveniently located between Syntagma Square and Monastiraki Square on the edge of the Plaka District (excellent shopping). This is a good place to base yourself in Athens since you'd just be a short walk from both a Metro Station and the Airport Express Bus stop, as well as the Acropolis and nearby Museums.

Athens Hilton(5th floor with a view of the Acropolis from your balcony) is my fav!

Is Magna Grecia a better location than Athens Gate?

I've stayed at Cypria, and plan to use it again in the future. It's good value for money, just off Ermou Street and close to Syntagma Square. No great views from the hotel, though.

We're staying at Athen's Gate early June....I can let you know how we liked it then if it's not too late.

Intercontinental best for me with FF miles

or www.betterbidding.com usually can pick it up

bidding priceline from under $80

whichever works best...

We will be staying at Athens Gate from June 16-19. Chose this hotel due to location and reviews. Have requested room with Acropolis view. Since you're not going until September I'll post a review of the Athens Gate. We return to the US mid July. Our first choice AVA was not available. You may want to check it out but don't know if miles could be used there? Didn't know could use AA miles for Athens Gate. I might have to check into that!

CAR RETURN --Progol, I think you'll be happier (& more serene) if you drop your car at the airport where u got it (BTW always good to do a brief recap, some of us have not followed your previous threads... saying we are mid-age couple, returning to ATH Fri 9/30. Advice could be far different if you were family of 5, youngest 3 yrs old!!). U don't have ATh traffic, u dont pay charge for a different drop-off, and a Metro ticket for 2 @14€ will zoom u to Syntagma Square in 40-45 minutes.

HOTEL -- U can then walk short distance down Metropolis to 1 of 2 hotels. Diamond is the closest, but I would share the preference for Magna Grecia another 100-200 yards along, try to get a front high room. Reason is, it looks out on the Metropolis (Cathedral) square... so a more "airy, open feeling" than the usual narrow closed-in streets of central Athens. And yes, I fnd it a bit more convenient than Athens Gate. A-G is across from Temple of Zeus n a VERY busy major artery (3-4 lanes each way). IF you choose A-G, specify a high room at the back to minimize noise. But NOT the floor directly under the roof terrace or u may hear high heels on your ceiling until late.

Don't worry about driving into Athens to drop the car. Avoid rush hours and you'll be fine. If you chose the Athens Gate there are a couple of agencies almost next door... Avis for one.

Paule, I don't have time to pull out all of my research now, but I am certain that several rental car offices were very close to Athen's Gate. We were looking at Budget and it looked very close ( and had a great price!)

We are picking up in Piraeus, driving to Nafplio and returning in Athens, if all goes well!

progol, I have stayed at Magna Grecia and liked it very much.
it is a small hotel, unique, slightly funky, and arty.
The location is terrific in a square in the middle of Plaka area.
Our room had French doors that opened with a view of the square and the Acropolis.

Thanks, everyone for the terrific feedback.

I've never used AA miles for hotels before, so it's a big unknown whether I have any choice in the rooms that are assigned.

After reading the Trip Advisor boards, it seems clear that the experience that people have at the Magna Grecia depends very much on the room they're in. Some rooms are small and face an interior wall (?) or are otherwise very bleak. The opinions are very strong, pro & con. A BIG con for me is being opposite a church with bells ringing on the hour -- one of the most memorably unpleasant experience was not sleeping because of a similar experience, even with ear plugs. If I have some choice of rooms, though, I LOVE the location.

The Athens Gate seems to be more consistently positive, and I'm still leaning in that direction, especially since there are car rental places nearby (thanks, Judy!). My NYC husband is less anxiety-prone about driving in city traffic than I am, so despite the 4-lanes of traffic (a con, definitely), AG still seems to be in the running. But I'll wait on it for a little while and see how we feel.

Chris45ny -- yes, AA miles can be used now for cars & hotels. If you go to the AA page for redeeming miles, you'll see a link for hotels & cars. There are a lot of hotels in Athens on that list, so if you haven't already paid, you might want to see if you can reserve AG through miles.

I stayed at Hotel Metropolis, about 50 feet from Magna Grecia. The cathedral bell does not strike the hours after about 11 pm. But go with AG if u are more comfortable with it.

PS: at least I didn't hear the bells. Maybe I was in a coma.

Well, good to know the bells don't go on all night, though the mixed reviews on TripAdvisor on are really what makes me feel unsure about the Magna Grecia. Still, I'll sit with it for a while and see what we (I!) decide.

Well, don't dither because you feel uncertain... go with A-G which seems to have its devotees.