| When in Athens the desirable areas to stay in are the Plaka, Makrianni,
Koukaki, Thission, Syntagma and Monistiraki. These areas all border the Acropolis and the archaeological park around
it. Everything you need including shops, restaurants, the metro to the ferries, buses, taxis and nightlife is within
walking distance. It's like being on a peaceful island. Don't
get stuck in areas like Ambelokipi, Illissia, or Alexandras which are noisy and far from the sights. Traffic can
be heavy in Athens and a trip downtown can take you an hour or more, though the metro does help. For this reason
be aware of this if you are booking through an agent not familiar with the city. If you find yourself booked in
a hotel in one of these areas it is a good indication that your travel agent may have limited information on Greece
and at this point you may know more then he does. There
are lots of small hotels in the Plaka area between Syntagma (Constitution) Square and the Acropolis. It's the quietest
and most pleasant part of Athens. For now there are no hotels near the airport though there is a big Sofitel
that is actually at the airport but it is pretty expensive.
The Hotel Armonia on the beach at Vouliagmeni is the closest and is
only half an hour away. For More Info on Athens Hotels take a look at the hotel section in my ATHENS SURVIVAL GUIDE at www.athensguide.com/hotels.html
CECIL HOTEL Cecil Hotel occupies a beautifully renovated neo-classical building in the heart of old Athens, close to the Ancient Market and the City Market. It is located near the most central pedestrian street of Athens, the Acropolis, and the Plaka and Psiri are only a short way away. Cecil Hotel offers easy walking access to numerous tavernas, restaurants and many places like cafes, nightclubs and cinemas, offering all forms of daytime and evening entertainment for which Athens is famous. Very economically priced too. If the Attalos is full, this is half a block away. It is like staying in a preserved 19th century hotel. For more info and booking go to www.greecetravel.com/hotels/cecil
ASTOR HOTEL The Grande Bretagne The Grande Bretagne, for those of you who don't know, is the oldest and most elegant luxury hotel in Athens and one of the finest and most well-known in the world. A room there will cost you a couple hundred bucks a night at least but if you have the money it is worth it. I didn't have the money but because the GB has such an amazing history, my old friend Mike Constantinou put me up there so I could write an article about it. I don't know if the staff knew who I was or what I do but they sure treated us nice. In fact for the three days we were there I did not want to leave the hotel. And then the day we were supposed to leave we were wait-listed and our flight was full so we had to stay another night. I was very happy. I don't know if Mike was. There are other luxury hotels but they are new, modern and miles away from downtown. The Grande Bretagne (and our room) overlooks Syntagma Square and you can watch the changing of the Evzone guards from your balcony. We had a view of the Parthenon, tons of channels on the TV, a fridge full of booze and snacks and a room service menu about 8 pages long. Incredible breakfast buffett in the GB Corner. For information and booking see my web page for the hotel at www.greecetravel.com/hotels/grandebretagne The Electra Palace Hotel If you are looking for a really nice hotel and willing to pay more, read my review of the Electra Palace Hotel, where I stayed quite comfortable during an Athens heat wave. There are not many hotels of this caliber in the Plaka, at least not with a swiming pool! They have a pretty steady business clientele so you need to book pretty far in advance to get a room here in the summer. For information and booking see my review of the hotel at www.greecetravel.com/hotels/electrapalace Armonia Hotel Want to stay at the beach? The Armonia Hotel at Vouliagmeni is only 40 minutes from downtown. Vouliagmeni is probably the best beach on Athens Gold Coast, the Riviera of the Aegean. There is a mineral bath health spa just up the street too. Most importantly this is the closest hotel to the new airport! See www.greecetravel.com/hotels/armonia See Athens from the Islands of Aegina, Poros and Angistri Who says you have to stay in Athens to see Athens? OK. Cities are not for everyone. So why not stay on an island that is one hour from Athens? You can be on the Acropolis in an hour and a half! (Sometimes it takes that long from the Hilton). The island of Poros is a sensible option to city life and it is also a 3-minute boat ride from the Peloponessos. I highly recommend the Saga hotel there. See www.greektravel.com/greekislands/poros The beach town of Agia Marina on the island of Aegina is about 45 minutes by boat. There are two nice little inexpensive hotels there called the Hotel Karyatids and the Voula Apartments, plenty of tavernas, and a slice of island life within sight of Athens. Angistri is another island
close enough to Athens so you can visit by day and the Agistri
Club hotel is a favorite of many professional Greece Travelers.
You can book these and many other hotels in Athens and the rest of Greece through the following recommended agencies: Dolphin Hellas Travel, Fantasy Travel, Aegean Thesaurus Travel.or Greece Accommodations For apartments and houses in and around Athens see www.greecetravel.com/villas Even if you are backpacking and not booking hotels until you get to the island or staying in campsites I still recommend booking your hotel in Athens. For a city of it's size Athens has a shortage of hotels and wandering around looking for one can be disheartening. For more hotels in Athens see www.hotelsofgreece.com The Athens Survival Guide is now available for Palm Pilot with a GPS map so you will know exactly where you are on the city and what is around. You can Andrew Johnson for details on where to buy it: rapret@bigpond.net.au or visit www.athensguide.com/palmpilot |
ASTOR HOTEL
is an A Class Hotel operating all year
round located in the heart of Athens
half a block from Syntagma Square. It
has a restaurant with a great
breakfast menu and an amazing view of
the Acropolis. There are a couple
bars, roof garden, beauty shop, gift
shop and conference room. All the
rooms are large, beautifully
furnished, with telephone, radio,
central heating, color TV and
air-conditioning. Rooms on the upper
floors have balconies with great views
of the Acropolis on one side and Mount
Lykevettus on the other side and there
are even a couple rooms where you can
see both. Fantasy Travel has great
rates on this hotel because he books
his rooms in advance. The photo on the
right I took from my room. For more
info see