I booked a room at the Hellinis hotel in Athens for one night and was absolutely horrified by the experience. As I got there past 2am, they gave me the only room left which was the worst room I have ever been in (and I have been to some pretty awful rooms. There was a big hole in the bathroom floor with massive cockroaches. The carpet was old and full of recent cigarette ash. The bed sheets looked dirty and they looked as though someone had used the bed recently. The area was clearly full of prositution and am pretty convinced that the hotel is used for non-travellers judging by some of the guests in reception.

I was so disgusted that despite it being 2am I checked out and found another hotel in a more decent area (cheaper, cleaner and safer)!! I wouldn't recommend it to anyone!!!

We actually stayed there several years ago. Took me along time to write this review. We arrived late evening and were hungry. After checking in we went to the restaruant and were greeted by a older gentleman who sat us and was also our waiter. His name was Kostas. He was also the main bartender. He was awesome! We were there for 14 days and he truely made our stay great. I sat many a night sitting at the bar talking to him and asking him many questions about Athens. He was extremely helpfull. After a night out my wife and I would come back to the hotel, retire to our room, and awhile later there would be a knock on the door. There would be no one there but a plate of fruit and cheeses would be on the floor in front of our room. The rest of the staff was very friendly also. Many thanks to Kostas I would return just to see our friend again. I found the hotel very nice. Not a Hilton but for what we payed it was overall very adaquate.

The hotel is located quite a way from the center of Athens and any metro stations- you could walk (30-40 minutes) but you really need to get a bus. This is not at all difficult, as the hotel sells bus tickets and the bus stop is right outside. The buses are also very frequent and the journey is along one straight road and does not take long.

The rooms were functional and clean, but not spectacular; they were equipped with a fridge, a safe and a computer. The bathrooms are also fine, but there is no way to attach the shower head to the wall, making showering difficult.

Breakfast was passable, consisting mainly of bread, cheese and ham. There were also boiled eggs and plentiful tea, coffee and fruit juice.

The staff were all helpful and I would recomend this hotel to someone looking for a cheapish, basic stay.

The hotel has all you need except meals can be expensive but you can go on the bus to Syngrou Fix, get off and up the hill lots of little affordable restaurants or go to Neos Cosmos about three streets back from the hotel and you will find a big shopping centre and affordable restaurants - choose where the locals go. An all day pass will cost you 3 euros for transport or 10 euros for all week. Once at Syngrou Fix you can connect to other lines for the centre. Athens used to be one of the safest places but be aware there are pickpockets around - it happened to me and I was wearing a bumbag. Once at the Plaka head towards the Acropolis at the back of all the tourist shops and you will find things cheaper. Enjoy.