We stayed here for 3 nights in July 2010. As others have said, the hotel is in an interesting area. However, it's really no different than any big city, which is what Athens is. Some might feel safe with the large police presence on the streets. However, I thought it was a little too much, especially hearing about stories of corrupt police in Athens. In any case, this hotel is just OK for other reasons than its location.
Even in a sketch location, it is still convenient because it is close to two subway lines. The nearest stations are Omonia and Metaxourghio. We usually went to Metaxourghio because it's more direct and slightly less sketchy. Both stations are just a few stops away from the main tourist areas. There is free wifi in the lobby which works decent. The best thing about the hotel is that breakfast free and it has a large selection of food from eggs, bacon, ham, toast, cereal, fruit, and other various pastries. If grabbing a bite to eat for lunch or dinner, there are many places nearby in the direction of Omonia Station. The best thing about Athens is that the cost of food is relatively cheap.
The rooms are a fair size for Europe. They are clean, the beds are large and comfortable, and the A/C works great. There is also an in-room safe in our room, contrary to what I've read on Trip Advisor.
There are a few negatives about this place. There is only one elevator in an 8 storey building. Often times there was a long wait so we just used the stairs. Good thing we were on the 4th floor, half way between the lobby and the breakfast area. The size of the rooms are fine, but the tubs are miniature. It is a funny design as it is an already small tub, but half of it is a step up from the other half. Standing on the back higher half is actually pretty dangerous because it's slippery and not flat. Standing on the front half is awkward because there isn't much room to stand and again, it's not flat. I think it's designed so that one is sitting on the step while bathing. Also, there is only half a door on the shower so water gets everywhere. To make matters worse, one night out of the three, it was about midnight and there was absolutely no hot water to take a shower after a long, sweaty day. At least it was only one night, but it wasn't pleasant at all.
The one thing which really turned us off this hotel was when we had a problem with our airline reservation. There was no phone in the lobby we could use, but reception said we could use the phone from our room. We asked if it was free, they said yes. We asked again if it was free to double check, they said yes. Later on in the evening before our checkout in the morning, we wanted to double check that we had paid in advanced for the hotel. Reception said everything was paid for except for the phone calls we made. It turns out that you have to pay to make a local call from the room phone. Of course they didn't do anything about the charge when we told them that they said it was free. It wasn't much money so we didn't push it further, but it's just misleading when we asked twice whether the phone was free and both times they said yes.
Overall, I would definitely look at other options if I were staying in Athens again. That's not to say I wouldn't stay here again because the hotel still has good value if you can deal with its imperfections.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
