Athenaeum Grand Hotel

"Such a shame as this looks like it could have been a great hotel, but it is let down by a lack of renovation and it locations. The location is between two strip clubs on a busy road in a rundown area. Although from the outside of the hotel it does not look to bad if you go just a few rows back there are lots of dumped cars and lots of gaffitti (though the whole of Athens seemed covered in graffitti). It was on the Hop On Hop Off bus route which could be used to travel to the main sites of Athens and was only a 20-30 minute walk from the Acropolis. The staff were great and welcomed us and helped us as much as they could. The inside of the hotel initially looks fine but you soon see that corners have been cut and very little money has been invested in the hotel. There are two lifts and they are both tiny, they holds no more than 3 people at a squeeze and the door on the outside is a door you pull open, it is not automatic. The carpet in the corridors was vey worn and needed replacing. The room was massive and was located on the first floor at the back. This meant that although we were away from the road noise at the front (friends of ours stayed in one of these rooms) we had to put up with the noise from the airconditioning units outside the window. Higher rooms would not have had this problem. The flooring of the room was wood but again needed replacing it was quite rough in places and it was dirty particularly in the corners, where it actual looked like it could have been damp. The TV remote control was broken. The bed was comfortable and we did have a good night sleep once the noise from outside reduced. The bathroom again on first looks was amazing but again it was shabby and needed more care. The sink unit had been made from wood which had been damaged by the water from the sink. The flooring was marble tiles wgick looked lovely but were leathal when wet and no bath mat was provided o stop you from slipping. The other problem, which is not just in this hotel, is that toilet paper could not be flushed down the toilet but had to be placed in a bin. We only stayed for one night and I would not have wanted to stay any longer."

"Many things to recommend about this hotel. A delicious and high quality breakfast buffet; a reasonably priced restaurant; friendly and helpful staff; a nearby cluster of fun restaurants; 1 mile to the Acropolis. However, there is one drawback that the hotel can’t control, road noise. We knew this before we arrived and brought ear plugs, but sleeping was still difficult."

"We had a great experience in this hotel, the room was nice and clean with a lovely view and lots of amenities. It was within walking distance on the acropolis etc and near lots of local bars and restaurants. The staff were absolutely lovely and very helpful and definitely helped make the experience a 10/10. Thank you to everyone at the Athenaeum Grand!"