Historical Traveler Reviews of Plaka Athens
Not bad
from A TripAdvisor Member
I am somewhat resigned to the fact that hotels in Europe have no need or desire to provide what I would consider "hospitality". So, after lowering my expectations, I was surprised instead of annoyed by the service. They were pleasantly indifferent! Wouldn't go out of their way but made a feeble effort to disguise their annoyance at "stupid tourist questions". I manage hotels for a living and am constantly amazed at the level of "dis"service that is tolerated in Europe that would NOT be tolerated by Europeans in the US. If you can get a reasonable rate, I would recommend it. (keep in mind I have not stayed at any other hotel in Greece, so I don't have much to compare it too)Great location, great view from the roof, and good food close by. However, he rooms were small, the cleanliness was questionable, you can't flush toilet paper, and the service was indifferent....I loved it! (all except the flushing part, which was uncivilized!) Who wants to travel and stay in places that remind them of home!
Great location!
from kitjones
The best thing about this hotel is definitely its location, right on the edge of the Plaka. The rooms themselves are nothing spectacular, and we found the staff to be rather reserved, if not downright morose!!! We also discovered that our single friend managed to get a double bed in her single room, while my husband and I were stuck with two twins in our double room!!!! You may want to request a room with a view of the acropolis, and/or a balcony. For a no frills hotel in the thick of the action, this hotel is perfect.
Great Location!
from kilmistr
I was here for a few days Dec. 2002. The hotel is in a great location.
It was very easy to take a bus from the airport and find the hotel. The room was comfortable and nice. My room had even a very small balcony.
There were many restaurants and internet cafes near the hotel. The staff seemed to be slightly standoffish, but other than that, I would stay again.
We loved it!
from Christine_U
We moved to the Hotel Plaka after one depressing night at the Hotel Attalos, and what a difference! The rooms must have just been redone: the decor was modern and very pleasant (for my taste, anyway), the beds were comfortable, and the TV was big (although we didn't watch it). Our room didn't seem to have as modern a bathroom as another room we saw, but it was still nice, and had a real marble floor. One thing to note is that the elevator is tiny--if you have a lot of luggage you might need to make more than one trip. The hotel is located right near the Plaka, on a nice, quiet street, and some rooms have a view of a pretty church. I had no problems with the staff, although I wasn't there long enough to ask them for much. We didn't have the breakfast, so I can't comment on that, but we did visit the roof garden bar, which has a spectacular view of the Acropolis; seeing it was one of our nicest moments in Athens. I would certainly stay here again.
The key is a room with a view
from A TripAdvisor Member
Stayed a couple nights at the Plaka Hotel and found it to be perfectly unspectacular, kind of like Athens itself. The worthwhile aspect of the Plaka is that it has rooms with a great view of the Acropolis (a half mile to the south). If you stay make sure you get a room that looks in this direction. We happened to have the 6th floor and felt priviledged to be able to see the Parthenon lit up at night from the (relative) comfort of our bed. The hotel itself is nothing special, no outward conveniences other than a rather well stocked breakfast, and a somewhat friendly but indifferent staff. The location is okay, the Plaka district being obscenely overated, while better than others I'm sure, is dirty and completely run down, but only a quick walk to the Acropolis.
You can do much much better for the price.
from A TripAdvisor Member
My brother and I stayed here in September 2003. Our room was small and not particularly comfortable. The bathroom was tiny. The staff were rather superior and condescending. The air-conditioning didn't work, meaning that we had to keep the windows open, and we were kept awake by the incessant barking of dogs and the din from the street below. Breakfast was fairly gross, with reconstituted ham, plastic cheese, nasty bread, nescafe, and synthetic orange juice. However, they did have Greek yoghurt and honey! The location was good though. My advice is to go to THE HOTEL ATTALOS on Athinas Street, where we also stayed for a couple of nights. Much more comfortable, and much better value for money.
Great and convenient hotel in the heart of Athens!
from kgeorge1
When searching for a convenient hotel in the Plaka, I read the reviews at this website. Many of them said the desk clerks and others who worked at the Plaka were unfriendly and unhelpful. I found the exact opposite! When we checked in, we requested a room on the 5th or 6th floor, as was suggested to us on this website, on the back side--for the quiet and a great view of the Acropolis. The clerk was surprised we knew to ask that but happily complied. Our room was spotless, upgraded with new wall tiles and bathroom appliances, and a very comfortable and clean bed. It wasn't overly spacious but you shouldn't spend any more time than necessary in your room when you're visiting the Plaka! It was quiet, also, as promised. There's a room safe which is handy. The rooftop bar was very nice to sit and have a drink after a day on the town. I'd recommend the Plaka highly!
Inexpensive and a great view
from A TripAdvisor Member
Recently renovated, and about to install high speed internet, this hotel has it all, including: great location, views of the Acropolis, and reasonable rates. The staff was very friendly and attentive to all requests. I highly recommend this hotel and if you can, ask for a room at the back on floor five or six (they have unobstructed views of the Acropolis). Not to despair, if you cannot get one of these rooms, as the roof garden also has the same view.
Just OK
from A TripAdvisor Member
For a holiday in December 2002 we had requested a room with a view of the Acropolis - which we got. Unfortunately the room was literally the size of a walk-in wardrobe with a single bed purporting to be a king. As for the bathroom, well even at 5'8" and 130 lbs it was still a struggle to fit into the shower cubicle. We requested a room change and were taken to a slightly bigger room with 2 single beds and a view overlooking the scaffolding of the renovation works taking place on the building opposite. On each occasion that we came down to breakfast we were never able to actually find the breakfast - apart form a few stale rolls and some cornflakes. None of this was improved by the sunny disposition of the staff which wasn't. In fact the hotel staff are very unfriendly and it is clearly not part of their job description to provide any help or information whatsoever. However, you don't come to Athens to sit in a hotel room! Plaka is very centrally located, within walking distance of everything (if you are a European!) and although there are lots of popular bars and restaurants around, actually very quiet. So given that the room rates are very reasonable it's an OK place but I definitely wouldn't recommend it if you are looking for anything approaching customer service, service with a smile or indeed any kind of service! Definitely no frills.
Plaka Hotel -- The Best!
from A TripAdvisor Member
I was in athens in november of 2001 with a friend and we stayed three nights and we LOVED it. Fantastic breakfast buffet with all-you-can-drink decent coffee -- not that hideous greek stuff (a rare thing in greece), perfect location, right in the heart of athens, withing walking distance of everything -- plaka, ermou shopping, etc.
In fact, when we returned to athens from syros and mykonos the plaka was booked and we stayed at the achilleas (OK, but it's no plaka; area of town was questionable) and the attalos, OK as well.
Plus our rate was fantastic -- roughly $50-$60 a night for the off-season. Highly, highly recommend!
