Athens Travel Guide
Hotel Lust / Greece Hotels / Luxury Hotels / Sweet Suites / Leading Hotels of the World / → All Tags
The $34,000 Suite at Greece's Zeus-Worthy Grand Resort
Is that the theme to Chariots of Fire we hear swelling in the background? In an earlier edition of Hotel Lust, our preoccupation with the upcoming Olympics led us to track down a sprawling resort outside of Vancouver, this year's host city. Paying homage to the sporting event, this week we're heading to Greece, where the games originated.
In our search for Athens' best, we found a hotel whose name does the advertising for it: Grand Resort Lagonissi. Most of its rooms have names that hint to some of the sweeping views you'll be privy to as a guest: "Panoramic Resident Suite," "Vista Suite," and so on.
Even among these impressive surroundings—marble fixtures, sea views, private balconies—there's one that trumps the rest: the $34,000 per night Royal Villa, one of the most expensive of its kind the world over.
Hotel Ice Rinks / Holiday Hotels / Marriott Hotels / Athens Hotels / → All Tags
Ice Skating Near the Acropolis is Now Possible, Thanks to the Athens Marriott
We have sort of a fetish for hotels with ice-skating rinks which is why we're tingling with excitement over the new rooftop ice skating rink at the Athens Ledra Marriott Hotel in Greece.
From now through the end of February, guests and Athens residents can skate for free at the rink which is operated by the hotel atop the Star City Cinema complex next door. And it's not called "The View on Ice" for nothing as the amazing scenery of Athens is spread out before the skaters as they go round and round the rink. Check out the Acropolis in the background of this photo!
The rink is open from 11am to 11pm daily. Seasonal drinks and food catered by the hotel are also served.
Right now, the hotel is also offering a two-night "Explore the New Acropolis Museum" package which gives you two complimentary tickets to the new Acropolis Museum, accommodations with an Acropolis view and of course, the chance to do triple axels on the ice. The package is priced from $179-$249. Use promotional code M11 when booking. It's available from now through February 7.
Anti-View / Athens Hotels / → All Tags
Room With an Anti-View: Athens King Jason Hotel Not Fit For A King
You know the scene. You open the door to your brand new hotel room, run over to the window, open the blinds and bam, you are hit with the anti-view. Maybe you are looking down a dirty alley, witnessing a drug deal, staring at an air shaft in the face, or seeing a brick wall. Whatever you are viewing it is not extremely pleasurable. Help out your fellow hotel mavens by uploading your anti-views to the HotelChatter/Flickr photo pool, or by sending the photo along to us. Remember to tell us the name of the hotel and the room number with the not-so-easy-on-the-eyes view.
When you're on your honeymoon, you're hoping not to come up against any hotels worthy of our anti-view series, but even though a guidebook recommended the King Jason Hotel in Athens, Greece, to the (unlucky) boeke, that doesn't guarantee a great view. As proven by this particularly grotty view out of the King Jason at night.
Athens Hotels / Greece Hotel Guide / Monica Guy / Boutique Hotels / → All Tags
Greece Hotel Guide :: Order Out of Chaos at the Ochre & Brown Hotel
Our far-flung correspondent Monica Guy has once again slapped together a guide to city we have only dreamed about visiting. This time, she's summing up various hotels in Greece. Got a tip, question or suggestion about where to stay? Send it our way.
Chaos. It's a Greek word originally, and it's exactly what you'll find in Greece's capital of Athens.
Chaotic driving, chaotic shopping, chaotic, hot, throbbing nightlife. It's good chaos - especially if you need a break from the boring predictability of an office - and one of the most fun and alive places to visit in southern Europe.
The hotel scene is as chaotic as the rest of the city. We've had the quintessential English hotel, we've had the typical Spanish hotel and a few classic Spanish New Year's Eve hotels and now we were hoping to bring you the classic Greek hotel.
But we can't - a typical Greek hotel doesn't exist. They're not all as bad as this guest's experience and they're not all as weird as this one. easyCruise have just set up a kind of floating hotel but let's face it, that's not so typical either.
Our Greek spies are out looking for a way to make sense of the chaos - or at least to make sure you end up under a clean pair of sheets every night. Today, Athens - the rest of the week, we'll take a tour of some of the best Greek islands.
Athens Hotel Reviews / → All Tags
A Fresh Look at Athens at the Fresh Hotel
Here's some fresh news about the Fresh Hotel in Athens, Greece. It labels itself an urban resort and boasts "subtle luxury", as well as pretty amazing views from the deck on top of the hotel (they stretch even to the Parthenon).
Recent guests have had lots of positive things to say about their stay at Fresh. They speak of helpful staff, a tasty breakfast with lots of alternatives to choose from and an impressive pool on the rooftop. The major downside seems to be that Fresh is located in a slightly seedy area and not everyone will feel safe walking back here at night; plus in true designer style, some rooms have those showers which looking incredibly cool but actually end up letting half your room get wet.
Rates are pretty reasonable at Fresh, with plenty of rooms available at around $200, including the excellent breakfast. Which of course, is served fresh.
[Photo: JoopNetherlands]
Related Stories:
· Fresh Hotel Elevators for the Emaciated Set [HotelChatter]
· Athens Hotels [HotelChatter]
· Travel Stories in Athens [Jaunted]
Athens Hotel Reviews / Odd Hotels / → All Tags
The Ultimate Spiderman Fan Hotel Room
The name of the Baby Grand Hotel alone conjures up elegant kind of jazz-on-a-Sunday evening images ... but that's not exactly what you'll find if you check into this Athens hotel. While it has some relatively normal guestrooms and suites, there are also 55 graffiti rooms, that the hotel itself describes in this way:
Each room is an individual piece of art... From fantastic street and Japanese art to simply spaced out fantasies. Running waters, mountains, forests, flowers, true fairytales, dreaming creatures, and legendary cartoon heroes decorate in the most unique way our 55 graffiti rooms.
This week, a UK Guardian review explained it in a slightly different way:
The result is a hotchpotch of wacky installations such as the two Mini Coopers in the reception and bedrooms walls decorated with cartoon characters. You wouldn't want to wake up there with a hangover.
But you probably would want to wake up in the Spiderman room if you were a die-hard Spidey fan.
Yet whatever your point of view, it's definitely a pretty unique place to stay. They also have the (laugh please) Meat Me Restaurant (surprise, surprise, they serve stuff like T-bone steaks and hamburgers here) and the Moet & Chandon Champagne Bar. But heed the warning about not over-indulging and then waking up in one of their kaleidoscopically crazy rooms.
Related Stories:
· Baby Grand Hotel Athens reviews [TripAdvisor]
· Crazy Baby Hotel Athens [UK Guardian]
Karim Rashid / Athens Hotel Reviews / → All Tags
Karim the White Invents the Kone
Worldchanging designer Karim Rashid is at it again. Last night we spotted him hawking his new Dirt Devil Kone--it is the new shape of clean y'all.
Of course, the design guru was dressed in his trademark white suite for the Dirt Devil spot, which eerily reminded us of the Dyson vacuum ads.
While Karim toils in the Dirt Devil lab, across the globe at his Semiramis Hotel Athens, some question his choice of palette. A recent French guest critiques Semiramis (read the following tip in a Jean Girard over-the-top accent for added amusement):
We are big fan of design hotel, however this one is not what we like. I will recommend visiting the hotel for those who are interested in interior design. You should see it but not stay in. The bright colour are a bit too much after a couple of hours, specially in the restaurant it almost made me feel seek.
It is good to know that even if the Semiramis makes some guests "seek", Karim will always have the Kone as his fall back.
Related Stories:
·Karim Rashid Coverage [HotelChatter]
·Semiramis Hotel reviews [TripAdvisor]
Greece Hotel Reviews / Hotel Staff / → All Tags
AVA Hotel's Happy Staff
Unfortunately Athens, Greece can be a dirty, sleazy, and loud place to visit. That's why choosing the right hotel is extremely important in his ancient city. The AVA Hotel in the uppity Plaka neighborhood could be a safe haven from the sketch areas. The four-star provides apartment-style suites with verandas overlooking the acropolis.
Past reviews of the AVA really build up the hotel and its staff. Countless people make it a point to report the top-notch staffers:
The Staff: Maria and the other reception staff were just wonderful. This is one of the warmest staff we have ever encountered while traveling. Thank you for helping us with everything from navigating the touristy areas, to providing shopping and clubbing advice, to making sure we departed on our flight on time! The cleaning staff was also great - each evening we retired to a room that had been meticulously re-organized and made homey.
One would think that such a place would really dig into your pockets, but high season (right now) regular apartments run just 175 euros a night. The room has a mini kitchen, balcony with major views, and even a little living room.
However, don't be expecting any fancy designer linens or sleek furniture. There's a reason this place is only 175 Euros a night.
But if Maria could drop off some Moussaka to our room, we'll be just fine.
Related Stories:
· AVA Hotel Reviews [TripAdvisor]
Hotels / → All Tags
Fresh Hotel: Elevators for the Emaciated Set
Fresh Hotel is an Athens design hotel where the "roof top air lounge and pool are fabulous and beautifully designed and a great place to relax in the soaring summer temperatures," according to one recent guest.
However, if you are claustrophobic, take a look at the size of the elevators (photo to the right). Not exactly built for the heavy set.
Just thought you should know.
Related Stories:
· Paris Goes to Greece and You Should Too [HotelChatter]
· Fresh Hotel Reviews [TripAdvisor]
Celebrity Scoop / → All Tags
Wild on Tara: First Stop, Hotel Grande Bretagne
Did you watch it? C'mon, just admit it. We watched it, and learned that Paris and Tara still can't dance, evil eye bracelets could be the death of us, and that Tara in real life is exactly how she is portrayed in the tabloids.
Actually, the show wasn't even Tarable. Yeah, that is a sad bit of commentary on the state of television, we know. However, brain dead shows like Being Bobby Brown and Wild on Tara keep our attention longer than shows about bullshit ballroom dancing--that's just the way it is.
Turns out a train wreck "actress" + Greek food & booze + Greek hoteliers = something at least more entertaining than Trippin'.
Though Tara, didn't give us any tips on protecting the environment, thankfully, we admit she hardly never gave us any real travel tips. However, we did get to see a couple of kick ass Greek hotels close up, including the Starwood owned Hotel Grande Bretagne in Athens.
Tara's description of the property?
Absolutely incredible.
Yeah, who would have thunk someone so boisterous could be so succinct when it came to hotel reviews.
This place is pricey, especially if you don't have American Pie money, but the rooftop restaurant, with sick views of the Parthenon and the rest of Athens almost make up for the world of hurt this hotel will put on your credit card.
Related Stories:
· Hotel Grande Bretagne Reviews [TripAdvisor]
· Let The Ensuing Train Wreck Begin [Jaunted]
Hotels / → All Tags
Paris Goes to Greece and You Should Too
Naturally, since trend-setter Paris Hilton has snagged herself a Greek shipping god boyfriend, you should probably go to Greece to find one too. Yeah, why don't you just do everything Paris does, she sets such a good example for the kids.
Daily Candy is already on the ball, recently spotlighting Greece in their travel newsletter.
When in Athens, DC recommends the King George II Palace in Syntagma Square.
DC provides the helpful hint that the Royal Penthouse suite is $10,000 a night and has a private swimming pool facing the Acropolis.
But if you can't afford this (gasp!) then head onto the "mere mortals" hotel, Fresh Hotel which is "sleek and minimalist."
A recent guest had this to say about the Fresh:
"The Fresh Hotel is a bright, modern hotel with extremely helpful, efficient and professional service and represents excellent value for money. (Room rates, dinner, wine and other drinks were all reasonably priced which is usually not the case in other similar boutique hotels). The rooms were clean, modern, well designed and finished to a good standard. We ate in the hotel restaurant one evening and the food was excellent, with the freshest (no pun intended!) of ingredients."
Related Stories:
· Le Greek, C'est Chic [Daily Candy]
· Fresh Hotel Reviews [TripAdvisor]
Hoteliers / Hotel Openings / → All Tags
"Hello I'm Single, Please Come In"
Designer and self proclaimed world changer, Karim Rashid's first ever hotel opened in Athens late last year.
However, we were just recently able to access Kashid the White's Hotel Semiramis web site and check out the hotel. We have to the admit, the hotel's design and technology is definitely one of a kind.
Technology includes Internet via the flat screen stereo TVs, cordless headphones, and remote controlled hvac, curtain control, 2.4 ghz cordless phones and digital locks.
There is also video projection, holopro glass technology, dot matrix LEDs and other digital projection media throughout the hotel.
The most unusual touch? No more "Do Not Disturb/Make Up This room cards. Instead, electronic message boards outside each guest room are linked to the in room keyboard, so travelers can transmit messages to folks in the hallway. Instead of "Do Not Disturb," Kashid suggests, "Hello, I'm single. Please come in."
Any other suggestions Kashid? The hotel is in Athens...
Related Stories:
· Karim Rashid: Designer, Self Proclaimed World Changer [HotelChater]
· Hotel Semiramis [Travel Intelligence]
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