Just got back from a week long stay at the refurbished Hilton ATH
The hotel has taking the minimalist approach in it's interior design. When you walk in, the check-in counter is on the left and about the same color as everything else around it. Thanks God it has some reddish wood to differenciate the counter from the rest of the building. The main color is off-white (beige) and all the floors are in marble. The check-in staff is wearing black uniforms.
On the far left you have access to the Bizantyne restaurant (didn't tried it), while on the right there is a jewelry store (Omega, TAG and Bulgari watches amongst other) Remember, if you're a non UE citizen, the VAT is 18% and you can claim it back. On the far right you have access to a stairway that leds you to Milos, another restaurant.
There is a HHonors check-in counter and it was staffed when we arrived, therefore we were up to our room in a matter of minutes. As Diamond, got upgraded to the 12th floor (highest) and got room 1218, facing the elevator. It was not a problem, as the elevators must be 25 feet away from the rooms.
All the even-numbered rooms are facing the Acropolis.
Outside the elevator, to the right, there was a two seater, completely white, in leather, that definitely had a 1960's look, but was obvisously brand new.
Upon entering in the room, we found a bottle a sparkling wine and a fresh fruits dish with a letter from the GM. Nice touch. The room is about 10 feet wide but 25 feet long. Half of it is split between the bathroom and the inside corridor leading to the bed. Bathroom is very spacious with a separate shower and bath. The shower has the "rain" shower head, while the bath is large enough to accomodate two regular size person. It also has a portable shower head. The lavabo is completely in greenish glass, I loved it. The lighting system had a dimmer, which I found every hotel should have!! The interesting part of the bathroom is the dividing wall with the bedroom. It's a frosted glass!
The bedroom itself is taking half of the room. White walls with wood panels. The furniture in the room is of the same wood as the panels. The bed was excellent, but they had two different kind of pillows and I wasn't able to get used to it. The room had a full view over the Acropolis as well as the swimming pool (on the street level).
The A/C system is working fine, but it took us about two days to find the right settings. But once it's working...perfect temperature in the room all the time! The staff is not touching it while making the room. You can have access to the Internet, but at a cost of 15 euros/day only. Right across the street from the hotel, there's an Internet cafe at a 3 euro/hr rate.
One floor up from the 12th is where the Galaxy Bar is. The good society of Athens hang around that place...Dress code in effect, no bermuda allowed.
The Executive Club was one of the nicest I've seen in Europe. Full hot and cold breakfast, buffet type of meals between 5-11pm. There is also a serie of table on the outside overlooking the Acropolis, so you can have breakfast with a view!
The metro in Athens is in superb shape and extremely safe. The closest one to the Hilton is Evangelismos and it is walking distance (about 3-5 minutes). The Acropolis (Akropoli Station) is 2 metro stations away, while Ermou street is one station away (Syntagma Station). Don't bother to take a taxi to travel around town.
On your way back to the airport, you can either take the cab (about 25 euros) or the bus E95. It's an Express bus that goes to the airport, with few stops along the way, between Syntagma and the airport. One of those stops is facing the Hilton. 2.90 euros for a one way trip.
All in all we had a very pleasant experience at the Hilton, althought, we didn't tried any of the restaurants because my wife and I have a policy of not eating at hotel restaurants, mostly because we enjoy discovering local cuisine...and usually you don't find it at the hotel...
