general45

Thank you Kempis. That was one of the most important bits of info I have obtained for my upcoming trip to Europe in June. I have printed out the maps and directions for some of the attractions I plan on visiting. I was also able to ask some questions via email at the hotels I will be staying at. Thanks again.

Super Larry

Kempis,

I saw that link in the 2003 post...but I got an bounce back when I tried to send an email...therefore my question is relevant...

david55

I have been planning a trip to Greece for awhile. I have emailed quite a few hotels and found that the small one's are quick to respond... I have less of a success rate with the larger hotels. I have emailed the Grande Bretagne twice and have not gotten a response either time....

Super Larry

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...

Braindrain

Thanks for the report!


When I took the E95 to the hotel, I almost missed it! The bus driver says nothing and assumes everyone knows when to get off. I was extremely lucky because the bus stopped at the intersection where the Hilton was and so I was able to see it in time. (If not, I'd be all the way to Syntagma Square.)

As others have reported, this is an absolute bargain as a Cat 3!

SkiAdcock

Well don't brag about it being a great value at Cat 3 or Hilton will up it to a 5, like they did w/ the Auckland Hilton!

Thanks for the detailed report; look forward to staying there in the future. Cheers. Sharon

rtpflyer

Ms rtpflyer is booked there for the beginning of her 5 week trip to greece in Sept-Oct. I sent her the webpage review to read.

BumpMe!

This is EXTREMELY helpful.
MissBumpMe! and I will be there during a month-long RTW trip.
We hope to use your information to ensure we have a great stay.
Many, many thanks.

...we'll be sure to follow-up with our own findings.

thezipper

... From what i had read, the Hilton is suppose to be one of the IOC hotels for the Olympics...

Travel The World

To put this report into some persective, this was my first stay as a Diamond after a few years of achieving Gold. So I was looking for the "difference".

I won't say too much about Athens, except that it is well worth a visit. Transport is easy with a new airport and new underground system, and the weather (compared to the UK) was an absolute delight!

The Hilton is well located with views across the city to the Acropolis, it has restaurants but these are to avoided, as local food is excellent and very much cheaper. The Club Lounge (on the 11th floor) has the same good views.
The gym is excellent as are the indoor and outdoor pools. The rooms are very nice, especially the bathrooms. The hotel has just been redecorated.

I read somewhere that this hotel is the only 5* hotel in Athens (I don't belive that now having been there!), but in any case it attracts the rich and famous. On our flight and checking in at the hotel was Uri Geller (by the end of my stay there wasn't a straight spoon to be found )

So I waited for Uri and his party to check in at the front desk, only to then be told to go to the Exec Reception on the 11th floor to check in. Some signage would have saved me 10 minutes !!

At the Exec Reception I was given a room on the 12th (top) floor, but there was no mention of my Diamond status. When we got to the room, it was facing away from the Acropolis Not having that, went back and was given a different room, again on the 12th floor, but this time with the view. I asked if they knew I was a diamond (out of curiosity), they did.

Breakfast in the Club Lounge (at the weekend) was chaotic, too many people, not enough tables, not enough food, not enough staff.
We waited for a table on Saturday and Sunday, then we had to wait for it to be cleared, when there was food, there weren't any plates, when there was OJ there weren't any glasses, etc etc. Was better on Monday.

I did get a bottle of water (although it had already been opened and half consumed ), but so what, that was freely available in the Club Lounge. No telephone call, no letter from the manager, no upgrade to a suite.
Got a free late check-out, but had to change rooms. Down to the 9th floor. These rooms were exactly the same (including free bottle of water, dressing gowns and slippers).

So, as a Diamond, I don't think I got any better treatment than my years as a Gold. All-in-all, I probably won't bother going for Diamond again (if this turns out to be typical), Gold is good enough. Annoying that they've devalued Gold status by giving it away though.

On getting home, my Diamond card was waiting for me. It took about 5 weeks to arrive.

I will return to Athens, and if I'm still in HHonors will stay at this hotel.

srk123

Thanks for a good, detailed report. I'll be going to Athens in 2 weeks on a 3-day award stay at the Athens Hilton. As an HH Gold, can I expect to be upgraded to the exec level with access to the lounge, and get a room facing the Acropolis? You say the restaurants inside the hotel are overpriced; are there any good ones close by? How close is the hotel to the nearest metro stop (it looks about ¼-mile on a crude city map I have)? Is it an easy walk to the Plaka and the Acropolis (again it looks about 1½ miles)? Anthing else I should be aware of about the hotel? Thanks for your help.

Braindrain

Yes, on the exec lounge. For the room, depends how full the hotel is of Diamonds.




There are some restaurants close by but if you hit the area around the Acropolis or Syntagma, you'll have a much better choice.




Appx half a block.




From the metro station, the Acropolis is still a good walk. Plaka/Syntagma is very close to the station.




It's very easy to miss if you're taking the bus. (E94) The bus stops without announcing what the station/stop is. If you do miss it, you'll be headed all the way to Syntagma.

Super Larry

Here's a report I did last July after a week long stay at the Hilton ATH. You'll get all the information you need

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...ghlight=Athens

srk123

Braindrain and Super Larry: Thanks for your answers to my questions on the hotel. I've printed it out and I'll take them withe me and I'm sure your comments will be helpful. Anyone else?

Travel The World

Ask for a room with a view, they are so much nicer than the others, even if that means you are not on the Exec Floors, as all the rooms on different floors appear to be the same. However it is quite noisy from the traffic so the higher up the better.
You should still get access to the lounge as a Gold.

Two underground stations in easy walking distance; and worthwhile using the underground from the airport, at about Eu6.

There's a really excellent restaurant next to the Hilton. Can't remember what it's called but it's directly facing the back of the Hilton, across a side road, on a corner plot.

There's a Hard Rock Cafe near Syntagma which is good when you want a break from Greek food This opened 3 weeks ago, so they missed the Olympics

Syntagma is the next stop on the underground and is next to the "tomb of the unknown soldier" where the traditional Greek soldiers perform their changing of the guard routine on the hour. Well worth watching.

Stay on the same underground train one more stop (the last on the line) and you get closer to the Acropolis entrance, and some other historical sites (Roman Forum, etc.), or you could change lines on the underground at Syntagma to go one stop on the other line to the Acropolis, which is also close to the Temple of Zeus and Hadrian's Arch.

Best tip: visit all the historical sites on a Sunday and it's free ^

There's an Outlet shopping centre in Athens. I didn't visit this, but the range of shops might make it worth a visit if you have time. Otherwise shopping for touristy stuff is best in the Plaka district at the foot of the Acropolis.