Hello everyone, and welcome to my first ever hotel review! Today I will be reviewing the first hotel we stayed at during our Greece trip. This was a short one-night stay before getting on a ferry to go to Crete. More details of the trip can be found here.
Anyways, hope you enjoy!
Booking
The main reason that we booked this hotel was for the ideal location. Although we could have booked the stay directly with the hotel, we booked the one-night stay through Expedia. The hotel has many different room options, including different types of guestrooms, suites, and loft suites, which you can see here.
Given that our previous night was on a plane and our following night would be on a ferry, we decided to (relatively) splurge a bit and book the Octopussy Suite. We wondered whether or not it was worth it, and as you will see below, boy it was.
Location
This hotel is located near but not on Omonoia Square in Athens, and is walking distance from both Monastiraki Square and Syntagma Square, two of the biggest squares in Athens. The location is a great base to get around the city; as long as you walk south, you will hit most or all of the major sites.
Arrival and Check In
Even before walking through the door, there were people waiting to help us store our bags while we waited for our rooms.
Grecotel is the largest hotel chain in Greece, but not all hotels have the same theme. My first impressions upon walking in was that the lobby really set the tone for the rest of the hotel. I love hotels that show personality, and this did exactly that. The entire hotel and its rooms have an art theme, which I loved. Aside from the theme, the lobby was bright, contemporary, and comfortable.
There were welcome drinks available, which was much appreciated after such a long journey. (It’s strange how there was no water offered, though I’m sure it is possible to get it if you ask)
There was only one couple in front of us for check in. The check-in agents were friendly. Unfortunately, the room wasn’t ready yet, and they said it may be a little while. That was okay; we just went out for lunch and for a little walk, and by the time we came back, it was ready.
One of the employees walked us up to the room.
The Suite
The room looked exactly how I expected it would. According to the website, the room size is 58 meters squared, plenty big for our needs (although keep in mind that for some reason, the floor plan on the website is wrong). It included two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a living room. There was cute art on the walls throughout the suite.
The first room you walk into is the living room, which was comfortable, and included a flat-screen TV. There was also a balcony, which we didn’t use, and did not have the best view. But it is nice that it is there at all.
There were some complimentary sweet treats waiting for us under the TV, as well as a large bottle of water, and a coffee maker.
There was a minibar. On top of the minibar, there was some alcohol as well as more snacks.
After going through the living room, if you make a right, you will find yourself in the master bedroom. The bedroom is well-appointed with a king-sized bed, and has a closet and TV as well (the same model as in the living room).
If you make a left when coming from the living room, you will find yourself in the secondary bedroom, where I slept. Besides being a bit smaller and not having a closet, it was pretty much identical in comfort to the main bedroom. The beds were comfortable, but a bit firm. They were twin beds, which could be useful for families or groups traveling together.
Both bathrooms were well-appointed as well. No complaints.
Overall, the room was nice, and was what I expected, along with some unexpected treats. (Yes, it is worth mentioning them over and over; they hit the spot and tasted amazing 🙂)
Amenities
Although we did not use it, there was room service available. Here are the food options:
And here is the very extensive drink menu:
There were slippers available in the room, which could be useful, and which we kept as a souvenir.
There is also the option to select your bed pillow, which is pretty unique and nice.
As I mentioned above, there was a TV in the living room as well as in both bedrooms with plenty of channels.
Of course, the room has a phone which can be used to call the front desk or any other room.
The hotel had two elevators in addition to the staircase, which is worth noting if that is necessary.
There was also a gym available. It was very small, but had all the basics and did the trick. It was empty whenever I was there.
Finally, as expected, there was WiFi available throughout the hotel. If I remember correctly, there was a separate network for each room as well as one for the entire hotel.
Breakfast
The breakfast was possibly the best part of the hotel, but unfortunately, I forgot to photograph anything. They had plenty of Greek options, with a breakfast buffet with the regular eggs, bread and jam, etc., but also traditional Greek dishes such as Spanakopita. They even had specialty items such as smoked salmon! There was the option to sit outdoors, which we of course did.
Service
The service throughout the stay was consistently friendly. Everyone seemed happy to be there, and helped us whenever necessary.
Overall Impression
I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at the Grecotel Pallas Athena. Of course, as with most hotels, there were some minor flaws, they didn’t really detract from the overall experience. If you are coming as a tourist, the location is really good, and the rooms are nice as well. While it is obvious that the hotel is geared more for tourists, if traveling for business, the rooms are comfortable, and there is good WiFi.
Thanks for reading my first hotel review! Please feel free to give me advice for future reviews. Stay tuned for future posts!
[Featured image courtesy of the hotel]
