ABA Apartment

We paid for an extra night because we’d arrive at 7 a.m. and didn’t want to wait until 3 to get in. Even though I had their email confirming our arrival time, they said nobody had told them. The man we called wasn’t very helpful and kept repeating that they hadn’t been informed. Around 8:30, a young guy showed up and took us to the apartment. The place was okay, though the furniture felt random, but the bathroom was unacceptable and had lots of mould.

I’d steer clear of this apartment and anything hosted by these people. I booked through hotels.com and paid in full, then soon after they said they’d double-booked and asked me to cancel. Hotels.com spoke with the host, who then told us it was sorted and the reservation was confirmed. On the day we were due to arrive in Athens, while we were driving there, the host cancelled just an hour before check-in. All I got was a short message saying they could no longer host us and would refund everything. When I asked why, he said he had personal reasons and needed to go to Rhodes, although someone else was meant to meet us with the keys. I don’t believe that explanation about a personal emergency, since he could surely have arranged a key handover or a lockbox. He was rude and called me selfish and a bad human being for making a fuss over a booking, saying he wasn’t a slave to the tourism industry. We were left with nowhere to stay and had to pay much more for another apartment at the last minute. There are plenty of other places in Athens, so choose somewhere else.

There’s a lot of room here, and the apartment is bright, well equipped, modern, and sensibly furnished without much clutter. It has two bedrooms, one with a double bed and one with two singles, plus a sofa bed in the living and dining area. The kitchen has a stove, microwave, oven, kettle, coffee maker, dishwasher, and washing machine. They’d left detergent tabs, tea bags, and coffee capsules. Salt and oil would have completed the setup. There’s a small courtyard-facing balcony off the kitchen with a drying rack, and an iron and board. The living area and bedrooms open onto a corner balcony with a view of the Acropolis. The bathroom setup includes a small room with a toilet and shower, plus a separate shower and another separate toilet with a larger sink. The small bathroom could use more places to put things. The apartment was generally in good condition, though paint was peeling in places, especially in the bathroom, and there were signs of wear from previous guests. I’m quite picky, but I’d have liked it cleaner, particularly the oven and microwave. The living room TV faces the dining table and bench seats, which aren’t very comfortable for sitting long. There’s also a TV in the bedroom, and Wi-Fi was very good. The welcome and quick rundown of the apartment were nice. It’s a really nice place, but Vourvachi is a busy street and the noise is a big drawback.

The air conditioning worked well, and it’s handy for the Acropolis. The people were nice too. The beds felt a bit firmer than I prefer, but all in all it was good.