Blue Ark Lavish Sauna Suite

The apartment itself had a nice interior, but the neighborhood outside felt extremely seedy and unwelcoming. We nearly stayed in the car when we arrived. Buildings all around were covered in graffiti and had barred windows. The heavy metal entrance door was very difficult to lock and unlock. Without the two men in our group, I don't think we could have managed it, and the owner didn't respond when we called about the problem. Blue Ark offered to arrange an Athens tour for our group of six, priced at €290 for four hours. The driver picked us up at 8:30 AM as agreed, then we collected a woman introduced as the tour guide. We made a brief stop to see the changing of the guards at the Parliament building before the driver dropped us at the foot of the Acropolis. The guide told us to get our own tickets and read the plaques as we went, since she had forgotten her tour guide badge and couldn't go in with us. We climbed the hill and waited in the heat for 35 minutes, only to learn that Acropolis entry was timed. Our scheduled admission wasn't until 11:45 AM, even though we'd been dropped off at 9:30. The tickets could have been bought online, and a reputable guide should know about the ticket queue and entry slots. Since we'd now be out much longer than expected, we asked to stop for sandwiches. After more than an hour stuck in traffic, we had to eat in the car to make our 11:45 entry. That was the end of the tour. The driver and guide wouldn't return for us after we visited the Acropolis on our own, because the four-hour booking was due to end at 12:30, before we'd be finished. We paid €290 in cash, then another €60 for two cabs back to the apartment. Blue Ark and the car service company Fidelis Executive Transfer both adamantly refused to compensate our group for what turned into a one-way ride to the Acropolis.

We felt welcome, and it was a nice place.

Quite comfortable.

The hosts were friendly and accommodating, and they offer free luggage storage at their office, Blue Ark One, near the Acropolis Museum. The apartment is spacious, beautiful, and well equipped, in a quiet spot and good value for money. It takes about five minutes to reach the closest bus stop and around 10 to 15 minutes to the nearest subway.