The Fiction

The restaurant chef is amazing. Try the Millet Filet plate, it's delicious and looks like a work of art, better than a three-star Michelin chef's cooking. The receptionist was so helpful and highly intellectual. The first night wasn't great, but the manager moved me to a much better room and turned the stay around. Excellent service, and I'd highly recommend the hotel.

The room was spacious and the front desk staff were friendly, but the room service was poor. It was very warm when we arrived, and there was no way to turn on the AC. When we called for help, they told us to open the window for a breeze. The hotel is beside a very busy highway, though, and the traffic noise was unbearable with the window open. After an 18-hour trip to Greece, we couldn't sleep and were left exhausted. In all our travels, even at the cheapest motel, we haven't had this kind of problem. For 123 euros, it felt completely unacceptable to have no individual room AC, coffee machine, or other basic amenities. It felt like a scam.

The included breakfast was good, and the dining terrace, restaurant, garden, and landscaping were all lovely. The staff were friendly and wonderfully helpful. It's an older building, but there has clearly been a lot of effort put into it: the rooms are clean, and high-quality soundproof windows kept out the noise from the busy road below. The location is handy for a large, nice shopping mall and a smaller one, but it seems better suited to people working nearby or traveling by car. We did see several dead roaches in the stairwell, and they were still there both days of our visit. It didn't affect our stay, though these things happen. Our minibar was empty, despite what we'd expected from the reviews we'd read. The price felt a bit high. We'll be back in Athens at some point and would consider Civitel Olympic again if we could get a lower rate.

The staff were friendly, but couldn't help when I asked them to cool the room down. The central heating couldn't be switched off, and there was no AC option, so the room felt unbearably hot and stuffy. Since the hotel overlooks busy, noisy Kifisias avenue, opening the windows wasn't a solution either. The management clearly doesn't understand what makes for good sleeping conditions, or there would be more ways for guests to cool the room. I've never had such a poor night's sleep in a hotel.