Concierge Athens II

The room smelled awful, and we found bed bugs and black mold that looked as if it had been painted over. We left within 20 minutes without touching anything. We had booked two nights, but luckily booking.com refunded us. From the other reviews, that seems to be a rare occurrence. The photographer deserves credit for making this absolute dump look bright and beautiful in the pictures.

We arrived to find no key. After about 15 minutes, a woman who spoke no English opened the place for us, thanks to my friend knowing a few Greek words. She said we could leave our bags but had to go because the apartment wasn’t ready. Nobody had told us the previous guests were still there, and the place was a complete mess. The air was stale, damp and moldy, and after ten minutes I was struggling to breathe because I have asthma. Opening the windows meant giving up safety, since one led straight onto a shared balcony. The furniture was in terrible shape, not just dated. One chair had a huge hole in the seat, the duvet was ripped and covered in yellow stains, and the bed squeaked badly. The bathroom wasn’t good either, and the shower stall was so cramped you couldn’t turn around. There was just one tiny decorative mirror, hung far too high for anyone who isn’t a basketball player. The TV was laptop-sized, and the fridge and cooker were just dropped in the middle of the room. The free WiFi didn’t work, some electrical outlets were dead, and the water heater had to be switched on and off at the board. I could go on, but you get the idea. The description falsely advertised a rooftop balcony, and the property looked nothing like the photos. I’d seen reviews mentioning old furniture, but what we found was nowhere close. I’m not a princess, but it should at least be clean. I was shocked. Don’t book unless you want to donate your money to a very stingy owner who thinks it’s acceptable to charge for this.

Room A1 was an 80+ square meter loft with a marble balcony, two double beds and a large corner sofa area. The beds were comfortable and separated by furniture, making two distinct sleeping spaces, and a baby crib was already provided. There was a basic kitchen, and the place was simple but practical, with a modern industrial look. The two air conditioners worked well for both heating and cooling despite the room’s size. It’s an incredibly spacious place in a central, safe area, and I didn’t have any noise problems. Cleaning was decent, though not perfect. Check-in was very easy with the instructions. For that size and price, it’s the biggest loft I’ve seen in the area, and a great deal. I’d happily recommend it. It’s not luxury accommodation.

We spent three nights in room A2. The best thing about the place was the location. The room had a strange smell from the moment we figured out how to open the key box, and it never went away. The blinds were missing slats and didn’t close fully, and there was no covering on the window above the door, so light from the stairwell came in whenever someone switched it on. The shower head wouldn’t attach to the wall because the holder was missing, so I used zip ties to fasten it to the curtain rail. There was a disgusting amount of white mold on the ceiling above the shower. The shower wash bottles didn’t contain what their labels said, so bring your own. Street noise came straight up the stairs and was horrendous. There was no WiFi, even after I tried all the instructions and messaged the contact numbers. They didn’t help and stopped replying. The rooftop garden was locked, and our key wouldn’t open it, so I can’t comment on it. The bed was very low and hard to get in and out of, while the couch made an extremely loud noise whenever anyone moved. The towels were threadbare, thin and very old. Turning on the hot water meant opening a live fuse box, then switching it off again after a shower. Some lights were missing bulbs and didn’t work.