Heart of Athens Apartments

The host provided GREAT information and communication, and the apartment itself is very nice, modern, and newly renovated. It’s a superb location, close to the tram with lots of restaurants and bars just around the block! Thanks for a few nice days in your lovely city!

The location was convenient, just a few blocks from the Monastiriki metro station and plaza, with easy shopping and transit access, and close enough to walk to the Acropolis. The host was available on Whatsapp throughout our stay, though we had to ask for more toilet paper and retrieve it ourselves from a maintenance closet using another lockbox key. For a three-day stay, two or three rolls should have been left in the room. We also found the shower clogged. My friend fixed it rather than asking the host to send maintenance, but I felt it should be checked after every checkout. The room itself was modern and spacious, with a bed, sectional sofa, kitchen, mini fridge, kettle, iron, large shower stall, washer-dryer combo, Tassimo coffee maker, bathrobes, single-use slippers, air conditioning, and an outdoor balcony. There were plenty of outlets, a small den area with extra seats and a makeup mirror. We were welcomed with a bottle of white wine, green apples, and water in the fridge. There was no safe or luggage rack. The toilet can’t take toilet paper, so it has to go in the garbage. The bathroom bin was tiny, so we moved the larger living-room one in, especially since there was no cleaning service for three days. You have to lock the room from inside, and the card powers everything, which made locking the door at night awkward. Getting in was a bit of a scary start. Google Maps showed lots of graffiti and nearby buildings with locked gates. It’s a self-service apartment, not a hotel, and the host sent detailed instructions and pictures via Whatsapp for the lockboxes and several doors we had to pass through. There seemed to be many similar accommodations, judging from all the locks at the front gate. The elevator was very tiny, barely fitting two small-framed women and two carry-on bags. Although it’s a decent, nice place, I didn’t love the self-service setup or having to get through all those doors. I think I’d stay somewhere else next time.

Great service, clean and modern amenities, and close to the attractions and metro. They offer free luggage storage if your flight is later than checkout.

This is an apartment hotel with no staff on site, so you need to get the entry instructions from the management team. For guests from Japan, and likely Korea or China too, WhatsApp is essential for contacting them. The booking confirmation told me to call, but didn’t list an email address, and I don’t have a European mobile number. I was stuck until I remembered WhatsApp the day before my stay, then managed to reach them. The team replied right away and handled every question and request perfectly and politely. We arrived in the morning and asked about early check-in. They couldn’t guarantee it, but said they’d try, and had our room ready more than three hours before check-in. What a fantastic team! The room was more spacious and comfortable than a hotel room, with a bedroom, kitchen and living area, and it cost less than a hotel. Monastiraki is about a three-minute walk away, making it great for sightseeing. I highly recommend it. I stayed in a separate building across from an Italian restaurant called Tartufo, about a minute’s walk from the spot shown on the map. The graffiti-covered street was a surprise, but nearly all the streets in this part of Athens look like that, and it didn’t seem particularly dangerous. During the day, women and families with children were walking around as usual. Even after 8 PM there were still people about, including women walking alone, so it felt like a normal alley in a busy shopping area. I hope this is useful for guests from Japan, where WhatsApp isn’t as widely used.