Parea Athens

I really liked the private balcony. It was a good size, though the rain meant I barely got to use it. The bed was comfortable, with a firm mattress that suited me and a warm blanket, although it felt oversized for one person. I’d have preferred two separate blankets. The location made getting around easy: Monastiraki metro station is about a five-minute walk away, with shops, restaurants, museums, and historic sights nearby. Inside, the hotel felt clean and tidy, with a stylish minimalist look and friendly staff. The room had plenty of useful touches, including a full-length mirror, coffee machine, kettle, and slippers. The bathroom was comfortable, but the sink was outside it, and there wasn’t a handy place to set my things or hang a hand towel. Breakfast came from a nearby restaurant that works with the hotel. It wasn’t a buffet and the menu selection wasn’t huge, but the food was tasty and the portions satisfying. I stayed two nights and had a very pleasant, comfortable visit.

The street was incredibly loud, even with the windows shut, and it still felt like sleeping right in the middle of it. The room was very humid, the air conditioning didn’t work, and we couldn’t open the curtain because it looked like a homeless person was living directly in front of our room. The staff were nice, but the place looked nothing like the booking pictures.

The balcony in the fifth-floor penthouse had a very nice view, and moving there did make our stay better. Without that change, it would have been much worse. Still, we left disappointed, and the included breakfast didn’t help much: I ordered the English breakfast, but the beans arrived cold and seemed straight from the can. The rest was acceptable, nothing special. We’d first booked a standard double on the second floor. Little Kook is directly below, so the street noise was obvious as soon as we entered. The beds weren’t very comfortable either, and the air-conditioning unit made unexplained noises even while switched off. I asked reception if another room was available, and they offered us the penthouse on the fifth floor. That room had its own problems. The elevator was so tiny that two people barely fit, and it felt unsafe, so we avoided it and used the stairs several times. There was also an unpleasant smell from the bathroom.

The location is excellent: about 200 metres from a major metro station, with the flea market and ancient Agora around five minutes away, Plaka’s souvenir shops another five minutes in one direction, and bars and restaurants about five minutes in another. The Acropolis entrance is reachable on foot in a little over half an hour. The hotel let us leave our luggage at reception before or after our stay, which gave us extra time to explore. We had a nice, roomy space for a father travelling with his teenage daughter. Staff were kind, helpful, and communicated well. The lift reaches the upper floors, though it’s small, with room for one person and luggage. Breakfast is served at an adjacent restaurant, with a good à la carte menu rather than a buffet. It can be noisy. The air conditioning in my room was triggered by movement, but the sensor wasn’t visible from the sleeping area, so the unit kept shutting off after a few minutes during the night. We opened the window, but the street stayed loud late and started up again early. The hotel provides earplugs, and they came in handy.