toStay Athens

Right in the heart of everything. The air con leaked and we only had 2 towels, but you get what you pay for. I’d stay there again.

The location was good, and at least we could sleep in the end. But after what we paid, I’d have been better off in a hotel for €20 more, where someone is available at reception around the clock if there’s a problem. I wouldn’t recommend this apartment. We booked through a travel agency expecting a kitchen, WiFi and other basics. Even the check-in information didn’t arrive, so we had to contact the company ourselves. At first the place looked okay, but once inside the cleaning was awful, with hair on the floor, in the toilet and in the shower. For seven days, they supplied just two toilet rolls and one rubbish bag for the kitchen and bathroom. Since you can’t flush toilet paper, we were expected to use the tiny bin for a whole week. There were also only two tiny bottles of soap, meant to serve as shampoo and shower gel for two people all week. We got two towels each for seven days and no hand towel. The pillows were so bad you’d need a physiotherapist after sleeping on them. The WiFi never worked, and neither did the large smart TV they’d promised. There was no microwave or safe, though all rooms were supposed to have them, and the dishes were very poor. On the first day alone we killed more than TEN MOSQUITOES. We asked for repellent and they wouldn’t give us any. We called the EMERGENCY number about 10 times over problems, and next to the 24-HOUR EMERGENCY number it says: OFFICE HOURS. Nobody ever answered. We had only one key. If I lost it and they didn’t pick up, was I supposed to sleep on the street with the cats? Thanks for the hospitality, which was certainly lacking. And this was an agency. For what they offered us, we could have afforded a hotel.

The service was the biggest disappointment. We called the property several times and they NEVER answered. When the power went out once, we didn’t know what to do, though luckily it came back by itself. Another time we had an urgent issue and called about a dozen times. No one answered or called back. We’d booked through an agency, and they sorted it out for us. If we’d been on our own with an urgent problem, we’d have been completely alone. We booked because it was cheap, and this is a place for people who can make do. The location is almost central Athens, about a 5-minute walk from Monastiraki Square, though the busy streets begin even before you get there. There are two small, usually quiet restaurants below the building, mostly men. We were two women and felt safe behind the coded metal gate. It was hard to find the entrance. From outside, the run-down building doesn’t look like an apartment complex, and even our taxi driver had trouble spotting it. The elevator has NO inner doors, just the door you close, so take care not to drop anything small. Our room was on the 4th floor. The sheets, bathroom and kitchen were clean, and the WiFi worked. For hot water, we had to press the button on the panel by the entrance and wait 30 minutes. The closet door was broken, there were very few dishes, and the small fridge was weak. Water left in it overnight was cold by morning, though. There are definitely better places to stay.

The apartment looked nothing like the advertised pictures. I asked for help, but nobody came. The wardrobe was completely broken, there was a musty smell, the toilet had no seat or toilet paper holder, and the holder’s attachment was sharp. There were no blinds either. I got zero assistance.