Amazon Hotel Suite © Travelsignposts

For our stay in Athens we needed a hotel near Monastiraki Metro Station as we had to catch the 6:30 am metro to Piraeus. We left our booking till quite late as we weren’t sure of how things were going to pan out in Athens with the Greek economy in crisis. By which time, some of the more affordable hotels close to Monastiraki Square were already fully booked.   Although it is a bit further from Monastiraki than I would have preferred, I chose the Best Western Amazon Hotel on the corner of Mitropoleos and Pentelis Streets.   The room images on the hotel website looked good.

On arrival at Athens Elefthérios Venizélos Airport we caught the Airport metro to Syntagma Square.  Mitropoleos Street is just the next street to the left of Ermou, the main shopping street in Athens. Within five minutes of exiting the Syntagma Square station we were at the Amazon Hotel and being checked in by the friendly reception staff.

I had requested a room on the higher level and with view of the Acropolis and we were very pleased to be given Room 607.

Features of the Amazon Hotel

Prior to arriving in Athens we had been travelling all round Spain and Turkey and we stayed at various 4 and 5-star hotels.  On first impressions, our Amazon Hotel room exceeded my expectations for a 3-star hotel. The photos on the hotel website accurately reflect the room and its facilities. The interior design is modern and aesthetically pleasing. We had desk space to work at, as well as a seating area. The bathroom was small, but no smaller than you would expect of a 3-star hotel in Europe, and we liked the firm bed. The two small elevators didn’t bother us. Having travelled around Spain we found that even the huge hotels catering to group tours had elevators that were unreasonably small. We didn’t have breakfast in the hotel so I can’t comment on the standard of the breakfast.

What We Liked about the Amazon Hotel:

• The reception staff were all very friendly and helpful, especially Anastasia, Sotiris and Dimitri whom we saw more of than the others.


Amazon Hotel Athens © Travelsignposts

• We were offered an upgrade to their suite for one night – Room 700 is fabulous. If you book this room, you have private access to the whole roof garden of the hotel. From the roof garden you have spectacular 360° views of Athens.
• The housekeeping staff were also very good.
• The location is central, with easy access to the Metro, the shopping areas, the Plaka restaurants, the Acropolis and other Athens attractions.
• The free Wi-Fi in the room worked very well.

What We Were Disappointed With:

• Although Room 607 has a balcony, for security reason the balcony is not accessible. This is a shame as it would have been great to enjoy view of the Acropolis from the balcony.

We stayed at the Amazon Hotel before and after our Santorini holiday and thoroughly enjoyed our time at this Athens hotel. We would certainly stay at the Amazon Hotel again when next in Athens. If budget is not a problem, we would  recommend booking the suite.

You can read more guest reviews and book the Amazon Hotel online HERE.

Map of Athens:

Aegeas Traditional House, Oia © Travelsignposts

After a month-long frantic travel schedule around Spain and Turkey, Santorini was our R&R stop for a week. During our last Santorini holiday we stayed in Fira and visited Oia to catch its famous sunset. This time around, we chose Oia as our base and the Aegeas Traditional Houses as our Oia accommodation.

Choosing Our Oia Accommodation

For our accommodation in Oia, we wanted a place with a relaxed atmosphere, caldera views, but inexpensive. Another important consideration was that it should not be too far down the cliff-edge.

The Aegeas Traditional Houses met our criteria. The self-catering traditional Cycladic houses are only two small flights of steps down from the main street of Oia so it’s easy to either duck up to the supermarket for supplies or to go to the restaurants in the evenings.

Yiannis and Regina, a young couple, manage this place. There are only three houses – houses 1 and 2 are next to each other whereas house 3 is on its own a few metres down the road.

Aegeas Traditional Houses

We were originally going to just turn up in Oia and see what accommodation was available, but at the last minute we decided to book on-line from Athens. We sent Aegeas Traditional Houses an email asking for directions and soon after we got a phone call from Yiannis to give us directions. When we arrived at the bus terminal in Oia the next day, we checked at the tourist office for clarification of directions, but Yiannis was there to greet us and help us with our bags.

Aegeas Traditional Houses, Oia © Travelsignposts

Our house no. 2 was clean, cozy and air-conditioned which was very useful given the afternoon heat. The tiny kitchenette has a coffee maker, hotplate and a fridge. The room was supplied with jams, honey, butter, milk and orange juice and you can get fresh bread daily and other supplies from the nearby supermarket.

There is no Wi-Fi in the room but from the terrace you pick up signals from Yiannis’ network.

Our house shares the terrace with house 1 but as we were the only ones there we had the whole place to ourselves. From the terrace are spectacular views of Santorini’s famous caldera and with sweeping views all the way back to Fira.

Yiannis keeps the place spotlessly clean and the towels and sheets are changed every two days.

Yiannis and Regina are wonderful hosts and are available to provide advice on restaurants, places to visit or just to have a chat.   You feel more like their friends rather than hotel guests.  One afternoon we asked Yiannis for directions to the Sigalas winery. Just as we were finishing our wine-tasting in the garden, we were brought two full glasses of Sigalas Rosé. We told the girl that we didn’t order them and she said that these were compliments of Yiannis. What a nice touch!

What We Liked about Aegeas

• The totally relaxed atmosphere at Aegeas Traditional Houses.
• You can have your meals on the terrace and have maximum enjoyment of the views.
• Come the evening, you can sit in the deckchair and enjoy a drink and more views of the caldera.
• The location is great as it has easy access to the shops and supermarket and it is an easy stroll to catch the famous Oia sunset at the edge of the village.

What We Weren’t Keen on

I’m not fond of wet bathrooms, but I overcame that by buying a cloth from the supermarket.

We enjoyed our stay at Aegeas Traditional Houses and it is people like Yiannis and Regina who make guests feel so at home.

Finding a Greek phone number is free online, and there are several free residential and business phone directories in English. The country calling code of Greece is 30, and every regular Greek telephone number (area code + subscriber number) has ten digits. There are currently two-, three-, and four-digit geographical area codes, so the length of the subscriber’s number varies. The only two-digit Greek phone code is 21 for the Athens. To make an international call from Greece dial 00 + country code and number.

Free telephone number search

The Hellenic Telecommunications Organization S.A., usually known by its Greek initials OTE, is the former monopoly and still the biggest telecommunications player in Greece. They’re the best way to find a listed residential or business phone number.

The OTE White Pages
(http://www.whitepages.gr/en/) is the free official OTE “11.888″ white pages for people and businesses in Greece. You can do a reverse search with the full ten digit telephone number.

The Greek Yellow Pages
(http://www.xo.gr/default.aspx?la=2) are the Greek yellow pages in English (or just choose language link on top right of the search page). The site has been “beta” for ages. but it’s still effective at finding phone numbers!

• Festivals
• Public Holidays
• Visas
• Health
• Time
• Electricity
• Weights & Measures
• Money, Banks etc.
• Useful Telephone Numbers

Festivals

The most significant festival in Greece is of course, Easter (Greek Easter traditions). The Greek Orthodox Church traditionally stresses Christ’s Resurrection rather than the Crucifixion, so it is regarded as a happy celebration, with candle-lit processions, feasting and displays of fireworks. There
are also numerous summer festivals across the country, the most famous being the Hellenic Festival (mid-June to late September), which hosts drama and music in ancient theatres across the country.

Greek Public Holidays

Visas:

Nationals of Australia, Canada, Cyprus, EU countries, the European principalities of Monaco and San Marino, Iceland, Israel, Japan, Malta, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, the USA and most South American countries are allowed to stay in Greece for up to three months without a visa; most others can enter Greece for up to two months without a visa; Greece will refuse entry to anyone whose passport indicates that, since November 1983, they have visited North Cyprus.

Health risks:

sunburn, Typhus (rural areas from April to September), Lyme disease, Rabies; codeine, which is commonly found in headache preparations, is banned in Greece and you may face prosecution if you bring it into the country.

Time:

GMT/UTC +2; +3 during daylight saving time

Current Greek time

Electricity:

220V, 50Hz, 2-pin (round) plug

Weights & measures:

Metric (same as France)

Metric Weights and Measures and their equivalents

Clothing and shoe sizes conversion: US, UK, Europe

Money:

The Euro (€)

• As of January 1, 2002, the euro (€) replaced the national currency of 12 countries within the European Union, including Greece. You can exchange currency at any bank branch (hours are listed below). Automatic cash machines can be found in most commercial centres.
• Bank Opening Hours Each bank in Greece fixes its own opening hours, but usually Mon-Thu from 0800 – 1400 and Fri from 0800-1330, although there are some banks in central locations in Athens (Omonia, Syntagma) open in the afternoon. If you do your banking in the mornings, all of them are certain to be open.
• Bureaux de change There are many Bureaus de Change throughout the country open from morning until late evening. You can also exchange money at banks (commission varies).

Check out the current Euro exchange rate with your currency here (close the new window to return): TRAVEL SIGNPOSTS CURRENCY CONVERTER

Useful telephone numbers :

• Police 100
• Tourist Police 171 (Athens: 210 922 7777)
• Fire Brigade 199
• Hospitals 106
• 24 Hr Pharmacies 107
• National Directory Enquiries 11888
• International Directory Enquiries 139
• For KTEL Bus schedules 14505
• Rail information (+30) 210 529 7777, 1110 (recorded messages)
• Greek National Tourist Organisation 210 331 0437

Public telephones Most public telephones do not coins. You need a telephone card. In some cases you may be able to use your credit card.

Lost Credit Cards/Travellers’ Cheques

• American Express: Mon-Fri.:08:30-16:00, Sat.: 08:30-13:30 3244975-9
  24 hour service: (00-441273) 526840.
• Diner’s Club 01-9290200
• Euro/Mastercard 01-9503673
• VISA 01-9503673

Other Greece pages:

Travel to Greece for a Europe Tour that’s a Gold Medal Experience!

Tour Routes in Greece

When to travel to Greece: weather and seasons

Book your sightseeing tours or day-trips in Greece online

Book your hotel in Greece online

TRAVEL TO GREECE WITH US: PHOTO HIGHLIGHTS