My favorite city in the world is why I keep coming back again and again……and again…..

For More on Athens and Greece through the years click here

The Best Accommodation I have ever been in

 

 

 

 

 

Athens is a place I have been to more than 10 times in my life, including 8 times the last three years and it never ceases to do nothing less than amaze me.  Each time I come I do the exact same things….Cruise, Parthenon, Museums, Monastiraki square and Plaka….etc. etc.

However this time I decided to change it up a bit (kind of).  I still did my museums, and eating Greek food every chance I get, and walked around going to the same shops I always go to in order to buy things that I simply do not need, but I think I need.

I decided to try a food tour with the company Alternative Athens.  Seeing as it was an Easter Weekend holiday, it was a forgone conclusion that a lot of places would be closed, however I had to do these treks around the city with them. 

 

 

 

 

The first one I took was the city food tour.  The guide-Andreas (andreas@alternativeathens.com)  was very well versed in the different culinary delights Athens had to offer.  He gave us a history of the parts of the city we walked around as we went to different shops and restaurants.  We had some koulouri, which is a fast traditional Greek style wheat bread that fills you up and gives you energy for the start of the day.  We then tried different olives, olive oils, wine, vinegar, olive paste and much more at a shop, which I of course bought a lot of.  We were able to sample the ever so famous Baklava, which I bought a kilo of as well as the ever so famous Pork Soulvaki as well as feta cheese pie and coffee.  What I liked about this tour is that you never got full and you walked a lot around Athens and saw the fruit/vegetable market as well as the butchery and fish market which is all fresh. 

Street Art

To see other street art treks I have done please go to Djerba Island Street Art Spectacular in Tunisia:

Djerba

and

Djerba again

A street art tour is something that I have always wanted to do in Athens with a local.  I defiantly got the chance this time as there was a guide available that knew all the best places for street art and knew about the pieces!!!!  His name was Nikos (rude@alternativeathens.com), and boy did he live up to the expectation!!!  We were able to see more street art than I have ever seen before with artists from all around Athens.  You have to walk through some neighborhoods to see the hidden art pieces as well as know a little bit of Greek to get the message they are trying to convey.  I would in my mind do this again, and again, and again as new pieces are popping up all over the place!!!

Athens Street Art Gallery 1

Athens Street Art Gallery 2

Of course you have the common things to do around Athens- food, wine, beer, more food, museums, people watching, shopping, more food, and more food…..and just relaxing and enjoying a city with a relaxing and lovely atmosphere.  If all of the reasons above do not convince you to go to Athens, then maybe you should rethink your priorities.  ATHENS, I will see you again, do not know when, but ill come back in some way…

 

Fresh Hotel- This could be one of the best hidden secret hotels in the world.

Fresh Hotel- Athens

Website:  Fresh Hotel

 

 

 

 

 

Over the last three years, I have been to Athens and Greece for that matter 8 times, and six of those times I have stayed in the Fresh Hotel.  This hotel is a part of a bigger hotel chain that is eloquently named “Design Hotels”. 

This hotel is just a hop, skip, and jump away from Monastiraki Square, Syntagma Square and the Acropolis.  As a matter of fact you can sit on the rooftop bar/restaurant/pool area and get a great glimpse of the Acropolis with the Parthenon perched on top. This is a great place to just sit and relax and look at the city below and enjoy your favorite cocktail, beer, wine, or food from their delicious menu……

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I first came here with 60 plus students in 2014, and that is when I fell in love.  The hotel was more than accommodating to all of us.  Can you imagine having 60 plus 13 year old students studying history about Greece at one time in a hotel?  Imagine how hard it is with one teenager!!!

The hotel helped out with any problems we had including students getting sick and helping to take them to the hospital, or any problems teenagers tend to conjure up.  They never once complained about the volume of the students saying “They are just kids; let them have a good time”. 

I booked again going on a Greek Island Cruise with friends the autumn after this and they again were more than accommodating, giving us a special rate for the rooms we booked. 

It was a far cry that with the next student group I took in that I would book with them again, and the same thing, they were accommodating and pleasant (even dealing with students losing their room keys at a crazy rate).

Low and behold I booked them three more times, before my trip to Africa for a few days, for a PD conference, and for a small vacation over Easter. 

I have never stayed at any one hotel/hostel/camp ground/ home stay/guesthouse/posada for anymore than three days in my life, but this place I just keep coming back to because of the ambience of the hotel and because of the staff.

One reason that makes this hotel so phenomenal is they have an excellent reception staff that can get anything done in the drop of a pin.  The rooftop restaurant and bar staff always greets you with a smile and bring you out bar munchies eat while you enjoy your beverage of choice.  If you decide not to go to Plaka or Monastiraki square to eat, then you can enjoy a delightful menu from the rooftop bar/restaurant or in the restaurant itself.

Click here for an extensive list of beverage and food list. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Care to rent a bike?  Care to go in the poor or sauna to relax after a long day of sightseeing?  No problem, the hotel has all of these amenities and more….

If you are staying here, you will witness one of the best breakfasts you have had while you are traveling.  The buffet is one of the most extensive I have witnessed in my traveling with eggs cooked three different ways, sausage, bacon, beans, mushrooms, yogurt and fruit stand, freshly squeezed orange juice, and cheese and meat section (too much to type so ill leave it at that), washed down with of course a fresh pot of coffee (again imagine 60 plus students in here at the same time eating). 

Their accommodations do not stop with their already superior service as they have stored kilos of meat for me that I take out of the country and are more than willing to do it without a moment’s hesitation. 

The rooms are always spotless from the minute you get there to the moment you leave with the famous Greek brand Korres Shampoo, Soap, Lotion and Conditioner in your room. Rooms come equipped with a safe as well as a little mini bar for your nights desires when you get back in your room. 

 

 

 

 

Pros of this hotel- Everything

Cons of this hotel- Nothing, and if you can find a con, then you do not belong in Athens…..