Hermes

The three-star Hotel Hermes offers 45 attractive rooms in the middle of the Plaka. The rates for these high-quality rooms are on the upper end of the EuroCheapo scale, but worth the splurge.

Not surprisingly, rooms at the Hermes are serviceable and on the roomy side, with blond wood floors, curved desks, and gentle lighting. Bedspreads are perfectly nice, though too maroon for our personal taste. All rooms are equipped with air conditioning, satellite television, and mini fridges. Balconies are set up with huge translucent dividers, an appealing and smart way to maintain privacy.

The crowd at Hermes tends toward young families and adults in their twenties and thirties, a fitting mesh in light of the hotel's basic stylishness. Other notable details include the state-of-the-art elevators with digital floor readings and a small kid's playcorner on the mezzanine.

Hotel Hermes is part of a small chain that also includes Hotel Plaka, Hotel Arion, and Hotel Achilleas. Hermes' swanky and expansive lobby almost gave us sticker shock anticipation before we even stepped inside. A huge map-in-relief of Greece covers one enormous wall.

Breakfast is included. Wi-Fi is available for a small fee.