Hotel Plaka, located in Monastiraki, the 'hood abutting Plaka, is another of a small chain of family-run midrange hotels. Hotel Achilleas, Hotel Hermes, and Hotel Arion are the other hotels in this small chain.
The Plaka is not a flashy place. First and foremost, it's a capable hotel. Furnishings are comfortable if plain�modern, though never edgy. We saw one room with blond hardwood floors and decorated in sedate browns, greens, and grays. The effect? Calming, as if we had inadvertently traipsed into a day spa's quiet room. And after viewing drab hotel bathroom after drab hotel bathroom, the spotless, luminous dark blue tiling of the Plaka's bathrooms took us pleasantly by surprise.
Plaka's lounge is modern and welcoming, with checkered marble floors, deep leather couches and innovative lighting. The hotel offers a number of perks one usually finds at more expensive Athens hotels, such as meeting rooms and Wireless Internet access (alas, at an additional charge).
Rates are especially good considering its location in the heart of heavily tourist-trafficked Athens, where much less appealing hotels jack their rates up to the stratosphere. The crowd is a middle-aged one, mostly American, Australian, and European, with plenty of families in the mix.
» Alex Robertson Textor
Note: This hotel was visited by a EuroCheapo editor and is recommended based on cleanliness, location, price and overall quality. EuroCheapo did not charge this hotel to be listed.
About the Hotel Plaka neighborhood
Surrounding Monastiraki Square, the neighborhood of Monastiraki ranks next to Plaka as a top tourist neighborhood. It spans the gamut from high-end international retail chains on Ermou to low-tech individual entrepreneurs selling their wares on Monastiraki Square. Monastiraki includes the last remaining mosque in Athens from Turkish times, Hadrian's Library, the bottom of Ermou Street, the Roman Agora, and Tower of the Winds. Charming alleyways cut across Monastiraki as well, providing a nice escape from the steady tourist traffic. Some of the best gyro and souvlaki joints in all of Athens can be found here. The neighborhood is served by the eponymous Monastiraki metro station.
more about Monastiraki