|
Villa Olympia, a rare example of a dying breed of extra budget-friendly guesthouse, features the cheapest beds we found in Athens. Although officially set up to accommodate long-term stays, Villa Olympia takes guests for periods as brief as a single night.
Know what you're getting yourself into at Villa Olympia. This is a simple and somewhat hodgepodge guesthouse. Rooms have no televisions or phones. The shower consists of a showerhead connected to the sink in the shared bathroom. (It provides a surprisingly strong stream of water, incidentally, but it does require a little more effort than your typical guesthouse shower.)
Villa Olympia is situated in a neoclassical house dating back to the first years of the 20th century. Its six rooms are simple and comfy. Furnishings have the appearance of having been selected in a grab-bag fashion, though the whole she-bang somehow works. We stayed in a room with blue walls, antique furniture, and a striped bedspread. Hardwood floors are graced with rugs, ceilings are moulded, and windows are protected by heavy blue shutters.
Villa Olympia's greatest strength is that it feels very authentically like a friend's place you're crashing in for a few nights. While you're snacking on your boiled egg and toast at owner Carole Barkas's kitchen table, you'll feel as if you're at a childhood friend's pad and not a generic guesthouse. Owner Carole, an English expat, has been in Athens for 30 years and is full of information and helpful tips. She suggested we check out the Museum of Islamic Art, which receives surprisingly few visitors. We did, and it knocked our socks off!
After some feedback from a frequent EuroCheapo visitor, we feel the need to offer a caveat. Our correspondent reported an ill-functioning fan and a quite schmutzy toilet/shower room. While this may have been an outlier of a situation, we take this sort of commentary from our loyal fans seriously, and felt the need to pass it on.
|
