Enjoyable stay at Athens’ Ilissos Hotel

Thursday, January 30, 2014

In all honesty, Ilissos Hotel wasn’t our first choice. We had our eyes on this flat that had a stunning view of the Acropolis from AirBnb. Nevertheless we had a wonderful stay at the hotel.

I used my 3 tools to get Illisos Hotel. It fit in our budget through Agoda, had good reviews on Trip Advisor and was 1.4 lm from the Acropolis thanks to Google Maps. Not bad right? After 18 hours of flying, Tin and I were spent. We arrived in Athens at noon and we didn’t want to waste our day sleeping or giving into jet lag. Before we tra-la-la-la-ed into the capital of Greece, we excitedly explored our room.
 Twin Room (P2907.50 per night)
The room was pricier than what I usually get but prices in Europe are a higher than in Asia. The important thing was it was comfortable.

The bathroom was a small compared to the whole room but it was clean, had fresh towels and hot water.

 
The room was spacious enough for two people to have their own space. I also loved how bright it was. 

My favorite part about the hotel? Their receptionist Natascha! Unfortunately I don’t have a photo of her. When we arrived, we bombarded her with questions about transportation, shopping, churches and where to eat. She gladly answered all our queries with honesty (she gave us the low down on the good and the bad) and chirpiness. We followed a lot of her recommendations and they were awesome. 

My second favorite thing about the hotel was their breakfast buffet.

 
What’s a Greek meal without the infamous Greek yoghurt? Personally, I prefer my yogurt to be on the sweet than sour side and that’s what Greek yoghurt truly is. It is such a faaaar cry from the yoghurt readily available in our supermarkets.

Another Greek staple, the Greek salad. I ate so much olives!

 
 
 
Selection of breads and pastries.

Cereals and different jams.

Coffee, hot chocolate, tea or juice?

A few slices of cheese and meat.

Besides the Greek salad, 2 other kinds of salads are available.

 
 
More dishes from the buffet.


Behind the hotel, you’ll find several streets with restaurants and shops. Expect a leisurely 10-15 minute walk. The Syngrou-Fix Station is the nearest subway station from the hotel. Google Maps says it’s a 650 meter and an 8 minute walk. With our short Asian legs, that 8 minute walk was more of 15 minutes at a leisurely pace. It was a challenging and a never-again-moment to drag my luggage from Syngrou-Fix to the hotel. There’s a part of the subway that uses just stairs so carrying my luggage was daaaaang tiring. It was so sad, a Greek woman older than me helped me. Haha Naawa siguro sakin. Embarrassing.
 
 
Despite the challenging experience with my luggage, it is with much happiness I proclaim my love for Ilissos Hotel. I highly suggest spending a few nights here when you find yourself in Greece.


* Additional photos from Tin Samson.

The Athens leg is part of the 2013 Birthday Trip. Check out the itinerary here. The rest of my Athens posts are here:
Part 2: What to see in Athens besides the Acropolis (and shopping)
Part 3: Athens Free Walking Tour
Part 4: The Acropolis
Part 5: Psistaria Ambrosia
Part 6: Shopping in Athens


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Illissos Hotel
72 Kallirois str., 11741 Koukaki, Athens
Phone 210 9202000
Fax 1. 210 9215371, Fax2: 210-9223528
ilissosh@otenet.gr


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Past Photo Walks:
2011
2012
January - Free Luneta Park Tour
February - Humanity Fair 
March - Hotel Kimberly Tagaytay
April - The Full Monty
May - White Knight Intramuros Tour
June - The Mind Museum
July - Makati Walkway
August - Pico de Loro






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Rica of Ang Kaladkarin

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2 comments

  1. Des MoonJanuary 30, 2014 at 5:14 PM

    What an enjoyable read! I look forward to your next update, I'm curious about the streets of Athens, how they look like. I just read Murakami's What I Talk About... and he recalled his marathon in the Greek city of Marathon. I find Europe is not always expensive than Asia, especially in terms of travel. I used to stay in backpacker's dorms and hostels and they can be as low as 12 euros a night (it does depend on the city you're in, the time of booking, and the level of comfort is way basic). Enjoy!

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    Replies
    1. Rica of Ang KaladkarinFebruary 2, 2014 at 2:44 PM

      H Wixink, thanks for passing by! =)

      It's embarrassing that I have so much backlog. Please do check in for the rest of the posts this February.

      I am more of a flash packer than a back packer thus the accommodations preferences. Haha I went on an Athens Walking tour where the story of Marathon is mentioned. It was pretty awesome when I first heard it. I will admit I don'r participate in marathons nor knew the story behind it before heading to Greece.

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