Review of Athens Ledra Marriott Hotel in Athens, Greece

While taking a sailing cruise of the Greek Islands in the Summer of 2007, I needed a base hotel in which to stay in Athens. Athens is a a large, sprawling city, which at 5 million people, including the surrounding suburbs, holds half the population of the country itself. Due to the massive sprawl, traffic is a huge problem for the city. Fortunately, most of the sites one would want to visit while in Athens are located in one area of the city. Also, thanks to the 2004 Summer Olympic Games, Athens got a nice upgrade to its subway system. Add this to the generally inexpensive taxi fares (about two to three times lower than in other European cities), and getting around in this large city is not as daunting as it originally seems.

The Athens Ledra Marriott Hotel is not located within easy walking distance from any of Athens' sites. However, due to the taxi and subway system explained above, this is not a huge problem for the hotel. From the airport, it can be between 20 - 40 euros to reach the hotel depending on traffic and time of day. This is not much when the actual distance covered is considered. Any of the major sites can be visited by a taxi ride under 10 euros. There is a subway stop about a 10 - 15 minute walk away on a very busy avenue. I used this once, and then decided taxis were much easier, especially since the doorman can get them for you.

The interior of the hotel seems like any other large business-oriented hotel within a large US city. The lobby is spacious, with some comfortable couches to relax on while waiting to check in or for the rest of your party to come down from their rooms. There is a fitness center on the bottom floor open 24 hours. It is free to use for all guests. It has two multi-functional nautilus machines, four treadmills, a stairmaster, and a sauna. There are three restaurants in the hotel: an asian fusion themed restaurant downstairs, a breakfast area on the second floor, and the rooftop bar which serves dinner and lunch. The rooftop bar is next to the pool. I must mention that the rooftop has a spectacular view of the acropolis, including the Parthenon, and makes some pretty fantastic drinks.

I stayed in this hotel on two occasions, once before departing on my cruise and once when the cruise was finished. The first time, the smell on our floor was offensive. They were cleaning the carpets. Fortunately it stayed in the hallway. Our room smelled nice and was quite clean. It was average size for a double room. The beds were comfortable. There was a TV with many channels in different languages. The bathroom was clean, with a shower and tub, toilet, bidet, and countertop with mirror. There was a minibar with a fridge. The second time I stayed they were not cleaning the carpets, so there are absolutely no complaints from that stay. It is worth noting that there are ice machines on every floor, a rarity in European hotels.

Overall I would recommend this hotel if you are looking for all the comfort of American hotels in Europe. If you are willing to lose some of the amenities, I would recommend trying to find a hotel closer to the Acropolis. Rooms can generally be reserved here for $250 - $1000 a night depending on size and season.