Most of our clients meet us on Mykonos, but a good share of them fly in and out through Athens and spend a night or two there on either side. Athens has a category of hotel that Mykonos does not: the short-stay hotel, rented by the hour or the afternoon, no questions asked, spread through every district of the city. This is the list our Athens companions know by name, grouped by area, with what each place is actually like.
A word on how they work. You book the room, usually for a block of hours, and the companion comes to you as she would to any hotel. Reception has seen it all. The chains (Priamos, Prive, Xcite, Alfa, Crystal Blue) run the same standard across their houses; the independents vary. Read how it works for the booking side.
The southern coast: Glyfada and Alimos
The Riviera end is the most comfortable. Crystal Blue Hotel sits at the quiet end of Glyfada’s main road, large rooms and a walk to the shops. Kreoli Hotel and Mirada Hotel are the two Glyfada regulars, Mirada the more modern of the pair. Zen Hotel is on Poseidonos Avenue in Alimos, calm and close to the beach. Salem Hotel in Argyroupoli is the Xcite group’s southern house.
Moschato, Kallithea and Neos Kosmos
Ten minutes from the centre by tram. Priamos GLS, Platon and Mary Plaza are the three Moschato houses, in descending order of price; Mary Plaza is the budget one and honest about it. Lacoba Hotel in Kallithea and Ruby Rooms Athens in Neos Kosmos are the closest of the group to Syngrou and the centre, Ruby the more stylish.
The centre: Metaxourgeio, Gazi, Exarchia, Pagrati
Metaxourgeio has three: Prive Athens (the upscale one), Bill Hotel (plain and central) and Castle De Paris, the themed house from the Prive group. Priamos Erato in Gazi is the pick for anyone planning a night out first; the bars are outside the door. Priamos Hotel Pagrati covers the east side of the centre. Attiki Evans in Exarchia and Lydia Hotel on Liosion are the budget end, and Liosion at night is not a street to linger on.
The northern suburbs: Kifissia and around
This is where Athens money lives and where the best of the category is. Ruby Rooms Kifisia, between Kifissia and Nea Erythraia, is the highest rated of all the houses on this list. Pines Hotel in Kifissia proper and Chris Hotel nearby are the established choices. Lida Hotel, branded Xcite, in Nea Erythraia is modern and well run. Hotel Maroussi by the Olympic stadium, Hotel Cybele in Pefki, Priamos Cinema and Iviskos in Metamorphosi and Bora Bora in Nea Filadelfeia fill in the northern map at lower prices. Priamos Boutique in Agios Dimitrios, by the Ilioupoli metro, is the group’s south-eastern house.
Piraeus
Useful if you are catching the morning ferry. Port Tower Piraeus is the new luxury one and The Alex in Kastella the boutique one with the views; both are proper hotels rather than short-stay houses and behave like it. Piraeus Port Hotel is the sensible mid-range choice by the harbour. Carol Hotel by the Mikrolimano marina, Scorpios Sea Side and Queen Leriotis on the coast road, Olympic Hotel in Neo Faliro and the very basic Lux Hotel in the centre cover every budget.
West: Skaramagas, Nikaia, Chaidari
The industrial west has a cluster of short-stay houses used mostly by Athenians: Alfa Hotel Skaramagas, Crystal Blue Skaramagas, Prive Hotel Skaramagas and the budget Glaros, plus Alfa Hotel Nikaia and Markos Hotel on Iera Odos in Chaidari. Fine if you are staying out that way; not worth the drive otherwise.
Using one for a booking
Book the room first, then tell the office the hotel and the time. The companion arrives as a guest; you meet her at reception or she comes up, whichever the house prefers. Rates on her profile are unchanged by the venue. For Mykonos itself there is no equivalent; you book a normal hotel and she comes to it. Browse the Athens roster for who is in the city this week, and the Mykonos roster for the island.
Common questions
Do short-stay hotels in Athens ask questions?
No. It is what they are for.
Which area is best for a first visit?
Glyfada on the coast, or Kifissia in the north, for comfort. Metaxourgeio or Gazi if you want the centre.
Do rates change if I book a short-stay hotel?
No. The companion’s rate is hers; the room is yours.
Is there anything similar on Mykonos?
No. On the island, book a normal hotel and she comes to your room.
