Athens Center Square Hotel

  

Everything but "square"!  

by Nancy Snipper  

It’s a breath of fresh air the minute you step into the spacious bright lobby of Athens Center Square Hotel. Of course having the large colourful paintings of Corinna O’Brien on the walls (and in the rooms) adds to the happy feeling.  

This recently renovated hotel, owned by Dorina and George Stathopoulou conveys a sparkling family ambiance. Ilias and Olga at the front desk, and Irini – who bartends on the sensational rooftop terrace are pure fun. Their impeccable service adds to guest-gusto satisfaction. This superbly located hotel offers casual trendiness with oodles of class. I loved the neon glass exterior that grabs your eye with its various colours, and the doors of the hotel are completely camouflaged in painted fruit images. The fun is instantaneous – the minute you step on the welcome mat and the “doors of fruit’ open up to reveal the interior lovely lobby. 

 

 

 
 

 

 

Eight floors each sporting their own interior brightly coloured rooms that reiterate the colours of fruit – found in the fruit market just outside the hotel along with the artist’s paintings are oh so comfort and über-clean.   

 

 Wood and spanking new grey bathrooms in that new kind of dark textured tile with huge glass shower doorsare such a welcome luxury after a long plane ride or roughing it in the islands.

 

Some rooms have acropolis views, but no worries if yours doesn’t for on the rooftop terrace you get an outstanding 360 degree view of Athens! That’s where you can sit on top of the world while ordering your drinks at the cozy bar.

 

The location, as mentioned is unbeatable. It's set on a square off bustling Athinas Street (there’s a fruit market facing the hotel and antique shop with tons of wares displayed right on the square's sidewalk).

 

This colourful street takes you right into Monasteraki – Athens labyrinth flea market where everything is sold. The acropolis and fancy, pedestrian-only Ermou Street is just 10 minutes away on foot which connects to Athens heartbeat hub – Syntagma Square. You can catch the airport bus there or go to Monasteraki to take the train there.

I can’t think of anything wrong with this hotel other than making you fat with its sensational breakfasts (included in the room price). 

 

Webpage:

www.athenscentersquarehotel.gr 

 

Hermes Hotel and Plaka Hotel – also owned by the Stathopoulous are nearby too, so if Athens Center Square Hotel is fully booked, reserve at one of them. Read my article, “Athens Hotel Hotties” to find out about these great hotels.

 

                                 

 

 

 

 

 

Vagia Hotel, Aegina Island

                                                            by Panayiotis Chaldaios

In the heart of the picturesque fishing village of Vagia, a 30 minute  walk from the Aphaia ancient temple and a 5 minute  walk from the sandy beach, we created a traditional hotel to act as a base for those who want to discover the beautiful island of Aegina.

Built in traditional Aeginian architecture Vagia hotel’s rooms and gardens are stone paved with Karystos stones. Our rooms with stone build beds are overlooking the Ancient Temple of Afaia and the blue waters of the Saronic Gulf. TVs and refrigerators with mini bars can be found in all the rooms while Wi-Fi is free.  

Our guests can enjoy home baked pies, different cakes and delicacies such our own organic marmalades as breakfast, a breakfast that changes almost daily! You can also enjoy finger food and Grappa, Ouzo or wine from Aegina vineyards!  

 

Hotel Vagia features a large stoned terrace, shadowed from a pergola holding harbour trees that produce grapes in the summer. Picturesque spots can be found throughout the hotel such as pergolas overgrown by bougainvilleas, as the hotel is surrounded by lush gardens. The terrace can be rented for special occasions such as weddings and we take care of the catering!  

 

Reviews about our hotel can be found on TripAdvisor, where we are rated as one of the finest hotels on Aegina!  

Our family hotel is situated 12km from Aegina, 3km from Agia Marina and 2km from Souvala.  You can also rent bikes and cars directly from our hotel. 

Do not hesitate! Give us the pleasure of having you as our guests!  

Panayiotis, Maria and Stelios

Hotel recommended by Nancy Snipper  -- here's why:
 

Surrounded in floral splendour, this is the place to stay on Aegina Island, especially if you want to be away from the hustle of the main port. Peaceful and inviting, this lovely hotel is sweetened not just by birdsong, and the scent of jasmine, but also by the wonderful personality of your hosts, Notis and his mom Maria. She makes the best chocolate cake on the island. It is only a short stroll from beautiful Vagia Beach and is close to other island attractions: Mesagros, Aegina Marina and Souvala.

Temple Aphea tops the mountain and I hiked up there from the hotel.

My room was spacious and comfortable. The balconies are really cozy and the views stupendous.

Trip Advisor

Tel: 6951708121, 6955413993, 2297071179 

Email: mr_chaldaios@yahoo.com  

Skype: chaldaios 

Website: http://vagiahotel.gr/   
 72 Vagia Avenue | Aegina Island Greece, Vagia 18010, Greece

Facebook: Vagia Hotel, Aegina Island  

 

Rastoni Hotel, Greece

  

by Nancy Snipper

 

Aegina’s beautiful respite 

 

 

Rastoni in ancient Greek means ‘relaxing’, and this paradise nook, near the port of Aegina Island (a one-hour ferry-ride from Athens) is a short easy walk up from the buzz below. Yet the serenity is sublime. My room at Rastoni – a boutique hotel – overlooks a courtyard spilling over in floral growth; and at every turn along the stone pathways, vistas of trees, the still blue waters of the Aegean Sea and the gentle peaks of the Peloponnese greet the eye.   The scent of jasmine wafts up; my senses are steeped in an oasis of tranquility.
 

 Japanese-style room 

View from Japanese-style room

 All this appears from my room; Japanese-style door shutters fronted with glass doors open up to a stunning balcony.  I am staring out to the ancient site of Kolona Hill, topped by a single sixth-century partial column of the Temple of Apollo.  This inspiring panoramic view is enriched by the fact that the hotel used to be a property for farming the pistachio – a nut for which Aegina is renowned. 

 There is a pastoral pleasantness here, and fact that Rastoni has selected a style of design that is Japanese/Thai makes the entire premise Zen in feel. Here the oriental fuses with the Greek; the lobby has preserved an ancient Greek wall found during the archeological excavation of the site.

Lobby with preserved ruins

 

Twelve enormous rooms remarkably harmonize in colour and décor with the setting.  Built in 2004, Rastoni offers 12 rooms - each impeccably furnished in varying styles with fitting monikers: country, rama (tropical in flavor with its own loft), Barbados (still sporting Oriental touches but influenced by the Caribbean) and Japanese – which is my room (#6 ).   

My bed, topped by a ceiling fan, has a thin cotton canopy overhead. It drapes diaphanously to the floor and is tied to the bed posts with tassels. The head rest is simple in line and curve. Wood carved with oriental floral reliefs enriches the wood and cane furnishings that are most pleasing.
               

 Of course Rastoni comes with all those modern amenities (air conditioning, TV, Internet), but they don’t take away from the idyllic ambiance that wraps each guest in a cocoon of calm.
 

 I want to stay here for a very long time!  

Rastoni‘s website is: www.rastoni.gr   

For reservations, email:  info@rastoni.gr  

Telephone: +30 22970-27039

 

 

Athen’s Three Hotel Hotties…

  

 

Plaka, Athens Centre Square, Hermes

    

by Nancy Snipper

 

Having been to Athens a dozen times, I’ve become a pro at avoiding accommodation angst.  I always book into one of these three terrific hotels:  Plaka, Athens Centre Square, and Hermes. They’re on my hotel hit parade for reasons even Socrates would have found difficult to dispute. 

Location, location, location! Plaka Hotel is about five minutes from Syntagma, Athens central hub where the airport bus drops you off. Another plus:  it’s only a stroll away from Ermou Street, one of the swankiest shopping places in town.  No cars clutter this commercially spun pedestrian paradise sporting a plethora of popular upscale in-store products. 

Plaka Hotel’s warmth and relaxed ambiance reflects Dorina and George Stathopoulou’s easy-going professionalism.  They own all three hotels, but work out of Plaka.  I happened to meet George when passing by the open door to his office upon arriving.  As it turned out, he had once studied at Concordia University. He spent the next hour talking about Greece’s economic woes, but not without regaling me with hilarious stories. I was so impressed with his candidness and humour. 

 

Nearby is Athens Center Square Hotel (ACS). It’s only a five-minute walk from two of the capital’s most popular hotspots: the buzzing market of Monasteraki and the Plaka district – the latter spilling over in outdoor tavernas and restaurants buzzing with lively conversation while souvlaki aromas waft from every corner.  

ACS has a colourful fruit market right outside its door.  In fact, the hotel’s entire exterior lower level presents a non-stop mural of fruit which makes it fun to find the actual opening doors into the hotel. Look for the door mat to enter, and once inside, let your eyes receive another pictorial feast: the lobby’s walls have big bright paintings of fruit created celebrated artist, Corrina O’Brien. 

Each of ACS’s 54 rooms reflects the bright colors in these paintings; mine was restful ochre. In fact, each of the 8 floors of the hotel has distinct colours:  blue, kiwi, red, yellow, and so on – all reflected in the neon colours of ACS’ façade.  This place has a vibrant vibe, and the 2010 renovations totally mask the fact ACS dates back to the 1960s. 

Fruit Market

 

If you want to be a step away from Plaka area, then Hermes is the hotel for you.  Its sleek renovations and rooftop terrace are gleaming in beauty. What class! 

 

Although lobbies differ in design, the hotel trio comes with those vital must-haves: modern comfort, internet and tasteful décor. No ostentatious eyesores or fancy extras that the big show-off guys have and gouge you for.  Big on breakfasts, they spoil you with their international gourmet feast, but I always indulge in the Greek yogurt over which I shamelessly pour heaping helpings of heavenly honey.  

What makes these hotels addictive to the traveler is the marvelous communication, and it begins right at the reception desk and continues up on the rooftop terrace where the panoramic view of Athens is simply incredible. The capital is all lit up far above the maddening crowd, and there you are watching it all like a god from on high. By the way some rooms at ACS and Plaka have incomparable views of the acropolis - Athens’ most iconic beacon beckoning you back into the golden age of antiquity.

        Recapping the reasons for my hit hotel trio: 

·         quiet yet superb location downtown 

·         lovely interiors  

·         great views with rooftop terrace   

·          personal and professional service 

·         all amenities with high tech  

·         big breakfasts included   

·         rooms delightfully priced   

 

      websites:  

   www.plakahotel.gr  

   www.athenscentersquarehotel.gr  

   www.hermeshotel.gr/