Obviously the hotel was fine. That’s what you’re buying when you book into a Crowne Plaza. Functional and charmless, it did everything we needed. Clean, friendly and comfortable. As Crowne Plazas always are. Could have been anywhere. So the question when booking Athens hotels in this price range is location. And that’s where Athens is tricky. Because let me be frank: Athens is a dump. The ancient sites are of course wonderful and worth a visit. However it seems Athens peaked about 2000 years ago when they finished building the old stuff and thought “ok that’s enough” and left the rest of the city to become a squalid maze. Let’s remember this is a European capital city. Not some provincial town in a forgotten part of the world. It’s where they invented democracy, and philosophy and the Olympics. So, dear Athenians, you should be embarrassed by its current state. I’m talking about the overflowing rubbish dumpsters, the traffic jams of bashed- up cars, the pavements with holes you can fall in and the masses of graffiti. No grand boulevards here - it seems half the buildings in Athens are derelict. So the chances are any hotel you pick is going to feel like it’s in a sketchy area. The Crowne Plaza is literally next door to a ***** club. Possibly a useful amenity for some business travellers. The rest of the area is ok, some nice cafes and just ordinary residential apar**ents. The nearest metro stop is 5 mins walk (not much pavement and some basic road crossings). Then it’s about 10 minutes on the metro to the historic sites. It’s also the direct metro to both the airport and Pireus for island ferries so you don’t need a taxi. So yes, the location is well connected and works well for a holiday. We found some great restaurants and bars in Athens. The place has character and without exception every waiter and receptionist we met spoke perfect English and did a superb job. We loved the ancient stuff (even with the baffling ticketing system and poor signage). So go to Athens. Stay at the Crowne Plaza. Be amazed at the ancient sites, make friends with the charming Greeks and enjoy their hospitality. Just don’t expect this European capital city to be up to normal European capital city standards.