Elements Rooms & Apartments

Elements is located in the suburb of Chalandri which is around seven miles to the north east of Athens. It is not close to any metro stations so buses down the busy Kifisias Avenue are the transport option into Athens. I used buses A7, E14 and 550 from the Ygeia bus stop. The buses were invariably very crowded and it was uncomfortable and quite a long journey due to the heavy traffic (around 45 minutes). I found the receptionist on my arrival to be rude and quite hostile. She proceeded to treat me like a child. My room was small but the bed was comfortable. It contained a kitchenette plus a bin that had not been emptied. I put my valuables in the safe and I was unable to reopen it, so I had to get the unhappy receptionist to open it with the master key. I did not attempt to reuse it again during my stay. The shower worked OK for the first two days but on the last day, I had to wash using the tap as I couldn’t get it to operate. Breakfast, for which I paid an extra €9 per day, was very basic. Some slices of ham and cheese., a few pieces of fruit, dried apricots and some pastries. I ended up having plain yogurt with honey, a couple of slices of cake and some fruit juice. On the plus side, the housekeeping was good (apart from the full bin on day one). Bottles of water were supplied free of charge in the refrigerator. I note that several correspondents used the hotel as it’s close to nearby hospitals. It is also close to the 2004 Olympic stadium. However, it really isn’t the place to stay for central Athens. The airport is around 17 miles away and there are several routes to take using buses and the Metro or suburban trains. Taxi is arguably a better option. I paid just over £205 for three nights. Reasonably cheap but by no means cheerful.

It’s clean and does the job. Very basic accommodation, very small room (did bump into things a lot!). Breakfast again extremely basic continental but included at no extra price and they give you a bottle of water per day. Reception staff helpful and call a taxi for you.