Electra Palace Hotel
The Electra Palace is a
fully airconditioned A-catagory hotel
right in the middle of the Plaka with a pretty spectacular view of the acropolis and downtown Athens and a rooftop pool.
Breakfast at the Electra Palace was beyond
my expectations. Few breakfast spreads we have seen could compare with
the buffet here. Scrambled eggs, fried eggs, sausages, pancakes with syrup,
home fries, bacon, fruit salad, fresh yogurt, fresh melons, cheeses
and meats, toast, marmalade, roasted mushrooms, several different types
of bread and rolls, fresh orange juice and great coffee. Hotels in Greece
don't seem to take much pride in their breakfast. In a country where hotel
breakfast usually consists of coffee, bread, butter and marmalade, and
a boiled egg if you are lucky, the Electra Palace has taken into consideration
the philosophy that it is the most important meal of the day nutritionally.
For a tourist to have the energy to go out and explore the sites of Athens,
he will need more then strong coffee.
For a little extra boost there is a full bar in the lobby that makes an
excellent espresso if you don't get off from the endless cups of coffee
they serve you at breakfast.
The rooms themselves are large, with plenty
of storage space, a fridge and mini bar, safe, satellite television with
pay movie channels, and most importantly phone jacks that you can easily
disconnect and plug into your laptop so you can download all your e-mail.My favorite
thing was the shower. I don't know how it is possible that in the middle
of August with the temperature averaging in the nineties, the cold water
feels like you are standing under a waterfall in the mountains of Switzerland.
There is nothing more refreshing then a cold shower
after a walk to the Acropolis. And should
you find yourself in Athens during one of the snowstorms that occur once
very five hundred years, the hot water is just as good.(I tested it myself)
When the sun goes down you are a block or two from the center of the Plaka where you can wander around visiting all the shops that are air-conditioned, find an air-conditioned restaurant or go to the Cine Paris and watch a movie on the roof while fanning yourself with your program. While most people are sweltering and dreading the return to rooms that are not air-conditioned or miles away with no taxis in sight, you can be secure in the knowledge that you have left the AC running and your own semi-arctic paradise is but a few steps and one cold shower away.
The hotel also has conference and banquet
facilities, and more importantly, babysitting.
Its a great place to stay in the winter especially during Apokreas.
But the best thing of all is the pool. If
the top of my head had not gotten so hot I would have stayed in it all
day.
Well, maybe the best thing is the shower.
In 2002 the Electra Palace went through a year of extensive rennovations and it is bigger and better than before! The reason is because they bought the property next door and doubled the size of the hotel. That means where before it was difficult to get a room because of the hotel's popularity with businessmen and 'regulars', now there should be availability. If you are booking it because of the pool on the roof, there is indeed a pool on the roof and another pool indoors.
You can book or get rates and more information about the Electra Palace through Fantasy Travel . And when you get to Athens you can visit your travel agent and talk about the rest of your plans because their office is only a block away.