As other reviewers of the Hotel Plaka note, the location is excellent. Out the front door and to the right about a block away, past the 10th-century church, is Ermou Street, a main shopping street in Athens. To the left about 1 ½ blocks away is a small park loaded with outdoor restaurants that, on the other side, abuts with the ruins of Hadrian’s Library; beyond that, the Roman Forum, the Ancient Agora and the approach to the Acropolis and the Areopagus. The flea market is two blocks or so away. And Hermion Restaurant very nearby serves very good, very Greek food at a fair price.

My wife and I have traveled extensively, particularly in Europe, so we have some experience with “3-star” hotels, and the Plaka to us is at the lower end of that range. The property is clean, the breakfast is quite acceptable (for a good cup of coffee, press the Espresso button on the self-serve machine, then put a Cappuccino on top of that), the staff is knowledgeable and the view from the roof is spectacular!

But. The Plaka’s idea of a room with two beds, at least in room 511, is two twin beds pushed tightly together inside a frame with sides that extend out around the sides of the beds, so they cannot be moved more than about 6 inches apart. And the beds were low, hard as a board, and only about 3 feet wide.

There was no place for one’s toiletries in the very tight bathroom, the towels were threadbare, there wasn’t even a rack for the hand towel, and the door to the bathroom squeaked very, very loudly (not too pleasant in the middle of the night, but a good dose of shampoo on the hinges fixed that). Our greatest concern, though, was that the tub was absolutely treacherous. It was no more than 3 feet long and 18 inches across, with the usual shower head on a flexible water line. But the bottom of the tub was divided into two sections, one about three inches higher than the other, so either section to stand on was only about 18 inches by 18 inches. And there were no safety grips on the walls, so there was a definite risk of falling and likely injury if one was not extremely careful. What were they thinking? A little stall shower would have been far superior and much safer.

One is expected to deposit used TP in a flip-top can, not in the toilet, but this is typical of Greece, not a criticism of the Plaka per se.

The rooftop “taverna” is just a few aluminum mesh tables and chairs spread around an open space enclosed by straggly, ill-kept plantings, served by a little bar charging exorbitant prices even for Athens.

Also, I suspect the front desk staff are in collusion with the taxi companies regarding going to the airport. Signs were posted in the elevator the three days we were there that Metro workers on the airport line were on strike, we were told taxis could not accommodate two couples wanting to split the cost, and the taxis worked by meter rather than a fixed rate to go to the airport (we paid 36.5 Euros plus a small tip).

Maybe if the dollar were at par with the Euro I would have felt a little better about the Hotel Plaka. But with the exchange rate where it’s at, and with no likelihood of it going any lower any time soon, you will pay a lot in money and discomfort for location and view.

Just back from the Plaka Hotel in Athens.

My what a surprise. For a 3 star city centre hotel it ticked all the boxes.
Roomy accommodation. Clean and very well appointed. Daily room service. Breakfast was more than adequate with scrambled and boiled eggs as well as the continental staples of cheese & ham. A nice touch was the greek breakfast items of Feta, herbs and olives as well as delicious local jams and dark greek honey with thick yoghurt.

About 5 minutes walk from Monastiraki metro station, it makes the train the easy way to get from Athens Airport.

Monastiraki has many out door restaurants and a couple of bars. Alll popular with teh Athenians. Always a good sign.

The Hotel's roof top bar has a a pretty terrace with stunning views ofover the Plaka and up to the Acropols.

A good choice.

Booked this hotel for 1 night as wanted to stay in Plaka area. Have stayed at the Magna Grecia Hotel before but preferred Plaka as we were able to get a room with a the Acropolis view (room 411) which was quiet unlike the Magna Grecia as the Plaka is on opposite side of street. Room perfectly adequate with fridge, a/c and safe. Bathroom a bit small but adequate and clean. Staff very helpful and welcoming. Breakfast quite good with a selection of cheeses, ham, yogurt, fruit, bread. (you can make your own toast) There was also scrambled egg and sausages. Dining room a bit gloomy and also smokey, this being Greece.
Overall an excellent hotel for 1 or 2 days in Athens as the location is superb; the metro stop for the airport is 3 mins walk away (Monstiraki) and if you are at the back of the hotel noise isn't a problem.

We stayed at the Plaka Hotel for 3 nights at the conclusion of a cruise and I would recommend the Plaka to friends, but with some reservations. For the price, it is a good buy if you are seeking a simple, clean place to sleep in a good location. The location in the heart of the Plaka district is excellent. Most major tourist sights & transportation options are within easy 5-20 min. walking distance, and the rooftop terrace is perfect for viewing the Acropolis at night. This terrace was one of the highlights of our trip & the reason for a higher rating of the hotel.

The room itself was clean & of average size for a European-style hotel, though not luxurious by any means. The room contained a safe for valuables/passports and refrigerator was a nice touch for keeping wine, water & soft drinks cool for evening terrace cocktail time (plastic key card must be kept in the slot at all times to keep the fridge operational). Bathroom was average, and the shower stall with glass doors was very small. Although we are used to small Italian showers, the glass doors made it very difficult to bend over & pick up any dropped items or shave your legs. Older & broken tiles in the bathroom and some evidence of mold/mildew also gave it a run-down feel. Breakfast buffet was fine but nothing special.