We stayed at the Astor with a large group in April 2008. I was worried because the hotel had garnered many negative reviews on this site, primarily due to renovations. But we had a very enjoyable stay.

We saw no renovations taking place. The reception area was clean and comfortable, with a nice little coffee shop inside. The staff was friendly and courteous. (Particularly Nick, who hauled luggage for 60+ people to our awaiting bus!!)

The rooms were fairly average -- simple and comfortable, and included a tv and small refrigerator. The air-conditioning worked, which is a big plus since I'm told some Athens hotels don't turn on their A/C until summertime. The only negative about the room itself was the worn and dated bedding, which must not have been part of the renovations.... ;-)

Be sure to ask for a room on a higher floor with a balcony and a view of the Acropolis! (I believe these are primarily "double" rooms.) And know that some rooms are slightly larger than others, so ask for one of those rooms if you want a bit more space.

The bathrooms were clean with all the basic amenities, including hair dryers.

I've seen lots of complaints about the breakfast, but I thought it was just fine. It was a typical "free breakfast" that you'd find anywhere in the US. But of course, it's a buffet, so get there early if you prefer warm eggs.... :-)

The best feature is the location. The Astor is just down the street from Syntagma Square and the subway station. It is also one block off of Ermou, and the beginnings of the Plaka shopping area. You can easily walk to the Acropolis in less than 20 minutes.

We would definitely stay here again.

this hotel is a great spot for central location. can see the acropolys from breakfast room. good for shops, walking to antique markets, food, and station. but there are steps so travel light if using subway.

We stayed at the Astor in November. My first impressions were formed by other reviews on Trip Advisor who forewarned of renovations - however they didn't quite capture the whole awful picture so we decided to give this hotel a chance. The lobby is non-existent - all there is when you walk in is a dated front desk and stacks of tiles everywhere, ready to be laid. There is no seating area, no bar - nothing. The rooms were ok - recently renovated but not very tastefully done. The TV only picked up fuzzy greek channels and one english speaking channel - CNN - not quite what I would call satelitte TV. The breakfast was DISGUSTING. The bacon was either burnt and stuck together, or had a boiled appearance, the scrambled eggs looked like they had been sitting around all day - and everything was stone cold. There was no toast, just a selection of bread which I suppose is ok. The hams and cheeses were not in a chilled cabinet and considering the breakfast was served on the top floor in a hot greenhouse, I avoided these. Every morning I was woken by the sounds of drilling and banging due to the renovations happening on the floors below me (I was on the 4th floor). The standard was generally really low. The appearance of the hotel from the outside was really grotty. The only thing this hotel has going for it is the location - very close to Syntagma Square which is about as central as you can get and the new from the breakfast room of the Acropolis. Also the staff were quite polite and always provided tips on how much we should be paying for cab fares etc. and how we should get to certain areas of Athens. But that is it!

We stayed at the Astor for 2 nights, one before and one after a week of sailing. It appears that the renovations mentioned by others are complete. There was no construction going on. The lifts worked without problems. The lobby furniture is still worn, but I don't think I would have noticed it if I hadn't read previous reviews. Our room for the first night was fine. We had a reception for our group of 25 on the rooftop, with its stunning view of the Acropolis. We had to walk 2 very short blocks to meet our chartered bus the next morning because the street is so narrow, but that wasn't a significant problem. On our return, my husband and I were the last of our group to check in and were given a "triple" room because no double room was clean at the time. The room turned out to be a 4 bed room with handicapped access, which meant no shower stall, (just an open shower in the bathroom) and no bathroom door. I complained to the front desk and we were moved to a double room on the 9th floor with a jacuzzi tub, and a huge balcony with a view of the Acropolis. Breakfast was typical for what we encountered in other Greek hotels: eggs and bacon not very well done, but with many choices of meats, cheeses, breads and fruits, and yummy greek yogurt. The location is the best part of the Astor. It is 2 short blocks from the train, and one train stop from the Acropolis. It is right at the Plaka with loads of restaurants and shopping. We would stay there again.