Trip Report: Athens and a Mediterranean Cruise
Lounge Reviews: The Club CLT and Centurion Lounge Charlotte Airport
Flight Review: Lufthansa A340-600 Charlotte-Munich
Lodging Review: Academias Hotel, Autograph Collection, Athens
Our Time in Athens, Part I (Acropolis and Museum)
Our Time in Athens, Part II (Roman Agora, Hadrian’s Library, Ancient Agora)
Our Time in Athens, Part III (Kerameikos, Temple of Zeus, Panathenaic Stadium)
Our Time in Athens, Part IV (Restaurants and Observations)
Ship Review: Viking Neptune
Our Time in Ancient Olympia (Katakalon, Greece)
Our Time in Corfu, Greece
Our Time in Kotor, Montenegro
Our Time in Dubrovnik, Croatia
Our Time in Zadar, Croatia
Our Time in Venice, Italy
Flight Review: Iberia A330-300 Madrid-Chicago
For our three-night stay in Athens we chose the Academias Athens, Marriott Autograph Collection due to its location and the fact that we could get a twin room using points. While I didn’t check to see the going rate in cash at the time we booked, I believe it to be around 364 EUR per night before taxes. Instead we opted to pay 45,000 Bonvoy points per night. Using a valuation of 0.7 cents per point (based on the figures provided by One Mile At A Time) that means we spent about $315 in points per night, which was a better deal than paying cash. We booked a 2 Twin/Single Beds, Deluxe Guest room as that was the only type of room with two beds that was available on points. The view didn’t matter a whole lot to us as we planned to be out and about most of the day.
Getting to the hotel
We took the Metro from the airport to Syntagma Square for 9 EUR. If you have heavy luggage, even if it’s on rollers, be aware that you can take an elevator and avoid one set of steps up from the train level to the square but there is another giant set of steps required to get up to Vasilissis Sofias Avenue unless you take the long way around. It is then about a 650 meter walk to the hotel. Under normal conditions Google Maps thinks that’s about a 9-minute walk but let me tell you that when you’re lugging a 45-pound suitcase and a backpack and the temperature is over 70 degrees with humidity, it sure feels a lot longer. Were I doing this trip again, I’d take the Metro from the airport to Syntagma station but then change from the blue line to the red line and go on to the Panepistimio station, which is only 270 meters away, or a 4-minute walk without luggage. There is an elevator in Korai Square which is across the street from the main Panepistimio station entrances that will take you down to the train level. While I would certainly be fine with taking the Metro from the airport again, if I was returning to the airport I would only take the Metro if the temperature was cooler. We worked up quite the sweat hauling our large luggage around in the Athens heat, even in mid-to-late October and I would not want to be that sticky and then have to get on a plane.
Hotel Exterior
The hotel is at the corner of Akadimias and Omirou Streets. As we wheeled our luggage up, the bellman, who was standing outside, jumped to attention and took our large bags while holding the door open for us.
Academias Hotel, Autograph Collection, Athens
Plato Bar
Upon entering the hotel from Akademias Street you immediately step into the Plato Bar. The actual bar is on the left along with some seating and there is more seating on the right side of the entrance. The bar is open from 8 AM to 12 AM.
Reception
Walking the few steps through the bar and down a few steps you’ll find reception on the right. We were greeted warmly by the representative and indeed each time she saw us her face lit up and she would ask about our day. Every single staff person we interacted with seemed genuinely friendly and like they really enjoyed their jobs, which was very nice to see. We were checked in promptly and my gold status was recognized. We verified that we had a room with two beds and then we turned around to get on the elevator. The elevators are quite small so the bellman would bring our bags up in the other car.
2 Twin/Single Beds, Deluxe Guest Room
As we walked to our room we found there was a door that could block off both rooms 77 and 78. Since ours was a room with twin beds, I assume it could be the “kids room” and that room 78 has a king bed for the “parents”, and this separate door allows folks to treat the two rooms as a sort of suite where the kids can have the door shut while the parents stay up.
Dual entry to rooms 77 and 78
Room 77
This is a boutique hotel with only 60 rooms. When using points for rooms with two beds, only the basic Deluxe Guest Room is available, so that’s what we booked. However when we received our room key there was a note in the card key-holder noting that we had been upgraded. While it wasn’t a suite, we’d been upgraded to an Acropolis-view room on the 7th floor.
(Zoomed in) View From Room 77
If you’ve read the review of this hotel from Ben of One Mile At A Time and seen the suite he was assigned, it might be easy to be disappointed in a regular room. But we were fine with receiving the type of room we booked with a better view.
The hotel has a very modern feel, which we liked and I, in particular, was thrilled with the air conditioning. As someone who likes to sleep in a very cool room I was concerned because I’d read reviews of other hotels in the area where the air conditioning was cut off at a certain point in the year, even when it was still quite warm outside. Fortunately that was not the case here and we were able to keep our room as cool as we liked.
Our room had the standard layout with an entry hall and the bathroom on one side and the closet on the other before opening up into the main room with the beds.
Room Entry
The bathroom was on the larger side compared to some European hotels where we’ve stayed with the toilet behind frosted glass on one side, the sink in the middle and the shower on the other side.
Toilet Behind Frosted Glass
Bathroom Sink and Vanity
Shower
The glass shower wall that separates the shower from the bed area is one that can be clear or opaque with the touch of a switch. I’m still not sure who thinks this is a good idea but we were just relieved to note it can be made opaque. One thing I did like was that a toothbrush holder was provided. This is something I wish more hotels would provide so I don’t have to use a drinking glass.
See-through Glass Wall in the Shower
The shower had both a rainfall showerhead and one that could be hand-held with an adjustable spray. The water warmed quickly and water pressure was very good, even on the top floor of rooms. There was a ledge on the shower’s outside wall which provided a place to put shaving gear and, though I’m sure it was not meant for this purpose, it could be used to prop my leg on while shaving. While there was no door on the shower area, it was a large enough space that the bath mat only got the slightest bit wet. We could even hang our towels on the rack at the back of the shower space and while they may have gotten a little spray, they were perfectly fine to use to dry off. And the towels were enormous and very soft. I’d love to have some of them at home!
Toiletries were wall-mounted and were by Diptyque. I don’t believe I’d ever used this brand but I quite liked them.
Academias Hotel Toiletries
The closet had a giant sliding door covered with a mirror. There was a built-in luggage rack/shelf and underneath was the safe and a drawer. Hanging space was just above the luggage rack and another shelf above that. To the right was a smaller area with the bathrobes, slippers and the iron and ironing board and another shelf above where those items were hanging.
Stepping into the room, the beds were on the left, separated from each other by just a couple of inches. I can see that this layout provides more open space in the room but it still strikes me as just weird. I realize that it’s done this way because the rooms are wired the same way so they can put twins or a king bed in the space and it works fine either way but it doesn’t mean I have to be a fan of it.
Academias Hotel Twin Beds
In the corner by the shower wall was a chair. Each bed had a nightstand with power switches, a single electric outlet and a USB-A outlet.
Academias Hotel Chair next to the Shower Wall
Across from the beds was a desk with a stool which had a lamp and an easy-access AC outlet, the television and next to it was a smaller table that held the coffee machine. Underneath this smaller table was the mini-fridge with quite a selection of cold beverages. We bought some soft drinks at a nearby grocery and were able to keep a couple of them in there without removing any of the existing items, which was nice.
On the shelf above the coffee maker was a selection of snacks as well as the drinking glasses.
Glasses and Snacks (yes, I’d already used one of the glasses)
We had a welcome amenity of a bottle of water and a sesame bar.
Restaurants
The hotel has two other restaurants: Symposium and Nyx. Symposium is open for breakfast only, from 6:30 AM to 10:30 AM daily. The buffet is 25 EUR per person if you do not have status or book a rate that includes breakfast. For this reason we bypassed breakfast here and bought some breakfast items from the grocery store for two days and ate out at a local restaurant the third day.
Nyx is the Japanese fusion rooftop restaurant. While the food is said to be very good, it was also more than we wanted to spend on a meal. However the staff was very nice about letting us come take photos of the Acropolis and Lycabettus Hill after dark. Note that until the restaurant opens the elevator will not even go to the 8th floor where it is located.
Pool/Gym/Sauna
On level -1 you’ll find the spa (which we did not investigate), a small lap pool (which had classic films projected on the wall above the pool!), a sauna in the pool area and a very small gym.
Academias Hotel Lap Pool
Academias Hotel Sauna
The Only Downside
My one minor frustration with the hotel is that their is a €4 charge per day, I guess some sort of resort fee thought it’s labeled “stayover tax” on my bill. This is collected even on award stays. Sure, €12 is not bad at all for a 3-night stay but, c’mon Marriott, really? #BonvoyedAgain
In the end
After a couple of days of walking all over the tourist parts of Athens it was a joy to come back to the Academias in the afternoons and rest our feet before going out again for dinner. I would be happy to stay here again, for sure.
2B Traveling 
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