Athens Backpackers: Saved by the Location

Look at all those awards.

 

So many awards

The place is very easy to find because this is near the Acropolis. 

 

The neighborhood at night

We booked a 4-bed ensuite room and stayed there for three nights. We were assigned in room 1-1. The aircon was working but it continuously leaked drops of water. We immediately told this to the staff but they didn't act on this until the third night. We placed the trash can over the AC leak and half the trash can was filled in the morning.

 

The room. With the stuff of our roommates.

Aside from the ensuite shower, there is a common shower outside. The bathroom was a bit stuffy. You have to open the window for ventilation.

 

When we went back for another night after our Santorini trip, we were still assigned to the same room, and the AC was wonky - turned on and off - even if we closed all the windows (AC won't work when windows are open). Booo.

Luggage area

Common room

Breakfast is so-so. Bread &jam and boiled eggs. There's free coffee and tea in the kitchen. Remember to wash your own dishes! The bread comes late, so if you plan to go around early, don’t wait for breakfast. You can buy a coffee and some sandwiches at the corner.You can also buy some stuff and put it in the fridge - just label it. We left our leftover gyros in the fridge. I hope somebody had fun with it.

 

Kitchen and dining area

We paid €26.50 per weekday nights and €27.50 per weekend nights for a 4-bed ensuite dormitory. Reasonable enough for a non-bunk bed in a busy city. But they blew it with the non-functioning aircon. Aircon is a necessity during summer. 'Nuff said.

 

I had a scary scary moment outside Athens Backpackers. During our last few hours of hanging out there, there was a lady a black dress with her face covered in a black scarf who was yelling (cursing?) outside. I went out to buy some snacks. She was still yelling. I ignored her. As I walked past, she hit my back with her umbrella. HARD! KATAKOOOOTTT!!! 

I still ignored her, but I dashed past to the nearest open store. I was shaking a bit (just a bit). I told the store lady there that there was this crazy lady who hit me. Store lady looked outside, grabbed her phone and called someone – the police? I don’t know. A few minutes later, the crazy lady was gone. Store lady told me to run back fast to Athens Backpackers and tell the people there what happened. So I did. There was the reception guy and two other staff members at the lobby. I told them my scary incident. They just said “Okay”.  I guess: a) they didn’t understand me, b) there sorta things happen everyday, or c) they don’t give a sh*t. 

 

The view of the Acropolis from the roofdeck. Not a lot to look at.

 

Antenna

Athens Launderette. Hours of operation: 08:00 to 24:00. Costs €5 for the washing machine, and €2 for the dryer. We had to run our clothes twice in the dryer because we didn’t set the heat high enough during the first run. Now that is an expensive laundry load. Pang-KFC bucket meal na sya.

 

Lots of mom and pop shops around the area.

That's your neighborhood gasoline station

 This hostel was saved by its great location. It is just a short walk from the Acropolis and the side streets may look a bit uninteresting but we found some really good restaurants nearby. Lots of souvenir shops, and we were able to walk to Syntagma Square and Plaka as well.