My husband and I will hope to travel to Greece, arriving in Athens by plane in the middle of September. We have visited Athens before so will be picking up a rental car and then heading out to tour mainland Greece. We will either stay at a hotel one night then pick up a rental car the next day or pick up a car at the airport and drive a short distance before spending the night. We hope for some recommendations for an area or hotel to stay for a night that is away from the centre of Athens. I know we will be tired so don’t want to travel far the first day. Or a hotel recommendation to stay not too far from Athens airport where we could pick up a car the next day. Hope this info isn’t too vague. Hope to spend under $200. Thank you!
Posted by
Brighton, UK
1397 posts
The Hotel Avra in Rafina is a good choice. They have a free and reliable transfer bus from the airport and Rafina is a nice little town with some good restaurants.
There are a couple of car hire firms in Rafina but I have no personal experience of them.
Alan
Posted by
OP
Vancouver Island
9 posts
Thanks so much for that info
Posted by
Philadelphia, PA, USA
3340 posts
Alan's recommend is right on for Avra, relaxing dining in small town square a few 100 yards away. .. for the free to/from shuttle, you just need to book it when u book room & also indicate times that shuttle is needed (so they can schedule). As for car rental, not in Rafina, but at airport to pick up in AM. Many "Greece vets" have had v good experience for years, with athens-carrental.com, which has new cars, better rates than international because don't have desk in terminal, instead meet you outside door w car. As w all rentals of course its' prudent to walk around car, note any minor "dings" w phone photo before leaving.
Posted by
S.F Bay Area (Marin)
280 posts
We have stayed at the Avra and enjoyed it.
We opted for a sea view room which at the time was not much more . Some of the other rooms face a somewhat busy road.
We also used AutoEuope for our car rental and it was cheaper than other options at the time. You could arrange to pick it up the next morning at the airport if that is required for the best rate. Theoretically it can be cheaper to pick up in town because of airport fees but in some markets it is cheaper at the airport even with the fees due to competition. Often there are just more options at rhe airport . With AutoEurope you can toggle between the pick up locations to see which works better for you.
The hotel as others have pointed out has a free airport shuttle but you do have to reserve but that is easy.
Posted by
Nanaimo, BC, Canada
1389 posts
Avra is a good place to get over jet lag. We have also stayed at Peris hotel. It is closer to the airport than Avra and offers free pick up and back to the airport. Its in a remote area no more than 15 minutes to the airport and is perfect for an overnight stay before renting a car. Its actually just outside a small village in a quiet area so its not as remote as it appears. It is also less expensive than Avra.
Greetings from Nanaimo