My friends and I will be traveling to Greece mid August 2012. Any suggestions on places to stay? We stayed in an apartment in Spain & that had its plus & minuses. Also, with their economy having its struggles, I guess like anywhere these days, is it a good time to visit there?
Posted by
Camarillo, California
3122 posts
Keep in mind that in August Athens will be heat/smog hell. Economically it depends on what you're prepared to spend. Right now the Euro is worth over $1.44, not too good for Americans on a budget. Go to your library and take a look at some guidebooks for Greece. Narrow down your options to those manageable for the amount of time you plan to spend there, reserving a minimum of 3-4 days for every stop you make. Once you figure out where you want to go come back with specific information such as your age, when you're going, where and how much you want to spend for a room and you'll get the suggestions you need. Otherwise your request is just too vague and open-ended for the best advice.
Posted by
OP
Houston, TX, USA
37 posts
Thank You Lee! I appreciate the information. It is enough to get me started.
Posted by
Brighton, UK
1388 posts
Jacqueline As well as a trip to the library you might want to look at Matt Barrett's excellent site http://www.greektravel.com/ Alan
Posted by
OP
Houston, TX, USA
37 posts
Thank You Alan! I will check out that website.
Posted by
Oak Park, Illinois
4535 posts
tripadvisor is also the best resource for hotels. I usually start with guidebook recommendations and then compare those with tripadvisor. BTW- I stayed at the AVA and it was wonderful. Athens has settled down a lot. You might avoid hotels near Syntagma Square just in case, but that was where most of the "action" was during the protests.
Posted by
OP
Houston, TX, USA
37 posts
Thank you Douglas! I appreciate all the information & tips that everyone has given me. It has helped me tremendously in planning our trip to Greece.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
9 posts
I would definitely suggest being out of Athens proper in August. Way hot! Sounion at the very tip of Attica was beautiful, and reasonable. Only an hour south of Athens. I advise staying away from Marathon, it was scary crazy even in early spring! And Archea Korinthoes was also gorgeous, but quiet. But if you are determined to be in the thick of it, stay in the Plaka. It is easy commute from the airport via metro, and everything is right there.
I also recommend Matt Barrett's webpage. I got a lot of my info from him as well. Something to be aware of, I did not find out until there, there are a LOT of stray dogs in Athens. All over the country to be sure. But you could not walk 5 feet without seeing them. They are friendly and chubby, many are fixed and tagged. They will turn noses up at tidbits they don't feel rank high enough! And if you fall for one and want to bring it home, you can! http://www.invgr.com/ngos_greece.htm