Every time I visit Athens, I hesitate between staying somewhere in the city center, or away from all the hustle and bustle. And every time I fall for Acropolis view. This is also what Hotel Pi Athens was promising, so I asked the hotel manager to get a room with the view. I got the view and I also got a fantastic room which was close to perfection.

Location

Hotel Pi Athens is very new, so not a lot of taxi drivers know it. But don’t worry they all use GPS, as well as do Uber drivers (by the way the drive to the airport will cost you around 30€ with Uber and a fixed rate 38€ with regular taxi). The hotel location is very convenient – literally a few steps away from the Panathenaic Stadium and across the main street from the National Gardens where you can have a relaxing walk or jogging in the evening. It is also convenient if you want to take Hop on Hop off bus, which stops at the entrance of National Gardens. If you are coming with rental car, they offer a free parking space just a few meters away.  

Rooms

I was escorted to my room on the 4^th floor (the highest one) which dazzled me by the interior and architecture immediately. Of course I looked at the photos on the internet prior to my reservation but I thought they were rendered, so the modern and spacious design was a real pleasant surprise. Everything is in one space so you can see the bathtub from your bed. Kinky 😉 Only the toilet is discretely hidden behind the wall (with closed doors of course). The bed is comfortable, facing a flat screen TV which is rising from the floor. The room also offers a small fridge, complimentary bottled water and coffee/tea maker.

Now it’s time to come to that “close to perfection” moment. A big issue for me was the AC which blows directly onto your bed, and I can’t imagine how this works in the summer. I was in Athens in May and it was already hot, but I could sleep with my windows open so this cooled the room to a perfect temperature during the night. But during the day the room was boiling, so the only way to cool it was to run the AC and risk a headache from the fan. It would help if you could get an extra room key card to put in the charger when leaving the room. I didn’t bother asking as I only spent 2 nights there.

Hotel grounds

The minute you enter the hotel you realize it will be something special. There are two small spaces to relax in the reception, as well as a small terrace in the rooftop with a couple of sunbeds to rest in the evening while watching sunset over Acropolis. Honestly, the view cannot be compared to the one I witnessed in Athens Gate hotel because the hill is not so close, but if you are in Athens for the first time, it will do just fine. 

Breakfast space is again very open and modern – you can see that details were very carefully selected. The breakfast itself was at first a small disappointment for me, as I am used to rich choice of foods in 4 star hotels. But if you consider that hotel only has 6 rooms, it is logical they can’t indulge all tastes – it would be lavish to waste foods. And I totally support that. The choice of crunchy bread, delicious cheese and salami, on top of fresh made omelet, accompanied with freshly squeezed orange juice was more than I ever eat at home, so I honestly can’t complain.

Anda’s rate: 8,5 from 10

Bottom line: Pi Athens hotel is a true boutique gem close to the city center but still conveniently hidden in a quiet residential area, away from the busy streets of Athens. The owner is very friendly and helpful, cleaning services are fantastic and if you are used to heavy AC during summer, this is definitely a place to stay in. During winter I’d give it a 9 😉