Athena Apartments

“An absolute gem of a place!”

Wow, where do I start. We have just returned from Athena following a 2 week stay - a party of 7 - ranging from 15 to 77 years old. From the moment we arrived, we were greeted by Joanna and her lovely family - Theo, Maria, Dimitris and Diamanti. All had really good English so there were no pro… more

Wow, where do I start. We have just returned from Athena following a 2 week stay - a party of 7 - ranging from 15 to 77 years old. From the moment we arrived, we were greeted by Joanna and her lovely family - Theo, Maria, Dimitris and Diamanti. All had really good English so there were no problems with understanding each other. We stayed in a 3 bed studio - apartment number 11 which didn't have a pool view, but overlooked the beautiful mountain ranges. The room was spotless, spacious with 3 single beds, a small table and two chairs, basic kitchen, lovely modern bathroom, spacious balcony (with a small line for drying clothes/swimwear, etc). It was 2 euro per night tourist tax (28 euro total), 112 euro for the air con (which was very much needed as it was around 41ºc the day we arrived!) and 30 euro for the safe. There was plenty of storage for the 3 of us, but take some collapsible coat hangers with you as there aren't many in the wardrobe. Thankfully we always take some with us, so we were fine. The air con was great, although you couldn't quite feel it from the beds, so we did rearrange our furniture a bit and it was fine. The air con does go off when you remove your door key from the slot. It doesn't work with any other similar sized card in the slot either, so room was always hot when we arrived back after pool/in an evening, but we sat on the balcony for 10-15 mins and it was fine. There is a small ironing board in the wardrobe, but no iron. The kitchen utensils are basic - cups, glasses, plates, bowls, cutlery, saucepan and a ladle! There were only 2 bowls/plates even though there were 3 of us, but this didn't bother us as we didn't really eat in the apartment, apart from making a sandwich for lunch. There is no washing up liquid or dishcloth, so if you are considering using the kitchen more for food prep, you'll need to bring these with you, or buy them there. They do provide a tea towel though. Maria's Supermarket is a short 3-4 min walk from the hotel, which sells all the basics. The hairdryer in the room is really powerful. I have long, thick hair and although I did take my own although I didn't use it as the one in the apartment was great. The safe is located inside the wardrobe and a good size for passports, phones, camera, etc. Wasn't big enough for an i-Pad/tablet though. The towels and bedding were changed twice a week and the bins were emptied in the kitchen/bathroom at the same time. Remember it's toilet paper in the bin not down the loo! We did have to ask for toilet roll a couple of times as the maid only leaves one additional roll at a time but there was no bother when we asked. The maid worked tirelessly around the complex - she was the only cleaner. An absolutely lovely lady, always greeting you with a smile and a 'hello'. There were always sunbeds available here during the day, which was a bonus not having to get up at the crack of dawn every day! If you're a sun worshipper and want to be in the sun all day, you need to get yourself a bed on the left hand side of the pool! The pool area was clean, well kept, although the pool is very deep, and slopes off very quickly, so please be careful if you have young children if they can't swim. It's also quite slippy around the pool so be careful. There are plenty of inflatables/woggles/sinkers/balls available at the pool that previous guests have left, which was great. The pool bar served tasty food from 08:00 hours and the drink options were plentiful, ranging from beer, cocktails, soft drinks, tea/coffee, spirits, etc. We ate breakfast here a few days - very tasty. The food was well priced too. The pool bar stayed open until around 01:00 hours and it was lovely having a couple of drinks at the apartments before retiring to bed. You're not allowed to eat your own food/drink your own drinks around the pool - this is obviously fine in your apartments/on your balcony. Location of the apartments was great - a 10 min stroll via an underpass (well lit and felt very safe even late at night) to the main beach road where you'll be spoilt for choice with bars, restaurants and cocktail bars. A few of our favourites included: Maria's Golden Beach, Akti, Luka's Beach, Rhythm Bar, Nemo Beach Bar, Edem, Ocean Bar, Baya Cocktail Bar, Beechcomber, Goodfellas (fab English brekkie!), Katerina Taverna, The Village Bar (amazing choice of cocktails!), Greek Grill, Jasmine House (Chinese). And - you've got to visit Mario's - you'll hear him before you see him!! He makes THE BEST crepes I've ever tasted. You've also got to pay a visit to Sweet World Bakery - oh my - the best croissants and doughnuts I've tasted and the size of them! Overall, we had an absolutely fantastic time at the Athena - we met some lovely fellow guests whilst we were there, and Joanna and her family genuinely were the most loveliest of hosts. We were all really sad to leave. It's not very often that the owners come with you to your taxi and wave you off with a tear in their eye. Will I return - 100%.

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“A great stay at the Athena”

Stayed at the Athena as a solo female traveller. Located in a quiet, back street, a couple of minutes walk to the main road. Here you can walk/drive left towards Hersonissos and right towards Malia and Sissi. I took various long walks direct from the apartments which are a great central point. Mari… more

Stayed at the Athena as a solo female traveller. Located in a quiet, back street, a couple of minutes walk to the main road. Here you can walk/drive left towards Hersonissos and right towards Malia and Sissi. I took various long walks direct from the apartments which are a great central point. Maria’s supermarket really near for essentials and a fruit/veg market a couple more minutes walk away. There are numerous underpasses to suit all abilities. The apartments are equipped as a basic standard, with crockery, fridge, double hob, kettle, hairdryer, tea towel and toilet rolls. The shower was very powerful with plenty of hot water. My room, number 10 was really big, with 3 single beds and a table and chairs. I did find the mattress quite hard, along with the pillows. I had a lovely terrace to sit out. Towels are changed once per week. I paid €56 for a week’s air con, however, I feel it wasn’t very effective. The rooms and surrounding areas are absolutely spotless and well cared for by the owners. Nice small pool area, which gets shaded quite a bit. I didn’t spent much time around the apartments as I was out exploring or at the beach, which had the clearest water I’d ever seen. These apartments are definately a great base, with cleanliness second to none. I would certainly stay at the Athena again 🏖️

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“Hidden Gem”

Just returned from a lovely week here at the Athena Apartments. We arrived around 13:30 and had a warm welcome and were shown to our lovely room overlooking the pool. The room was extremely clean and spacious, plenty of wardrobe and drawers for clothes. The bathroom was clean with a lovely showe… more

Just returned from a lovely week here at the Athena Apartments. We arrived around 13:30 and had a warm welcome and were shown to our lovely room overlooking the pool. The room was extremely clean and spacious, plenty of wardrobe and drawers for clothes. The bathroom was clean with a lovely shower with plenty of hot water. Kitchen area had everything we needed as we were not doing any cooking even though there were hot plates and saucepans. My only negative is the bed was a bit firm for me as I like a softer mattress. Pool area is good with plenty of sun beds without having to rush down early. There is a snack bar serving a small variety of food , and beverages. The apartments are in a good location not far from plenty of tavernas and the beach. We will definitely return .

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“1 week stay at Athena Apartments”

I stayed at Athena Apartments for one week with my husband and child. Overall, the stay was decent considering the very reasonable price, but there were a few drawbacks that would make me think twice about returning. We expected the accommodation to be quite basic – and that’s exactly what it was.… more

I stayed at Athena Apartments for one week with my husband and child. Overall, the stay was decent considering the very reasonable price, but there were a few drawbacks that would make me think twice about returning. We expected the accommodation to be quite basic – and that’s exactly what it was. Upon arrival, we paid a €2 per night, per room tourist tax, €15 for use of the safe, and €8 per day for air conditioning. It’s worth noting there’s no lift, but only two short flights of stairs to navigate. The apartment itself was a good size with a small kitchen area, a decent fridge, and basic utensils, cups, and plates. The sleeping arrangement included two single beds in the main room and another two singles in a separate bedroom. Unfortunately, there was no double bed, and due to the wooden frames, the singles couldn’t be effectively pushed together – leaving a large gap that made it uncomfortable for couples. Speaking of comfort, the biggest downside was definitely the beds. The mattresses were extremely firm, and each bed came with just one hard pillow. This led to poor sleep throughout the week, especially with a loud party of people in the room next door. I did raise the issue with the owner, but her response was simply, “no noise here, it very quiet,” which was disappointing. The housekeeping was minimal – the bin was emptied only every other day, and towels were only changed once despite my request for fresh ones being declined. This, combined with the need to purchase your own toilet roll and the appearance of ants, meant we had to manage quite a bit ourselves to maintain cleanliness. On the positive side, the bathroom looked newly renovated and was clean, with two small bars of soap provided. The balcony was spacious and offered a nice view of the garden, although there were only two chairs provided. Air conditioning was only available in the main room and switched off when we left, so we had to leave the bedroom door open at night to get any benefit from it. We only ate breakfast here once – €4 for two slices of toast didn’t seem good value – but the drinks selection was good, and you could pay by cash or card. The pool area was small but pleasant, and we never had trouble finding a sunbed. As for the owners, while they receive a lot of praise in other reviews, we found them a bit abrupt. They appeared more welcoming to returning guests or those who spent more time and money at the bar and restaurant. The location is a definite plus – about a 10-minute walk to the main strip, but far enough away to avoid noise from nightlife. For the price, it was a decent stay, and we did enjoy certain aspects like the location and pool. However, the lack of comfort, limited amenities, and minimal service mean we wouldn’t choose to stay here again.

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