Hotels in Athens come in several categories with 5-star being the most luxurious. 4-star corresponds to A-Category, 3-star to B-Category and so on. But the difference in categories does not always have to mean that a hotel is better than another. That is because there are different degrees within a category. Not officially but this is how it works. A travel agency will describe a hotel as a high C-Category or B-superior. That is because you can have a C-Category that is a better quality than a B. (In some of the Greek islands you can find C-Category hotels that are as good or better than A). So what are the categories for? I don't know. I think it has to do with a number of variables such as size of the lobby, breakfast room, maybe room size too. Of course the price depends on the category but you can find B hotels that are cheaper than the most expensive C hotel. All this does not matter really because what you are looking for is something clean, friendly, centrally located and with AC should you need it, and you want the best hotel for the price. The hotels on this page are the ones that I have stayed at that I think are the best. You can book on this page or by following the links to the hotel or booking through one of the travel agents. I recommend the agency because you are not going to get any better deal booking directly with the hotel and chances are you are going to need to at least speak with an agency at some point, if not rely on one for hotels on the islands and ferry schedules. But if you are a backpacker on a budget and winging it then book directly with one of the C-category hotels I list. I strongly suggest booking your Athens hotel even if you are not planning to book any hotels until you get to Greece. Why not book in advance and stay in a pretty decent economy hotel rather then arrive in Athens, wander around for a couple hours and end up in a dump or at the mercy of a taxi driver who takes you from the airport to a hotel where he gets a commission?
Anyway if you are like me, the older you get, the less you feel like wandering around looking for a hotel after you have just gotten off a 10 hour flight. When I get off the plane I want to know that there is a bed somewhere with my name on it. Also I have info from reliable sources (the hotels and travel agents), that hotels fill up fast in Athens. Even now the Adonis, Attalos and the Electra Palace are booked full many nights during periods you might not expect because there are times when people from the islands and villages or other cities in Greece, come to Athens to do business, see relatives or have a holiday themselves. So if you are planning on getting off the plane and wandering around until you find something you may want to reconsider, especially if you are going in July, August and September.
As for other hotels, I recommend getting in touch with Dolphin Hellas Travel or George at Fantasy Travel . They can send you a list and do your bookings for you and make sure everything runs smoothly. I suggest finding hotels either in or within walking distance of the Plaka. If you are staying at a hotel further away, you can always find a taxi at the front entrance, but getting one back to the hotel is not as easy. Some hotels have shuttle service to Syntagma so ask your travel agent. The prices you get from a Greek travel agency should be cheaper then what you will get directly from the hotels. Because these agencies send the hotels a high percentage of their business they get reduced rates which they can pass on to the customers. Many travelers will say with pride that they never work with agencies and book hotels themselves. Maybe in other countries this will save them money. But hotels that try to undercut their own agency rates are either unscrupulous or desperate. Also some agencies pre-book rooms for the season and will sometimes offer these rooms for very low rates as incentive to use the agency for cruises, island hotels or packages.
There are other reasons to use an Athens based travel agency to book your hotels besides the discount. The first has to do with scheduling. Because the agency has ferry schedules at their disposal they can book a room knowing you will be able to make your connection. You may do your own bookings for Athens or the islands and find that because you misread the schedule or your boat was delayed you are unable to to use the room you have reserved and paid for, and you need a room for the night on the island you are delayed on. Unless you want to deal with all this yourself it is better to have the agency deal with it.
This leads to why a Greek agency rather then your local agent: If you should find yourself in a situation where you need help, your US travel agent is not exactly in a position to assist you. The time difference is an obvious problem as is the cost of long distance calls. A Greek travel agent who has a relationship with the hotels can solve any problems before they start and should you find yourself stranded on an island far from the hotel that has been booked for you, a call to Athens will get you off the hook and get you a room for the night.
If you are booking hotels on your own and you just want to book a night or two in Athens in a cheap hotel you will be better off booking directly with the hotel. The reason is that for bookings which don't total $300, many agencies must add a $50 service charge to pay for their work since comissions are low. Of course a couple nights in a high catagory hotel will come to well over the minumum. But if you want a couple nights at the Attalos or a c-catagory hotel, then book directly with the hotel unless you are using the agency to book your hotels in the islands as well as ferries and flights. If you are backpacking on the islands or island hopping without booking in advance I definitely recommend booking your Athens hotel before you get there. If you get to Athens and realize that you would rather book the rest of your trip with an agency I suggest contacting one of the agencies I recommend rather then putting your faith in a taxi driver, hotel concierge or some 'friendly guy on the street'.
If you are having trouble finding availability for the hotels you want try contacting Fantasy Travel. They buy rooms in advance and when the hotels and other agents have nothing left they may still have availabilty. Use this form and under comments let them know which hotel you are interested in if there is one in particular.
Many people find bargains on websites which book hotels all over the world or through package deals. The problem is that in many cases the reason there are such great deals on these hotels is because the hotels are empty because nobody wants to stay there. Either it is in a bad location or the hotel is lousy or it has a bad reputation from a previous owner and has not recovered. Since the hotel mega-site deals with thousands of hotels worldwide and the package tour agent is just trying to get the price as cheap as he can to make the offer attractive, they may be ignorant or not care about the quality or location. You have to balance price vs risk. In almost every case you can get as good a deal from a Greek travel agency and have them at your service for advice.
When in Athens the desirable areas to stay in are the Plaka, Makrianni, Koukaki, Thission, Syntagma and Monastiraki. These areas all border the Acropolis and the archeological park around it. Everything you need including shops, restaurants, the metro to the ferries, buses, taxis and nightlife is within walking distance. Don't get stuck in areas like Ambelokipi, Illissia, or Alexandras which are noisy and far from the sights. Traffic can be pretty bad in Athens and a trip downtown may take you an hour or more if you are not on the metro line. For this reason be aware if you are booking through a US-based travel agent because in many cases they may know the classification of the hotel but be totally ignorant of the location, which is very important. Some of the nicest American style hotels have lousy locations and in most cases there is a comparable hotel within walking distance ofthe Acropolis. If you are booking by price with one of the giant automated hotel booking sites be aware that an A-catagory hotel with C-Catagory rates may be in an F-Catagory neighborhood. For this reason alone I say that if you want to use them to book your flights that is one thing. But if you want to enjoy Athens book with a travel agency in Athens. At least if you look around and don't like your surroundings you can call them up and say "Get me outta here!"
Most of the hotels near the beach provide transportation to the sights of the city, but ask just to make sure. The coastal tram runs from Glyfada to Syntagma Square and it is a fine ride through neighborhoods most travelers never see. But if you are going back and forth several days in a row it can get old because it makes a lot of stops and takes a long time. Still some would say it is a small price for staying on the sea.