Hotel Grande Bretagne, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Athens

A wonderful experience. We stayed here for a night before we went onto a cruise. They were very accommodating and gave our 2 year old daughter some lovely gifts. Our room had a gorgeous view of the acropolis. Everyone was polite and friendly and the service was impeccable. We hope to return to Athens and will probably stay there again.

Superb property, good rooms, indifferent service. We were probably unlucky arriving just as a cruise shipload were checking out. The line was right round reception so we left our bags and checked in later. Room not ready but, no worries, Reception would give us a call when ready - didn’t. And that pattern was repeated too often for a top luxury hotel. Breakfast service good, dinner service in the Winter Garden pretty average. The Winter Gardens does provide very good food but way overpriced. Too many staff with an abrupt manner. The hotel is well placed on one of the main squares. The top attractions - the Acropolis and the very fine Acropolis Museum are a 20 to 30 minute walk away - the last five minutes being very steep. Taxis and on-off tour buses go to the foot of the Acropolis through Athens’s traffic choked streets.

The restaurant would seem to be living off the reputation of the iconic hotel. The food was unremarkable and the service indifferent. Of course, the prices were quite high for the privilege of dining there. There are many excellent restaurants in Athens and the wise traveller will refer to Eater or a similar website for guidance. Even visiting the bar is a test of one's patience in terms of being noticed and/or served.

We stayed here four nights in a deluxe city view king with a partial view of the Parliament as our last stop on a months long trip. Twice daily housekeeping was outstanding. The GB rooftop was great for breakfasts and a dinner. The 2nd floor patio was good for pizza though the cigars allowed nearby stink. We did enjoy the spa and pool though seating at the pool was not always available. Most sights are walkable from here though it makes for tiring days. As a big city hotel most areas and staff are quite busy which detracted from our ability to interact with them as we do at smaller hotels.

We made check in the hotel today, but we are disappointed with the service and the lack of attention to our requests. We are a family of three. We booked a Deluxe city view room with the request to provide an extra bed for our child, as specified in our voucher, as the room has only a double bed. However, when we checked in, there was no extra bed in the room. We contacted the reception twice to inform them of our request. However, there was no response throughout the day. On the third call to the guests service , they assured us that they would resolve the issue in a short while. The result is that it's late in the evening, and we're tired and want to rest in our own beds, but unfortunately, there's only one bed for three of us.