| My partner and i have stayed at this hotel for three easters now. OK it's not the Hilton, but it's perfectly ok for me and my partners requirements. We wanted a clean hotel with good transport links, so we could travel into the city easily, and that's exactly what this hotel is. A previous review regards the Tram line (which is behind the hotel) as a bad thing. However, we found it to be most convenient - with the Tram station being about a 60 second walk from the front of the hotel!! And then it cost just 60 cents to get to Athens city centre. Yes the dogs on the beach do chase the Tram and i suppose some people could be distrubed by this, but we didnt find it to be that annoying and got used to it after a couple of days. To be honest, the dogs seem to be getting quieter as the years go on.... I guess their getting bored of barking at the Trams. Also... when i say "Tram", please dont imagine some knackered old thing which is falling apart. These are practically new which run on a new line, and was put in place for the Olympic Games in 2004. The tramline runs straight to Syndagma square (one of Athens' main squares). Also..... getting to the hotel from the airport is simple.... You catch the bus outside the terminal building, and ask the driver if he can stop outside the palace hotel in glyfada. As there is a bus stop right outside the hotel, this is easy and simple!! As for the hotel itself. The rooms are clean and airy. The bathrooms are spotless. Some rooms and bathrooms are bigger than others, depending which side of the hotel you get a room in. The food is ok, nothing wonderful. Much of the selection is similar from day to day, although there are some nights when it can be particularly good. The beach opposite the hotel isnt all that brilliant. It's suitable, but could do with a good clean. Staff: the younger members of staff can appear to be "condescending" because - due to bad management - they're always rushed off their feet as there are so few of them. If they appear rude, they dont mean to be, it's just that they are constantly on the go and barely able to cope. If you are understanding of this, then they will appreciate you ten times more. We have made good friends with several off the staff, most of all Poppy (who i see another reviewer has mentioned). She is a wonderful lady, and wants everybody to have a lovely stay. She will go out of her way to help you and make your stay a pleasant one. It's a shame the managers of the hotel don't have the same attitude. They rarely show their faces in the hotel, and when they do, they only seem to shout out orders at already stretched staff, to do simple tasks (like fetch a customer a bottle of wine) which they could easily do themselves. After 3 years, my partner and myself are really friendly with all the "junior" staff in the hotel. Yet, despite going there 3 times, the managers barely acknowledge us. I wanted to give this hotel an "excellent" rating, but (based on a 4* hotel) because the food isnt always brilliant and, due to lack of staff, the service can take a while, i feel it's fair to give it an "average" rating. So why do i stay here year after year?? Because it is inexpensive, i like the staff, the Tram station is a hop away, Glyfada centre is about 3 stops away, and all in all i find the hotel to be a most acceptable "base". However, if you're going for a luxury beach holiday or planning on staying in the hotel constantly, i'd suggest looking up "Astir Palace" instead.
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Excellent