Best Western Hotel Zinon

Terrific service, nice rooms, great bargain

I definitely recommend the Omonia Zinon. Omonia is not the nicest area of Athens - not the worst by any means, but when it closes up at night it can be a little intimidating, with a fair number of illegal immigrants wandering about. That said, the staff is well aware of this and works extra hard to make your stay once in the hotel really special. They were extremely friendly, courteous, and helpful - storing our anniversary cake in the refrigerator, delivering a gratis bottle of wine on our anniversary, serving really inexpensive refreshments after hours. The breakfast is terrific and was included in our price. The room itself was extremely clean, well furnished, modern.

Location BAD - Hotel OK

The biggest problem is the location, not the hotel itself. It is a standard hotel with basic breakfast, clean, nice people working there. The location can be described as "Resident Evil". There are (no kidding) hundreds of drug addicts and traders dealing and taking drugs openly right on the street of the hotel and the nearby Omonia Square. Used needles are lying on the pavement, people smoking crack, begging etc. This is happening 24/7 - you rarely see normal people walking around there. I have been to New York, LA, Frankfurt etc and I live in London/Brixton and I like it. The area around Omonia Square in Athens though, no doubt, is one of the worst places especially for women and tourists in general. Go closer to the city centre, you will enjoy walking home at night. Accoding to a Greek friend from Athens Omonia Square Station has always been a problem area and neighbouring streets are best avoided especially at night but I was surprised even in bright daylight hundreds of people trade and take drugs on the street.

Avoid the area around Omonia, go closer to the city where there are much nicer areas

Good for the price

Others have commented on the area of town which is true in that I saw everything in the area from drugs to prostitution. There are a lot of immigrants there, however, I never felt threatened or afraid. I first thought the hotel looked like a dive but the longer I was there it grew on me. I stayed three separate times over two weeks. I had a room on the first floor that the light from outside was so bright I had to sleep with an eye mask, it had a great flat screen TV, the rooms on the 6th and 8th floors were very similar but quieter and darker. I had good internet which is a plus for me. I liked the location in that it was central in the city and you could walk anywhere. Omnia Square is spoked and each spoke takes you to a different part of the city. The breakfast was good but it is Europeon style, not American. The best part of the hotel was the male desk clerks in the day and night. The lady manager was a bit rude but everyone else were very helpful with any question and seemed to enjoy helping.

Traveller's tip on saving a few bucks

The express bus goes right to town and you take the metro two stops to Omnia Square. The hotel is a little hard to find.