This is a terrific flat centrally located relatively close to the attractions of Athens but with the feel of a regular neighborhood, as opposed to the more touristy hotels and other accommodations adjacent to Syntagma Square and Monastiraki. The neighborhood can look a little rough at first - lots of gas stations, repair shops, dry cleaners and so forth - but there are plenty of useful benefits and perks nearby, not to mention very quick access to the Athens metro and bus system.
The apartment itself is very spacious and the description doesn't do it full justice, although the photographs are perfectly representative of how the AirBNB looks in real life. A central hallway branches to a comfortable bedroom on the right that includes two side tables, a sizeable closet and a modest desk. To the left is the living room, with an HDTV, a really comfortable reading chair and a couch.
The secondary room functioned as an office for us, as we were working remotely for about two months. Oh, the Internet is really very good here for Athens. The apartment has two wi-fi services that were both fast enough to stream television programs and also support two working computers including multiple Zoom calls running at once.
This office/bedroom has a quite large cupboard where extra towels, pillows, sheets and blankets are stored, with plenty of room to store a guest's own items. We also had visitors in for a few days, and the small couch next to the dining room table folds out into a very comfortable one or two-person bed. The bathroom is fairly typical with a glass shower and a sink - there's a button to push to activate the hot water for showers, but it only takes a few minutes to warm up. The kitchen is spacious with a small counter/table with stools, new appliances that include a stove/oven, dishwasher and a washing machine, as well as a full-sized refrigerator. It's well-stocked with plenty of dishes, cutlery and cooking utensils to make basic meals just fine.
There's a back door that leads to an outdoor respite with chairs and a table, and there's a drying rack there as well, which works just fine within a day or so. For guests with more laundry or a family, there is a laundromat just a couple of minutes away on Archarnon Street.
The service from these hosts is absolutely first-rate. The owner not only sent us a known taxi driver to pick us up at the airport but also was at the flat to greet us when we arrived and show us around. That taxi driver is an invaluable resource, by the way, for those traveling further afield or to the airport for flights to the islands. Friendly and absolutely honest with the fare. We had a couple of minor snafus that were entirely our fault (like accidentally locking ourselves out) and the hosts were very quick to respond and help us out.
If you haven't been to Athens before, it's not a very quiet city, so the apartment's location on the first floor may take some getting used to, but it's nothing you wouldn't find in any urban area. The locks on both doors are absolutely secure and while the windows are barred, with shutters let in plenty of light during the day, as well as privacy at night. The noise mostly consists of the motorcycles racing around the high street and the unavoidable, pesky but charming cats that roam the whole city. It always felt very safe to us.
In terms of local amenities, it's a very livable location. No, you won't find the expensive restaurants and cafes in the city's tourist squares but there are plenty of snack/coffee shops, tavernas, and a few gems. There's a My Market across the street for most grocery needs, as well as a large Sklavenitis grocery store about a 20 minute walk away. We would also recommend the fruit stand at the corner of Aristotelis Kourtidou and Vikela - very nice people. At the Hellas bakery on Nirvana Street two blocks away, the coffee, pastries and service are all wonderful.
There are also a variety of street markets including the fruit market that runs several blocks behind My Market on Thursdays. For longer stays like ours, e-food and Wolt both provide easy and fast delivery from just about any restaurant or grocery store in the city.
Logistically, it's just a 10-minute walk to the Kato Patissia metro stop, which runs all the way to the Monastiraki metro station near the shopping, museums and Syntagma Square, with connections to other lines at Attiki and Omonia. The Green line from Kato Patissia also runs all the way north to Kifissia, a very nice suburb with good restaurants and shopping and nice surprises like Wagamama, Paul, and a very good bookstore., and south to the port of Pireaus, also on the tram line to Voulos.
This is a really nice place to spend quality time in Athens, especially if you're not in a hurry. You can get to most places in the city within a half-hour, or stay home and relax and cook something for yourself. The hosts are really nice people and they clearly are justifiably proud of their place. We would stay here again in a heartbeat.