Pros
- Its in a great neighbourhood - Koukaki is safe, vibrant, close to all tourist spots but not over touristy.
- The view from the east balcony is astounding. I've been coming to Athens for more than 10 years and the view of the Acropolis and the Parthenon are the best I've seen.
- The communication from Thanos was clear and accurate - access to the flat was easy even though I arrived after dark.
- The shower space is good with an overhead shower and only takes 10 mins to heat up.
- The small freezer compartment in the mini fridge works well.
Cons
- The apartment is quite run down.
- The blinds on the west side are torn so that they only come 1/3 of the way down so you cant block the evening sun
- The blinds on the east side are badly stained
- The mosquito nets on the kitchen door are broken.
- Cupboard doors are missing in the kitchen
- The doubling glazing window seals have failed. This means there is always moisture in the "view" and of course they aren't doing the function they should with regard to heat
- The furniture is quite cheap and the veneers coming away, quite a lot in some cases.
- There is quite a lot of black mould in the bathroom above the shower area.
- The aircon is not sufficient to cool the apartment quickly - on a hot" few days (27 degrees), i came back to the apartment at 6pm and it as unbearable. It took until 10pm for the aircon unit to cool the room to a reasonable level. Because the windows don't have traditional roll-down shutters (which would reduce heat dramatically), this also meant that the apartment was unbearably hot in the morning when i woke up.
Summary -
I see that most of the people have reviewed this in winter, so clearly they didn't have the heat issue I did (although more than one has said it was very cold without both aircon units running, so i think my assessment of the aircon and the failed double-glazing is correct.
Sadly, with so many issues for this price range (this is about 30% dearer than one i stayed in just 4 doors down on the same road), I wouldn't recommend the apartment in summer. If its that hot at 27 degrees, then it will be untenable in when Greece goes 35-40 in August. I actually had another week booked here for August, but I have decided to cancel it after this first stay. I also think for the price range, a refurbishment is in order (blinds, cupboards, mould, furniture etc) before it can truly be "luxury" as advertised. I also noted that it says that is has a "separate working space". According to what AirBnb define this as a distinctive separate space with a comfortable chair. This apartment does not have such a space.
Overall, if you are able to stand the heat, then the apartment is "ok" but in its current state of repair, its not "luxury" and should be a price comparative to others on the street which is about 30% lower. Its such a shame that an apartment with such an astounding view hasn't been given the TLC and features that could really make it exceptional. But I do thank Thanos for his quick replies and accurate entry instructions and I wish them the best even though I will be cancelling my August booking.