I stayed in Haris' apartment for about 6 weeks in June (and a bit of July) and can talk a lot about it, but I'll try to summarize it like this: this place is everything I hoped for and is actually better than I imagined it could be.
First, the appartment itself is great. The house is relatively old, which brings huge advantages:
- The house feels local and authentic. When you're inside, you can't forget you are in Greece, as you usually can when you are siting in a very modern space where everything looks and feels the same and somewhat bland. Not at all with this house.
- The house seems to be designed before the age of ubiquitous ACs, so it is cleverly built in a way to keep the interior cool. The orientation, the layout, the level of the ceiling, the materials used, etc. -- everything is carefully considered to provide shelter from the summer heat. I spent my whole time there without turning on the AC, just by opening some key windows to allow for air flow.
On top of that, there are all modern comforts: running drinkable water, unlimited hot water, AC (if you need it), Wi-Fi, etc. So it is really the best of both worlds.
Second, the location is just glorious. If you want to explore Athens on foot as I did, there's no better location. Walking out of the front door, you are just 5 min. away from the Pnyx! I got into the habit of visiting the Pnyx each evening before I return to the apartment for the night. It is like passing through your favourite local park you're living right next to.
Also, you can walk to plenty of archaeological sites and museums (the Acropolis, the Ancient Agora, Kerameikos, just to name a few). On top of that, there are two metro stations nearby. So going to the Archaeological Musem is a nice short and scenic walk to the Thissio metro station, then a short walk from Victoria station to the musem. The same goes for Piraeus, etc.
In general, the place is in a quiet neighbourhood few steps away from the tourist attractions and all the noise, but it is very well connected.
Speaking about the noise, on some weekends the noise from the clubs can be very loud and can reach the house. This may be a problem if you are a light sleeper like me and you are sleeping with an open window to avoid AC. If this happens to you and you don't mind AC, just close the window and turn on the AC instead.
Finally, Haris is just a great host and a great guy in general. He is a very kind and considerate person, who prepares everything in advance so you can just enjoy your stay. I felt like he deliberately and gently fades into the background, but it is always there when you need assistance. He is just the coolest guy.
I recommend Haris' appartment with all my heart.