Decent hotel a few blocks from Omonia Square in the center of Athens. They have single and double rooms, were clean, and offer free breakfast, which seems to be the norm in Athens and the Greek islands I researched. I stayed here one night only and I recommend it as a good budget hotel option that’s conveniently located within a few minutes walk to the Omonia metro station and the lively area of Psiri that is packed with restaurants and cafes.

The area around Omonia is undergoing a lot of construction and renovation at the moment, with the sidewalks being dug up in some places or otherwise encumbered with equipment and construction workers. By the time the high season of July-August hits it may be all good but it’d be worth asking the status of this with any of the hotels in the area if you’re thinking about visiting.

If I had stayed only here I would now complain a bit that the breakfast was pretty shabby. However, the next hotel I stayed at in Athens was similarly lacking in the breakfast department. The most edible option among the sliced bread, slices of ham and cheese, and corn flakes were some anise-flavored biscuits/cookies, that I was only too happy to dunk in the filter coffee. Good thing I’m properly trained in the dunking now that I’ve been in the U.K. for a while!