Feeling flush? For a mere £10,490 a night the 400 sq m Royal Suite — including dining room, wine cellar, humidor, kitchen, study, steam room, gym, sauna, whirlpool bath, oh and a bathroom and bedroom — is yours. Double rooms from £315.

Not to be outdone, the Athens Hilton (728 1000, www.athens.hilton.com), opened in 1963, has just had a 15-month, £70 million makeover that takes it back to its Sixties roots.

The 527 rooms are cool and slightly retro in style, and the beautiful new spa and pool area features Sixties-style chairs in its bar. The hotel has been block-booked by the International Olympic Committee for the duration of the Games. Its rooftop Galaxy Bar (728 1402), lit by space age-style lamps, has a 60-strong vodka menu and wonderful views across town. Doubles from £139.

At the St George Lycabettus Hotel (729 0711, www.sglycabettus.gr) on Lycabettus Hill the rooms are less special, and refurbishing work continues. But service is friendly and breakfast in Le Grand Balcon restaurant, with a view over the city, is unbeatable. Doubles from £95.

The excellent Plaka Hotel (322 2096, www.plakahotel.gr) in Plaka has views of the Acropolis, even from the beds in some rooms. Doubles from £96.50.

The Semiramis, in the rather distant suburb of Kifissia, hopes to attract a trendy crowd when it opens in June and is already a member of the Design Hotels group (00 800 3746 8357, www.designhotels.com). It will display modern art in the public rooms and boasts plenty of high-tech toys. The decked swimming pool area and restaurant/bar look promising, but some of the 52 bedrooms are rather small, and all are decorated in vivid pink, orange, lime green and yellow. Rooms from £140.

Getting around

The metro is clean, efficient, easy to navigate (signs are in English) and good value, with a single ticket at 50p and an all-day ticket costing £2.

Buses are plentiful, but their signs are in Greek only. A new tram line to the coast, and a rail link to the airport, are due to open before the Games, but work on both has been stalled. But the new Attica highway means transfers from city centre to the (also new) Eleftherios Venizelos airport take just 40 minutes. Airport information tel: 353 0000.

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Page 3: Olympics travel information


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Map of Athens

Getting there: Cath Urquhart and photographer Richard Cannon travelled with Cresta Holidays (0870 3333303, www.crestaholidays.co.uk).

A three-night break with breakfast at the three-star Plaka Hotel in Athens is £390 per person (twin share) in May, with return BA flights from Heathrow and hotel transfer on arrival.

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