Review: Acro Urban Suites aparthotel, Athens with kids

While there’s always something enjoyably indulgent about checking into a hotel, having your own space and flexibility makes travelling with kids much easier – so for the best of both worlds, it’s hard to beat somewhere like Acro Urban Suites aparthotel in Athens.

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A short walk from Acropolis Metro station, the aparthotel is only a short stroll from the Acropolis itself, and from the Acropolis Museum and Plaka too, so a great location if you’re looking to explore Athens with kids.

But what’s the reality of a stay in one of the apartments? I checked in to one of the 11 apartments with my daughter for this Acro Urban Suites review.

For more tips, check out my guide to Greece with kids

Acro Urban Suites aparthotel review: vital statistics

Acro Urban Suites aparthotel has seven different types of suite, ranging from the smallest studio suites sleeping two, up to a family apartment with Acropolis views sleeping six.

After opening during the Covid pandemic in 2020 when low-touch was a big plus, you won’t find keys for the rooms – instead, there’s a code for the main door and another one for your own room, which are sent to you before you check in.

If you arrive during daytime hours (from 10am to 4pm Monday to Saturday), there’s also normally someone on reception to help check you in, or you can contact them via WhatsApp until 10pm. And if you arrive before your room is ready, there are free lockers around the corner from reception where you can leave your bags.

Acro Urban suites also has its own lounge area, with comfy chairs and shelves packed with books and ornaments, plus an area for laundry if you’re staying longer. There isn’t a restaurant, but there is an option to order breakfast boxes or get a discount at some neighbouring cafes – read on for more about this.

The facilities in the rooms do vary somewhat depending on the size, but each has its own kitchenette, plus some living space as well as bed and bathroom.

It’s less than 10 minutes walk from Acropolis Metro station, and slightly closer to Sygrou-Fix, also on the M2 metro line. Staff can also arrange taxis and transfers, although we used Welcome Pickups for our airport transfers.

For more tips on getting around Athens and things to do in Athens with kids, check out this post

Review: Acro Urban Suites Studio apartment

Arriving at around 10am from our previous base in Athens – Athens4 hotel, part of the same Athens Urban Hotels group – we had a warm and friendly welcome, which made us feel right at home before even setting foot in our room.

Chloe (and later Evelina) were ready to make suggestions, offer tips, order taxis and transfers, and generally do whatever they could to help us enjoy our stay in Athens.

I felt as if I’d missed out by not coming up with a more impressive list of requests than asking for a glass of water – the walk from Acropolis station isn’t long, less than 10 minutes, but it’s all slightly uphill, and the February sun was already hot – and a place to leave our bags, as I knew the room wouldn’t be ready so early.

Having locked our suitcase away (there was easily room for our medium size case and two hand luggage size backpacks, plus lots of lockers had we brought more), we already had our plans for the day; a visit to the Acropolis Museum, practically around the corner and the Panathenaic Stadium, followed by a bit of souvenir shopping around Plaka.

Arriving back late afternoon, feeling slightly footsore and ready for a sit down, we reclaimed our bags, squeezed into the tiny lift (comfortably enough room for one person and a case, or one adult, a child and a case at a squeeze) to check out our third floor Studio apartment.

All the suites are designed in shades of blue, green and white, and ours felt instantly cool and relaxed when we walked in – something which would be extra welcome in Athens in summer, although with drizzle in the air in February, I was also quite happy to spot the option to turn the heat up slightly.

The big double bed was set on its own little raised platform, but concealed in a space in the floor so the base of the mattress was almost flush with the wooden surround.

My daughter thought it was the coolest design ever, and apart from the person at the far side having to clamber slightly over the mattress to get in, I was a fan too.

If there’s any reason you’d find getting up from the bed a struggle, rather than lowering yourself out as standard, it’s worth looking at one of the other apartments with a more traditional set-up.

The cool blue and white pattern also got the thumbs up from my daughter, especially the 3D effect of tthe geometric shapes, as did the convincingly realistic plants hanging down just beyond the foot of the bed, forming almost a living curtain.

Book directly at Acro Urban Suites or with free cancellation on Booking.com

From my own boring practical point of view, there’s a high shelf above the bed (although also room for my daughter to put book, clock, nightlight and water on her side), plus plugs on both sides so I could charge my phone and still tuck it by my narrower side of the bed.

In fact, the whole suite managed this mix of style and practicality: a big mirror on one wall, good lighting so you can illuminate parts of the room (handy when I wanted to read my book after my daughter was in bed at the other end of the room), plenty of plugs…

In the same way, the bathroom had its own little luxurious touches – lovely toiletries provided, scented with olive oil and mountain tea, including big pump bottles of shampoo and shower gel in the shower itself, plus small bottles of conditioner and body lotion.

The shower was a huge rain head one, with a little tray to put your own toiletries (it’s astonishing how many hotel bathroom designers think you won’t need this) and there were hooks for towels and space for more bottles by the sink.

The living space is split into a table seating four (five at a squeeze), a big velvety sofa (which also turns into a bed if needed – we shared the main bed so never needed to get it out) opposite the TV, storage cupboards and a little kitchenette.

The storage includes two small cupboards with hangers – and I spotted a box with hairdryer, spare tissues and yoga mat in one, a safe in the other – as well as three small cupboards at floor height, with a shelf above those.

If you want to unpack properly, you could, or there’s plenty of space if you’d rather live out of the suitcase – we compromised, by unpacking most things but using the shelf space under the TV for clothes rather than having to burrow about on the floor every morning.

The kitchenette also had all the essentials (including scissors, corkscrew and colander, which are surprisingly often missing) plus a Nespresso machine. There’s also a kettle but no toaster.

You can’t make anything too complicated in the studio apartment: there are two hobs, a large saucepan and small frying pan, so it’s easy to whip up some pasta but nothing which requires multiple pans. The family suite has an oven and dishwasher if you’re planning to cook more.

Not that I’d be likely to do that on holiday anyway! Normally if we eat out for one meal, all we’ll have is something cold for the other one, or something simple like pasta.

The fridge is a good size, so there’s plenty of space to save you visiting a supermarket every day, and came with a bottle of water. There’s a good selection of glasses, crockery and cutlery.

The one thing I did miss was having a tea towel, although there is kitchen roll provided – you also get washing up liquid, a sponge and drainer so I tended just to leave it to dry once I’d washed up, but it would have been handy at times..

Realistically, unless you’re planning a long stay and a lot of cooking, the facilities in the Studio Apartment are perfect for a short city break with kids.

But one of the big bonuses comes with the location: it’s not just that it’s close enough to walk to a lot of the sights (which is it), but that Acro Urban Suites aparthotel also has a fantastic view of the Acropolis.

Our suite had its own little balcony with table and two chairs and a big beanbag cushion, all looking up over the nearby houses towards the Parthenon. The night view is even better, with the columns illuminated (and the crane hidden!)

There’s also a roof terrace with similar lovely views, plenty of places to sit, including more squashy beanbags and a big parasol.

As our stay coincided with a few drizzly days in February, we couldn’t make the most of the outdoor spaces, but in the summer especially, it would be a gorgeous place to sit with a drink at sunset, or eat breakfast with a view of the Acropolis.

If you don’t want to self-cater your own breakfast, there are a couple of alternatives: you can order breakfast boxes using the QR code in your room up until 11pm, including English breakfast, a kids box, a vegan and vegetarian option and a create your own choice.

Prices start from 10.80 Euros so if you just want a pastry and a drink, it’s cheaper to do it yourself, but it’s handy if you arrive late and want something for the first day, or a bit of an indulgent treat.

Otherwise, there’s 20% off at Salute Bistro and Vanilia Bistro, both around the corner (just mention you’re staying at Acro Urban Suites when you order, to get the discount).

Slightly away from the centre and the busiest areas, it was also beautifully quiet during our stay – no loud music late at night, no early morning traffic and shops opening either.

Throw in decent WiFi – I’m not sure if you could stream videos with it, as we didn’t try, but it handled email and social media and was pretty reliable – and you’ve got everything you need!

Check out my review of the Alternative Athens Young Heroes family mythology tour of the Acropolis with kids

Our Athens aparthotel stay: my verdict

While I’m always a fan of a lovely hotel, the ease of staying at Acro Urban Suites meant it’s fantastic if you’re visiting Athens with kids.

There are all the essentials you need – great shower, lovely toiletries, plus that useful kitchenette so you don’t have to eat out for every meal (equally handy when you’re dealing with picky kids and trying to keep budgets down) and plenty of space.

But it’s not just boring practicality – you get that fabulous Acropolis view, the quirky design details, and the friendly welcome. Finding a quiet corner of Athens that’s still walking distance from the Metro and some of the biggest sights is the icing on the cake.

The final test: would I go back? Absolutely – not least because I have a date with that roof terrace on a sunny evening…

Book directly at Acro Urban Suites or with free cancellation on Booking.com

Disclosure: My stay at Acro Urban Suites aparthotel with kids was free for the purposes of review – all opinions are my own (and my daughter’s). This post contains affiliate links – any purchases you make are unaffected but I may receive a small commission

Images copyright MummyTravels

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