Hotel Athena - Siena

Average rating:  5.6

Guest type: Young couple

stayed in May 2008

The staff were pleasant, the common areas of the hotel were very nice. For the area, the price was moderate. Our room was clean but quite small, and the bed was very hard. The room's decor also needed updating badly. Overall it was tolerable but was the least favorite of the four hotels we stayed in while visiting Italy.

Guest name: CS, USA

Average rating:  7.1

Guest type: Mature couple

stayed in Feb 2008

Good location, pleasant staff & good parking. Crticisms would be that the hotel was noisy at night and the bar never seemed to be open. Overall, worth it for the location.

Guest name: JQ, United Kingdom

Average rating:  8.3

Guest type: Mature couple

stayed in Oct 2007

lovely hotel, well appointed, great view from terrace down the valley. Inside the walls but just barely and quite a hike to Duomo and Campio.

Guest name: RG, USA

Average rating:  7.2

Guest type: Single traveller

stayed in Oct 2007

When I arrived at the hotel, quite late, I didn't have enough euros to pay the driver and he wouldn't take a credit card. The woman at the front desk did her best to help me, which I appreciated, but the hotel policy would not allow her to advance me 15 euros against my credit card (which left me despairing). The staff in general was professional, but not at all friendly. I have to say that it was the least welcome I felt in my entire trip. As a woman traveling alone, having an indifferent staff probably seems worse than it would if I'd had a friend along. I was given a very spacious room, but being on the road side was rather noisy. The housekeepers were unbelievably loud, shouting at each other from opposite ends of the hall. When I looked out to let them know that not all the guests were out of the hotel, they lowered the volume a notch, but not enough for me to sleep in, which I would have liked. The front desk was very curt when I asked for a later check-out - telling me that they were fully booked (which clearly they were not). The housekeeper knocked on my door at exactly noon. The hotel's location was good for me. I don't like staying too close to tourist spots and I didn't mind walking the 5 minutes to town. The view from the terrace is really fantastic, but the only meal you can have there is dinner. Being October, it was already dark and chilly by then.

Guest name: MK, USA

Average rating:  8.9

Guest type: Mature couple

stayed in Sep 2007

Very nice. Would recommend

Guest name: TS, USA

Average rating:  5.6

Guest type: Single traveller

stayed in Oct 2007

Nice hotel with competent employees but as a single traveler, the room was excruciatingly small for the money; restaurant menu rather exotic and very highly priced

Guest name: LK, USA

Average rating:  8.9

Guest type: Family with older children

stayed in Sep 2007

the atenttion at arrival was fine but to get there was complicate,the map is not clear enought,the restaurant service and meals were very good and the hotel location is good to get downtown easily.

Guest name: Maria Luisa Chiu De Verteramo, Mexico

Average rating:  9.2

Guest type: Mature couple

stayed in Sep 2007

Great property. Great location on a quiet street only a few minutes walk to everything in Siena. Spacious rooms. We had a great view from our room of the hills below Siena. It's a new hotel relative to other properties in the area so it is clean, modern and very comfortable. The only small criticism I have is that the staff, though knowledgeable and helpful when prompted, were not overly warm and friendly.

Guest name: Thomas Masiello, USA

Average rating:  2.0

Guest type: Mature couple

stayed in Aug 2007

My partner and I travelled for four weeks around Italy using venere.com and a few other on-line sites for all our hotel bookings, made usually on the spur of the moment during our travels. We had no problems at all, and in fact some great surprises. We didn't take any time at all when booking this particular hotel, we simply looked up 4*, and the location and booked quickly. On arrival following a very long drive, I must say I was impressed with the reception area, and was really looking forward to my nice bath and a relaxing evening. Especially since the receptionist had handed me a leaflet on the hotel services and the rooms looked excellent. The porter came to the car with me to assist with our luggage, which was significant (we'd been travelling for 3 weeks!) and then he simply disappeared! We waited for a while, then decided to go on up to our room as we needed the facilities. To say it was a nasty surprise when we arrived in the room would be an understatement. I actually thought we had somehow gone into another hotel. The room was dirty. It was small and dark and very grubby. It looked like no-one had been there for a very long time. I had no option but to use the bathroom, which was a major shock. They had crammed a loo and a bidet into a tiny space, and to sit on the loo, you had to engineer you way under the sink, which meant you were sitting with the sink taps under your nose! Not an easy feat! After some discussion, I did something I've never done before - I phoned reception and asked for a change of room. Do note that we are a couple who take 4 weeks off work each year and travel around either Europe, USA or the Far East, and we've learned a lot about hotels and their advertising, but we have NEVER felt the need to make a stand such as this. The receptionist was not pleased, put me on hold for a long time, and when she came back, asked if we had used the bathroom, and when I said yes, she said she couldn't change the room then, and that

Guest name: AM, United Kingdom

Average rating:  1.9

Guest type: Young couple

stayed in Aug 2007

Would not recommend this hotel. Terrible rooms - dirty and smelly. Poor breakfast. The hotel should have 2 stars maximum. Not 4! The only nice thing is the location and great small restaurant just on the corner on the way up to the center - Osteria Donna Gina.

Guest name: ZG, Poland

Average rating:  8.9

Guest type: son and his mother

stayed in Aug 2007

the great advantage of this hôtel is his location inside the city with a private and gratuit parking. Therefore, this parking is very difficult to find. A signalization of it would be very necessary for the entering is outside of the wall of city.

Guest name: Christian Thiery, France

Average rating:  9.7

Guest type: Not Specified

stayed in Jun 2007

This hotel was easy to find & the outdoor parking area was more than adequate for our needs so we didn't have to use the garage. All the staff we encountered during our stay (2 nights) were excellent. Our room was enormous and on the opposite side of the hotel to where the renovations were going on so was really quiet. Contrary to other reviewers' comments, our bathroom was fine. All the public areas were top notch. The location also could not have been better - about 10 minutes' walk uphill to the Cathedral & Campo. The only thing that let the hotel down was the watery fruit juice and excruciatingly bad coffee on offer at breakfast. There's no excuse for either in Italy and especially not in a 4-star hotel! We didn't have dinner in the hotel as we don't eat meat & there was nothing suitable on the menu. Would most definitely stay here again.

Guest name: Deeba Ansari, United Kingdom

Average rating:  7.4

Guest type: Family with older children

stayed in Jul 2007

Decent if bland hotel; good location if you have a car (and I recommend staying within the walls of the city - the climb is steep).

Guest name: John John, USA

Average rating:  8.7

Guest type: Single traveller

stayed in Aug 2007

Nice and quiet location,only 7-10 minutes walk to main square Il Campo.Very helpful staff.Special plus point for a balcony in my room, a single female traveller it was really great.

Guest name: SS, Finland

Average rating:  9.2

Guest type: Single traveller

stayed in Jul 2007

Excellent breakfast, excellent location, gentle people.

Guest name: Ana Clelia Quarto, Brazil

Average rating:  9.1

Guest type: Not Specified

stayed in Jun 2007

Very good 4 star hotel. Excellent quality-price relation. Free parking (in a private lot) - convenient if you arrive by car. Very nice reception. Very helpful staff. Our room had a WONDERFUL view of the toscany fields. Very wide, clean and nice room. Good bathroom. Good breakfast. About location, the hotel is inside the city's walls and about 8/10 min walking mostly uphill to the Duomo and 10/15 min walking to Il Campo (Piazza) (well, when going back after dinner it is mostly downhill). I'd stay there again and recommend it.

Guest name: Juliana Silva, Brazil

Average rating:  9.8

Guest type: Group

stayed in May 2007

I stayed with my parents and aunt at the Athena for one night in May. The hotel was easy to find (once you found the correct porta) and within easy walking distance of the city center. The rooms were quiet, clean and fairly spacious. The best part was the open roof terrace- this provided a lovely place to rest, snack and look out over the Tuscan countryside. Ample on-site parking was a plus. Breakfast was typical continental fare- nice but nothing spectacular. I would stay at the Athena again.

Guest name: Desiree James, Italy

Average rating:  8.5

Guest type: With my sister.

stayed in May 2007

Hotel staff was very competent and professional. On check-in, we were offered a cup of coffee which was delivered to us in the waiting room. We had arrived early, but our rooms were ready within 15 mins. The view from my room was gorgeous. I would recommend the Hotel Athena to anyone traveling to beautiful Siena.

Guest name: Marcia Blake, USA

Average rating:  6.7

Guest type: Mature couple

stayed in May 2007

Room insonorisation is very bad. It was possible to undersstand every word sair in next rooms.

Guest name: Jean Paul Charrier, France

Average rating:  6.2

Guest type: Mature couple

stayed in Apr 2007

The Athena was a nice hotel although the rooms were very small. Also, the neighborhood of the hotel was not in the best area of town. The hotel itself was very nice and had a great sitting area and bar. There weren't many restaurants to walk to in the neighborhood. Because of the location of the hotel, we probably would not stay here again.

Guest name: BR, USA

Average rating:  9.9

Guest type: Family with older children

stayed in Mar 2007

This is a very modern, clean facility, well located within a 10 to 15 min. walk to the city center. We spent one night - 2 adults and 2 teenage boys - the staff were very knowledgeable and helpful. Would stay here again.

Guest name: Rodney Lang, USA

Average rating:  7.4

Guest type: Single traveller

stayed in Feb 2007

The hotel is situated a short walk from the sights of Siena. The room was pleasant.The shower was extrememly small although the bathroom itself was quite large. The restaurant was rather dingy and unattractive and the breakfast was poor - very watery juice and dreadful coffee. I'd go elsewhere next time.

Guest name: Avril Kathryn Fern, Switzerland

Average rating:  3.7

Guest type: Young couple

stayed in Jan 2007

After a long days travel we were looking forward to a good nights sleep. We were kept awake for most of the night due - 1st. the goings on in the room next door - I must point out they were not loud; the wall must have been very thin. 2nd. the bed was also very poor - I could feel several springs in the mattress coming through. When I checked the mattress I could see it had been made with two bottom sheets to try to compensate for the springs poking through. Breakfast was very average. There was renovation occurring while we were there and we were woken at about 6am by the builders throwing rubbish from the roof. The bathroom was clean and recently refurbished. I went to speak to reception the next morning however there was already another guest complaining. The staff member was very blaze in her response and I got the impression that a lot of people complain. Over all I would not recommend this property. I think it was very over priced for what it offered. We stayed in 3 star properties of a must higher standard than the Athena.

Guest name: Rebecca Musumeci, Australia

Average rating:  7.9

Guest type: Single traveller

stayed in Nov 2006

This was good value for the price of the room- although I usually don't like big hotels. The rooms were clean and spacious, breakfast was superb, the staff were helpful and competent, and the location was good- about a 7-10 minute walk to the Cathedral.

Guest name: Norman McIver, USA

Average rating:  9.0

Guest type: Mature couple

stayed in Oct 2006

Great hotel! Had a room on the 6th floor with a great view of the city wall and country side. The room was the best we have had in Italy. Staff were very helpful with booking a driver to tour the area. Short walk to the the city center!

Guest name: Paul Eaton, USA

Average rating:  6.2

Guest type: Group

stayed in Oct 2006

the hotel was clean and well located. It has no charm and caters to Senior Citizens on Guided tours. The breakfasts were adequate but the room in which they were served was crowed and dismal.

Guest name: CP, USA

Average rating:  9.3

Guest type: Mature couple

stayed in Sep 2006

Beautiful, big, modern, clean hotel. Everything was 1st rate, location, staff, rooms etc. It was not, in any way, atmospheric. Siena is medieval, and The Athena seemed too big, too modern, too clean. There was nothing to complain about, but it wasn't memorable either.

Guest name: Diana Soucy, USA

Average rating:  8.4

Guest type: Single traveller

stayed in Sep 2006

This is a very beautiful hotel in a quiet part of Siena but only 10 minutes walk from Duomo and Campo. Room was very nice, both large and clean. TV had stations in at least 4 languages. Shower was a little small but manageable. People at the front desk were very helpful. Breakfast was very good each morning with a wide variety of cereals, meats, cheeses, breads, drinks, etc. There's also a very nice rooftop terrace with a great view of the valley below. My only complaint was with bar and restaurant service. It was very difficult to get service in either area. They were, I think, understaffed because of large bus groups in private rooms. Whatever the cause, that's the only thing that stood between this hotel and a perfect score.

Guest name: Daniel McCarthy, Italy

Average rating:  9.1

Guest type: 

stayed in Jul 2006

We had the most wonderful stay in Siena which included the July 2006 Palio. We stayed at the Athena which not only was very convenient, the staff friendly and helpful but we were staying in the location of the contrade that won.

Guest name: Robyn Rohrlach, Australia

Average rating:  7.2

Guest type: Young couple

stayed in Aug 2006

We wasn't able to find info about breakfast timetable. Room was small but clean and comfortable. Location is really good, it's close to Duomo and Piazza del Campo, but far enough to don't get the nightlife noise.

Guest name: DV, Italy

Average rating:  9.4

Guest type: Single traveller

stayed in Aug 2006

I loved the breakfast. I appreciated the waitstaff. I thought the dinner on the terrace was reasonably priced--I hated that a man was able to smoke a cigar while I ate. The location was convenient. I felt very safe walking back at night from the piazza. I loved your city! Oh, and the wine tour was so much fun. I really appreciated that opportunity to visit Chianti that way. Thanks for arranging it.

Guest name: FQ, USA

Average rating:  9.9

Guest type: Not Specified

stayed in Jul 2006

The Athena is an excellent hotel. The rooms are very spacious and very clean. The hotel is within the walls of the city but is only a ten minute walk from il Campo the main square. We were there for il Palio for four nights. Breakfast is very good with a good selection to choose from. Dinner was on the rooftop terrace except one night when it was raining when it was in the dining room where breakfast is served. The dining room does not have the same ambience as a restaurant and though the food is excellent there is not as extensive a choice of dishes as would be found in a restaurant. However there are plenty of restaurants and other eating places within easy walking distance in the town centre. I can definitely recommend the hotel Athena.

Guest name: Peter Dempsey, United Kingdom

Average rating:  9.2

Guest type: Family with older children

stayed in Jun 2006

The hotel is in a good location in Siena, just inside the old city wall, so that the area is quiet, outside the main tourist locations, but still a reasonably easy walk to the heart of the city, no more than a 10-15 minute walk. Make sure to study the map if you are driving in, or be sure to enter the correct city gate, or it may be hard to find. If you come in the right gate, the parking area for the hotel is very close. The staff was adequate and not quite as friendly as some places we stayed, and when we arrived there was no one there to help with the luggage. The breakfast room is very nice. The hotel is modern and clean, well-maintained.

Guest name: Fred Freedman, USA

Average rating:  9.8

Guest type: Mature couple

stayed in Jul 2006

The normal acces to the hotel is closed anf therefore you have to get inside the walls through the Tufi Gate

Guest name: JK, Denmark

Average rating:  10.0

Guest type: Young couple

stayed in Jun 2006

Fabulous hotel, can't say enough good things about it. The price was great, and the room was very spacious and beautiful with a nice large bathroom. Great view of the Tuscan countryside, and convenient walking distance to center of town. We didn't figure out how to use the window shudders, which would have helped reduce the noice from a group of noisy visitors. We booked 8 hotels thru venere.com and all of them turned out as were advertised.

Guest name: Jim Maland, USA

Average rating:  9.6

Guest type: Young couple

stayed in Jul 2006

The hotel was nicely situated along the city walls of Siena, away from the tourist crowds but close enough to walk to all sights within a few minutes. The room was spacious and clean, and the breakfast contained a good assortment of choices from cereal and rolls to yogurt and fresh fruit. The free parking for the car was an added bonus.

Guest name: John Calderone, USA

Average rating:  5.9

Guest type: Mature couple

stayed in Apr 2006

Great room and great breakfast. The staff at the desk werenot as haelpful as you would expect in a hotel of this standard.Couldnt be bothered calling us a taxi so told us that taxis dont come to this hotel!Called one ourselves...in Italian..and it came straight to the door!

Guest name: TF, Australia

Average rating:  5.2

Guest type: Mature couple

stayed in Jun 2006

this hotel should in no way be rated 4stars. The rooms were sad, dirty and tired. One star would be generous. what saved the trip for us was the nice, friendly and knowledgable staff.

Guest name: TB, United Kingdom

Average rating:  9.7

Guest type: Not Specified

stayed in Jul 2006

tout etait bien,sauf la salle du petit dejeuner..un peu renfermee et le fait que nous n'ayons pas pu avoir une orange pressee a l'heure de l'aperitif

Guest name: AC, France

Average rating:  5.7

Guest type: Young couple

stayed in May 2006

It's in a good location and the front desk staff were mostly excellent, happily providing maps, marking things out, and booking restaurants (their own being closed to residents every night to accommodate large groups that arrived by coach!) However, our room, on the 4th floor, was the noisiest hotel room I've ever stayed in. Noise from the room next door, noise from tables & chairs being scraped across the floor in the restaurant, and noise from reception. Between the late night noise finishing and the early morning noise starting, there weren't many hours left for sleep. Consequently we had to catch up on sleep during the day, and spending less time seeing things. Then there was the case of the mysteriously disappearing bath towel. Which we mentioned to reception, but instead of a replacement bath towel we found 5 extra hand towels in our room. We had to complain more than twice to eventually get another bath towel. There is no late evening bar. Or if there is, they chose not to open it. Getting a drink on the terrace involved raiding the rather limited minibar and being disappointed by the view anyway, which you can't see while seated due to the wall. Finally, the garage is a very tight and oddly shaped space to turn a car around in, so expect to scrape it. If the lighting were better, I may not have scraped mine getting out.

Guest name: Nathan Fraser, United Kingdom

Average rating:  7.7

Guest type: Mature couple

stayed in Jun 2006

The location is ideal. The room was neat, and spacious. The majority of the staff were pleasant and helpful. My only complaint concerns the extremely thin walls. I could hear the person in the adjoining room coughing or snoring during the entire four day stay. I did request another room (my request wasn't received well by the woman at the desk) but none were available.

Guest name: KB, USA

Average rating:  8.6

Guest type: Family Group

stayed in May 2006

We had no problems at the Hotel Athena although we (Mom and 21 year old son) were only there for one night. There was a marked difference between the public areas which were beautiful and sparkling clean and the room we stayed in which was not. The room was clean but shabby, dusty light fixtures, stained lamp shades, worn carpet, etc. That was a minor inconvenience as we spend very little time in a hotel room when traveling. The location was within an easy walk of downtown and far enough from downtown to be quiet. The bus stop was right outside the door. The staff were professional and helpful. Breakfast was adequate - neither here nor there, but better than some we had on this trip!! I would definitely stay at the Hotel Athena again.

Guest name: Karen Proft, USA

Average rating:  9.6

Guest type: Heterosexual Couple

stayed in May 2006

Great experience! Helpful staff.

Guest name: MS, USA

Average rating:  7.9

Guest type: Heterosexual Couple

stayed in May 2006

I was pleasently suprised. I had stayed here several years ago and it was ok. The hotel has updated all thier rooms and the rooms were great. Nothing fancy but very nice. We did have dinner at the hotel one night and would probably recommend eating elsewhere. We weren't impressed with the food. All other aspects of the hotel were great. The front desk, wait & bell staff exceeded my expectations.

Guest name: Ronald Petersen, USA

Average rating:  10.0

Guest type: Single leisure traveller

stayed in May 2006

Really nice hotel, will stay there another time, very spacious. The only minor drawback is that it is a bit off the center and a bit pricy. But overall, very satisfied

Guest name: PW, China

Average rating:  6.8

Guest type: Single leisure traveller

stayed in Apr 2006

The number of employees seems not to be enough to provide all the services. I can't imagine how they handle in the high season. For the same prices should be better compared to other accomodations in Toscana.

Guest name: Cem Horzum, Turkey

Average rating:  7.9

Guest type: Heterosexual Couple

stayed in Apr 2006

Slightly disappointed with stay. Expensive, out of the way location, average breakfast.

Guest name: Harvey Webb, Australia

Average rating:  9.9

Guest type: Family Group

stayed in Apr 2006

We had a wonderful stay at the Athena.

Guest name: PH, USA

Average rating:  10.0

Guest type: Heterosexual Couple

stayed in Mar 2006

Hotel and service was more than accommodating. Staff was very helpful with suggestions for dining and other excursions in and around Siena. Would definitely suggest this hotel to anyone. Best of all hotels we stayed at during our vacation.

Guest name: Diane Dorner, USA

Average rating:  10.0

Guest type: Group

stayed in Mar 2006

Very clean. Great size room compared to others in Italy. We had a quad and got a double bed and 2 "cots". Pillows were great. Good enough for what we were looking for. Central, about 10 min walk from center and 15 min taxi ride from train station (8euros). The staff was very friendly and helpful. Breakfast was good. We had a beautiful view from our room. Overall, just an excellent hotel.

Guest name: Carlos Falcon, USA