Accommodations In Athens: Best Hotels And Resorts
A few years ago, Athens only had run-down hostels and bland commercial hotels. When real estate values fell during the financial crisis, developers swooped in and purchased homes, offices, and abandoned workshops for close to nothing. While drastically altering entire neighborhoods, Airbnb hasn’t hindered the growth of the hotel sector.
Hipster-style hotels are popping up all over the city center, while beachside retreats are upping their game to compete with the most prominent newcomer, Greece’s first Four Seasons. You’ll want to remain in the city longer than just a layover given that there are so many lovely places to stay. Here is a list of 13 of Viator’s favorite hotels in Athens.
1. Xenodocheio Milos
Chef Costas Spiliadis’ growing chain of Greek restaurants, Estiatorio Milos, elevates extreme simplicity into a wonderful eating experience by using the best, most exact handling of the purest ingredients. Even though it is not pretentious, Spiliadis’ first hotel project is upmarket.
The Milos Hotel, which has a tonne of white marble, light oak, and sumptuous leather furnishings, is situated in the heart of Athens’ business and political districts. Bedrooms that are modern and roomy are meticulously decorated with little hassle.
Large patios with views of the former Parliament are available in several apartments. The food is what attracts people, despite the lack of amenities other than a small health and exercise center.
Dinner is a tangle of bitter greens and a whole croaker, both chosen from the sumptuous seafood display and baked in hand-picked flakes of rock salt. The ultimate reward would be a private meal on Spiliadis’ boat, Milos at Sea.
2. Gatsby Athens
The quaint Gatsby Athens hotel is a welcome addition to the “Historic Triangle’s” burgeoning hotel industry. It is clever, snarky, and delightfully kitsch (a warren of lively streets between Syntagma and Monastiraki squares). Instead of having numbers, the six storeys’ worth of compact but cozy rooms have names like Cool and Lavish.
The raunchy pictures on the walls and the “after-sex” items on the room service menu give off the vibe of a raucous weekend or girls’ retreat. The penthouse party suite’s top terrace offers a fireplace for cold winter nights and a projector for outdoor private screenings in the summer.
The lively lobby bar and restaurant, which has picture windows facing a fashionable arcade, serves delicious all-day brunch and afternoon tea after a few too many bartenders Artemis’ Negronis. There are spoiler-free Dare Me buttons in every room.
3. Mona
To fit its location downtown, Mona, which is Shila’s sister hotel, has a more angular industrial edge to go with its similar romantic design aesthetic. The area around Mona, a former textile mill on a side street covered in graffiti, is filled with clubs, stores, and the central market of Athens, which has a bazaar-like feel.
With old daybeds, muslin curtains, and large velvet cubes are thrown around like dice on worn-out terrazzo floors, open-plan bedrooms and baths are set-like. Avoid these places if you struggle with intimacy. Exposed concrete, pipes, and recycled materials (such as a mattress on a stack of wooden pallets and a patio sofa constructed from salvaged bricks) provide a touch of rugged luxury.
Also, the sensual artwork and hand-made ceramics heighten the nostalgic romance. A wonderfully prepared breakfast and a take-out menu are offered in the glass-walled ground-floor cafe or on the top terrace, which gives a somber view of incomplete apartments and a sight of the Acropolis.
4. NEW Hotel
Even though it was built in 2011, this design hotel still has a lot to offer. The Brazilian Campana brothers have transformed a vacant downtown space with their distinctive favela style and sense of humor. Inspired upcycling of used furniture can be seen in the lobby’s walls, which are covered in broken chairs and tables. Everything about it is a little crazy, from the bizarre restrooms with bronze mirrored walls to the hybrid seats that resemble enormous marshmallows.
Always courteous employees are knowledgeable about the newest designers to purchase and eateries to try. But because the food is so wonderful, locals frequent the restaurant for sassy cocktails at the rooftop restaurant, which also serves as an art library, and the weekend brunch with Croque Monsieur and Bloody Marys made in the Greek way. Very postmodern, but yet surprisingly enjoyable.
5. The Margi
The Margi, the most desirable neighborhood on the Athens Riviera, has been around since 1960 and is located in the southern suburbs, situated back from the sandy bay of Vouliagmeni. However, the wealthy locals still favor this relaxed, family-run hotel. At the Malabar pool bar or the private restaurant Patio, which has just nine tables, they can be seen making out or acting crazy.
The majority of the food comes from the hotel’s organic farm. Although visitors spend most of their time at the wonderful pool or the small, Asian-inspired spa, the neutral, wood-paneled rooms with views of the pool or pine trees are rather cozy.
Book a sunbed at the beach bar Krabo in the summer to experience the beautiful, bronzed Athenians who pretend to be on Mykonos. Krabo is located in a rocky inlet right above the headland.
6. Ergon House
This is more than just a restaurant with lodging; it’s an urban, contemporary immersion in Greek culinary heritage. The Agora on the ground floor features a four-story hydroponic “vertical orchard” on one wall and traditional Athens graffiti on the other.
It is a constantly busy deli, roastery, bakery, and dining area. The rooms upstairs, which come in sizes S to XL, also lure patrons with elegantly packed Greek artisan cuisine. It has distinct sleeping, living, and bathroom rooms that are enclosed in walnut wood frames, terrazzo flooring, and ornate cinder blocks.
Although the cuisine falls short of the stylish decor, you can put together your supplies in one of the public kitchens. Local hipsters assemble in the summer at the rooftop pub where you can see the Parthenon through the TV antennae.
7. Hotel Grande Bretagne
Some situations call for a classic. The GB has presided over Syntagma Square since 1874, and it is almost as well-known a landmark in Athens as the Acropolis. Politicians who signed treaties, matchmaking socialites, and covert celebrities have all been invited into its salons.
Despite multiple corporate takeovers and renovations, with its enormous chandeliers, vintage paintings, and highly polished marble, it still has a comfortingly traditional air.
The perfect cocktails at Alexander’s Lounge are still delectably unadventurous as a pianist plays in the opulent Winter Garden. An indoor and outdoor pool, an extravagant spa, and ideal Parthenon views are just some of the perks offered to visitors. The rooftop bar and restaurant are also dependably top-notch.
8. Monsieur Didot
In Athens, there are numerous dilapidated mansions from the turn of the 20th century that are begging to be turned into delightful B&Bs. The Knightsbridge of Athens has been thoughtfully restored by best friends Margarita Papaioannou and Natalia Georgopoulou.
The house is pale pink and is located in a quiet area of Kolonaki. There are only six rooms, peaceful, unfussy furniture, and quirky art that doesn’t overpower the building’s lovely construction. It still operates and feels like a family home.
The Ode, a cozy penthouse with a private terrace, and The Tale, a room with a separate entrance, are the best accommodations. For a Greek wine tasting on the hidden roof terrace, ask Natalia to make arrangements.
9. AthensWas
The only five-star hotel on the magnificent promenade that rings the Acropolis is the ideal location if you want to connect with the people of ancient Athens. Surprisingly quiet and modern is the atmosphere.
Classical and contemporary design icons are placed side by side: leather Le Corbusier couches are suspended over black and white marble torsos. Smart rooftop restaurant with views of the Parthenon serves accomplished Greek cuisine. Such as a salad of wilted greens with nut crumble and tangerine, scorpion fish “meatball” soup topped with bottarga.
Also, you can enjoy white chocolate tsoureki (brioche) with kumquat and Greek coffee foam. You can’t beat the location, but service can be spotty and the carpeted, wood-paneled rooms are a touch gloomy for high summer.
10. The Foundry Suites
This former type of foundry is concealed along a cul-de-sac and is covered with a patchwork of exposed stone, enormous Crittall windows, and climbing plants. Inside, mid-century antiques, striking wallpaper, and custom wood and metal bed frames and wardrobes coexist with original industrial elements.
The 12 rooms, which are ideal for extended visits and feature functional kitchens and sunny workstations, are more like apartments. Breakfast is brought to your room or the enchanted roof garden, where the Parthenon may be seen peeking through the trees. Go up there to enjoy wood-fired pizzas and bright Greek wines (one of the wine-obsessed proprietors established a cellar in the basement).
11. Perianth Hotel
The vibrant café scene on Agia Irini Square, which is named after the domed church that stands at the center of the piazza, may be seen from the curved balconies of this Bauhaus monument.
Its interior is a tribute to the 1930s, complete with gloomy black marble, terrazzo floors, and tubular bronze lighting, as well as dusky-pink sofas, sage-green throws, and a touch of contemporary art to keep things interesting. The first floor’s very relaxing Zen Center offers free yoga, meditation, and martial arts programs to visitors.
The all-day restaurant downstairs is a great spot for people-watching, and detoxing with sliders and a spritz. This is a great base for visiting both ancient and contemporary Athens, with a knowledgeable concierge to help you navigate the neighborhood bars, markets, galleries, and the Acropolis directly overhead.
12. Shila
In upscale Kolonaki, you could pass this 1920s property on a pedestrian street without knowing it was the most soulful guesthouse in the area. When you enter, it feels like you’ve stumbled into the bohemian home of an art collector. There is a library full of fascinating literature you want to read, an antique salon with a Strauss piano, and antiques covered in period fabrics.
The verandas of the two airy ground-floor suites are shaded by loquat trees. Four further huge suites with velvet divans, floating beds, interesting artwork, and seductive bathrooms with rough-hewn marble basins are located up the marble staircase (one even has a swing).
Every room contained delectable snacks and toiletries that were made by neighborhood chocolatiers, perfumers, and coffee businesses. The roof garden, a veritable jungle of plants, day beds, and outdoor baths, is the biggest surprise. This is a treasure that seems lived in and is delightfully quirky.
13. Four Seasons Astir Palace
In the 1960s, the Astir Palace popularised the Athens Riviera. It has returned after receiving a glitzy renovation from the Four Seasons, and it is exactly what this developing coastline needed.
A full-fledged coastal hotel that isn’t mired in the past. Dark bedrooms are the pinnacle of covert affluence (do pay the premium for a sea view). In Martin Brudnizki’s trio of seductive restaurants, high rollers sip Champagne cocktails as their beautiful wives are pampered in the waterfront spa.
Water skiers can be used by the young and restless to quickly cross the bay. However, it would be simple to pass the time away on a movable sunbed while admiring a parade of superyachts pass by and stunning sunsets over the Saronic isles. The best of four amazing sea view restaurants, Michelin-starred Pelagos is decked up like an Art Deco ocean liner.
14. The Modernist
Although the Canadian embassy originally occupied its peaceful corner location, the building’s contemporary restoration doesn’t feel stuffy or starchy. The black-and-white rooms, whether they are S, M, L, or XL, have almost Japanese regard for both form and function.
The view is better the higher the floor. Custom-blended teas, monochromatic ceramics, prints by local illustrators, and playlists by local DJs that you can blast on Marshall speakers. These are just a few of the amenities, many of which are available for purchase in the small concept store. Moreover, they have been carefully selected by influential Athenians.
An inspiring place to sit out with your laptop, the ground-floor café serves straightforward breakfasts and nutritious bowls. Try the bergamot gimlet as you sip sundowners on the stylish roof terrace while taking in views of the National Gallery and the disorganized skyline of the city.
Staff members are consistently professional, never intrusive, and always ready to help when needed. An efficient operation in every way.
