Hotels
Shila, Kolonaki
Tranquil spaces are rare in the Greek capital, so Shila’s leafy rooftop garden is a welcome draw, perched above the well-heeled Kolonaki district. This is the sort of discreet gem where you check in for a night and end up staying a week. The building dates to the 1920s and has six suites, each with a private garden or balcony. Faded oriental rugs and rustic stone sinks complement creamy gauze curtains, plush sofas and custom wooden cabinets. “I love exploring the effect of a space on your psyche,” says co-founder Eftihia Stefanidi, who also runs Hotel Mona in Psyrri. “Warmth was the key for us.” Warmth it has – but the breeze may be what clinches it.
Hotel Grande Bretagne, Syntagma
As Greece’s first fully electrified hotel in the 1840s, Hotel Grande Bretagne housed athletes for the first modern Olympic Games. Yet the restored 320-room hotel feels far from old-fashioned. Modern twists and first-class service make the Athenian landmark enduringly popular.
The Ilisian, Ilisia
This hotel brings the capital’s landmark building, formerly home to the Hilton Athens, back to life. Now operating under the Conrad brand, the 1960s modernist structure still features artist Yiannis Moralis’s iconic marble reliefs on its façade. We’re also pleased to see the return of the much-loved rooftop Galaxy bar, revamped as The Galaxy Dispensary.
Perianth Hotel, Psiri
Overlooking a lively square, the Perianth Hotel occupies a 1930s building that was carefully restored by architects K-studio. Spread throughout the 38 rooms and corridors are works by contemporary Greek and Cypriot artists, and the original Bauhaus-influenced interiors and curved balconies remain intact. Its restaurant, Anther, serves up seasonal dishes such as oxtail orzo and beef tartare with smoked aubergine.
Read next:
- Not your typical Greek villas: The coastal residences mixing art and architecture
- Athens’ creative renaissance: Makers, designers and shopkeepers to know
- A roadtrip through the Peloponnese: Greece’s rugged, scenic heartland
