Athens is hotter than ever, and the action-packed city center has a new boutique hotel for any kind of traveler
For Gourmands
Xenodocheio Milos
Chef Costas Spiliadis has proudly flown Greece’s culinary flag since opening Estiatorio Milos in Montreal in 1979. His high-end restaurant chain has since expanded to New York City, London, and Miami, and now Spiliadis is venturing into hospitality with Xenodocheio Milos, a 43-room hotel set in two historic Neo-classical buildings not far from Athens’s Syntagma Square. Light-bathed and minimally decorated to feel like a modern residence, the guest rooms feature high ceilings, hardwood floors, and spacious white marble bathrooms. The real draw, though, is the on-site branch of Estiatorio Milos, which serves all of the star chef’s greatest hits: crispy-fried barbounia fish, grilled-to-order heads-on prawns, and flaky, honey-soaked baklava.
For Design Enthusiasts
Mona
The central neighborhood of Psirri has it all: great restaurants, cool galleries, and antique markets. Mona—a 20-room bolthole from the team behind the hip Shila hotel in nearby Kolonaki—gives you easy access to all of that, while also tucking you away in a quiet, intimate cocoon. Set in a 1950s factory building, the property retains the original iron staircase, terrazzo floors, and metal windows, but augments the industrial elements with sensual touches such as plush velvet couches, slender pendant bulbs, wispy linen curtains, and free-standing bathtubs. Enjoy breakfast (a tray of bread from a local bakery, fresh fruit, homemade granola, and yogurt) on the rooftop or in the basement-level speakeasy.
For Thrill-Seekers
Gatsby Athens
The name says it all at Gatsby Athens, a 33-room homage to the Roaring ’20s just a few blocks from Syntagma Square. Take in the marble floors and gold-coated furnishings, enjoy a drink at the guests-only rooftop garden’s cocktail bar, and then return to your room to luxuriate in the outdoor hot tub or the spacious, pink-tiled showers. If you’re the adventurous type, you won’t be able to call it a night just yet, because there’s a “Dare” button found in every room. Press it, and the hotel staf f will send up a surprise gift. It could be a slice of cake, a potent cocktail, or a bit of “exciting entertainment”— whatever that means…
For Party Monsters
Brown Lighthouse Athens
Omonia Square was once the commercial and social hub of the city, and though it fell into disrepair, a spate of redevelopment has seen lively spots such as Brown Lighthouse Athens return to the area. In a nod to the period when this was Athens’s theater district, the 214-room hotel takes the building’s industrial bones and adds ornate furnishings and fixtures. Lighthouse’s real calling card, however, is its social events: The first-floor restaurant hosts DJ parties and themed brunch events, while the lush rooftop—with its plunge pool and views of the Acropolis—buzzes throughout summer. The scene will surely only get wilder when the hotly anticipated nightclub opens.
