In its pursuit of getting far more a location than a stopover metropolis, Athens has flourished in recent years with a host of eclectic art gallery and bar openings to complement its renowned historic sites and refined lodges. Houses like the 3 on this brand-new listing provide as stellar home bases from which to explore the metropolis, which travelers are recognizing deserves extra time than a 4-hour Acropolis tour.
Each individual calendar year for our World’s Finest Awards survey, Journey + Leisure asks viewers to weigh in on journey experiences close to the world — to share their thoughts on the best inns, resorts, metropolitan areas, islands, cruise ships, spas, airways, and more. Lodges (together with safari lodges) have been rated on their facilities, area, service, meals, and total value. Houses have been categorized as city lodge, resort, or safari lodge based mostly on their destinations and amenities.
Courtesy of Resort Grande Bretagne, a Luxurious Collection Lodge, Athens
The a few properties that rated as the greatest resorts in Athens capitalize not only on the city’s record but its geography as well. The apparent example is the long-anticipated Four Seasons Astir Palace Resort Athens (No. 2), which opened in spring 2019. Set on the Athenian Riviera, the Four Seasons marries the convenience of a metropolis hotel with the very best factors of a waterfront vacation resort, such as a few seashores. Concerning the Martin Brudnizki–designed interiors and the recently Michelin-starred Pelagos cafe, it is not a shock that a single T+L reader pronounced the hotel “pretty much ideal,” especially touting its “lovely area, outstanding assistance, and excellent dining.”
By distinction, the No. 1 and No. 3 hotels are nestled in the heart of Athens, in Syntagma Square in full watch of the Acropolis. The two aspect of Marriott’s Luxurious Selection portfolio, King George (No. 3) and Resort Grande Bretagne (No. 1) populate historic buildings that are strolling distance from attractions which includes Athens’s Plaka, historic Agora, Lycabettus Hill, and Roman Discussion board. Unsurprisingly, equally are touted by our visitors as providing an “exceptional location” — but go through on to obtain what sets Hotel Grande Bretagne apart as the most effective Athens hotel in the inaugural version of this group.
1. Hotel Grande Bretagne, a Luxury Assortment Lodge, Athens
Courtesy of Lodge Grande Bretagne, a Luxury Selection Hotel, Athens
Score: 93.72
Far more information and facts: marriott.com
To continue to be at the Resort Grande Bretagne is to rest within a compact piece of Athens’s background. The setting up was erected in 1874, only 44 years soon after Greece obtained independence from the Ottoman Empire. When Athens hosted the very first contemporary Olympic Games in 1896, the most essential attendees stayed at this grande dame. And in far more latest many years, the 320-room resort has performed host to the likes of Elizabeth Taylor, Francis Ford Coppola, Jay-Z, and Bruce Springsteen. Our audience praised the hotel’s natural beauty, place, and major attraction: the rooftop bar and restaurant (“not to be skipped,” a person WBA voter insisted). With a person of the most effective views of the Acropolis in the city, the GB Roof Garden Restaurant allows make the resort “excellent in all strategies,” for each a further reader.
2. 4 Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens
Ken Seet/Courtesy of 4 Seasons
Score: 93.14
More facts: fourseasons.com
3. King George, a Luxury Collection Hotel
Courtesy of King George, a Luxury Assortment Hotel, Athens
Score: 91.50
More information: marriott.com