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Hotels At the time of writing, two luxury hotels, the Hilton Hotel and the Hotel Grande Bretagne, were still closed for refurbishment. However, they are both scheduled to reopen in February 2003 and have therefore been included below in the Other Recommendations section. A service charge of 12% and a local tax of 10% is usually included in hotel prices, rather than added to the bill at the end, but visitors should check. The prices given below are the starting prices for a standard double room, including service charge and tax, but excluding breakfast, unless otherwise stated. Business Andromeda Athens This exclusive boutique-style hotel lies east of Kolonáki, close to the US Embassy and the Athens Concert Hall and away from the bustle of the city centre. Secluded and private, the interior is adorned with Persian carpets, Italian pastels and modern, designer furniture. The 30 spacious guest rooms are elegantly decorated and offer full modern comforts. Across the road lie 12 recently opened suites with kitchenettes, which are perfect for longer stays. Executive services include a business centre and a conference room with seating for up to 180. It is located seconds from the Megaro Mousikis metro station and ten minutes by taxi from Syntagma Square. Timoleontos Vassou 22 Tel: 210 641 5000. Fax: 210 646 6361. E-mail: andromeda@slh.com Website: www.slh.com/andromeda Price: From €435. Athenaeum Inter-Continental Purpose built for business travellers and tourists, the Athenaeum Inter-Continental is situated on a busy thoroughfare south of the Acropolis. Its 489 rooms and 54 suites are well equipped, modern and stylish. Conference facilities include the Athenaeum Ballroom, one of largest function rooms in Greece (seating 2200), and the Athenaeum Conference Centre, designed to accommodate up to 150 delegates. Seventeen business rooms function as 24-hour office spaces and two floors are devoted to the Executive Club. The rooftop restaurant offers splendid views over the capital, while leisure facilities include a gym, sauna, solarium and open-air swimming pool. A hotel shuttle bus makes regular ten-minute departures to the city centre. Syngrou 89-93 Tel: 210 920 6000. Fax: 210 920 6500. E-mail: athens@interconti.com Website: www.interconti.com Price: €332 (including breakfast). Best Western Esperia Palace Hotel Located right in the centre of town, close to Syntagma Square and the Parliament, this elegant hotel is popular with business travellers and politicians, thanks to its high standards and moderate prices. Upon entering the lobby, one is immediately struck by the pleasant decor, discreet flower arrangements and helpful staff. The 178 rooms (including a suite and studio) are tastefully furnished with reproduction antiques. Visitors to central Athens frequently complain of sleepless nights due to traffic noise but guest rooms at the Esperia are double-glazed and quite peaceful. There are four conference and meeting rooms (seating ten to 250), and the Athinaios Restaurant offers first-class catering. Stadiou 22 Tel: 210 323 8001. Fax: 210 323 8100. E-mail: esper@otenet.gr Website: www.esperia.gr Price: From €212 (including breakfast). Plaka Hotel Fully refurbished in 2001, the 67 rooms of the Plaka Hotel comprise pine floors, minimalist Italian-style furniture and cheerful, primary-coloured fabrics. Each has an en-suite bathroom and is equipped with telephone, air conditioning, TV, safe and mini-fridge. The modern comforts and central location make this hotel popular with Greek business travellers and tourists – it is close to the Monastiráki metro station and a five-minute walk from Syntagma Square. Up top, there is a roof garden overlooking the jumbled rooftops of Pláka, with a summer snack bar. The nearby Hotel Achilleas, just off Syntagma Square at 21 Lekka, is under the same management. Kapnikareas 7 Tel: 210 322 2096. Fax: 210 322 2412. E-mail: plaka@tourhotel.gr Website: www.plakahotel.gr Price: From €112 (including breakfast). Luxury Hotel Pentelikon This impressive 1920s building is set in its own grounds in the exclusive northern suburb of Kifissia. It is a 30-minute ride by car or metro from the centre but the area’s tree-lined boulevards and fresh air (4°C cooler than in town) make it a welcome retreat. Each of the 44 rooms (including 14 suites) is uniquely decorated in Belle Époque style, with floral wallpaper and fabrics and select antiques. The hotel’s peaceful garden is enhanced by a swimming pool and its five conference and banqueting halls make it a classy venue for business meetings and celebrations. Gourmets come here specifically to dine at the Vardis restaurant and Sting was a recent guest. Diligianni 66, Kifissia Tel: 210 623 0650. Fax: 210 801 0314. E-mail: pentelik@otenet.gr Website: www.hotelpentelikon.gr Price: From €470. St George Lycabettus This luxury hotel, located in Kolonáki on the way up Lycabettus Hill, close to the funicular for St George’s Church, affords fantastic views over Athens. Its 157 rooms are individually furnished in modern style with a classical touch, while each floor follows a theme, with the corridors exhibiting paintings and objects related to various aspects of Greek culture, such as shipping or Byzantine icons. The Grand Balcon restaurant is set in a lovely roof garden and there is a rooftop swimming pool and bar, as well as a gym and sauna. Additional facilities include four conference rooms, a business room and a minibus shuttle service to Syntagma Square. Kleomenous 2 Tel: 210 729 0711. Fax: 210 729 0439. E-mail: info@sglycabettus.gr Website: www.sglycabettus.gr Price: From €270. Moderate Acropolis House Situated in a pedestrian side street in the heart of Pláka, the Houdalakis family have run this friendly and unpretentious pension since 1965. Families are welcome and children much adored. The decor may be rather basic and slightly dingy but the location, a ten-minute walk below the Acropolis, is fantastic. There are 20 comfortable single, double and larger family rooms, both with or without bathrooms. Most rooms have air conditioning, available for a small surcharge. Other amenities include a small breakfast room and a TV lounge. Guests should be prepared to pay a 10% surcharge for stays of less than three days. Kodrou 6-8 Tel: 210 322 2344 or 322 6241. Price: From €50 (including breakfast). Marble House Pension Hidden away in a cul-de-sac off An Zinni, this reasonably priced pension lies in the peaceful residential area of Koukaki, south of the Acropolis. There is a good public bus service to the centre and Pláka is just a ten-minute walk away. Fully refurbished in 2000, the 16 rooms are spanking new – most have private bathrooms and balconies and all have mini-fridges. Air conditioning is available at a small surcharge. There is a homely, family atmosphere, with a small bougainvillea-covered terrace out front where guests can have breakfast, plus a communal lounge with satellite TV. Through the winter, rooms are rented out on a monthly basis. An Zinni 35 Tel: 210 923 4058. Fax: 210 922 6461. Price: From €35. Other Recommendations Art Gallery Hotel Housed in the former studio and gallery of Greek artist Dora Bouki, this hotel lies in a quiet residential street in Koukaki, a ten-minute walk from Pláka, south of the Acropolis. Bouki’s niece now runs the establishment and offers friendly and endlessly patient advice at the reception. There are 20 rooms, all with wooden floors, ceiling fans and bathrooms; many also have balconies affording views of the Acropolis. Long-distance travellers will appreciate the hotel laundry service. Colourful oil paintings by Bouki are on display throughout the building and the resident cat adds to the homely atmosphere. Erecthiou 5 Tel: 210 923 8376. Fax: 210 923 3025. E-mail: ecotec@otenet.gr Price: From €70. Hilton Hotel Due to reopen in February 2003, this hotel is situated opposite the National Art Gallery, within walking distance of the British and American Embassies and close to the Evangelismos metro station, on the edge of Kolonáki. The smart modern hotel has 517 rooms, 220 with views of the Acropolis, for which a small supplement is payable, and is popular with business travellers. All rooms have balconies, as well as telephone, satellite TV, air conditioning, mini-bar. Executive rooms have a few extra perks, such as bathrobe, iron and ironing board, two telephones, modem point and a complimentary Wall Street Journal. The 14 meeting rooms, with a business centre and a vast exhibition space, also make this an ideal conference venue. There are six restaurants, two bars (one on the rooftop), a swimming pool and health centre. Vassilissis Sofias 46 Tel: 210 728 1000. Fax: 210 728 1111. E-mail: gm_athens@hilton.com Website: www.athens.hilton.com Price: From €475. Hotel Grande Bretagne Due to reopen in February 2003 as part of Starwood Hotels’ ‘Luxury Collection’, this exclusive hotel is going to be gloriously restored to its former opulence. The city’s oldest and most prestigious hotel was originally built in 1842 as a private mansion, located opposite the former Royal Palace (now the Parliament), but it was converted into a hotel in 1872 and, since then, royalty, heads of state, film and rock stars have all stayed here. The elegant marble lobby is tastefully arranged with Oriental rugs and chandeliers, while the newly refurbished 328 guest rooms and 74 suites are equally refined. ‘Smart rooms’ will be dedicated to business travellers, providing office workspace and being well-equipped with business facilities. There is a rooftop restaurant offering stunning views over the Acropolis, a health club and spa, an indoor pool, as well as an outdoor rooftop pool and bar. Vassilissis Georgiou 1, Syntagma Square Tel: 210 333 0000. Fax: 210 322 8034. E-mail: info@hotelgrandebretagne-ath.gr Website: www.hotelgrandebretagne-ath.gr Price: From €551. |
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