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Athens is a wonderful place for a city break in a luxury cocoon. Few cities in the world can match the millennia of human heritage crammed into its compact historic centre. If you're a foodie, you can snack on street food delights like souvlaki and bougatsa, eat multiple meze dishes at a mezedopoleion, or indulge in contemporary Mediterranean-fusion dining while discovering the best of new-style Greek wines. Many of the best luxury hotels in Athens cluster around Syntagma Square in the heart of the city, within walking distance of key sights. But you'll also find plenty of smaller, intimate luxury hotels in traffic-free Plaka and distinctive places to stay on the outskirts of town, in the cool and leafy upscale neighbourhood of Kifissia on the slopes of Mt Pendeli.
For Classic Grandeur
Polished mahogany, gleaming brass, creamy marble and an aura of hushed opulence prevail in the classical surroundings of the best luxury hotels in Athens.
- Stay at the Grande Bretagne for fine dining, immaculate service, and facilities including indoor and outdoor pools.
- Next door, the King George shares its neighbour's super location and adds state-of-the-art facilities to neoclassical elegance.
- Completing a trio of grand Syntagma hotels, NJV Athens Plaza is a sleek contemporary hotel.
For Boutique Style
If you prefer a more intimate kind of luxury, you'll find plenty of cute and romantic boutique hotels in the city centre. Many of them are in lovingly-restored historic mansions.
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- For stylish minimalism and a location right next to the Acropolis, AthensWas is hard to beat. Oozing with chic, it's housed in a former apartment building, totally smartened up with gleaming marble and walnut and modern-vintage furnishings. A rooftop restaurant completes the picture.
- Lovers of modernism may also like the monochrome colour schemes at Hotel Periscope, where white Egyptian cottons offset charcoal-coloured walls.
- Restrained luxury in a neo-classical setting is the keynote of the Athens Mansion Luxury Suites, where suites feature balconies with views over the historic centre.
- You'll find luxurious rooms with balconies too at Inn Athens, a chic choice just off Syntagma Square.
- For urban style, The Zillers is one of The Guru's favourite boutique hideyholes, with urban-chic designer rooms and Acropolis views from its Roof Garden bar.
- Ample-sized rooms at the stately Noble Suites are dressed with period furniture in keeping with the building's neoclassical heritage; some have Acropolis views.
For Retro Style
Some of the best luxury hotels in Athens date from the glam years of the swinging '60s, when the Jackie Onassis jet-set flocked to Greece.
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- Buffed up for the 21st century, the somewhat colossal Divani Caravel offers perks like a rooftop pool and spa to compensate for a slightly incovenient location.
- From the same era, the Electra Metropolis boasts a rooftop pool and fabulous views.
- Equally fab is the Saint George Lycabettus, where classic luxury meets 21st-century style on the edge of posh Kolonaki.
Still not sure what to book?