Picture this. You’ve spent the day exploring ancient streets and urban neighbourhoods. Now, you’re diving into a crystalline cove as the sun sinks over the Aegean. Or unwinding at a beach bar, cocktail in hand, on a secluded sandy bay. Welcome to Athens: one of the few European capitals where you can merge an action-packed city break with an idyllic beach escape on a stunning 50km coastline lined with five-star resorts. The Athens Riviera makes a fantastic multi-tasking base from which to tap the endless delights of Athens. Choose from romantic boltholes, spa retreats, family-friendly hotels with pools, budget digs or seaside resorts.
Glyfada
Glyfada Riviera
Why Glyfada: shopping for every budget, glam bites and bars, easy access to Athens city centre.
Best for: foodies, design lovers, girls’ trips.
Check-in: for a cruisy ambience with urban attitude, about 100 metres from the sea. This well-priced five-star arrival is the design hotel that Glyfada has been crying out for. Gold honeycomb sofas, icy marble and bleached wood light up the lobby and witty set pieces personalise the interiors: a pair of gold-plated Wellington boots for your brolly; a vintage Wurlitzer that plays popular Greek tunes at the pool café. Many rooms have sea and marina views (splurge for the penthouse and you’ll spot Aegina island from your rooftop Jacuzzi). French chef Olivier Campanha has been lured from Mykonos to launch a new fine dining restaurant, Maraveal, with just seven tables. It specialises in tasting menus: star ingredients like langoustines and Challans duck are served in a dizzying number of ways. If only you could pick up this hotel and move it 500 metres closer to downtown Glyfada, it would be just about perfect. But then it would probably be twice the price.
Check-out: the hip wine bar with a great list of Greek wines by the glass, paired with elegant bites like smoked vegetable tart. The small-but-sweet ‘spa cave’ with hamam, sauna and massage room.
Courtesy: Glyfada Riviera
Vouliagmeni
Courtesy: Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens
Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens
Why Vouliagmeni: Great seafood restaurants, family-friendly beaches and five-star resorts.
Best for: couples, families, spa junkies, fitness freaks, foodies, business travellers… frankly anyone who can afford the tab at Athens’ most luxurious resort.
Check in: for unadulterated glamour on a pine-studded peninsula with three private coves. Do as much or as little as you like: hit the state-of-the-art gym, water ski at see-and-be-seen Astir Beach, graze your way around the eight restaurants, stroll the 1km seafront promenade…or simply park yourself on one of 800 sun-loungers, watch the yachts coming and going, and plot your next spa move.
Check out: classic champagne cocktails at slinky Avra Bar. Volcanic glass facials at the blissful all-white spa. 2,000 stunning contemporary artworks.
The Margi
Best for: couples, gourmets, those who prefer intimate hotels over big resorts.
Check in: to experience a luxury landmark that’s the essence of this classy seaside suburb. The Margi lies on a pleasant leafy street about two minutes’ walk from the seafront—if you can drag yourself away from one of the foxiest pools in Athens. Standard rooms are on the small side; the Margi’s main draw is its ultra-chic stone lobby and exotic outdoor spaces. If the weather turns on you, there’s a posh indoor pool and spa for all seasons.
Check out: loved-up poolside dining at Malabar restaurant. The Margi’s new summer bar-restaurant, Krabo, on its own peaceful cove. Margi Farm for farm to fork adventures among olive groves on a 20-acre property nearby.
Courtesy: The Margi
Courtesy: Athenian Riviera Hotel & Suites
Athenian Riviera Hotel & Suites
Best for: couples, budget watchers.
Check in: for a stylish and secluded base that won’t break the bank. This great-value newcomer is hidden among a canopy of pines on a pretty residential street, a few minutes’ walk from Vouliagmeni’s great beaches and cafes. There’s no sea view—except from the top-floor executive suite—but you get a lovely, restful aspect over the white sweep of Vouliagmeni and the foothills of Ymittos. Rooms have spacious marble balconies and black and white décor with wooden floors and arty photography. Friendly staff create a ‘home from home’ vibe.
Check out: the hanging wicker chairs framing the compact pool, perfect for curling up in with a book, and the supersize lawn chess.
Somewhere Hotel
Best for: well-heeled couples and fans of discreet luxury.
Check in: Tell everyone you’ve gone “somewhere”, then disconnect at this sophisticated gem that hides in plain sight behind a wall of pines in central Vouliagmeni (many assume it’s just another plush residence). Families with small children might feel a little exposed in the intimate pool area and light sleepers have been known to gripe about the late-night traffic. But Somewhere has a positive energy and plenty of friendly touches; they’ll pick you up from the airport and pack you a breakfast box to go if you’ve got an early flight.
Check out: smart rooms, operated with mobile keys and iPads. Pretty plates at the terrific, off-radar Greek restaurant, Lutetia (order the octopus carpaccio with balsamic cream). The al-fresco breakfasts are top-notch too, especially the poached eggs.
Courtesy: Somewhere Hotel
Kavouri
Courtesy: Divani Apollon Palace & Thalasso
Divani Apollon Palace & Thalasso
Why Kavouri: scenic seaside promenades and Cycladic-chic tavernas.
Best for: spa addicts, families, business travellers, water babies.
Check in: for an all-round crowd-pleaser with good conference facilities in a prime, sea-facing location. The enormous lobby and standard rooms feel a little tired when pitted against the Riviera’s newer 5-star hotels. But what this seven-storey property lacks in up-to-the-minute design, it makes up for with fantastic aquatic assets. A glam pool terrace consumes about half the site. Families love the two-pool set up (one is saltwater). Greeks come from far and wide to harness the therapeutic powers of the Aegean at Divani’s thalassotherapy spa, one of Europe’s largest. Hotel regulars rave about the abundant breakfasts and super-attentive staff.
Check out: the black cod with scallops and saffron, served on the private pier of Mythos restaurant. Free shuttle buses several times a day to Glyfada and Syntagma Square. The cute private beach that’s accessed through a tunnel.
Anavyssos
Plaza Resort Hotel
Why Anavyssos: sleepy charm, clean seas, and traditional fish tavernas.
Best for: long weekends, families, and windsurfers.
Check in: when you want that relaxed island feeling, but haven’t got time to jump on a ferry. With its marble lobby and leather furniture, the Plaza Resort adds an unexpected splash of five-star luxury to Anavyssos, a peaceful seaside town about twenty-five minutes’ drive from Athens airport. The action revolves around a killer 25-metre pool deck, flanked by lush lawns, palm trees, and white umbrellas, steps from a sandy beach. Anavyssos is a popular spot for windsurfers. The hotel’s Watersports Club is well-regarded by local pros and also offers water skiing, parasailing, scuba diving, wakeboarding and other aquatic pursuits.
Check out: their rocking Sunday brunches starring help-yourself mimosas. The breezy beach bistro for elegant Greek eats. Summer movie screenings out on the lawn.
Courtesy: Plaza Resort Hotel
Cape Sounion
Courtesy: Aegeon Beach Hotel
Aegeon Beach Hotel
Why Sounion: sea, serenity, and epic views of the Temple of Poseidon.
Best for: chill seekers and nature lovers.
Check in: for three-star value for money at a five-star locale. Take an unplugged escape at this beachfront hotel on a beautiful sandy bay dotted with luxury yachts, right beneath the ancient Temple of Poseidon. There’s not much else to do other than eat, sunbathe, unwind, and wait for the nightly drama of the sunset over Lord Byron’s beloved ruins—and that’s entirely the point. If you get restless, take a scenic hike through Sounion National Park to spot prehistoric cave fossils. A recent revamp has added a smart timber deck with sun-loungers facing the sea. On summer weekends, you’ll have to share them with Athenian day-trippers.
Check out: the secret trail that leads down from the temple straight to the hotel. The two old school fish tavernas that share the bay (they get rammed on Sundays, so book ahead and go early).
