Views of the Acropolis from a room at A77 Suites by Andronis
My first trip to Athens was a doozy. Young, with a Kraft Macaroni & Cheese budget, I snagged a $400 flight deal from New York direct to Greece. I spent the flight curled into a back-wrenching ball trying to sleep in a cramped economy seat. Upon arrival at the budget hotel we booked online, I collapsed atop the flimsy bed until dusk. While hunting for dinner, jet-lagged and unfamiliar with the dark tangle of streets, an older man approached me and my travel companion with an invitation to “eat some of Athens’ best baby lamb chops” somewhere near the Acropolis. Too tired to appreciate this seemingly quintessential Greek experience would be an actual quintessential tourist trap, we went along for the walk to a scruffy taverna for scorched meat. It was an ignoble death for that young animal, setting the tone for the rest of our meals that week.
My experiences in this storied city have come a long way—from finding third wave coffee shops, trendy clothing designers, and fantastic food at thoughtful wine bars—but most of my hotel stays remained underwhelming until now. Since the economic crisis of 2008, Athens has undergone a creative rebirth, with hoteliers on a tear, rejecting the outdated aesthetic of the Grand Tour Grand Dames to reimagine antique and mid-century buildings into one-of-a kind properties.
Here’s where to stay on your next trip to this ancient city on a modern streak.
One of the elegant rooms at A77 Suites by Andronis
Down the famous pedestrian street of Adrianou in the busy tourist neighborhood of Plaka, a ground-floor women’s boutique lures in fashion-forward shoppers. The rest of us, huddled inside the store-cum-lobby with luggage (I recognized two Americans from my United flight out of Newark), browsed finely woven hats, summer sandals, and silk gowns by Greek and international designers while waiting to check in. The A77 Suites by Andronis boutique hotel sat directly above the shop. Nearby, a slender, energetic woman from the hotel’s small team of staff, stood sentry over our bags.
After getting our key card and providing our breakfast-in-bed wishes for a “Greek omelet, yogurt and fruit, black coffee” we took the petite elevator up to the third floor to meet the guest-relations-bell-hop-concierge at our door.
As I would conclude two weeks later, traveling in Greece during the pandemic felt no different from being home in New York City. If anything, the hospitality industry adhered far more rigidly to the country’s safety guidelines than almost anywhere in the US. As such, hotel staff always wore masks and never entered your room to point out functional details like lights switches and thermostats, a change in service my husband heartily welcomed as a permanent practice.
After the abbreviated explanation of the interior, we closed the door and pondered the bed, its easy curves and plush pillows beckoning. First, I needed a few photos before we trashed the room with clothes and laptops, simply to remember its lovely details.
Decorative wall molding and tall shuttered windows spoke to the building’s 19th century neoclassical European heritage. A leather chair, a velvet bed, and other sumptuous textiles offered a soothing palette in rose, sand, and sky. Brass and marble touches, globe sconces, artistic black and white photos, and other details like a potted olive tree and a curvy desk reminiscent of neo-deco meets Scandi design, accomplished the difficult feat of creating warm luxurious minimalism. A feat accomplished by the local design studio Mutiny.
Another way to describe a stay at A77: borrowing your chic Athenian friend’s flat while she holidays as a verb in Santorini with a Greek shipping empire heir.
Those used to resort-style properties, take note: A77’s small footprint restricts amenities—no restaurant, no gym—but that’s perfectly fine. Athens demands your attention.
We napped a few hours, then flung open the windows for a thrilling glimpse of the Acropolis illuminated in the afternoon sun. Between the bustle in the street below and the object of my grade school antiquity obsession in sight, I trembled, hit like a bolt of lightning, a figurative coup de foudre, as the French might say. I had returned to Europe for the first time since the pandemic via Greece. This ancient continent, forever irresistible to Americans, always drew me back for at least one reason: the thousands of years of human history visible in each city’s architectural palimpsest.
In a recent interview with Patrick McGovern, a biomolecular archaeologist, I asked why we humans yearn to know our past and what we learn from doing so. Whether that means recovering an ancient pottery shard that held humankind’s earliest expression of wine or attempting to reconstruct a temple to the goddess Athena Nike.
“An ancient pottery shard might look nondescript and meaningless, but…by even holding it in our hands, we are sharing our common humanity with our ancestors from millennia ago, essentially sharing their trials and tribulations as well their joie de vivre” said McGovern.
A77 by Andronis offers 12 rooms including room 10, the pinnacle of the property. Called the Iconic Suite with Acropolis View & Private Jacuzzi, rates start at $500 a night. If you can splurge, do it.
A77 Suites by Andronis, Adrianou 77, Athina 105 56, Greece
The Modernist Athens lit up at night
It’s easy to forget the impact good service and a generous staff have on one’s hotel stay until recently enjoying the unbridled enthusiasm of the team at The Modernist Athens. Greeted by a staff of three, we were old friends in five minutes, sharing jokes and travel stories without crossing that taboo line of the overly familiar. The vibe: friendly and professional, especially for a hotel as stylish and fun as The Modernist. Such properties tend to have staff with cool attitudes; hipness reinterpreted as coldness.
Another trend emerging within the boutique hotel industry is the requirement that guests handle their own bags, even within the world of corporate brands. But not in Athens. Not at the Modernist, which is the second hotel by of entrepreneur Kostis Karatzas who opened his first property in downtown Thessaloniki. This latest project opened last summer during the pandemic. The property occupies a former Canadian Embassy on the southern slopes of Lycabettus Hill in the upscale neighborhood of Kolonaki. Karatzas collaborated on the dark-toned contemporary design with architects FORMrelated.
Contemporary decor of The Modernist Athens dining space and lobby.
George handled our bags as we took the elevator to meet him on the fourth floor. He conducted the brief (or improved) “tour” of our room from the hall.
Once inside, I took a few pictures. I felt at ease with the stark black-and-white décor, bronze accents, and matte black bathroom hardware probably because it reflected my design choices back home.
The spacious corner room also featured a desk, plenty of hangers and drawers, which I appreciated despite never unpacking. The highlight, however: double balconies with views of a leafy park and nearby residential buildings. When staying in Kolonaki, one experiences residential Athens, not Instagram Athens.
Already charmed by staff, they deployed another winning customer-service strategy by offering us a boozy cocktail at check-in.
During my prior visit to the city, I’d caught a glimpse of The Clumsies, a beautiful bar in a downtown townhouse. While passing by, I noticed an ample amount of day drinkers spread across quirky rooms and outdoor spaces. Regretfully, I had no time for a drink in situ, so I was delighted to learn the cocktails served at The Modernist Athens were devel0ped by the owners/bartenders behind this World’s 50 Best Bars 2020 recipient. Plus, we could have one on the roof! Hooray.
After a quick refresh, we headed upstairs. A row of seats lining the edge of the building provided theater-like viewing of the sunset. A covered space with a couch and additional chairs served groups of guests. Several young Brits traveling in a pack spent an hour gossiping about a friend’s wedding while glugging bottles of rosé.
An XL room with black and white color scheme and with bronze accents.
The bar and kitchen off the lobby prepares the hotel’s food and drinks, so a vintage telephone hung on a wall on the roof allows guests to phone down their order. Within minutes of hanging up, a woman in head-to-toe black appeared with our selections and small snacks.
As the sun descended, we fretted over the dinner plan. Being Sunday, places were closed or booked. The staff came to our rescue, calling nearly a dozen spots, repeatedly returning to the roof to provide updates on their customized plan. First, “glasses of wine” here. Then, “order a cab, you must use this app” to go for dinner there. After, “we’ve booked you cocktails at 10:45 PM” here. For a small property, we enjoyed 5-star concierge level service many 5-star hotels don’t offer.
In the morning, we skipped breakfast to seek out local flavors—and coffee. That offered a glimpse of the neighborhood in daylight. Rather than pulse with the energy of carefree tourists, the streets filled with frenetic locals scurrying to catch buses and trains to work. At that moment, the reality of Athens as a living, breathing, flawed but beautiful city revealed itself clearly. Blending ancient history, travelers’ pleasures, and busy modern life, I sensed the locals’ “trials and tribulations as well their joie de vivre” and I loved it.
The Modernist features 38 rooms split into four categories: S, M, L, XL. Don’t miss cocktails on the roof.
The Modernist, Ioannou Gennadiou 4, Athina 106 76, Greece