7 Athens hotels for a romantic getaway, from Greek designer interiors to hot tubs with Parthenon views

This legendary resort, where Onassis, Bardot and Sinatra once hung out, is located on a pine-clad peninsula along the Athens Riviera. The seaside facilities are a knock-out, with three private coves and two dazzling pools (one with a floating olive grove), and endless loungers and cabanas. There’s plenty to keep sporty couples busy: tennis and basketball courts, a watersports centre, and jogging maps stashed in your bedside table. For a post-workout rubdown, the white marble spa is pure bliss. Every room has a sea view; even the bathrooms are glass-fronted so you can enjoy that mesmerising vista as you soak in the bathtub. Each of the eight dining venues has excellent food and fabulous views, but the best place for sundowners is Avra bar – the sky and sea are painted the same shade of pink as your raspberry tequila cocktail.

Perianth has all the markings of a future classic. The beautifully updated 1930s landmark is in Agia Irini Square, the nub of Athenian café culture. The vibe is calm and uncluttered, a soothing sanctuary filled with modern art and custom-made furniture – the free-standing wardrobes that double as minibars, walnut headboards and grey terrazzo floors with bronze inlay are all bespoke, designed by K-Studio, the most in-demand architects in Greece. The penthouse suite, which occupies the entire sixth floor and comes with its own pool and hot tub, has stunning Parthenon views. Il Barretto, Italian gran caffe on the ground floor, is as much about the people-watching as the crowd-pleasing Italian comfort food.

This is the grande dame of Athenian hotels. You won’t find a hotel in central Athens with better facilities: there’s a destination spa with various thermal and herbal steam rooms, a mud chamber, ice fountain, reflexology foot spa, and outstanding facials and massages. Rooms are the epitome of old-fashioned chic: antique desks, gilt-edged lamps, Toile de Jouy headboards, swagged cream and gold drapes – plus the fluffiest bathrobes imaginable. Guests on the sixth and seventh floors also get a 24-hour butler service. Dining offerings are opulent: all intricate marble and extravagant flower arrangements, the Winter Garden makes a classy setting for a superb high tea; the small but classic Alexander Bar is a trove of rare malt whiskies and cognacs. You won’t find a more lavish breakfast – or a better view – anywhere else.

Vertical gardens, quirky industrial design, and a beautifully landscaped roof terrace give this former Greek font foundry the edge over the other boutique hotels popping up all over Psirri, a lively neighbourhood in downtown Athens. It’s been lovingly restored and managed by an easygoing couple, and is the kind of intimate hotel where you can chat with the staff for half an hour before you’ve even checked into your room. There are only 12 apartments and each one has a different layout and style, with interesting details such as a metal ‘steering wheel’ to open and close the windows. There’s no restaurant, but drinks and ‘picnics’ are served on the roof terrace, where views of the Parthenon peek through the plants.

The hotel is located at the foot of Mount Lycabettus, around the corner from the cable car that rides to the top of the hill to a viewing platform known for the best views of Athens. The design takes on an eco-friendly approach: there are 16 Eco-Chic rooms with an environmentally friendly Coco-Mat mattress, natural wood furniture and earthy tones. For a truly memorable stay, book the Panoramic Acropolis View Suite – an immaculate, whitewashed space with a large living room, spacious veranda and a view of the Acropolis. The building’s top floor is home to a pool with a view, a restaurant and pool bar-café; the hotel also has its own 30-seat mini-cinema screening room which plays films for guests.

Creativity follows through every corner of NEW Hotel, where the rooms bathrooms, hallways, restaurants all feature hip, Athenian design in an interactive, fun and colourful way. The most unique and impressively designed suite, in probably all of Athens, is the hotel’s eclectic Penthouse, which features an outdoor bed with a panoramic view of the city, as well as a spacious indoor living room with dining area and bedrooms, with a picture-perfect view of the city behind the bed. There’s Mediterranean fine dining on the ground level, views of the Acropolis at the rooftop bar, and excellent breads and pastries at breakfast. If you’d like to venture outside, the city-centre location means that all of the best bars, restaurants and squares lined with cafés are within easy reach.

The discreet AthensWas lies at the start of Dionyisiou Areopagitou, the most desirable street in the city. This pedestrian boulevard runs along the perimeter of the Acropolis, so you feel as though you’re walking into the heart of ancient Athens. Subtle and sophisticated, the interiors are a beautifully composed collection of classic designer pieces; vibrant tapestries and prints of ancient Greek sculptures complete the rich mix of textures and patterns. Bold, abstract carpets, blue-grey wallpaper and colour-block drapes give bedrooms a quietly sultry feel. There’s a fine-dining restaurant, Sense, where the Acropolis views compete with clever, boundary-pushing Greek dishes.