48 Hours at the Academias Hotel, Athens
For the first time since the pandemic hit the travel industry, I was up for a vacation that took longer than just one weekend. Having heard so many great things about the Greek islands plus being pleasantly surprised by Mykonos on my last trip in October, I decided to give it a try. Trying the complete classic trip, a stop in Athens was a must and soon afterwards I was looking for the right places to present on our blog. Having seen the old-school grand hotel often referred to as the guesthouse of the parliament, I was in for a more modern, fresh place to stay. Luckily I found Academias Hotel which is also part of the Marriott Bonvoy program thanks to being branded an Autograph Collection property but still has its own vibe and personality. When we landed in Athens, our driver was already waiting for us and brought us to the city centre within a thirty-minute ride in a Mercedes S-Class. Upon arriving at the hotel, we were immediately helped with the luggage and accompanied to the front desk.
Already the first impression was extremely well and refreshing. My colleague and I both loved the interior and materials used. Lots of white marble with structure mixed with dark-coloured wood and gold brass finishes. Walking down the stairs to the front desk, the staff welcomed us in a most friendly way and informed us that the room would already be ready (at 1:30 pm with the hotel being sold out the night before). Located on the seventh floor, our Superior Room was extremely spacious and even had superb views of the neighbouring terraces and rooftops. Right at the entrance was a spacious wardrobe with all the basic amenities and lots of wardrobe space. Continuing there was a writing desk on the left with the minibar and coffee machine. Capsules and still water were provided for free and refilled daily. Next to a comfy leather armchair was the heavenly bed with elegant linens. I remember that this was by far the best and softest bed we had during our almost two-week-long trip.
Another highlight of the room was the spacious almost palatial bathroom for a city hotel. In a walk-in shower with a size of 2 meters by 1.5 meters not only one could dance but the two of you. The biggest surprise was the amenities by Paris-based perfumery Diptyque - a great and warming smell perfectly matching our dinner plans at some of Athens's coolest places to dine. Housekeeping did a great job and we were even able to secure another round of coffee capsules on the first evening. Last but not least there is to say that upon signing an agreement the staff opens the sliding doors to the french balcony enabling you to enjoy the city views even better.
While I was a bit hesitant at first to see a Japanese restaurant concept on their stunning rooftop, after the stay and after visiting the bar three times, I have to reverse my first opinion. Service at NYX was excellent, the drinks outstanding and the raw tuna in two different ways was just mind-blowing! We had incredible nights with even better views of the Acropolis on both days. Breakfast on the other hand is served at their first-floor restaurant overlooking Academias street. I would say that for a city hotel their breakfast was extremely good and compared to other Athenian five-star-hotels among the best breakfast offerings. I tried their a la carte dishes as well and was happily surprised by the Eggs Benedict and Avocado Eggs. The relatively limited buffet offers everything we could dream of and all products offered were of highest quality. So overall it was a great start into the day and I would definitely recommend booking a bed&breakfast offer.
As mentioned earlier the location was perfect for us and we walked all the way to the Acropolis through Monastiraki district which I highly recommend doing. For your evening plans, I suggest staying in Kolonaki or Pagati where we had two amazing food experiences along great Greek wines. Overall we truly enjoyed our time at Academias Hotel and I would for sure come back one day. Compared to other hotels I have tried in Athens, this one fits my taste and preferences the most, hence my recommendation is to stay there. Value for money is considered extremely good and also their Bonvoy recognition is among the best in town. Well done!
We were guests of Academias Hotel, Autograph Collection for editorial purposes. The review expresses our own opinion and hasn’t been influenced.
