BLACKBOOK Dining at the Acropolis Museum Attica’s golden morning light spilling over the pillars of the Parthenon may leave you bedazzled, but do not for a minute believe that all the glories of Athens belong to its past. Some do, of course – often mesmerisingly – but these days the buzzing Greek capital is very much a city on the move. Years of fiscal precariousness not only nurtured resilience but fuelled a creative energy that is transforming neighbourhoods and giving rise to edgy boutique hotels, daring restaurants and boldly designed cultural spaces. Wander about Athens’s sun-drenched streets and behold a mythic city that’s seriously upped its game. WHERE TO STAY As visitor numbers climb, hoteliers are answering the call. The Greek proprietors of fabled Hotel Grande Bretagne ( grandebretagne.gr) and the King George ( kinggeorgeathens. com) have refurbishment and expansion plans in store for both hotels, plus a new five-star property in view by 2020. The Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens (fourseasons.com) debuts this year on the Vouliagmeni coast with the luxe Athens BC, close to the Acropolis, coming late this year. Downtown, boutique hotels continue to shine. The 79-room NEW (yeshotels.gr), brainchild of larger-than-life Greek arts patron Dakis Joannou (Jeff Koons painted his yacht), is an aesthetically on-point perch not far from Syntagma Square; rooms reference Greek folklore with contemporary flourishes and the lobby-level restaurant draws the Athens powerbreakfast crowd. Stylish Kolonaki is home to Coco-Mat Athens (cocomatathens.com), which serves up pitch-perfect eco chic in its 39 rooms, each of which star the brand’s coveted handmade Greek mattresses. Sixth-floor lofts afford views of the Acropolis or Mount Lycabettus, while the rooftop bar sports whimsical murals and a herb garden. In Psiri, a central district of repurposed tanneries and quirky antiques dealers, the new 15-room 18 Micon Street ( $ 18miconstr.com) brings sparkle to scruffy chic through a clever interplay of brick, cement and wood in a rehabilitated warehouse. Loft rooms on the third and fourth floors come with indulgent balconies. A star among the fresh crop of Aged lamb-tartare moussaka at Vezene mini-hotels is Pi Athens (piathens. com), with just six fetching, modern rooms and suites a whisker from the marble Panathenaic Stadium and a short stroll to the Prime Minister’s residence, Maximos Mansion. WHERE TO EAT Athenian dining pivots between earthy and ethereal. At the Acropolis Museum Restaurant (theacropolismuseum.gr), » The vermouth, rose-wine and apricot Eureka cocktail at The Clumsies CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: GIORGOS VITSAROPOULOS, KAPLANIDIS, PARIS TAVITIAN 20 DEPARTURES-INTERNATIONAL.COM
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