BLACKBOOK Attica’s
BLACKBOOK 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. Outside Coco-Mat Athens 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 in autumn. 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 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), seasonal Greek flavours pair with unparalleled views of the sacred rock, while at Mama Fuga (fugarestaurant.gr), in the garden of the Athens Concert Hall, chef Fabrizio Buliani tempts with toothsome Med-Ital notes – imagine pumpkin gnocchi with smoked anthotyro cheese and crispy sea bass with Jerusalem artichokes. Entering Ta Karamanlidika ( $ karamanlidika.gr) by the spice market is a deep dive into hearty dishes like fried caramanli, made with pastourma (Greek pastrami) and tomatoes. Updated surf-and-turf rules at Aris Vezenes’s namesake table ( $ vezene.gr) where you can feast on the likes of pasticcio with Aged lamb-tartare moussaka at Vezene beef tartare and grilled eel with fava. For unforgettable grilled calamari with pesto and more, book at table at star chef Lefteris Lazarou’s Varoulko Seaside (varoulko.gr) in Piraeus. WHERE TO DRINK Many tavernas in the capital serve Greek salads, but only at the über-innovative The vermouth, rose-wine and apricot Eureka cocktail at The Clumsies FROM LEFT: © COCO-MAT, PARIS TAVITIAN, KAPLANIDIS 16 DEPARTURES-INTERNATIONAL.COM
Dining at the Acropolis Museum wines are just the beginning. Behind its dramatic wooden façade are hundreds of delicious items to peruse. Beautifully packaged skincare products, many with Greek honey, are the draw at the airy Apivita Experience Store (apivita. com), while Greek design powers an impressive range of gifts – think “Homer” eau de toilette and hand-finished Mouchmouch wood iPhone cases with ancient Greek motifs – at Forget Me Not Athens (forgetmenotathens.gr). Fashions by Greek designers take centre stage at the i-D Concept Stores (idconceptstores. com), with a notable third-floor gallery space. Callista Crafts (callistacrafts.com) makes beautiful leather goods, while for museum-inspired jewellery and more, the Benaki Museum Shop (benakishop.gr) is a must. CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: GIORGOS VITSAROPOULOS, VLADISLAV ZUKOVSKY, © FORGET ME NOT ATHENS, MARILI GOULI, © BENAKI MUSEUM SHOP Decorative wooden plate from the Benaki Museum Shop The Clumsies (theclumsies.gr) can you drink one (think tomato water and gin) in a cocktail glass – just one of renowned mixologist Panos Kanatsoulis’s myriad inspired libations. Closer to Syntagma Square, slip into the Kolokotroni 9 bar ( $ +30 21 0323 2795) or Baba au Rum ( $ babaaurum.com) to enjoy an artfully crafted cocktail away from the fray. In Piraeus, choose from 300 Mediterranean wines at Paleo ( $ Polidefkous 39), a wine bar in a renovated 1872 fabric warehouse behind the ferry port, or hit the Mary Pickford Bar (Akti Koumoundourou 54-56) in the picturesque seaside Mikrolimano section of Piraeus. WHERE TO SHOP Yoleni’s (yolenis.com) five-floor flagship store in Kolonaki is a temple of Greek gastronomy where gourmet olive oils and Surveying the zesty Greek delicacies at Yoleni’s WHAT TO SEE The newest showstopper on the bubbling art scene in Athens is the National Museum of Contemporary Art (emst.gr), which recently reopened in a reconstructed beer brewery. Close by is another strong cultural contender, the Onassis Cultural Centre (sgt.gr), which, shrouded in white marble bands, occupies a full city block on busy Syngrou Avenue. From its rooftop restaurant to performance From top: a multi-artist exhibition at the National Museum of Contemporary Art; the colourful selection at Forget Me Not space and cutting-edge exhibitions, it’s one of the unsung heroes of modern Athens. There are frequent photographic exhibits at 138 Pireos Street, the modern extension of the Benaki Museum (benaki.gr) whose excellent showcase of Greek culture is anchored in a Neoclassical mansion near the Hellenic Parliament. Inspect additional treasures of Greek antiquity in an uncrowded setting at the exquisite Museum of Cycladic Art (cycladic.gr) in Kolonaki. At the Numismatic Museum of Athens (enma.gr), inside famed 19th-century archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann’s elegant villa, the world’s most ambitious collection of ancient Greek coins proves that commerce never loses its lustre. ♦ CONTACT PLATINUM CARD SERVICE FOR BOOKINGS DEPARTURES-INTERNATIONAL.COM 17
