DESTINATIONS — GREECE & CYPRUS


HOTELS LOWDOWN


New Hotel takes recycling a step further: forget separating paper and plastic, this property took its former fittings – wooden doors, cupboards and table legs – and stuck them on the walls as a bold design statement (pictured, right). The 79-room central Athens hotel is perfect for younger clients who value style as much as substance. Standard rooms from €175, including taxes and breakfast. yeshotels.gr


Next to the Grande Bretagne (review, this page) is fellow Luxury Collection property King George, boasting a smaller boutique feel but equally expansive views of the Acropolis from top-floor restaurant Tudor Hall – and the food’s just as spectacular. From €230. kinggeorgepalace.com


Anyone wanting to walk in the footsteps of Frank Sinatra, John Wayne and Jane Fonda should visit Arion, A Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, part of Astir Palace on the Athenian Riviera. Even Garden Rooms boast a side view of the sea, and the food is superb. Room-only from £112. arionresortathens.com


Poseidonion Grand Hotel is elegance at its best. Occupying prime Spetses seafront, the hotel (pictured) boasts many of its original features – not bad considering it celebrates a centenary this year – meaning guests can step inside and forget which era they’re in. From €192 including taxes and breakfast. poseidonion.com


Hydra good: the island’s harbour


Horses for courses: get a ride in Spetses


Support act: New Hotel, Athens


l ISLAND ESCAPES Spend a few hot summer days in Athens and it’s easy to understand why the city dwellers head to the islands for a slower pace of life. With sailings to the Saronic islands of Hydra and Spetses taking less than two hours (Hellenic Seaways has regular one-way sailings for €25 and €35 respectively, while Greek Isles Yachting can charter vessels for those who want to set their own course), these islands make a pleasant day trip or twin-centre. It’s hard to imagine tiny island


Hydra playing a major role in any battle, but when it came to the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire in 1821, its 150-strong fleet was critical to the success of the campaign – a fact still proudly displayed on the island’s flag. These days, locals worry less about warfare and more about good food. The cafes and restaurants lining the harbour are busy in summer, but on an island this small, it doesn’t take much to get off the tourist trail. Head up (on horseback, donkey or on foot) through narrow cobbled streets and a few twists and turns later, visitors will be ensconced


52 • travelweekly.co.uk — 1 May 2014


in a world of whitewashed stone buildings and old-fashioned shops, like the confectioner’s which rustles up almond-based amygdalota. Since new building is forbidden on the island, along with any vehicle bigger than a motorbike, don’t expect anything to change any time soon. The same no-car rule applies


to bigger island Spetses. Ride a horse-drawn buggy for the best vantage point for sea views and


the grand mansion which housed renowned entrepreneur Sotirios Anargyros, who made his fortune in the American tobacco industry before returning home to build the island’s iconic hotel and school. Just warn clients not to fall too deeply in love with the island – property prices are astronomical – but a few days spent enjoying its first-class fish restaurants and laid- back atmosphere make the perfect counterpart to a city stay. TW


GRANDE BRETAGNE, ATHENS TRIED & TESTED:


You know a hotel is central when it overlooks parliament, so my first impression of Hotel Grande Bretagne, a Luxury Collection property, was pretty favourable. It doesn’t stop there. Boasting


290 rooms and 31 suites, this late 19th-century hotel maintains its reputation as an Athenian institution while still putting guests first with top-notch service. Spacious and comfortable


rooms retain a sense of grandeur, as does the knockout view over the Acropolis from its eighth-


floor restaurant. It’s a popular conference venue, so some areas often feel quite busy, but that’s easily remedied with an escape to the spa and fitness centre. Book it: From £168 room-only (see sample product, page 51)


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