ATHENS Sleep


Much like the city itself, the Greek capital’s hotel scene is packed with


personality. Old-guard hotels have seen stiff competition from design-led upstarts and cool, budget digs. Words: David Whitley


This is a city where centuries-old wonders are nipped and yapped at by a snarly city of buzzing motorbikes, chaotic pavements and locals intent on riding


roughshod over anti-smoking laws. There is, however, plenty of personality amid the grit. Gasworks have become giant cultural centres, and street art fills the gaps between al fresco bars and old-school souvlaki joints. Among all this are constant reminders of the past. Byzantine churches take centre stage in the middle of cafe-lined squares, roped-off ruins stand at the side of busy streets, and Metro stations are mini-museums to the relics discovered while they were


excavated. The city’s hotel scene is surprisingly invigorating, too, spurred on to a great extent by the 2004 Olympics. New hotels opened, and some of the old


guard had to raise their game in response to the competition. While many have had to differentiate through design, the old staple battleground of providing the best rooſtop views of the Acropolis continues to be fiercely contested.


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IMAGE: ALAMY


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