The 15 Best Luxury Hotels in Athens

Swimming with the Parthenon in view: On the roof of The Dolli at Acropolis Athens, the Acropolis is reflected in a heated infinity pool. The Hotel Grande Bretagne Athens has two pools, an open-air one on the roof with a seasonal pool bar and a heated indoor pool in the spa. At the Athens Capital Hotel Athens on Syntagma Square, the infinity pool sits next to the Mappemonde rooftop bar, looking out to the Acropolis and Lycabettus Hill.The Dolli at Acropolis Athens · PlakaSummer pools: On the ninth floor of the Fresh Hotel Athens, a rooftop pool with cocktail service and Acropolis views is open from May to October. The Conrad Athens The Ilisian pairs its large Oasis outdoor pool with an Italian poolside restaurant and adds a heated indoor pool in its wellness area.

Indoors, all year: In Athens a pool doesn't have to mean a rooftop. At the Academias Hotel Athens you swim in a dramatically lit indoor pool with a projection wall. And the Sofitel Athens Airport, a 5-star hotel right at the airport, has its indoor pool on the ninth floor, looking out over the airfield.

All to yourself: At the Grand Resort Lagonissi Athens on the Athens Riviera, many bungalows, suites and villas come with a private or shared pool, plus the main pool with its bar. And the Penthouse Suite at the King George Athens has a private rooftop pool directly facing the Parthenon.

A large spa in the city: At the Hotel Grande Bretagne Athens, the GB Spa covers 1,140 square meters, with six treatment rooms, saunas, herbal steam baths, an ice fountain and a heated indoor pool; couples can book treatments together. At the Conrad Athens The Ilisian, the Odei Wellness Residence draws on rituals of ancient Greece, with heat and cold therapy and studios for yoga and Pilates.Grand Resort Lagonissi Athens · Kalyvia Thorikou CommunityA retreat by the sea: At the Grand Resort Lagonissi Athens, the Chenot Spa offers programs based on biontology, with hydrotherapy, detox and anti-aging treatments and light cuisine, and the spa looks out over the Saronic Gulf. If you are planning a few days just for yourself, this is where city and rest come together.

Small and personal: Smaller luxury hotels in Athens have their spas too. At the Academias Hotel Athens, the Pnoes Wellness Center works with Valmont and Cinq Mondes products and includes a sauna. The NEW Hotel Athens focuses on Greek herbs and KORRES oils in its spa suite, and the Perianth Hotel Athens shares its building with the Zen Center Athens for meditation and yoga.

Prices start at 153 € at the Fresh Hotel Athens and 155 € at the InterContinental Athenaeum Athens and go up to 448 € at the Conrad Athens The Ilisian. The table lists all 15 hotels by location; today's rates and availability are shown in the hotel list further down.

Included everywhere: daily breakfast for two, at the King George served at Tudor Hall, plus an upgrade on arrival and early check-in and late check-out, each subject to availability. At the Athens Capital Hotel, the A77 and the Sofitel the benefits apply from two nights, everywhere else from the first.

Hotel credit: most hotels add 100 US dollars, at the Grande Bretagne for the spa. At the Fresh Hotel and the NEW Hotel it is 50 euros, 100 euros for suites, and at the A77 50 US dollars. The Perianth gives you two 30-minute treatments instead.Fresh Hotel Athens · OmonoiaPoints and status count at twelve of the 15 luxury hotels in Athens: Marriott Bonvoy at five hotels, ALL (Accor) at three, Hilton Honors at the Conrad with double points, IHG One Rewards at the InterContinental, I Prefer at the NJV and Leaders Club at the Grand Resort Lagonissi.

When to go: spring and fall are ideal for the ancient sites and the roof terraces. In summer the Athens & Epidaurus Festival plays at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, and the Riviera resort runs at full swing; outside the season some of its facilities close. In winter you have the museums and the Acropolis almost to yourself.

How long to stay: Three nights at a 5-star hotel in Athens give you time for the Acropolis and its museum, for the Plaka, the Agora and Monastiraki, and for Kolonaki with Lycabettus Hill. If you want to see Cape Sounion or the islands, add more nights.