4 Seasons Astir Palace Lodge Athens evaluate

For a hospitality model that’s synonymous with unequalled service and luxurious, it is no shock that 4 Seasons Astir Palace Lodge Athens, with its pared-back glamour and unbeatable views of the glimmering Aegean Sea, goes above and past for its sun-seeking visitors.

The second you cross the pine-shrouded safety gates and ascend a steep hill to reach at two sprawling white complexes that comprise the resort, all perched excessive over the ocean on the tip of the Lemos peninsula, any semblance of stress melts away. Not less than, that was the case for me once I arrived at this Athens Riviera gem earlier this fall.

Although it feels a world away from the thrill of Athens correct, the resort is conveniently solely half-hour by automotive to the town’s heart. It is also near a handful of acclaimed UNESCO websites, just like the Acropolis and the Riviera’s Temple of Poseidon on Cape Sounion.

In opposition to the backdrop of a vacation spot so richly infused with the remnants of historic civilization, this 4 Seasons outpost delivers refined lodging and fashionable facilities in spades. This is what it is like staying at 4 Seasons Astir Palace Lodge Athens.

What’s 4 Seasons Astir Palace Lodge Athens?

The 4 Seasons Astir Palace Lodge Athens opened in 2019 within the charming city of Vouliagmeni alongside the Athens Riviera. It’s Greece’s first 4 Seasons.

Nevertheless, the property has a prolonged historical past courting again to the early Nineteen Sixties when it opened as a classy seaside resort. It was the place to see and be seen by world celebrities, from Brigitte Bardot to Frank Sinatra. Now, it nonetheless performs host to celebrities however extra ceaselessly to off-duty enterprise folks, rich vacationers and native socialites.

The resort is big, occupying 74 acres of Vouliagmeni’s seaside peninsula, making it really feel particularly secluded from the encompassing Riviera. Like many 4 Seasons properties, there’s a personal membership vibe and an air of hushed class, although it did not really feel stuffy. Workers are attentive and pleasant, but not overbearing. Floral shows within the foyer and across the property are magnificent and plush; the landscaping is pristine — suppose cascading tiers of pines, Cyprus and native shrubbery.

A couple of 30-minute drive from Athens Worldwide Airport (ATH), the property can organize automotive transfers (at a price) to and from the airport for visitors. These considering reserving a taxi can anticipate to pay between $50 and $80, relying on site visitors and time of day.

Public transportation across the Riviera is not essentially handy. There are bus programs, however they don’t seem to be very straightforward to navigate for many who cannot learn Greek. The resort recommends utilizing taxis or arranging a limousine or luxurious automotive rental through the concierge. You may discover a concierge within the spacious, ethereal lobbies of the 2 major buildings, Nafsika and Arion.

How a lot 4 Seasons Astir Palace prices and how one can guide it

Unfold between three areas on the peninsula — two multistory ocean-facing buildings, Nafsika and Arion, in addition to a cove of beachside bungalows — 4 Seasons Astir Palace is house to 303 lodging whole (200 rooms, 42 suites and 61 bungalows). Room sorts vary from Arion pine-view rooms (430 sq. ft) and Nafsika sea-view rooms (473 sq. ft) to stately suites, together with the Arion presidential suite (2,260 sq. ft) and the Nafsika ambassador suite (2,367 sq. ft). Friends may keep in a number of kinds of bungalow suites; they sit simply previous Nafsika and have personal swimming pools and terraces.

Unsurprisingly, a keep at this property comes at a steep worth. Over the subsequent a number of months, charges start at round $622 for a Nafsika sea-view room and climb considerably from there for bigger areas. For instance, suites start at a number of thousand {dollars} per evening, relying on the season.

Whereas 4 Seasons doesn’t have a loyalty program, this property is a part of American Categorical Fantastic Accommodations + Resorts, which is offered to those that maintain The Platinum Card® from American Categorical or The Enterprise Platinum Card® from American Categorical. Through the use of your Amex Platinum for Fantastic Accommodations + Resorts bookings, you may take pleasure in elitelike advantages in addition to perks like room upgrades upon arrival (when obtainable) and every day breakfast for 2. You may earn 5 Membership Rewards factors per greenback spent on pay as you go resort bookings or use factors for all or a part of your keep.

Rooms at 4 Seasons Astir Palace

My 560-square-foot Nafsika sea-view junior suite felt spacious and ethereal, due to floor-to-ceiling home windows overlooking the Aegean Sea. The headboard and midcentury-style dresser, each wealthy wooden, supplied heat accents within the in any other case neutral-colored room. The room felt like a mirrored image of Greece’s iconic white-washed coastal villages.

I entered by a dim, closet-flanked hallway (two side-by-side closets contained two robes and slippers, a protected, an iron and a laundry bag, along with hangers and loads of area for clothes and footwear). The toilet was to the correct, and the bed room was straight forward.

Past the extremely comfy king-size mattress, outfitted with crisp white linens, there was a sitting space with a sofa, a small spherical desk and two chairs. Past that, there was a balcony on the opposite facet of sliding glass doorways. Every bedside desk had a small lamp and charging stations (USB and USB-C in addition to European retailers). There was an iPad on one facet that I may use to peruse facilities, guide spa providers or order room service.

Artwork was minimal and stylish — delicately framed nonetheless images or fashionable artworks that mirrored the neutral-hued coloration scheme.

The white-marble lavatory featured a black-and-white tiled ground, a small wash closet for the bathroom on one facet and a standing bathe with each a bathe wand and rain bathe function on the opposite. To the left of the dual-vanity sink was a deep soaking tub. Subsequent to the bathtub was a window that appeared into the bed room. Throughout turn-down service, an electrical shade would come all the way down to create extra privateness between the bed room and toilet.

To my delight, all bathtub merchandise had been Diptyque. Towels had been fluffy and plentiful, as anticipated from 4 Seasons. There was a high-powered hair dryer below the sink.

The room additionally featured a standing cupboard with a minifridge stocked with beer, wine, liquor and sodas. A number of drawers held snacks, in addition to a Nespresso maker, loads of pods, a tea kettle and a pleasant number of teas.

The terrace, the place I spent most of my time, was beautiful. The deep wooden accents continued onto the wall that separated my terrace from the room subsequent to me, in addition to to the small espresso desk. There was a three-seater sofa in addition to a chair. The terrace supplied a sweeping view of the pool and personal seashores beneath, with the sparking Aegean past.

What I ate at 4 Seasons Astir Palace

At a resort of this measurement, the extent of service and high quality of delicacies is commonly inconsistent throughout on-site eating places. This was decidedly not the case at Astir Palace. Moderately, I discovered the meals to be expertly crafted with recent, native components delivered by environment friendly, pleasant waitstaff. Although I did not get to strive all 10 retailers, I did take a look at out just a few.

I ate breakfast at Mercato, the property’s indoor-outdoor Italian restaurant. Its stunning Aegean views had been made even higher by a full buffet unfold of pastries and bread, meats and cheeses, fruits, yogurts and cereal, scorching dishes and recent juices. It additionally supplied an a la carte menu, and my eggs Benedict (about $30) was as traditional because it comes.

I loved lunch at Helios, the outside restaurant that flanks the primary pool space; it options upbeat music and a Latin-inspired sharing menu. The vibes right here had been full of life, and the meals was scrumptious. I loved pibil tacos consisting of slow-cooked rooster breast with annatto, avocado and pickled onion (about $22) and recent guacamole made tableside (about $21).

Past each Nafsika and Arion, proper down on the water on the fringe of the property’s west-facing cove, was Taverna 37, the property’s Greek restaurant. I had an unimaginable dinner there and was fortunate sufficient to dine throughout sundown. I loved the Cretan Ntakos salad, consisting of a few of the sweetest cherry tomatoes I’ve ever eaten, paired with avocado, strawberries and recent Katiki cheese from Domokos ($27).

The resort’s poolside eating, which providers all three personal seashores (extra on that in a second), is named Kyma Pool & Seashore Bar. Right here, visitors can order mild bites (principally seafood) and cocktails. My tuna tartare (about $25) was recent and flavorful, and the spicy California roll (about $20) was a super pairing for a sunny 80-degree afternoon by the water.

Dinner at Pelagos, within the Arion constructing, is a nice eating expertise to not be missed. The Greek restaurant has acquired one Michelin star, and it was a spotlight of my time in Greece. The inside was fashionable and stylish, with a gleaming midcentury-style bar, and the skin ignored the Aegean. Chef Luca’s multicourse menu consists of three choices: Discovery for $165, Journey for $180 or Better of for $165. It took me by a pleasant expertise of native flavors and seasonal components, all artfully plated and delivered with a few of the finest restaurant service I’ve skilled.

Dishes included a trio of native olive oils with recent bread, an beautiful caviar pasta with chilly spaghetti and clams, mint ceviche with yellowtail and pistachio, and white aubergine with pork stomach and oyster.

Facilities and issues to do

With such an intensive footprint between two sprawling buildings and a lot shoreline, one may spend every week making an attempt out all of Astir Palace’s facilities with out losing interest. The property is house to a handful of seashores, in addition to a leisure spa, a health club, jogging trails across the peninsula, a tennis academy, basketball courts and a devoted children membership.

There are additionally greater than 22,000 sq. ft of versatile occasion areas. A number of weddings occurred throughout my journey, however because of the sheer measurement of the resort, these occasions felt very separate from my very own expertise on the resort.

Swimming pools and seashores

The property’s major pool (which is family-friendly) sits beneath Nafsika, and it is the stuff of “White Lotus” desires. Elegant wooden chaise lounges and wood-framed cabanas draped in recent towels encompass a major pool dotted with verdant olive bushes. This was definitely the hub of exercise on the property and was fairly busy throughout all hours of the day. Apollo Seashore, additionally beneath Nafsika, affords direct entry to the Aegean Sea, and visitors will discover each chaise lounges and personal cabanas obtainable for reservation.

On the far facet of the property, beneath the bungalows and simply past the outside Taverna 37, is the smaller, curved Zolotas Seashore.

Just under Arion is a hanging adults-only infinity pool — by far probably the most quiet and peaceable waterside space. (I by no means noticed greater than two or three folks at this pool.)

The spa

Astir Palace’s spa was within the Arion constructing and featured a serene indoor lap pool lined with floor-to-ceiling, ocean-facing home windows.

A number of lounge areas with couches and chaises, shrouded in tender, impartial colours and materials, set the scene for the menu of rejuvenating experiences. All therapies are impressed by historic treatments and the teachings of Hippocrates. (For instance, the Giosi foot ritual — $32 — makes use of historic Greek methods to use aromatic compresses and deep exfoliation to activate nerve reflexes).

Sadly, I did not have the prospect to strive a spa remedy, however strolling by the tranquil area in itself felt like a possibility to unwind.

Health

4 Seasons Astir Palace’s 24-hour health heart was spacious and supplied loads of treadmills with waterfront views, cardio gear and weights. There was a counter for refreshments and towels, and the middle additionally supplied courses (like core coaching and spinning).

Exterior of the health club, there are tennis courts, a soccer area and basketball courts. Courtroom leases and tennis classes can be found upon request and depend upon availability.

Insider suggestions

• Do not miss eating at Taverna 37 throughout sundown to catch the most effective views on the property over wine and Greek delicacies.
• Spend a day exploring the candy seaside city of Vouliagmeni. One must-see exercise features a go to to Lake Vouliagmeni, with its well-known thermal mineral waters recognized for his or her well being advantages.
• In case you’re visiting throughout a busy season, make certain to order a cabana by the pool or one of many seashores to make sure you have a spot to lounge. The principle pool and all of the seashores can get fairly crowded. You may organize this by the concierge in both foyer.
• These searching for the utmost peace ought to head to Arion’s infinity pool, which felt practically empty my total keep. It affords breathtaking views due to its excessive perch over the ocean.
• For many who need to take full benefit of the oceanside proximity, take a look at the resort’s expertise affords. They vary from luxurious boat excursions of close by islands to crusing journeys and even personal yacht reservations.

Accessibility at 4 Seasons Astir Palace

4 Seasons Astir Palace does have wheelchair-friendly elevators all through each buildings, however transferring from the buildings to the lower-level seashores and swimming pools could show difficult for some. Accessibility routes weren’t all the time clear. Additionally, the resort doesn’t have a devoted accessibility web page, so there is no such thing as a indication of whether or not the swimming pools are accessible. (I didn’t see a carry chair.)

There’s a wheelchair-accessible entrance to each major buildings, in addition to a wheelchair-accessible parking zone.

4 Seasons Astir Palace has 10 accessible rooms, which embody options like digital doorways that open mechanically, lowered bathrooms and roll-in showers with seize rails.

Backside line

My two-night keep at 4 Seasons Astir Palace Lodge Athens left me feeling rejuvenated and relaxed. It additionally gave me an enormous appreciation and respect for the extent of peerless service for which the 4 Seasons model is so well-known. This resort actually embodies that ultraluxury degree of hospitality, and I felt it in each interplay — from my check-in and eating experiences to my exchanges with the seashore attendants and housekeeping workers at turndown service. It was even obvious throughout my drive to the airport when I discovered a boxed breakfast ready for me within the again seat of the automotive — a welcome shock at 5 a.m. There is a motive 4 Seasons is the head of luxurious hospitality for thus many.

Whereas this degree of luxurious definitely comes at a steep worth, these searching for probably the most elegant getaway on this particular pocket of the Aegean shoreline — and so near the joy of Athens — will discover a paradise definitely worth the splurge. Because of the extent of service and cozy lodging in addition to the sprawling nature of the property, it actually appears like there’s a nook for everybody. {Couples} trying to unwind, households on the lookout for a full of life seaside trip, or these on the lookout for a peaceable solo keep will all discover a house away from house at Astir Palace.

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