4 Seasons Astir Palace Lodge Athens assessment

How a lot 4 Seasons Astir Palace prices and tips on how to ebook 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 residence to 303 lodging complete (200 rooms, 42 suites and 61 bungalows). Room varieties 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 non-public swimming pools and terraces.

Unsurprisingly, a keep at this property comes at a steep value. 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 night time, relying on the season.

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

Past the extremely snug 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, ebook spa providers or order room service.

Artwork was minimal and chic — delicately framed nonetheless pictures or trendy artworks that mirrored the neutral-hued colour scheme.

The white-marble rest room 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 characteristic 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 underneath 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 choice 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 dimension, 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. Fairly, I discovered the meals to be expertly crafted with contemporary, native components delivered by environment friendly, pleasant waitstaff. Although I did not get to strive all 10 retailers, I did check out just a few.

I ate breakfast at Mercato, the property’s indoor-outdoor Italian restaurant. Its lovely Aegean views had been made even higher by a full buffet unfold of pastries and bread, meats and cheeses, fruits, yogurts and cereal, sizzling dishes and contemporary 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 principle 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 hen breast with annatto, avocado and pickled onion (about $22) and contemporary 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 unbelievable 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 contemporary Katiki cheese from Domokos ($27).

The resort’s poolside eating, which providers all three non-public seashores (extra on that in a second), is known as Kyma Pool & Seaside Bar. Right here, company can order gentle bites (largely seafood) and cocktails. My tuna tartare (about $25) was contemporary and flavorful, and the spicy California roll (about $20) was a perfect pairing for a sunny 80-degree afternoon by the water.

Dinner at Pelagos, within the Arion constructing, is a high quality eating expertise to not be missed. The Greek restaurant has obtained one Michelin star, and it was a spotlight of my time in Greece. The inside was trendy and chic, with a gleaming midcentury-style bar, and the skin neglected 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 way of a pleasant expertise of native flavors and seasonal components, all artfully plated and delivered with a few of the greatest restaurant service I’ve skilled.

Dishes included a trio of native olive oils with contemporary 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 per week making an attempt out all of Astir Palace’s facilities with out losing interest. The property is residence to a handful of seashores, in addition to a rest spa, a gymnasium, jogging trails across the peninsula, a tennis academy, basketball courts and a devoted youngsters 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 dimension of the resort, these occasions felt very separate from my very own expertise on the resort.

Swimming pools and seashores

The property’s important pool (which is family-friendly) sits beneath Nafsika, and it is the stuff of “White Lotus” goals. Elegant wooden chaise lounges and wood-framed cabanas draped in contemporary towels encompass a important pool dotted with verdant olive timber. This was actually the hub of exercise on the property and was fairly busy throughout all hours of the day. Apollo Seaside, additionally beneath Nafsika, gives direct entry to the Aegean Sea, and company 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 Seaside.

Slightly below 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 way of the tranquil house 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 tools and weights. There was a counter for refreshments and towels, and the middle additionally supplied courses (like core coaching and spinning).

Outdoors of the gymnasium, there are tennis courts, a soccer discipline and basketball courts. Courtroom leases and tennis classes can be found upon request and depend upon availability.

Insider ideas

Accessibility at 4 Seasons Astir Palace

4 Seasons Astir Palace does have wheelchair-friendly elevators all through each buildings, however shifting from the buildings to the lower-level seashores and swimming pools could show difficult for some. Accessibility routes weren’t at all times 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 raise chair.)

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

4 Seasons Astir Palace has 10 accessible rooms, which embrace options like digital doorways that open routinely, lowered bogs 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 really 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 employees 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 purpose 4 Seasons is the head of luxurious hospitality for thus many.

Whereas this degree of luxurious actually comes at a steep value, these looking 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 well 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 residence away from residence at Astir Palace.

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