I got slightly lost trying to find the Gatsby Athens down the winding narrow streets of the central historic quarter of Greece’s capital. As I turned a corner, I found myself under cascading foliage in a narrow courtyard filled with Athenians sipping champagne and sharing small plates. ‘Welcome to Gatsby’, said general manager Ioannis Galanis, who was impeccably dressed in a tweed suit with slicked-back hair and a groomed salt and pepper beard.
Hotel
The boutique 33-room hotel is just a short walk from the Athenian landmarks of Monastiraki and Syntagma Squares and has become well-known for its unique design, attentive service and casual-cool vibe since opening in 2021. Ioannis chatted to guests like old friends as he showed me the hotel’s idiosyncratic features, pointing out the small luxury spa room and gym located in hidden rooms through secret passageways.
In homage to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s famous novel ‘The Great Gatsby’, the setting evokes all the glamour of mid-1930s Athens with an eco-twist. The restaurant-cum-lounge and rooftop are a riot of flowers and creeping ivy and all the furniture is bespoke, including most of the lighting fixtures, which were designed by the Michaelis Boyd team and locally produced.
I got cosy Christmas vibes as I entered under the shimmering baubles and wreaths of the reception area during my December visit, but I was informed that the décor gets a makeover every season, drawing locals back for new Instagram shots against the backdrop of the veined marble sculptural bar.
Room
My room was full of surprising, quirky features, including a personalised smart TV, hidden treats and state-of-the art panel to adjust lighting settings to suit the mood, from ‘naughty’ to ‘cosy’.
While all the bedrooms feature signature pastel pink headboards, diamond tiled showers, golden wardrobes and velvet corner sofas, upgraded rooms come with Juliet balconies or even terraces with private outdoor sitting areas, an outdoor cinema and Jacuzzi hot tubs. I was quick to jump into my in-room bathtub and soak in the fragrance of the Ortigia amenities provided in preparation for the Gatsby-style evening to come.
Food and drink
We began the evening with cocktails on the secret rooftop garden, enjoying glimpses of the Acropolis from this serene oasis in the heart of Greece’s buzzing capital. Descending the marble staircase, a period feature the design team had restored from the building’s previous life as a police station, the Gatsby restaurant spills out into the adjacent alleyway, giving the feel that the hotel is very much part of the surrounding street life.
Ingredients here are fresh from the market with dishes inspired by the best of Greek ingredients. For dinner, I sampled handmade pasta with shimeji mushrooms, chicken cocotte with potato crisps and lemon oregano sauce and a salad of green apple, avocado and pistachio.
Dessert was a crowd-pleaser – chocolate brownie with salted caramel ice cream and thyme honey brittle, all washed down with local Greek beer. Both dishes and drink were a pleasant break from the familiar Greek salads, souvlakis and typical dishes of tavernas, and will be welcome to travellers with the traditional tourist fare. As day turned to night, so did Gatsby. The lights went down, the crowd slowly changed, and the DJ eased into his set.
Back to the room and the soft bedding, in-room coffee machine and choice of smoothies and juices such as ‘ginger boost’ and ‘detox’ were the perfect antidote to the night-before. For breakfast, we chose to dine outside in the mild Greek winter sun and leisurely enjoyed a fresh ‘kalimera’ basket of warm pastries, rye and sourdough bread and thyme honey, alongside classics like avocado on toast, smoked salmon and poached egg.
To do
The historic Acropolis of Athens and the Acropolis Museum are only a 20-minute walk away, and you can go from there to the pretty Plaka area with its cobblestone streets, tiny boutiques and family-run tavernas. Don’t miss the Athens party scene, from the Clumsies Bar (number four in the world’s 50 best bars) to the afro beats from the Gazi club area, just a short walk from the hotel.
This is also an ideal base from which to stopover in Athens for a few days before taking a boat from the nearby port of Piraeus to a Greek islands. Check out our beginner’s guide to luxury Greek island hopping here.
In a nutshell
Put Gatsby Athens on your city break bucket list if you appreciate luxury with unique, quirky design, a slap-bang central location, excellent cuisine and lots of fun.
Factbox
Rooms can be booked from £92 based on two people sharing a double standard room on a bed and breakfast basis.
Address: Gatsby Athens, Lekka 18, Athina 105 62, Greece
Phone: +30 21 0321 6001
Email: stay@gatsbyathens.com
Website: gatsbyathens.com
