Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens: this is the best of all worlds

A tranquil Greek island getaway with the delights of the capital on your doorstep

Before my visit, I’d heard from the sorts of people who know about these things that Astir Palace is the very best of the Four Seasons stable. It’s easy to see why.

Tucked into its own pretty, pine-fringed sweep of the Athenian Riviera, the hotel is just 30 minutes from the airport — ideally, in one of its fleet of Porsche Cayennes — and around 40 minutes from the Acropolis. The location alone is a winner: close enough to dip into the thrum of Athens, yet perfectly placed for an afternoon spent with your toes in the twinkling Aegean. You could shuttle between the two several times a day, if you really wanted to. But once you’re cocooned in this particular kind of serenity, extricating yourself feels like rather a lot of effort.

That said, there are decisions to be made. After making a serious dent in the bountiful breakfast at rooftop restaurant Mercato — designed by Martin Brudnizki, who also created the hotel’s sleek, nautical interiors at one-Michelin-starred Pelagos — I was faced with the day’s first dilemma: where to settle in? One of three private sandy beaches, beside either of the two outdoor pools, or in a breezy cabana tucked along the boardwalk? For us, the quieter Arion Beach won. Though, in truth, there’s little to choose between them: each comes with views of mega yachts drifting lazily across the bay and the sort of faultless service that means frozen grapes appear at your daybed at the first sign a bead of sweat is forming on your top lip.

The more secluded Arion beach is the spot for reading a book in peace

Four Seasons Astir Palace

Service is faultless across the board, with waitresses remembering our coffee and juice orders each morning and a WhatsApp concierge responding to requests within minutes. A taxi into town was booked without us leaving our sun loungers; cigarettes appeared, almost by magic, in a discreet envelope as we settled in for a sundowner; and clothes were whisked away to be pressed almost as soon as I’d hit “send”. The staff are on it, and they need to be. The clientele is discerning: a jet-set crowd accustomed to getting what they want — and quite happy to say when they don’t. Over cocktails at Avra (I had Charcoal, made with Calle 23 tequila blanco, grapefruit and burnt rosewood extraction, and it was exceptional), we quietly took in the scene: chic Athenians, an elegant group of women from Istanbul, an attractive Italian couple who return twice a year. Families are welcome too and there is a small kids’ club.

Pristine, no doubt, but at first I found the scale of the resort (75 acres spread across several topsy-turvy buildings staggered along the cliff) tricky to get my head around. There are, to give you a sense of the operation, nine restaurants. We tried three of them. A relaxing dinner next to the lapping aquamarine water at Taverna 37 was excellent. Traditional Greek fare, including a Horiatiki salad I still think about from time to time. Poolside Helios was very much up my street with pineapple & jalapeño margs, creamy guacamole, zesty ceviche and tacos. But it’s the memories of Michelin-starred Pelagos which continue to linger months later. We had the tasting menu (€155) with the standout caviar pasta at its centre (you’ll pay an extra €55 for that). Other courses include butter-soft wagyu beef with dinkel bread and mushroom puree, red mullet with beetroot tagliatelle and foie gras (I wouldn’t normally, but…) with poached quince, cacao nibs and amarena cherries. All in all, a completely spoiling evening.

Find traditional Greek cuisine at Taverna 37

Four Seasons

At the spa, we were greeted with refreshing hibiscus, orange and lemon tea so good we requested more, before being led to an immaculate suite with more of those Aegean blue views. Therapists deftly worked out the most stubborn of knots. Facials are by Omorovicza. All divine. There is a watersports centre and activities range from anything to guided private tours of the Parthenon and cruises around the nearby islands of Hydra and Spetses, to helicopter excursions to the mindbending monasteries of Meteora.

And so, it turns out they were right, those know-it-alls: Astir Palace is the best of the best in every sense.