Emerald Hotel Athens

Style

Boutique gem

Setting

Syntagma central

An eyecatching jewel recently unearthed in Greece’s ancient capital is no archeological piece but a well-cut boutique escape, Emerald Hotel Athens. Its clutch of airy suites in a storied townhouse at the heart of downtown is a discovery to treasure. And its glittering setting — secured with a locally loved Med restaurant and courtyard bar — makes it crystal clear why this is a standout stay.

Facilities

Rooms

Five, including one suite.

Checkout

11am, and check-in is at 3pm. Both are flexible, on request and subject to availability.

More Details

Rates include an à la carte breakfast, served at Yphès.

Also

Unfortunately, none of the rooms at Emerald Hotel Athens are accessible if you use a wheelchair; even the stairs up to the rooms are fairly steep, so this is not the hotel for you if you have mobility issues.

Free Internet Access

Laundry

On-Site Restaurant

Room Service

At the Hotel

Concierge, 24-hour reception and free WiFi throughout. In rooms: satellite TV, climate control, minibar, Nespresso coffee machine, free bottled water, bathrobes, slippers and Frédéric Malle bath products.

Our Favourite Rooms

All five rooms flaunt curvaceous mid-century-style furnishings that bring glamour to their light-filled, lofty settings. As you’d expect from the neoclassical façade of this elegant townhouse, arched doorways, original plasterwork and wrought-iron details add to its graceful romance. There’s not much to separate any of these rooms, but the duplex Emerald Suite has a terrace that sports an alfresco bath, as well as a skyline-spying day-bed.

Packing Tips

A thirst for history, an appetite for city wanders and a curiosity for cocktail bars.

Children

Little Smiths need to be at least 12 years old to stay at Emerald Hotel Athens, but with no connecting rooms or options for an additional bed in yours, this feels like more of a grown-ups-only address.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

Let your mood dictate whether you opt for a people-watching spot overlooking Perikleous or a quieter table in the courtyard.

Dress Code

No need for smart threads by day, but colour-block linens and statement accessories will suit Yphès’s artful interiors for evening.

Hotel Restaurant

Although your approach to Yphès will come from sleeping right by it, this accomplished restaurant is foremost a locally loved dining spot. Modern Mediterranean cuisine is spun with seasonal produce, spotlighting classic Greek flavours, and formality around starters and mains is eschewed in favour of any-order plates you’ll want to share. Its contemporary dining space is kitted out with pale wood, patterned furnishings and chunky stoneware crockery. Breakfast shines, too, as much for its devotion to freshly brewed coffee as its panache with pastries.

Hotel Bar

The all-day set-up of Yphès caters to your thirst, too, morphing from morning coffee spot to lively drinking hole come apéro hour: we’re opting for a fig-soda-and-gin Fizzy & Mediterranean to wet the way to dinner, but we’ll be back for dessert in liquid form with Caramel Old Fashioneds.

Last Orders

Yphès serves breakfast from 8am until 11am, then opens from noon until last orders at 11pm.

Room Service

A selection of dishes can be ordered to your room between 11am and 10pm.

Planes

Athens International Airport is 40 to 60 minutes from Emerald Hotel Athens by car, and private transfers can be arranged at additional cost. The 50-minute metro ride from the airport on Line 3 to Monastiraki is a more predictable option.

Trains

Athens’ main railway hub, Stathmos Larisis, is a 15-minute drive from the hotel, served by express Intercity trains, domestic sleeper options and suburban services; there’s a taxi stand at the station. For navigating around Athens, Monastiraki (Lines 1 and 3) and Syntagma (Lines 2 and 3) are your closest metro stations.

Automobiles

There’s no overlap in the holiday Venn diagram between ‘driving in Athens’ and ‘having a good time’; follow the locals’ lead and stick to the metro or taxis and chauffeured transfers.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

Emerald Hotel Athens is your springboard to exploring the capital’s rich history: dip into its 20th-century culture browsing the collections of the National Historical Museum, or exploring the life and legacy of La Divina at the Maria Callas Museum. Artefacts are coming up Roman at the colonnaded Agora, also a walk away. On Perikleous, you’re within strolling distance of the Athens National Garden (home to a zoo, botanical gardens and yet more Roman ruins). And it’s just as accessible for paying homage to the Acropolis and Temple of Zeus, too.

Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt

This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .