As you may have seen by my previous articles, I love the Mediterranean out of season, well any time of year I guess, with family in Italy and Summers spent in the Balearics from a young age, I’m constantly fight the urge to grab hand luggage and hop on a short haul flight in search for turquoise waters and blue skies. So when we were invited to the Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens Beach Club for the day, this was a definite yes.
History and location of Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens
Originally known as The Astir Palace, this hotel put the Athens Riviera on the map in the 1960s and was the spot to which the likes of Jackie Onassis and Brigitte Bardot flocked to spend their vacations, hopping from yachts to shore, sipping cocktails at parties and basking in the sun-soaked coves. It still retains this glamorous essence today, under ownership by the Four Seasons group.
Just a short walk from the Astir marina, with its designer boutiques and superyachts swaying in front of stylish bars, it is certainly in a fitting neighbourhood.
The Palace originally opened with three separate buildings and a cluster of bungalows in 1961; only two buildings and the bungalows remain today. The Arion is a chunky modernist block with a sea-view terrace and verdant gardens, while Nafiska is the bigger and more glamorous of the two.
The contemporary styling of the Four Seasons is throughout, with neutral palates, glass and chrome accents, it is the perfect backdrop for the azure waters beyond the building and its impeccably manicured gardens and their surrounding greenery.
Nafiska is where we arrived first. This is a glass-walled, curved-roof lobby, complete with the loveliest staff. The resort – all 74 acres of it – unfolds below you as you walk through the marble floor lobby past the most aesthetically pleasing glass cases of pastries and cakes that literally looked like works of art. From here, across manicured lawns, you have access to the sea, all the way down to the pool deck, which you access via a glass and chrome lift and further still to the boardwalk, which joins the beach club, pontoons and Taverna (I’ll get back to this later).
The Beachclub at Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens
Sixties and Seventies lines are key in the block-like, stacked architecture, while features such as vertical slats, used everywhere (externally to bedrooms), Big design names such as Meyer Davis, K-Studio and Martin Brudnizki all worked on the project. These angles are softened by the abundance of incredible floral arrangements, using locally sourced plants and greenery.
The focus of this aesthetic creates a story inside and out, whilst prioritising local partnerships, using materials such as seagrass and organic cotton inside and out.
This ambience is further highlighted by the floating Olive grove in the main pool, flanked by cabanas clad in said organic cotton, perfectly complementing the Aegean Sea just steps beyond.
We started the day overlooking the main pool, the floating olive grove is certainly a beautiful highlight, but just as pleasing, if not more, was the staff.
The service was impeccable, we both had iced coffees on the edge of the pontoon overlooking the yachts swaying in the bay. Our coffees were brought to us by Bruna, who kindly made suggestions on the strength of coffee, and she insisted on a selection of beautiful cookies.
The Food at Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens
Post coffee, we thought we’d explore the beach club and the various areas on our way to the taverna that had been booked for our lunch. The walk from the main pool to lunch was via a bleached wood boardwalk. Every detail is considered, from the retro ice cream cart to the jetty, which means tenders from the yachts in the bay can access the hotel for the people on board. Past the jetties, there is the loveliest natural bay, sunbeds and a sandy beach with staff attending to your every need.
We chose to eat outside; the menu incorporates sustainably sourced ingredients that evolve with the seasons. The culinary team sources from local and responsible producers, and this is evident, down to the catch of the day.
Our starter arrived via a series of small dishes that we could choose, there and then, with the likes of Cherry Tomato and Strawberry (Bocconcini from Kerkini), Pistachio, Mint Oil to hot dishes like prawn ‘Saganaki’ and the freshest grilled octopus.
I chose Calamari for mains (the starters are huge here btw, this arrived presented on a salad that could quite literally be another dish in itself) it always reminds me of holidays and I’m the constant quest to find the perfect ones, without sounding like a tourist we chose a Greek salad on the side which was beyond fresh.
Laura chose the beef and lamb kebab, which was locally sourced meat and which was, by all accounts, amazing. As a rule, we usually make a point of finding a local taverna/restaurant as it’s sometimes inauthentic; I’m no expert on Greek food, but this was beautiful.
As tempting as it was, we didn’t have room for dessert, but we did spend the rest of the afternoon where we started. Overlooking the floating olive grove poolside, with a sea breeze and another iced coffee. Bliss.
Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens
Apollonos 40
Vouliagmeni 166 71
Greece
