Hotel Grande Bretagne
Having breakfast on a balcony with the Acropolis in full view is a good way to start the day in Athens, and staying at the Grande Bretagne, where you can do just that, is a good way to spend the rest of it. Despite the outstanding attractions that fill the city, there are days when the heat and the chaos build up, and this great old hotel, with its cool lavish interiors exerts a powerful pull as an elegant escape from the blur of sightseeing in sauna-like conditions. Of course it’s impossible to be in Athens without wanting to see some sights from time to time, and when a spell in the long cool indoor pool at the hotel’s state of the art spa has restored some energy, the centre of the city is right on the doorstep.
Situated next to Syntagma Square and the Parliament building, the Grande Bretagne couldn’t be better placed. The metro is seconds away, although most attractions are within walking distance. The hotel is in the centre of things physically, as it has been from the time when chickens ran around the surrounding streets when it opened in 1874. (There were two bathrooms then, for eighty bedrooms. Now each ensuite bathroom is a marbled extravaganza filled with Molton Brown goodies and gilded mirrors). As the hotel at the heart of city, the Grande Bretagne has been at the heart of many a historical happening. Spies, agents and other political players have stayed here and many an alliance or plot has been planned within its walls. When Athens fell to the Nazis, the hotel that had been at the centre of local social life and celebrations was requisitioned as the headquarters of the German Army – apparently Himmler, Goering and Hitler all stayed here.
Then the hotel became the headquarters of the British Expeditionary Force and later the Civil War between the Greek Army and the communist resistance in Athens saw the hotel become a combination fortress/refugee camp, with machine-guns at the entrance and hundreds of homeless people in the rooms. During these times of crisis Churchill, Macmillan and Eden all visited the hotel for conferences. Heads of state continue to visit, although now it’s usually to take up luxurious residence in the Presidential or Royal suites. All the rooms at the Grande Bretagne are sumptuously appointed with fine fabrics and furnishings, but sizes and views do vary. This is not a problem with these premier suites – living rooms with fireplaces, formal sitting areas, dining rooms for private dinners, bathrooms with jet tubs and steam baths – and the best views the hotel can offer, with the Parliament building and the Acropolis taking centre stage. Some of the standard rooms do offer similar views, with good sized balconies to enjoy them from, but there’s no missing out on the Athens skyline at this hotel.
A spell by the rooftop pool offers a fine vista of Lycabettus Hill beyond the blue waters of a pool that is the ultimate antidote to the sticky street heat, and the simple routine of having breakfast involves gazing out at the Acropolis, preferably from the outside terrace where the sun is warm but not blistering as the day starts. And in the evening, the same sight is set aflame by the setting sun as cocktail hourunfurls and the heat fades to a soft balm. Although it’s hard, it’s worth the effort to leave the hotel at this point and wander to the nearby and lively district of Plaka for a meal, if only to have the pleasure of returning to the Grande Bretagne and walking through the impressive lobby to finish the evening in Alexander’s, one of the world’s better hotel bars. An eighteenth century handmade tapestry hangs behind the bar, depicting Alexander the Great’s entrance into Gavgamila. They serve Dom Perignon by the glass, and not many places do that.
And therein lies the formula that makes this place special. The massive restoration that took place before the 2004 Summer Olympics took care to update the old building with all the mod-cons imaginable, but also took care to leave the historic grandeur of the hotel in place. That same rigorous attention to detail and service can be found in Alexander’s, and in the adjoining Winter Garden, where locals drop in every day for coffee. Continuity is comforting in a frenetic city, and while the Grande Bretagne is no longer the only place in town, it remains the place in town.