What it is

A monumental (and monumentally beloved) 563-room hotel overlooking the Acropolis, with a spa and a poolside rooftop bar.

What it isn't

Hungry. One of the best restaurants in the city sits on the top floor with a dove’s-eye view of the adjacent Acropolis. The menu is nothing short of divine; get the caramelized pork belly and roasted jerusalem artichokes.

What we think

You can count on InterContinentals to have all the must-have trappings of a business hotel (in-room workspaces, zippy internet, staffers that can translate from Russian to German to French). But it’s so much more. Book a Club Room here and you’ll be treated to full reign over the 8th floor Club InterContinental Lounge, which includes buffet breakfast, gratis snacks and bottomless drinks. You’ll be in good company; former Club Room guests here include Liza Minnelli, Neil Armstrong and Sean Connery (proof positive the InterContinental is James Bond-worthy).

You're here because

You like to #treatyoself, especially on vacay. In the lobby, ArtLounge maintains a constant array of deliciousness, including Viennese chocolate cream cake and, this being Greece, golden pancakes with thyme honey.

The Moment

Flitting around the organic-leaning I-Spa, it’s hard to pick your next pampering spot. Want to hit the hammam? The heated ceramic beds? The kneipp herbal bath? Oops, they’ll all have to wait: it’s time for your treatment. A Himalayan salt crystal scrub that will leave you feeling like Aphrodite rising fresh from the surf.

Restaurants & Bars

Premiere - Mediterranean cuisine on a rooftop accompanied by stunning views of the Acropolis and Athens

Cafezoe - Showcasing the most sumptuous buffet breakfast in the city

Artlounge & Artbistrot – The cosmopolitan meeting places in heart of the hotel featuring delightful snacks & your favourite beverages

ToBar - Home to the hotel's signature ToBar champagne along with an impressive list of local wines and malt whiskies

Premiere Bar - Rooftop bar and perfect place to admire the hotel's stunning city views

Location

In Central Athens, a 20-minute stroll to the entrance of the Acropolis and the Fountain of Pnyx, a 507 B.C. watering hole (cistern) carved into rock that was such a gathering place it’s touted as the birthplace of democracy.