The Best Spa Hotels in Athens

Located below the world famous Acropolis in the centre of the city, Royal Olympic Hotel is a charming family-run business. Fully renovated 10 years ago, the hotel’s interiors are tastefully designed for a classic experience, with a special focus placed on being as eco-conscious as possible. The hotel has plenty of fantastic features but the in-house ‘wellness centre’ is a highlight with a wide range of traditional massages, treatments and therapies available to book.

A quiet refuge in the city’s bustling commercial district and just round the corner from Syntagma square, the Electra Hotel aims to give a truly contemporary stay for would-be visitors to Athens. The hotel is handily located in the city centre and has plenty of facilities available, including a dedicated business centre, naturally lit conference rooms and a sizable work desk in every room. For guests looking for some downtime, the hotel also has an excellent spa and wellness centre, including a number of massage treatments and even beach based yoga classes available to book.

Originally built in the 19th century as the luxury mansion of a local merchant, the Athens 1890 was recently restored in partnership with Greece’s ministry of culture and opened as a welcoming boutique hotel that pays homage to its unique heritage. Maintaining most of the hotel’s pleasing architectural legacy, the Athens 1890 features an attractive front-facing facade, an ornate grand wooden staircase and original hand-painted ceilings. Inside however, the rooms are every bit the modern hotel experience, with each room including a queen sized bed, walk-in shower and climate control air conditioning as standard.

One of the best known hotels in Athens, the Divani Caravel is the ideal option for guests wanting to spend most of their time exploring everything the city has to offer due to its excellent central location. A short distance away from some of Athens’ biggest attractions, including the Acropolis, National Archaeological Museum and Monastiraki Market, the Divani Caravel is perfectly placed as a starting point in the city. On top of this, their superb in-house spa, the Peak, is the perfect place to unwind after a long day of sightseeing, with professional masseuses offering a plethora of treatments while you enjoy the stunning city views from its ninth floor location.

Welcoming guests for nearly 150 years and part of the Marriot’s luxury collection, the Hotel Grande Bretagne is an award-winning five-star option overlooking some of Athens’ biggest highlights. Each of the hotel’s huge 320 guest rooms comes individually designed and includes a number of remarkable features including floor-to-ceiling windows bathing the rooms in natural light, authentic antique furniture and original artworks lining the walls. The hotel’s spa is an award-winning sanctuary, offering guests a place to truly focus on some R&R, with everything from ayurvedic therapies to eye treatments available to book.

Found at the base of Mount Lycabettus, the Duke Boutique Suites offer a truly opulent alternative stay, well suited for longer stays in the city. Each of these sleek suites is fitted with a fully furnished kitchen and is filled with modern amenities such as electric motorized curtains, 50in smart TVs and a mini-fridge stocked with gourmet goodies for a true home-away-from-home experience. The Dukes Spa and Wellness centre offers a restful retreat from the spirited city below, with a mix of the latest gym equipment and a full range of relaxing treatments available.

Spread out over the Lycabettus mountainside, this family-owned boutique hotel offers guests some of the city’s best views and recently took the award for Best Greek City Lifestyle Hotel at the prestigious H​ospitality Awards. The hotel has an extensive range of accommodation, including cosy guestrooms, spacious suites and “eco-chic” rooms, built with 100 percent natural materials and managed with an ecological ethos that includes using Coco Mat bedding, in-room products from renewable resources and even an ecological pillow menu. The Aegeo, St George’s in-house spa, has several treatments available to guests, all delivered by certified massage therapists in the serene spa setting.

The second Luxury Collection hotel by Marriot on our list, the King George is an upmarket boutique hotel, offering guests some of the best dining, comfortable accommodation and intuitive service in the city. Dating back to 1930, the King George’s design takes inspiration from a neoclassical aesthetic and includes a mix of bright natural light, elegant suites and classic furnishings, while its inhouse restaurant, the Tudor Hall, offers some of the best authentic Greek cuisine in Athens, served in a beautifully traditional dining hall. The dedicated fitness centre is a great place to work up a sweat and the concierge team has plenty of wellness services in the city available to book.

An ultra-modern hotel styled after the city’s ancient origins, the Academia of Athens is a beguiling blend of contemporary and classic brought to us by Marriot’s Autograph collection. Drawing inspiration from the legendary academy of Plato, the hotel’s design has echoes of an Ancient Greek aesthetic in a modern setting, with the rooms providing a carefully curated living space and the Academia’s in-house restaurant, serving delicious Mediterranean dishes made predominantly from local ingredients. Following this age-old influence, the Pnoe Spa and Wellness Centre has a full range of treatments derived from the holistic healing techniques of Ancient Greece.

Centrally located in downtown Athens and part of the popular Melia chain of hotels, Melia Athens offers the same professional presentation, helpful staff and comfortable rooms that have made the brand so well known. The Melia’s guest rooms are bright and open, featuring earthy tones and wood panelling, while the ensuite bathrooms are decorated with lavish marble and super relaxing hydromassage bathtubs as standard. The Melia also includes a dedicated wellness centre, focused on guests’ wellbeing, with calming facilities and relaxing therapies available, such as a sauna or hammam sessions.

A family-run Hotel looking over the Acropolis in a quiet residential area, the Herodion champions Athens’ expansive history while offering you a fresh and modern stay during your time in the city. The rooms have a smart design with great functionality in the space, while the hotel offers a great array of benefits, including complimentary in-room breakfasts, 24-hour concierge service and laptop or tablets available to book through the front desk. One of the Herodion’s bright spots has to be its rooftop garden, which has two hydromassage baths – and private therapeutic massages and yoga classes are offered in the open air by the hotel’s dedicated instructors.