AthensWas

Athens was great, Athens was grand, Athens was the cradle of Western civilization and the birthplace of democracy. AthensWas, as it happens, is also the name of a sleek new hotel a stone’s throw from the Acropolis. It’s a slightly confusing play on words, but the name produces the desired effect: it makes you think about the relationship between the ancient city’s past and present, and wonder where exactly on that continuum the hotel places itself.

It’s impossible, or at least inadvisable, to open a boutique hotel in Athens — in the heart of one of the most important historic centers of Europe — without somehow grounding it within the city’s historical and cultural landscape. But the designers of AthensWas have gone about the task in a particularly clever way. The hotel isn’t a recreation of ancient days, nor a modern hotel with a few framed black and white photos of the Parthenon. Instead, its an homage to the city’s swinging Sixties.

Those were golden and glamorous days in the Greek capital: classic modernism was all the rage. So it is at AthensWas. There’s sumptuous Greek marble and native wood, but instead of dramatic columns and colorful mosaics, the interiors are all clean lines and elegant simplicity with a vintage twist. Guest rooms feature cool wood-paneled walls, mod furnishings, pops of color in retro orange and blue, and, yes, a few framed photos of Greek antiquities, should you wake up in the middle of the night and forget where you are. Each guest room has a private veranda and a Nespresso machine; the better ones offer views of the Acropolis.

If you can’t see any world-famous historic landmarks from the vantage point of your bed, simply head on up to the rooftop bar, where you can see ancient ruins and the sea at sunset. It’s the place to participate in that time-honored Greek pastime: sitting outside and indulging in rich food and drink. There’s not a swimming pool — this is, we repeat, the middle of an ancient historic center — but there’s a small fitness center, and the SENSE restaurant, serving stylish, lighter takes on traditional Greek cuisine. There’s plenty to see and do right outside the hotel’s doors, obviously. But you might consider returning to the hotel’s enviable rooftop for a nightcap. Shots of ouzo, anyone? When in Athens….