Vanoro Hotel

Quite a lot of Greek hotels, even the most urban ones, play up their associations with the country’s ancient history, but not this one — even though it’s located in the historic heart of the city, this is Thessaloniki at its most modern. Vanoro Hotel is one of the most stylish boutique hotels in town, a model of subtlety and restraint in a near-monochrome palette with generous helpings of mid-century modernist influence.

It’s also a luxurious one. Even the humblest rooms come with desks, armchairs, memory-foam pillows, and plentiful built-in storage, as well as handsome rainshower-equipped marble-clad bathrooms. Suites add extras like bathtubs, separate sitting rooms, sofa beds, and in some cases soaring atrium ceilings. The wellness center includes not just a spa but also a fairly substantial gym.

Many of us will be delighted to learn that the hotel’s breakfast is served in-room starting at 7:30am, and the versatile Anza Kitchen & Bar, the social heart of the hotel, goes beyond that, serving refined Mediterranean flavors and a wide variety of Greek wines and seasonal cocktails to a clientele that includes not just hotel guests but Thessaloniki locals as well.