2019-02-01_Hampshire_Life

Hampshire Life: February 2019 (^) Š 93
vast, contemporary glass and
concrete sculpture – home of
the National Library of Greece
and the Greek National Opera

• was made possible by a £496
  million donation from the charity
  foundation set up after the death
  of billionaire Greek shipping
  tycoon, Stavros Niarchos.
  Kallithea translates literally as
  ‘beautiful view’, and arriving at
  the site, Piano asked, ‘Where is
  the beauty? Where is the view?’.
  The site, an old parking lot left
  over from the frenzied stadium
  building ahead of the 2004
  Athens Olympics, is blocked from
  the sea by a spaghetti junction of
  messy roads. And so the architect

a demo of how to prepare the

world-famous ‘black gold’ (it’s

heated over hot sand in a small

copper pot called a ‘briki’), and

we lap it up. Loumidis is one of

Greece’s top coffee purveyors,

and it’s a perfect example of

how humble traditions are being

reinvented for the luxury market.

Inside the store there’s a plethora

of artisan produce born of the

coffee bean.

Next door at Miran deli, we

sample cured meats, cheese

(Greece, apparently, has as many

varieties as France, if not more)

and tsiporo, which is similar to

raki. We also try spoon sweets

and Greek yoghurt at a nearby

health food store full of honey,

nuts and other local delights.

Then we wander off towards

the area’s two smaller harbours:

Zea Marina, with its smattering

of luxury yachts, pretty waterside

promenade and waterfront

restaurants; and Mikrolimano,

which is mostly populated

by fishing boats and seafront

tavernas that provide the perfect

setting for a lazy Sunday brunch.

The Athens Marriott Hotel

is the ideal base for exploring

Piraeus. It’s located in Kallithea,

a 10-minute drive from the

port and 15-minutes from the

Acropolis. Right next door to the

hotel is the impressive Stavros

Niarchos Foundation Cultural

Centre.

Designed by Renzo Piano

and completed in 2016, the

set about restoring the beauty,

and the view, by creating a lush,

sloped parkland that reaches up

to the centre’s viewing platforms.

It’s a beautiful place for a stroll,

some light watersports on the

man-made lake or an alfresco

coffee with a dramatic panorama

of the city and the sea.

The Athens Marriott Hotel,

launched in October 2018,

marks the brand’s re-entry into

the Greek market after a five

year absence – another sign that

the capital’s resurgence as a

destination is gathering pace.

The hotel has 366 rooms

and suites with contemporary

interiors, chic bathrooms and,

in my case, a generous terrace

granting views of the Stavros

Niarchos Foundation Cultural

Centre and the coastline.

There’s also a small-but-

perfectly-formed rooftop pool and

two restaurants: Made in Athens

restaurant, inspired by Athenian

marketplaces; and e&o Athens,

up on the rooftop, which serves

contemporary pan-Asian cuisine.

Think Athens and you think

of the Acropolis – especially if

you’ve just been watching The

Little Drummer Girl on BBC

One – or you might think of

the Athens Riviera (glorious by

British standards but ‘kinda meh’

by Greek standards, I’m told). Or

perhaps you’ve headed straight

for the port to hop on a Santorini-

bound ferry? Well, let the city

of Athens pass you by no more;

there’s a revival to explore.

TRAVEL

PHOTOS: SHANSCHE/GETTY IMAGES PLUS; MILANGONDA/GETTY IMAGES PLUS

ABOVE: The new

Athens Marriott

Hotel

BELOW:

Mikrolimano

marina in Piraeus

TRIP NOTES

Rooms at Athens Marriott

Hotel on Syngrou Avenue

start from €106 per night.

To book see marriott.com