When, in the 1960s and 70s, northern Europe established its now ingrained ritual of moving down to Southern Europe for its summer vacations, Nikos Daskalantonakis seized the moment and began moving up. In 1975 the former olive oil trader opened his first hotel just outside his hometown of Rethymno on the island of Crete. Half a century later, his company, Grecotel, has become the largest hospitality group in the country. Grecotel is a big fat Greek success story.
Daskalantonakis’ daughter, Mari, is now largely responsible for operational oversight of the company, and last year she unveiled a boutique property, The Dolli, right in the heart of old Athens that’s had heads turning, iPhones clicking and tongues clacking ever since. Draped in exquisitely accomplished interior design and suffused with a refined feminine aura of cosseted calm, one suspects The Dolli was specifically crafted as the kind of hotel that Ms Daskalantonakis would herself want to check into.
The heritage building is located on a busy corner on the edge of the ancient Plaka district beneath the Acropolis. Constructed in 1925 by architect Andreas Kreizis, also responsible for the nearby Greek parliament building, it was commissioned by shipping magnate, Dimitrios Kallimasiotis, as a family home. By the mid-1930s, however, the mansion with its huge beautifully rounded street-level windows, had morphed into an upscale textile retail outlet.
[See also: The Most Anticipated Hotel Openings of 2024]
After lying empty for some years prior to Grecotel’s acquisition, the project eventually took five years to complete. Crowned by an unassailably stunning rooftop terrace, The Dolli emerges as five floors of elegantly conceived boutique beauty that simply stands in a class of its own within the Greek capital.
STAY
Related
An immaculately coutured doorman brandishing a magnificent Hercule Poirot mustache serves as an appropriate conduit into a world of wonder and spectacle, as he ushers guests into the opulent reception area, the bustling Athenian streets, still visible through the massive windows, now suddenly silent. An informal check-in leads to a small but sumptuous sitting area, the Library, and then further back toward an alluring and impressively stocked bar – Le Bar Secret.
Ceilings are tall, door frames high, and parquet floors amid the original classical dimensions of the building exude an irrepressible understated opulence. There are a total of 46 rooms incorporating 18 suites, though it’s with the better suites on the upper floors that the diminutive Dolli demonstrates how it punches above its weight. The Acropolis Pied a Terre suite is probably the most covetable, boasting superlative views out onto the Acropolis, best absorbed from bed where breakfast can also be taken.
Most guests, though, gravitate to the rooftop restaurant for their coffee and croissants as the perspective onto the Parthenon is even better. Suites can also be combined and expanded to create private enclaves of varying dimensions to accommodate families and/or staff.
Content from our partners
[See also: Eliamos Villas Hotel & Spa: Kefalonia’s Best-kept Secret]
Much is made of The Dolli’s rooftop views and with good reason. The previously unutilized roof area now houses a heated infinity pool, outdoor terrace and indoor restaurant, all of which embrace views of the Acropolis that General Manager Mary Karassouli assures me are the best of any hotel terrace in the city. Seeing is believing. I saw, I believe. If anything, that’s a conservative assessment of The Dolli’s rooftop spectacle which almost certainly ranks among the best hotel terrace views in Europe.
In the basement, there’s a concise but well-equipped gym, though plans for a spa have yet to be realized.
DESIGN
Mari Daskalantonakis – who, with politician husband Nikos Sifounakis, a former Tourism Minister, forms one half of a Hellenic power couple – personally oversaw much of The Dolli’s interior design. Meticulously restoring wherever possible, the grandeur of Kreizis’ original structure such as the elaborate ceiling moldings of the ancient Macedonian symbol, the 16-pointed Vergina Sun, she’s layered into this neo-classical backdrop, a seductive style template that draws inspiration from 6th century BC right up to contemporary Parisian design studios.
[See also: Splendido, A Belmond Hotel, Introduces Exclusive Villa Beatrice]
Embellished with discreetly displayed artworks from ancient Greek plates to pieces from Pablo Picasso, Jean Cocteau, Les Lalanne and Alexander Calder, the subtle integration of these disparate design elements is masterfully deployed. The overarching aesthetic is essentially light, bright and fresh with the preponderance of whites, creams and golds resonating seamlessly with ancient Greece and the ever-present Parthenon.
Individually commissioned furniture includes fabulous bouclé sofas from Pierre Augustin Rose, while accommodations boast marble bathrooms with super-sized showers and tech-laden Japanese toilets that look capable of making an oat milk latte while proffering a shiatsu massage. If only I’d figured out how to program them.
Such is the reverence accorded to the Dolli’s rooftop, it merited its own architect, the acclaimed Stelios Krois, accompanied by his reputation for cutting-edge contemporary cool. Part terrace, part glass-enshrined restaurant, together with the much Instagrammed infinity pool, the Dolli’s rooftop established itself from day one as a voguish haven to see and to be seen in.
[See also: Akelarre, Review: Savoring Elegance in San Sebastian]
DINE
How often in Greek restaurants do we see that giant picture of the Parthenon? It can often take up an entire wall. Ensconced within the clean-lined laid-back sophistication of the rooftop restaurant, it’s there again, so close you could almost reach out to it. This particular Parthenon mural, though, happens to be the genuine article. The Dolli’s acropolis view is astonishing at any time but illuminated against the clear night sky, and running right alongside the table, it’s as magical a setting for dinner à deux as one will likely encounter anywhere.
Against such a spectacular mise en scène, The Dolli’s restaurant could probably serve up lackluster offerings and still have the phone ringing off the hook for reservations. What does emerge from the kitchen, however, is a highly accomplished cuisine that by its own admission, isn’t aiming for Michelin stardom. There’s no moussaka and souvlaki to be found here, either.
On the contrary, with an extensive sushi and sashimi offering, any cultural inclinations are leaning into the land of the rising sun rather than the land of the gods. With beautifully presented dishes such as sea bass tartare in lime, mango and ginger, or lobster linguini in black truffle and herbs, this is a calorie-conscious modern Mediterranean cuisine that even if eschewing the Michelin merry-go-round, still represents fine dining at its finest.
Sommelier Marios Kotalados, with his engaging and enthusiastic embrace of Greek wines, forms part of a fashionably fitted out and friendly young team that buzzes sedately around the inside and outside spaces with polite professionalism, in this stunning addition to Athens’ gastronomic repertoire.
[See also: The Best Restaurants in Athens]
EXPLORE
To gaze out across Plaka from The Dolli’s terrace is to effectively stand there surveying the birthplace of Western civilisation. In the streets below, Aristotle, Plato, Socrates, Sophocles, Pythagoras, Herodotus and so many other iconic names from Ancient Greece’s golden age pioneered advances in almost every aspect of human endeavor that continue to resonate across the modern world.
Pretty much everything to see, from the Acropolis to the ancient Greek and Roman Agoras, the temple of Hephaestus, and the Odean of Herodus Atticus, the 17,000-seat amphitheater that hosts a summer music festival, are all a walk away. A guide is essential, with The Dolli’s concierges happy to arrange for one to be waiting in the hotel lobby.
The Dolli is actually located at the confluence of two downtown areas; Plaka, with its grand mansions, charming flower-bedecked restaurants, and inevitably heavy tourist footprint, and Monastiraki which encompasses Athens’ principal shopping thoroughfare, Ermou, and a clutch of busy bars and eateries oscillating between varying degrees of grunge and glamour. Both areas come seriously alive in the evenings, Monastiraki, trending toward youthful and raucous, with Plaka, more restrained and refined.
This enviable location occupied by The Dolli, enabling guests to simply stroll out of the door and into the heart of everything, is but one of this new hotel’s myriad attributes that’s propelled it straight into the top tier of Athenian hospitality. Fifty years after Nikos Daskalantonakis made that fortuitous first foray into hotels, his all-conquering Grecotel would appear to have a jewel in its crown.
[See also: Hôtel Plaza Athénée Unveils Reimagined Royal Suite]
