Electra Metropolis Athens: Greek God of Hospitality

Electra Metropolis Hotel

A dapper-looking man in uniform greeted us with a big smile as soon as our car pulled up at the Electra Metropolis Hotel. That smile made me forget the crammed airline seat I was subjected to for about seven hours.

A smooth check-in and in no time I was inside my beautiful suite of the Electra Metropolis Hotel that left me speechless with its view of the stunning Acropolis. I knew bythis time that it would be a great trip.

Electra Metropolis is a 216-room hotel located on the central Metropolis street of Athens. A relatively new five star hotel, it has a contemporary design with all modern amenities. At the same time it reflects the culture and rich history of the city with its retro chic design. The hotel's central location meant we could walk to all the major sites, shopping areas, cafes and even night clubs! It is at a stone's throw from the old town of Plaka and Monastriki.

Suite Pleasures

A bottle of rose welcomed us to our Acropolis suite located on the eight floor. The expansive suite offered panoramic view of the beautiful city and its main attraction- the Acropolis. It had a spacious living room, elegantly done bedroom and two bathrooms. I spent considerable time in my suite, because that's just how good it was and despite waking up to the view of the Acropolis, I could never have enough of it.

Photo of Electra Metropolis Athens: Greek God of Hospitality by vishakha Talreja

The service too was impeccable with a Greek touch. Electra Metropolis Hotel is part of the Electra Hotels and Resorts Group that also owns two other hotels in Athens. Their hospitality is warm and has a personal touch.

The hotel houses rooms in various categories, but an interesting category that needs a mention is the - Art Internal Rooms. These rooms have a view of Alekos Fasianos' wonderful work of art.

Beyond Rooms

After a long flight and all the walking around, I treated myself to the Greek Signature Massage at hotel's spa. The therapist used silicone cups on my back to massage and revitalize the body. The 60-minute massage was followed by a lavender steam, a ritual at this spa, that was calming. As I sat to take the steam at the spa lounge there was a piece of history right under my feet, literally! Through the glass floor one can see an ancient city wall-the Themistoclean Wall which encircled ancient Athens and was the longest fortification in the city. The wall, intact passes through the basement of the hotel where the spa is located.

There is also a rooftop pool ideal to take a dip while enjoying the spectacular views of the city.

The hotel arranged a city tour for us that covered all the main attractions. Our local guide Betty was vivacious and took us to some of the hidden spots of the city like Anafiotika, a lovely picturesque neighborhood that almost looks like the island of Santorini, little cafeterias and bistros.

Food

Athens has many happy cafes all around and the food, especially the greek salad and greek wine is consistently good at most bistros. But the food at our hotel's fine dine restaurant was a notch above all. So the best part about staying at this hotel was easy accessibility to its popular rooftop restaurant - Metropolis Roof Garden. This restaurant serves the best creative Greek food in Athens. No wonder every night it was packed owing to its popularity. Located on the tenth floor of the hotel, the night view of the lit up Acropolis that this restaurant offers is a travel bucket list item. Good meals are not just about food, especially if you pack in a view like this. For residents it is an added advantage that the elaborate breakfast buffet was also served at this restaurant. M Bar is also on the same floor where you can grab some drinks and unwind after a long day.

For a quick coffee the hotel also houses Atrium Lounge. Then there is the Library on the ground floor for light Mediterranean meals. This stylish bistro is also great for business lunches.