If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (including tax) available in the next 60 days.
Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (EUR635.95), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.
We could go Parthenon (and on) about the views from the Dolli, which we guarantee will elicit a wax-lyrical reaction every time the Acropolis comes into sight. References to this neoclassical, listed mansion’s fabric-shop origins have been woven throughout the interiors, while keeping the palette light, bright, and mostly white. The neutrality inside directs your gaze to the ancient beauty outside, which is best admired from the hotel’s landmark-revealing rooftop, which spotlights one of the seven wonders of the world.
Smith Extra
Get this when you book through us:
Early check-in and late check-out and room upgrade (all subject to availability), and two free signature cocktails
11am, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 3pm.
Prices
Double rooms from £618.26 (€722), including tax at 13.5 per cent. Please note the hotel charges an additional government tax of €10.00 per room per night on check-out.
More details
Rates include an à la carte breakfast, which is served on the Parthenon-facing rooftop.
Also
The Grand Deluxe Rooms are suitable for guests with mobility issues, and Dolli’s Library (on the ground floor) is wheelchair-accessible – plus, there’s Braille signage in the lift for visually impaired visitors.
At the hotel
Library, charged laundry and dry-cleaning services, free WiFi. In rooms: smart TV, air-conditioning, clothes steamer, minibar, tea-making kit, coffee machine, and Guerlain bath products.
Our favourite rooms
Anything with an Acropolis view will more than do – and although several categories will give you astoundingly good angles of the Parthenon, we’d put the Acropolis Grand Apartment on a pedestal for its Homeric-verse-worthy outlooks.
Poolside
Forget Athenian walking tours, you can actually swim alongside ancient history in the Dolli’s rooftop infinity pool (open 11am to 7pm).
Spa
There’s no on-site spa, but in-room relaxation is delivered by the hotel’s wellness partner, Hammam Spa Thission – whether you’re in need of a post-Parthenon pedicure, or an Ancient Greek massage (Hippocrates-approved, naturally). Yoga mats are also available.
Packing tips
We all wish we had Hermes’ winged sandals to whizz our way around the Greek capital, but we’ll have to settle for our comfiest pair of flats. And with the hotel’s proximity to the artsy Plaka neighbourhood, you’ll want to save space in your suitcase for some locally-made ceramics.
Also
Look out for the abstract art installations in the speak-easy lounge by French surrealists Lalan and Cocteau.
Pet‐friendly
Pets under 8kg are welcome to stay in any room here for €50 (a night, for each pet), which includes a bed, bowls, and treats. See more pet-friendly hotels in Athens.
Children
Most welcome – a baby cot can be added to all rooms (free of charge), and babysitting can be arranged (€150 for a minimum of three hours, and €40 for every additional hour).
Sustainability efforts
The Dolli might sit in a cradle of ancient civilisation, but this B-Corp certified mansion has been given a thoroughly modern – and energy-efficient – makeover, including a heat-recovery system, an automated building-management system (BMS), LED lighting, and timed air-conditioning to switch off when guests leave their rooms.
Weather permitting, any of the terrace tables come with Greek god-tier views.
Dress Code
We’re not talking togas, but anything haute and Hellenistic will help you slot in with this stylish crowd.
Hotel restaurant
The Dolli’s Restaurant takes up a prime Parthenon-viewing position on the hotel’s Acropolis-facing rooftop, where chef Athanasios Tzanetos expertly brings Asian ingredients into authentic Athenian dishes. The sommelier-curated wine list spotlights international labels alongside bottles sourced from artisan, family-run vineyards just outside of the city. You can’t go wrong by ordering the beef carpaccio, smothered in black truffle, rocket, lemon capers, and parmesan flakes.
Hotel bar
Pour libations to a different set of spirits in the Dolli’s Library, a retro-style, speakeasy bar with an artsy atmosphere and crafted cocktails.
Last orders
Breakfast is from 7am to 10.30am, lunch from 1pm until 4.30pm, and dinner from 7pm until 10.30pm.
Room service
Round-the-clock Japanese bites (including brioche Wagyu burgers, crispy-duck pancakes, and inside-out rolls), platters of cheese and fig chutney, and homemade desserts? The room-service gods have spoken, and this is one of the best 24-hour menus in town.
On the edge of the charming hillside Plaka neighbourhood, the Dolli basks in the glow of the Acropolis – and is just steps away from Athens’ most iconic landmark.
Planes
Athens International Airport (also known as Eleftherios Venizelos) is an hour’s drive away, and the hotel can organise transfers starting from €60 (one-way, for up to three passengers). Larger vehicles (which seat up to 18 people) can be arranged for €190 each way.
Trains
Monastiraki Metro Station is within walking distance of the Dolli – take the blue line from the airport and you’ll arrive within 30 minutes, without any changes. The station is also served by the green line, if you’re coming from Piraeus and the port.
Automobiles
Let’s just say that the narrow Athenian streets were not made for four wheels – getting around on foot is the best way to soak up the millennia-old sights (while avoiding pricey parking charges). Renting a small car, however, does come with its perks if you’re planning on a few day-trips outside the city. There are no on-site spaces at the Dolli, but valet parking is available (€35 for 24 hours) in partnership with a nearby car park.
Other
Piraeus just happens to be Europe’s largest passenger port, with direct connections to Mykonos, Santorini, and other Aegean Island favourites.
Worth getting out of bed for
When you’re staying this close to the Acropolis, it goes without saying that you’ll be paying this ancient citadel a visit – we’d recommend beating the crowds and avoiding the midday heat by arriving first thing in the morning. You’ll stroll past the Theatre of Dionysus on your way to Hadrian’s Arch (just 10 minutes away from the Dolli), and you could complete your classical circuit by looping back around to the Benaki Museum, a striking neoclassical mansion which houses over 100,000 artefacts and artworks which delve into Greece’s fascinating and far-stretching history. Bustling Monastiraki is practically on the hotel’s doorstep, which, after Syntagma Square, is one of the liveliest spots in Athens – head down this jumble of narrow streets on a Sunday morning to barter for bargains in the local Giousouroum Flea Market. Continue your treasure hunt in nearby Plaka, a village-style, artisan enclave of ceramic stalls, traditional tavernas, and listed mansions which is said to be the ‘Neighbourhood of the Gods’. Get a Greek island hit in nearby Anafiotika, a pretty tangle of whitewashed buildings perched on the northern slope of Acropolis hill where you’ll feel as though you’ve stumbled across a Cycladic village.
Local restaurants
The Dolli is just down the road from Smith stablemate Ergon House, a modern-day temple to Grecian food above the agora – an emporium of market stalls overflowing with local produce, plus rustic tables laden with antipasti boards, freshly baked bread, and seafood orzo, all surrounding a 200-year-old olive tree. Just below Syntagma Square, Birdman elevates souvlaki skewers with the flavours of Tokyo in a no-fuss-no-frills Japanese bar and grill setting. For a Mediterranean medley with a side of sprawling views, reserve one of the terrace tables at Orizontes – a cliffside restaurant which tops Lycabettus Hill, the highest peak in Athens. Get off to a sweet start by ordering the Epirus feta cheese, served in dough drizzled with thyme-infused honey.
Local cafés
Bohemian brunch spot Folk Restaurant is an easy five-minute walk from the hotel, where East-meets-West dishes are whipped up beneath a tangle of lanterns and hanging plants. Popular breakfast plates include the Greek pastrami-topped eggs Benedict, and the avocado sourdough toast with tahini and traditional Lemnos island kalathaki cheese. In downtown Athens, Dope Roasting Co is a trendy café with plenty of options for a mid-sightseeing caffeine kick.
Local bars
Between April and October, Kuzina’s rooftop terrace is the spot for sundowners and cocktails by candlelight, giving you a front-row seat to the Temple of Hephaestus – which looks particularly mystical under a moonlit sky. The cocktail list is inspired by ancient Greek gods and goddesses, including the elderflower-based Artemis Arrow, and the spicy Dionysos Fire, which blends homemade chilli syrup with chocolate bitters and tequila.
Looking south from the observation deck on the Empire State Building; the sun setting over the Eiffel tower from the Palais de Tokyo; the Rialto Bridge at golden hour, in a gondola approaching from the southwest – there are views so special that they can’t really be transmitted through description or by photograph, too potent ever to be reduced to cliché.
The view of the Acropolis in Athens from the restaurant and rooftop infinity pool at the newly opened Dolli is up there. And maybe the best view I’ve ever seen from a hotel? … [READ THE FULL REVIEW]
