Sir Athens suites – a stylish boutique hotel in Kolonaki, Athens

My stay at Sir Athens suites offered a luxurious break and a chance to explore Kolonaki, one of the most upscale neighbourhoods of Athens. This pretty neo-classical building offers just four suites and is a hybrid between boutique hotel and apartments, offering a place to stay in comfort and style, close to some of the top designer shops and restaurants in the city.

There are many charming places to visit close to the hotel, which is just a couple of metro stops from top sights such as the Acropolis. I can highly recommend Sir Athens for those who are sightseeing and want spacious accommodation, sophisticated ambiance and personal service, but don’t need or want to pay for the extra facilities of a larger hotel.

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Our bedroom at Sir Athens

Of the four suites at Sir Athens, I was staying in the largest on the top floor, the Sir Attic Suite which has two separate bedrooms. Both bedrooms enjoyed lofty ceilings under a sloping roof, one looking out to the quiet street at the front, the other over the leafy courtyard at the back of the building. It was a toss up which room to sleep in, but in the end I went for the one at the front with a striking mural over the bed.

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The decor here is a neural palate of white, grey and black with a minimalist feeling of modern luxury. There were some industrial elements in the decor, with metal chairs, side lamps and marble bedside tables. The effect was softened with a rush matting rug, floaty linen curtains and a squashy padded headboard.

I really enjoyed my stay at Sir Athens, both the stylish decor and the attention to comfort in the mattress and high quality bedlinen that ensured a dreamy night’s sleep. It’s the little details, like towelling slippers and bathrobes, a good size safe for my laptop and lovely refillable Elemis toiletries that showed a lot of thought had gone into the guest experience.

The suites are ideal for visitors to Athens who plan to spend most of the time out sightseeing. There’s not a lot of storage space, with open hanging rails to leave your clothes, which is fine if you’re just there for a few days.

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Our bathroom at Sir Athens

All the bathrooms at Sir Athens are contemporary and modern, with tiled floors and glass walk in showers. I enjoyed the powerful and easy to use shower, with its rainforest head. The toiletries here are Elemis, a lovely luxury brand, and I was pleased to see that the shower gel and shampoo in the shower were in refillable bottles, with smaller individual bottles of conditioner. To reduce single use plastic, even the most luxurious hotels are moving to larger bottles of refillable toiletries these days.

Room amenities at Sir Athens

There are plenty of thoughtful extras in your suite at Sir Athens designed to make your stay more comfortable, including soft towelling bath robes and slippers, which we appreciated on tiled floors. Wet feet after a shower and hard tiles make for a slippery combination!

Also in the room was a kettle and bottled water in the fridge, as well as a Nespresso machine to make yourself an excellent cup of coffee. An unusual touch was the tins of herbal teas from Greek brand Anassa Organics, who make fragrant blends of teas and tisanes using the herbs that grow in Greece.

There were no other types of tea, so if you like an English cuppa to start the day you’ll need to ask what the hotel can provide as a concierge service. Personally I love tisanes and tried the Anassa loose tea blend, using their ingenious tea bag system, where you fill your own tea bag from the tin.

Another service I appreciated was the tablet in the room with information about the hotel. Due to Covid restrictions many hotels have removed the printed information in the rooms, but that often leaves you with no clue of what’s on offer nearby or where to eat out.

This seemed an excellent solution, since the tablet could be thoroughly cleaned for each guest and I was able to find useful recommendations about restaurants in the area. Following one of these tips I headed to a nearby restaurant Nice n Easy and enjoyed a cocktail and delicious meal, with friendly staff and a relaxed atmosphere.

A historic residence

Sir Athens suites is housed within a pretty neo-classical building dating back to the 1800s, when this popular style of columns and pediments was used to echo the classical heritage of ancient Greece. The building was part of the residence of Pavlos Koutouriotis, the Greek Rear Admiral and politician, who became President of the second Hellenic Republic in 1924.

Having fallen into disrepair, the building was completely renovated by the Sir Athens team in 2018 and made into a small hotel. The soft grey, decorative facade gives a glimpse into the style of Old Athens in the 19th and 20th century, before most of the modern apartment blocks in this area were constructed.

Around the hotel

You’ll find Sir Athens down a small pedestrian side street that leads off one of the roads linking Skoufa and Solonos streets in Kolonaki, with their stylish bars and restaurants. Entry is by a key code into a small lobby, which during the day is looked after by a receptionist who is on hand to offer any help or advice you need. After hours, there is no 24 hour reception staffing, but guests can come and go using the key codes and a 24 hour telephone service is available in case any help is needed.

Apart from the lobby seating, there is no public space for guests to gather, or other facilities that you might find in larger hotels such as spa, restaurant or gym. This hotel / apartment hybrid will probably suit guests who plan to be out sightseeing during the day or enjoying the many nearby bars and restaurants at night, needing only a comfortable hotel room as a base to relax.

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Other suites at Sir Athens

I was able to take a peek at some of the other suites at Sir Athens, which has a total of four suites in the main building and apartment in another building just across the road. All the suites are slightly different, with contemporary furnishings and sophisticated muted colour schemes.

The textiles are luxurious linens and velvets, paired with natural woods and some stylish metal accessories, giving a slightly industrial vibe. While my attic suite had two separate bedrooms, all the other suites at Sir Athens have a sofa bed in addition to the main double bed, giving extra flexibility on numbers.

Each of the suites has a small en suite bathroom with shower, with a clean, modern look of glass and marble. The walk in showers with glass screens have an easy to use rainforest head and hand held attachment, with refillable Elemis toiletries used throughout.

The apartment at Sir Athens

Just across the side street of Sir Athens is another apartment building, where the hotel has a studio apartment as part of the hotel offering. This is beautifully decorated in contemporary style, with wooden parquet floors and a restful scheme of natural fabrics and colours.

With a small kitchenette and squashy velvet sofa, the apartment would be ideal for a couple who want to have a little more space and flexibility for self catering, while enjoying the security and daily cleaning service of the hotel.

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Breakfast at Sir Athens

As a small hotel, there is no room for a restaurant to take breakfast, but a continental breakfast can be ordered the day before, to be delivered to your room ( €12 charge). My beautifully presented breakfast tray arrived with freshly squeezed orange juice, a fruit and yoghurt bowl, bread and pastries, and I treated myself to a very indulgent breakfast in bed.

If you have any dietary requirements such as vegan or gluten free, these can also be catered for. For those who prefer to go out for breakfast, a short stroll will bring you to one of the cafes, bakeries or coffee shops nearby.

Location of Sir Athens

Located to the east of the Acropolis, between Syntagma Square and the slopes of Lycabettus Hill, Kolonaki is considered one of the most upscale neighbourhood in Athens. Sir Athens is tucked away down a quiet side street between the two major streets of Solonos and Skoufa. While these roads are lined with residential apartment buildings, the street level is full of coffee shops, restaurants and designer shops that cater for an affluent crowd.

At the heart of the district is Kolonaki Square, where the “little column” that gives the area its name is located, encircled by smart cafes and clothing shops. From here, walk to the Benaki Museum and take a short stroll past the National Gardens as you head towards Syntagma Square where the “Bond Street” shops of Athens are located.

For insights into another of the oldest neighbourhoods in Athens, read my neighbourhood guide to Psiri

Where to eat in Kolonaki near Sir Athens

At every corner in Kolonaki there seems to be a trendy coffee shop and eatery, and the neighbourhood has a reputation for some of the top restaurants in Athens.

I checked the restaurant recommendations from the tablet in my room at Sir Athens, and headed to Nice n Easy, which is a Mediterranean restaurant serving healthy gourmet dishes with lots of veggie and vegan choices as well as excellent cocktails. They also have two other locations in Greece and the all day menu is named after old time stars of the stage and screen, such as Audrey Hepburn, Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe.

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Another of the Sir Athens recommendations I’d have tried if I’d had more time was It, which is an all day cafe where it’s all about fresh, healthy and seasonal dishes with a big choice of veggie and vegan options. It looked like a great place for brunch, coffee or cocktails, with an outside terrace on Skoufa Street.

There were many more delightful restaurants that I passed, but if you want to stop for a refreshing juice or smoothie, while shopping for gorgeous toiletries, head for the Apivita experience store on Solonos Street. This four story neo-classical building is a showcase for Apivita’s face and body care range based on plant and bee products, with a juice bar on the first floor mezzanine, a spa for relaxing treatments and a lecture hall.

Who will enjoy staying at Sir Athens

• Couples will enjoy the space and luxurious furnishings.
• The suites are ideal for city break visitors who want a comfortable hotel base but don’t need lots of hotel facilities such as a spa, gym or swimming pool.
• Because of the small hotel size and range of different suites and apartments, Sir Athens would be ideal for groups of friends or couples who want to take all rooms in the hotel and have it to themselves.
• Sir Athens is well located for those who want to stay in an upscale neighbourhood like Kolonaki, with its designer boutiques and stylish restaurants and bars.

Good to know

• Although the suites have a fridge, there are no other kitchen facilities except in the apartment.
• Because of the quiet location down a pedestrian side street, and the lack of a 24 hr manned reception, this may not be the best choice for solo female travellers arriving late at night.

Sir Athens – key information

• There are 4 suites at Sir Athens – 3 have a double bed + sofa bed, 1 has 2 bedrooms
• An additional 1 bedroom apartment, managed by the hotel is just across the road
• There is a lift to the upper floors
• Rooms have complimentary Nespresso machines and Anassa herbal teas
• There is no restaurant on site.
• A continental breakfast is available at an additional cost of €12 for order the previous day and is delivered to your room.
• The hotel is in the upscale Kolonaki neighbourhood of Athens.
• Closest Metro is Panepistimio (one change from the airport)
• Services include luggage storage | airport shuttle (additional charge)
• The hotel is easy walking distance or a short metro ride to major tourist sites such as Monastiraki Square, Plaka, Syntagma Square, Acropolis.

Book your stay at Sir Athens

Website: SirAthens.com | Address: 9A Kaplanon Street, 10680 Kolonaki, Athens, Greece | Closest Metro: Panepistimio (Line 2 / Red Line) | Email: [email protected] | Instagram @Sir_Athens | Compare prices and book for hotels in Athens

Things to do in Kolonaki near Sir Athens

While the top sights in Athens such as the Acropolis are just a couple of metro stops away, there’s plenty to see in the area around Kolonaki where Sir Athens is located. Here are a few of the places that we visited while staying at the hotel:

Academy of Athens

If you walk to Sir Athens from the nearby Panepistimio metro, you’ll pass the Academy of Athens next to the National Library. Built in 1859 in the neo classical style, the buildings are not generally open to the public but give a feel of the grandeur of the Ancient Greek buildings in their heyday and make a great photograph.

The slopes of Lykavittos Hill

I really enjoyed walking up through the residential areas that clothe the lower slopes of Lykavittos Hill. Steps lead up the slopes through some of the most exclusive apartment buildings, affording a glimpse over the rest of Athens lying below.

Hadrian’s Reservoir and Dexameni Square

My wanderings up the hill from Skoufa Street brought me to Dexameni Square with its shady trees and popular neighbourhood cafe. Dexameni is the Greek word for “Cistern” and peering through the glass windows under an arched building, the reason for the name is revealed in the Hadrian’s Reservoir.

This water cistern dating back to Roman times was restored in the 19th century and is part of Hadrian’s Aqueduct that brought fresh water to supply the city of Athens. Until the 1950s water was stored here but it’s now an empty chamber and the roof of the building is used as an open air cinema.

Mount Lykavittos

This tree clad hill is the highest point in Athens so of course it has wonderful views over the city and is very close to the Kolonaki neighbourhood. There is a short cable car ride that takes you directly to the top which I took and then walked back down the hill, which I think is the best way to do it.

On the crest of the hill, where the cable car stops is a restaurant Orizentos which is popular in the evening to dine with a view over Athens and the Acropolis. If you want somewhere that’s more of a cafe with a stylish but relaxed atmosphere and the same views, head to Prasini Tenta further down the hill, which was my choice for a coffee stop.

Perched right at the top of the hill is the whitewashed church of Agios Georgios which was built in the 1870s on the site of a Byzantine church and ancient temple to Zeus. On another part of the hill there’s a modern outdoor amphitheatre, built in the 1960s on the site of an old quarry, which is used for cultural and music events in summer.

If you want to climb the hill, I’d suggest following the path above the cable car which zig zags up to the restaurant. Your legs may complain but your eyes will be rewarded by the fantastic views!

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Benaki Museum

Just around the corner from Kolonaki Square is the Benaki Museum of Greek Culture, one of my favourite museums in Athens, housed in a grand neo-classical museum. This museum is just the right size to spend an hour or two and covers a collection of Ancient Greek and Roman art, as well as local costumes from around Greece.

I really enjoyed seeing these richly embroidered textiles and fashions of the past, the 19th century watercolours of old Athens and carved wooden rooms taken from old mansions in Northern Greece. The Museum also has a lovely roof terrace cafe with views over the National Gardens across the road.

The Benaki foundation also has other museums in Athens, including one for Islamic Art, a Toy Museum and the Gika Gallery housing the artist’s work.

Syntagma Square

No visit to Athens is complete without a visit to Syntagma Square, which is just a short walk from Sir Athens and Kolonaki. This is where the Presidential Guard or Evzones, stand guard over the tomb of the unknown soldier in front of the Greek Parliament Building, formerly the Old Royal Palace.

Every Hour, on the hour, there is a short ceremony for the changing of the guards, and every half hour the soldiers change position, so there’s always a spectacle to see that draws a crowd. On some Sundays there’s an even bigger parade of soldiers in ceremonial dress who march down the street from the nearby barracks, wearing the white cotton kilts with 400 pleats that represent the 400 years of Ottoman occupation.

Book your stay at Sir Athens

Website: SirAthens.com | Address: 9A Kaplanon Street, 10680 Kolonaki, Athens, Greece | Closest Metro: Panepistimio (Line 2 / Red Line) | Email: [email protected] | Instagram @Sir_Athens | Compare prices and book for hotels in Athens

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