Suite of the Week: the Penthouse Suite at the New Hotel in Athens

The city is ancient, the hotel is new, and that tension works.

Where is it? In the center of Athens with stellar, unobstructed views of the world’s most famous building. (The Parthenon.) Athens is poorly suited for cars, but well-suited to folks on foot. The NEW Hotel is within walking distance of the National Garden, the humongous Monasteraki Flea Market, and world famous architect Bernard Tschumi’s brand new Acropolis Museum.

The Hotel? The experience you’ll have at the NEW hotel will be strikingly modern – especially for such an ancient city – although the building itself went up in 1958 and housed the Olympic Palace, an establishment whose name correctly indicates that it was much less concerned with clean lines and a restrained color palette than The NEW. Brothers Humberto and Fernando Campana used some found furniture from the Palace to accent their wood-heavy, Brazilian style, and guests report that the result is stunning.

The Suite? The Penthouse has a compelling interior and 700 square-foot living area, but the reason to stay happens during the summer months: A plush canopy bed is placed out on the 360-degree terrace, and guests are offered the singular opportunity to sleep under the stars.

The Selling Point? The chance to cap a day’s adventures with a night’s slumber in the Mediterranean air next to the dozing, rectilinear, moonlit forms of the Acropolis.

By the Numbers: Seven-hundred square feet, sixties-era modernist furnishings, four balconies providing a comprehensive view of Athens, a marble bathroom and a chance to go urban camping. [$1,000/night; book at http://www.yeshotels.gr/]

Photos by The New Hotel