Periscope Hotel

Modern minimalist style starts at the exterior of the Periscope Hotel. The square, gray edifice mirrors the sleek, precise interior. Large glass doors open onto a gray-walled lobby with colorful flowers, track lighting, and wood floors. The lobby also provides coffee, tea, and free newspapers. Hallways are, that’s right, gray, but have marvelous photographs of Athens arranged in interesting ways around the building. Concrete tables and black Eames Eiffel chairs decorate the on-site restaurant, while food and artwork add color to the design, and floor-to-ceiling windows bring in natural light. Green shrubs placed throughout the hotel add warmth, along with the splashes of color. Joysticks connected to a rooftop camera are placed around the hotel, allowing guests to scope out their environs from various places.

The hotel sits on a low-key street in the posh Kolonaki neighborhood. Plenty of restaurants and shops, as well as Lycabettus Hill, Athens National Art Gallery, the Byzantine Museum, Benaki Museum, and Syntagma Square are within walking distance. The Acropolis and Parthenon are a 10-minute drive or 20-minute metro ride from the hotel. The Evangelismos metro station is within a five-minute walk of the Periscope.

Rooms are smartly designed at the Periscope Hotel: Minibars are stored inside furniture, and desks are built into the closet to provide maximum space. Soundproofed rooms with wood floors and electric blinds come with Tempur-Pedic beds, and ceilings are papered with beautiful aerial photographs of Athens. Functional reading lights are placed over the beds. Most of the rooms are gray with blue, sometimes purple, on bed runners and closet interiors. All rooms have air-conditioning and flat-screen TVs. Some rooms are small and dimly lit, while higher-priced rooms, such as the Penthouse Suite, include sitting areas with blue rugs, terraces with seating, and large hot tubs with Acropolis views. Some rooms have coffeemakers. White-tiled bathrooms come with soft robes and slippers, small white sinks,  glassed-in showers, and Apivita toiletries. Larger rooms have bathtubs and double sinks. 

The chic Periscope Restaurant serves all-day, starting with an early bird breakfast before moving on to fusion cuisine. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the property, and guests can use the nearby Holmes Place Health Club at no extra cost -- it's about a 10-minute walk from the hotel. Room service is available but has limited hours. There is 24-hour concierge service.