Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens is a property that gets better the longer you stay. Perched on a pine-clad peninsula in the Athens Riviera. The resort occupies 75 acres at the very tip of the Lemos Peninsula, where the land juts into the Saronic Gulf as if placed there deliberately for the views.
This is a storied property. The Astir Palace opened in 1961, quickly becoming the Mediterranean playground of choice for Aristotle Onassis, Brigitte Bardot, Frank Sinatra, and Jackie Kennedy. After a $650 million renovation, the Four Seasons opened as operator in 2019.
This is Greece’s first Four Seasons, (the second coming to Mykonos), and its flagship restaurant Pelagos has since earned a Michelin star, giving the property one of the highest culinary distinctions of any hotel on Greek soil.
The sweet spot for timing your visit is May through June or in September — warm enough for beach days, but quiet enough to feel like the resort is yours. July and August are glorious, but they’re also peak-season busy, and can dilute the hushed-elegant quality of the property.
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room selection
There are three accommodation settings — Arion, Nafsika, and The Bungalows — each distinct enough in character that where you stay is a choice worth getting right.
Nafsika is where I’d direct most families. Every room and suite faces the pool and sea, with floor-to-ceiling windows and furnished terraces standard throughout. The building sits closest to the main beach, poolside dining, and fitness center — the social engine of the resort. The Nafsika Sea View Suites comfortably accommodate two adults and two children, and connecting rooms are available here if you want linked but separate sleeping quarters.
Arion is the quieter, more contemplative wing — modernist in sensibility, slightly more sedate in atmosphere. The 2-Bedroom Arion Panoramic Suite, a corner configuration with a wraparound balcony and sweeping Aegean views, is the standout option for families wanting multi-room space. Connecting rooms are available in this building as well.
The Bungalows are where the property’s 1960s glamour is most alive — 61 freestanding retreats tucked among the pines near the northern beach, many with private plunge pools or spacious terraces. The tradeoff: they sit farther from the main resort facilities, which means a walk or golf cart ride to the Nafsika pool and most dining options. If you’re traveling with very young children or simply want maximum proximity to the action, Nafsika is the more practical choice.
This property is one of our preferred partner hotels with exclusive travel advisor rates (and we’re a Virtuoso agency in addition to publishing this magazine). Our clients get complimentary daily breakfasts, resort credits, and—based on availability—upgrades, early check-in, and late check-out. Don’t leave vacation money on the table!
If you would like to book this property with these VIP amenities at no cost to you, we invite you to become a Luxe Recess Insider and have access to our hotel booking tool.
pools and beach
This is, genuinely, one of the great pool-and-beach combinations in European luxury hospitality.
The resort maintains three private beaches, each facing a slightly different direction — which means there is almost always one naturally sheltered from the afternoon wind. Unlike the rough Pacific surf situation at many Mexican properties, the Aegean waters here are calm, clear, and genuinely swimmable for children and adults alike.
The pool options here are also plentiful. The main Nafsika pool is a gorgeous, well-serviced stretch of blue that functions as the beating heart of the resort. The adults-only infinity pool adjacent to the Arion building is its quieter counterpoint: worth stealing an hour at even if you can only manage it once.
Inside the spa, a separate indoor lap pool faces floor-to-ceiling ocean windows — useful in shoulder season or for serious swimmers who prefer their mornings private. A water sports center on the beach handles kayaking, paddleboarding, and snorkeling rentals, and cabanas are available at all main beach areas.
The Four Seasons Athens location
Choosing a resort on the Athens Riviera rather than a city-center hotel is a bet that pays compounding dividends for families traveling. Athens International Airport (ATH) is approximately 45 minutes away, the cruise port 45 minutes away, and the Acropolis is only 30 minutes away. A resort this good deserves more than just a pre-nght before a Mediterranean cruise.
The Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion, visible on clear evenings from Pelagos’ terrace, is a 45-minute drive and one of the more evocative ancient sites in the region — arrive near sunset and the light does the work for you.
Our favorite experiences in Athens included a wonderful family-run olive oil tasting and a side car tour of the city and up Taxiarches Hill for a lovely view of the city and the Acropolis.
resort activities
The activity options here are impressive. Tennis courts, a full tennis academy, and basketball courts are just the beginning. Yoga, Pilates, core training, and spinning classes run throughout the week, and the 24-hour fitness center — Technogym-equipped, waterfront-facing — is one of the better hotel gyms in Europe.
The property’s museum-quality art collection — primarily Greek modern works alongside pieces connected to the Benaki Museum — makes wandering the public spaces feel like a slow gallery tour. The open-air cinema is a reliable evening hit for families.
What really sets Astir Palace apart is its boating program. Guests can explore the Saronic Gulf islands aboard a Technohull Rib Boat, stopping at hidden sea caves, having lunch at a harbor-front fish taverna on Hydra or Spetses, and returning by late afternoon. And the adjacent Astir Marina, with 59 berths for superyachts and a strip of designer boutiques and waterfront restaurants, adds a lively social dimension that feels exactly right given the property’s jet-set history.
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Four Seasons Astir Palace kids club
Kids for All Seasons is the Four Seasons’ signature kids program, and at Astir Palace it operates year-round. The program is complimentary for hotel guests, welcomes children up to age 12, and requires children under four to be accompanied by a parent during sessions. Activities include tennis lessons, cooking classes, arts and crafts, supervised beach time, and open-air cinema evenings. Teens can enjoy water sports, the hotel’s game room (where my son enjoyed visiting daily) and many of the fitness classes.
Four Seasons Astir Palace spa
The spa at Astir Palace is organized entirely around the teachings of Hippocrates — the father of medicine, who practiced on the nearby island of Kos. Bring a map. It’s massive. I felt like I was in a futuristic movie set looking for the lounge after my treatment.
The signature Giosi foot ritual uses herbal compresses and Greek exfoliation techniques drawn from antiquity. A range of mineral-rich body therapies draws on regional ingredients, and the seasonal ritual menu shifts with the calendar.
The hydrotherapy zone — called The Fountain House — includes an aroma steam grotto, chill showers, sauna, and hammam. For teens, select treatments are available — confirm current age minimums with the spa when booking, as these can vary seasonally. Note: the on-site hair and beauty salon could be a great option for teenagers who want a glam session.
dining
Astir Palace offers eight restaurants, lounges, and bars.
Pelagos, the Michelin-starred restaurant in the Arion building, is the headline act. Chef Luca Piscazzi’s multicourse menus are some of the most moving fine-dining experiences that Greece offers — think cold spaghetti with caviar and clams, mint ceviche with yellowtail and pistachio, white aubergine with pork belly and oyster — dishes that reflect both technical skill and a sense of place. One candid note for families: Pelagos does not accept children under 12, so plan accordingly and reserve it for an adults only dinner.
For everyday dining, the choices are plentiful and reliably good. Taverna 37 serves well-executed Greek food that kids and adults can eat with equal enthusiasm. Helios, the Nafsika poolside grill with a Latin American bent, handles casual daytime dining effortlessly. Mercato, the Italian trattoria, earns props for its Sunday Pranzo della Domenica brunch — build a slow morning around it. Matsuhisa Athens by Nobu brings the global Japanese fusion menu to a terrace above the Saronic Gulf, and the setting alone would justify the visit. Breakfast, wherever you choose to have it, is a satisfying experience— start with it on your terrace and the day is already won.
If you book your hotel through Luxe Recess, you will receive complimentary VIP perks like resort credits, a welcome amenity, daily breakfast for two per bedroom, and you will be placed in the highest priority category for upgrades. Learn about these perks.
final thoughts on the Four Seasons Astir Palace
What the Four Seasons Astir Palace does better than almost any resort in Europe is hold two things simultaneously: it is both an utterly self-contained beach resort where one need never leave, and also an exceptional base for one of the world’s great cultural destinations. The amenities here are among the most consistent I’ve experienced anywhere in the Four Seasons portfolio. The dining program is genuinely distinguished. And three private beaches with calm, swimmable water makes this a terrific spot for families of all ages.
As a Four Seasons Preferred Partner, I book Astir Palace with VIP status attached, ensuring you receive complimentary breakfast, property credits, and priority upgrade consideration before your bags even arrive. I’d genuinely love to help get you there.