It’s a great shame that the lobby of this landmark historic hotel had to be sliced in two to make room for the T Palace lounge bar and restaurant. This is supposed to be the hotspot in town with bar and bites but at 9pm on a September Sunday, its purple upholstery and shiny formica looked particularly funereal, devoid of life and so unwelcoming that we took ourselves outside to one of the unremarkable cafes in Syntagma Square for a glass of wine, rather than sit in the air conditioned chill within.

I didn’t like the reception area of the hotel either, with baby blue leather sofas and kitsch artwork but perhaps this is a matter of personal taste. And I was shocked by the room service. Around 28 euros for a plate of fresh fruit that appeared as a tasteless wooden medley of fruits that have nothing to do with the Mediterranean at all – papaya like styrofoam, out of season melon tasting of shampoo and cotton wool and nasty kiwi – in a city where you can buy the juiciest peaches and plums and fruit on practically any street corner.

My assigned two bedroom suite had no natural day light in one of the rooms and the sitting room only had an over head light from a crystal chandelier that was not conducive to cosy relaxation. We had hoped to invite friends around to the suite but the atmosphere made us want to clear out quickly.

Having said all that, the staff are obliging and friendly, the little spa was nice, and of course, if you are in the Royal Suite with those peerless views of the Acropolis from your private swimming pool, then nothing else matters. Things definitely looked up when I changed to room 604, which although smaller than my suite had better views of the Acropolis (note that if you open the windows, the burr of traffic from Syntagma Square is a constant) and we enjoyed dinner and those same views again from the hotel’s restaurant, Tudor Hall. We had excellent wine from Santorini with nicely grilled grouper and risotto, followed by delicious chocolate ice cream for dessert.

www.lhw.com

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1. Ian says:

   October 29, 2009 at 12:32 pm

   What a great article, this place looks amazing!
   I hope I can go there one day.