Athens, unlike some of the other capitals of Europe, is not a city we would describe as glamorous at first glance. It’s been described as ugly and congested, a stopover for the approximately 33 million visitors to Greece this year alone, while on their way to the ever so chic greek islands. Aside from the obligatory tour of the Acropolis, many travellers don’t pause long enough in this ancient city to really discover what some are calling the continent’s most vibrant cultural metropolis. So this year, we decided to explore Athens for ourselves. What we discovered is an exciting city bursting with life, cool bars, elegant restaurants, great hotels and, of course, countless espressos and frappe. Our conclusion is that Athens is a city that deserves several days of a seasoned traveler’s time.

与欧洲其他一些国家的首都不同，雅典不是一个我们乍一看就会形容为迷人的城市。它被描述为丑陋和拥挤，仅今年就有3300万游客在前往希腊的途中中途停留。除了雅典卫城的必修之旅外，许多游客在这座古城停留的时间并不长，以致于发现这个大陆上最具活力的文化大都市。所以今年，我们决定自己探索雅典。我们发现的是一个充满活力的城市，凉爽的酒吧，典雅的餐厅，很棒的酒店，当然还有无数的浓缩咖啡和咖啡。我们的结论是，雅典是一个城市，值得几天的经验丰富的旅行者的时间。

One of the highlights of – and initial reasons for – our Athens stay was an invitation from the family that owns and operates the newly opened, neo-modernist boutique Perianth Hotel that is part of the Design Hotels collection.

我们在雅典逗留的主要原因之一-也是最初的原因之一-来自于拥有和经营新开张的新现代主义精品环球酒店的家族的邀请，这是设计酒店系列的一部分。

Perianth is located by the Byzantine-era Agia Eirini square in a neighbourhood resembling New York’s Soho. The hotel is perfectly positioned just far away enough from the crowded tourist traps, yet within convenient distance form some of the city’s main sites such as the Acropolis and the National Archeological Museum.

花被位于拜占庭时代的阿贾埃里尼广场附近，类似于纽约的SOHO。酒店位置完美，距离拥挤的旅游陷阱仅够远，但距离市中心的一些主要景点如雅典卫城和国家考古博物馆很近。

The neighbourhood is bustling with fashionable people hanging out at cool cafes sipping their freddo cappuccinos and enjoying themselves at one of the area’s many great eateries, cafe’s, bars and nightlife hotspots.

这一带正熙熙攘攘，时尚的人们在凉爽的咖啡馆里闲逛，喝着他们的免费卡布奇诺咖啡，在该地区众多的大餐厅、咖啡馆、酒吧和夜生活热点之一尽情享受。

We sampled and liked, for example the Third Place, the local favourite Kosta’s Souvlaki, great bars like “6 dogs” and the incredible ice-cream bar Kokkion.

我们采样并喜欢，例如，第三个地方，当地最喜欢的KostasSouvlaki，很棒的酒吧，像“6只狗”和令人难以置信的冰淇淋酒吧kkkkion。

In fact, our biggest problem during our four-night stay at the Perianth Hotel was deciding if we should just stay at our Perianth Penthouse Suite all day and night, or go out. It was not an easy choice as our expansive 116-square-metre Perianth Penthouse Suite on the top floor of the five-story hotel had 360-degree views of the Acropolis and the Lycabetus hill, two bedrooms, a living room, dining area, bar, and a rooftop terrace with a pool and Jacuzzi.

事实上，我们在这家酒店的四晚住宿期间最大的问题是决定我们是否应该整天呆在我们的公寓套房里，或者出去。这不是一个简单的选择，因为我们在五层的酒店顶楼的扩展116平方米的顶层公寓套房有雅典卫城和Lycabetus山的360度景色，有两间卧室，一个客厅，餐厅，酒吧，还有一个带游泳池和按摩浴缸的屋顶露台。

We have enjoyed great views from many hotel rooms all over the globe, but this was just magical. The view from the Suite was indescribably mesmerizing, the absolute star of our entire experience in Athens. The Penthouse is orientated perfectly to maximize the view of the Acropolis. The floor-to-ceiling glass doors open up to a vast terrace with its bar, pool and Jacuzzi. Even in the main bedroom, you fall asleep and wake up to the spectacular views. We spent hours watching the sunset changing the light over the monument from golden hues to delicate pinks.

我们从世界各地的许多酒店客房欣赏到了美妙的景色，但这真是太神奇了。从套房的观点是难以形容的迷人，绝对的明星，我们在雅典的整个经历。阁楼的定位是完美的，以使雅典卫城的视野最大化。从地板到天花板的玻璃门通向广阔的露台，有酒吧、游泳池和按摩浴缸。即使在主卧室，你也会睡着，醒来看到壮观的景色。我们花了几个小时看日落，把纪念碑上的灯光从金色变成了娇嫩的粉红。

The 1930’s five-story hotel has only 38 rooms which is one of the features that make this such a gem. No crowds, always personal service and no noise. Perianth was designed by Greece’s hottest design firm K-Studio that seems to have designed everything that is cool in Greece right now from Vora in Santorini and Casa Cook in Crete to the new Mykonos airport.

这家1930年的五层酒店只有38间客房，这是这座酒店的特色之一。没有人群，没有私人服务，没有噪音。花被是由希腊最热门的设计公司K-Studio设计的，它似乎已经设计了希腊现在所有酷的东西，从圣托里尼的Vora到克里特岛的CasaCook，再到新的Mykonos机场。

But, as always, the true test and the real heart of a hotel is its service. We loved the attention to detail and the team’s eagerness to serve. Perianth’s owners had had the building for several years but they were not sure what to do with it. Siblings Alexandra, Anastasia and Konstantinos Sgoumpopolous finally settled on opening a hotel. Konstantinos is a Zen monk and his Zen Center also operates in the same building. Anastasia brings the love of art and fashion to the table and Alexandra is the born hostess.

但是，像往常一样，真正的考验和酒店的真正核心就是它的服务。我们很喜欢这里的细节和团队对服务的渴望。Periranth的主人已经住了几年了，但他们不知道该怎么处理。Alexandra、Anastasia和KonstantinosSgoumpoolic最终决定开一家酒店。康斯坦丁诺斯是一个禅僧，他的禅心也在同一栋楼里工作。安娜斯塔西娅给桌子和亚历山德拉带来了艺术和时尚的爱，亚历山德拉是天生的女主人。

We were impressed by the entire staff as everyone spoke perfect English, seemed genuinely excited to work there, were super helpful with booking restaurants and recommend the cool things to see and do in Athens.

我们给全体员工留下了深刻的印象，因为每个人都说过完美的英语，似乎真的很高兴在那里工作，对预订餐厅超级有帮助，推荐在雅典看到和做的很酷的事情。

On their advice we dined at Nolan where chef Sotiris Kontizas, drawing on his Japanese and Greek heritage, has fused together the two distinct and disparate culinary traditions of east and west into one of Athens’ most extraordinary and unique culinary experiences.

根据他们的建议，我们在诺兰就餐，厨师索提里斯·康蒂齐亚斯(Sotiris Kontias)借鉴了他的日本和希腊传统，将东西方两种截然不同的烹饪传统融合在一起，成为雅典最不寻常、最独特的烹饪体验之一。

Another restaurant we recommend is Island Club, about 45-minute taxi ride from the centre of Athens. The restaurant transforms into a dance and bar venue at night but it is truly chilled. Don’t be surprised if you bump into Greek celebrities such as Anna Vissi, who is apparently a regular. You easily lose track of time at Island Club, and the next thing you know it is just before sunrise and you are not yet back at your hotel.

我们推荐的另一家餐厅是海岛俱乐部，距离雅典市中心约45分钟的出租车路程。餐厅在晚上变成一个舞蹈和酒吧的场所，但它是真正的寒冷。如果你遇到像安娜·维西这样的希腊名人，你不要感到惊讶，因为她显然是个常客。你很容易忘记在海岛俱乐部的时间，下一件事你知道它就在日出之前，你还没有回到你的酒店。

For Perianth Hotel, we envision a bright future. In spite of their lack of previous hotel experience the owners of Perianth Hotel have created a new standard in luxury on the Athenian accommodation scene. The family has created an elegant sanctuary away from the surrounding busy street life and at the same time, the hotel has become a destination in its own right adding to the fabric and the cool vibe of the area.

对于花草酒店，我们憧憬着美好的未来。尽管他们缺乏以前的酒店经验，但柏斯酒店的老板们已经在雅典的住宿环境中创造了一个新的豪华标准。这家人建立了一个优雅的避难所，远离周围繁忙的街道生活，同时，酒店本身也成为一个目的地，增加了该地区的织物和凉爽的氛围。

We feel they are onto a good thing with this venture and we have already humbly suggested they expand their boutique hotel concept to the Greek Islands. Let’s hope there will be a ‘Perianth Villas’ opening in the not so distant future…

我们认为他们对这次冒险是一件好事，我们已经提出他们将他们的精品酒店概念扩展到希腊群岛。让我们希望有一个“花药别墅在不那么遥远的未来开放……