Poseidon Athens Hotel

Sea air, rooftop drinks and Athens within reach: this is a hotel for divers who want the coast at the end of the day, but do not want to give up the city altogether. Poseidon Athens Hotel sits on the Athens Riviera, with the beach directly in front and the practical comforts of a recently renovated three-star hotel behind it.

The mood is easy-going rather than formal. You can return from the water, take the lift upstairs, and settle on the roof terrace with a drink or a snack while the coastline does the evening work for you. The hotel also has a beach restaurant and two bars, so your post-dive routine need not involve a complicated expedition involving taxis, maps and heroic levels of motivation.

A 24-hour reception, daily housekeeping, free WiFi throughout the hotel and room service make the place suitable for a short city break, a coastal stopover or a few nights built around time by the sea.

You are in Palaio Faliro, Athens, on Posidonos Avenue and directly on the seafront. Edem Beach is about 100 metres away on foot, while Flisvos Beach is around 1.5 miles away. The hotel’s organised golden-sand beach is right in front, with sun loungers and parasols for the moments when you would rather watch the water than enter it.

The address places you between the city and the marinas. Alimos and Flisvos marinas are close by, with shops, banks, restaurants and bars in the surrounding area. Tzitziras Mitziras is around 450 metres away, while several cafés are within roughly a mile; useful when you fancy a change of scenery without turning dinner into a major undertaking.

Athens city centre is about 4 miles away. The Acropolis and Acropolis Museum are roughly 4 miles from the hotel, so sightseeing remains straightforward, while the tram stops directly outside. That gives you a simple way into central Athens without moving your base away from the coast.

The room choice is chiefly about how much space and sea view you want. Solo divers can keep things simple with the single room, while couples have several routes: a sea-view room for the outlook, the panoramic sea-view double for a proper double bed, or the Junior Suite when having room to spread out matters more than keeping the booking compact.

For four people, the Family Room with Sea View is the obvious practical choice, with four single beds rather than a daily negotiation over who gets the sofa. The Triple Room also uses single beds, which can work well for a small group of divers travelling together. Room dimensions and sleeping arrangements vary by category, so choose with your preferred view and bed layout in mind rather than relying on the room name alone.

Air conditioning matters when you return warm, salty and ready to collapse. Rooms also have soundproofing, a private bathroom with shower, towels, slippers, toiletries and a hairdryer, plus a wardrobe or dressing room. Balconies, a minibar, an electric kettle, a desk, a flat-screen television and free WiFi cover the less glamorous but very real business of drying off, charging devices and deciding whether you have the energy to go out again.

Breakfast is a daily buffet, with a Greek focus that includes traditional pies and wellness smoothies served at the Roof Garden. It is the sort of start that gives you something more useful than a decorative croissant before a day by the water. The restaurant also serves lunch and dinner on its terrace, with Mediterranean cooking and sea views.

There are two restaurants, and they offer different reasons to stay close to the hotel. The Tavern is the beachside option, serving local cuisine for lunch and dinner directly in front of the property. Roof Garden takes you above the coastline for Mediterranean dishes, while the view handles the conversation when everyone is too tired to discuss the menu in detail.

There are two bars. Skybar 360° is the rooftop bar, built around signature cocktails and views across the Aegean; The Beach Bar keeps things closer to the sand, with a relaxed seaside setting. A coffee house, snack bar, minibar and 24-hour room service give you further ways to find food or drink without committing to a full restaurant meal. Special-diet menus are available on request.

The rooftop terrace and swimming pool give you a place to pause without leaving the hotel. Pool towels are available, and the beach in front adds a second option when you want golden sand, a parasol and as little effort as possible. Sun loungers and beach chairs are available, with the practical detail that their use may involve an additional charge.

For couples, the setting makes an unhurried afternoon easy: swim, sit by the sea, walk along the coast and return upstairs for a drink. The Skybar is already in place for sunset, while the beach restaurant saves you from changing plans simply because hunger has arrived early.

When you want to see more of Athens or the surrounding coast, the concierge and tour desk can help arrange excursions. The programme includes boat trips, islands, waterfalls, markets and snorkelling, and bicycle hire is also available. Athens itself provides the larger cultural outing, with the Acropolis, the Acropolis Museum and the Temple of Olympian Zeus all within a manageable journey from the hotel.

The hotel is around 12 miles from Eleftherios Venizelos Airport, with the journey taking about 40 minutes by car. An airport shuttle and a shuttle service are available to arrange with the hotel, while the X96 airport bus and the tram stop just outside the property. Car hire is also available, although the location makes arriving without a car perfectly workable.

Parking needs a little planning. There is limited parking at the hotel, and the front spaces are for short stays; if you use one, you leave the car keys at reception so the vehicle can be moved in an emergency. Free public parking is also available nearby, but spaces cannot be reserved. A small detail, perhaps, but worth knowing before arriving with a car full of dive bags.

Check-in runs from 15:00 to midnight and check-out from 01:00 to 11:00, with a 24-hour front desk for arrivals outside ordinary office hours. Bring photo identification and the card used for the reservation. Guests under 18 can stay with a parent or official guardian, while the minimum age for check-in is 18. Luggage storage, express check-in and check-out, concierge service, laundry and daily housekeeping add useful support around flights and early departures.