I arrived earlier than planned at the entrance to the Hotel Grande Bretagne. It was 9:30 a.m. when I entered the lobby. I liked it immediately. Imagine a Five Star Hotel where people actually sit the lobby and talk. It’s so Greek.

As I languished in my suite after an unexpectedly frantic tour of the islands, I had the first hunch that this may be my favorite hotel in the world.

I perused top-notch books on display at a small shop to back of the lobby:

• Nikos Kazantzakis’ "Christ Crucified", "Zorba The Greek", "Report to Greco", "The Last Temptation", "Freedom and Death", "The Fratricides"

• Lawrence Durrell’s "Alexandria Quartet", "Caesar's Vast Ghost", "Espirit de Corps", "The Black Book", "Bitter Lemons".

I wondered why one of my favorite books--Henry Miller's "Colossus of Maroussi"--was missing from this august collection?

Step outside the front doors of the Grande Bretagne and you are on the sidewalk of the most prestigious city block in Athens--across from Constitution Square, the House of Parliament and the National Gardens. It's a nice walk to exclusive shops, theaters, museums, the Acropolis, post office, and the gaiety of the old Plaka quarter. Public transportation and taxi's are at the door.

Originally, the hotel was known as the "Royal Box of Athens’, serving as residence for royal guests to the palace of King Otto and Queen Amalia. Back then Athens suffered a water shortage which made running this high caliber hotel a challenge. Most people were obliged to draw water from municipal fountains. Hotel staff often had to bring water for the guests in tins filled by passing water carriers. In those days, the 80-bed hotel had only two bathrooms. Today, it has 278 double rooms, 63 singles, and 23 suites, all with modern bathrooms, of course.

My suite of rooms on the third floor overlooked the Parliament Building (and the six lanes of traffic in and out of Syntagma Square). There was a vase of fresh roses in the anteroom, a scrumptious fruit plate of banana, oranges, pears, plums, and kiwi. Further in, my large bedroom had two twins dressed in all white linens. My view was through glass French doors that were "floor to ceiling", leading to a small balcony. I had no plans to entertain, but could easily grasp the advantages of this suite.

If I wanted to stay inside and relax, I could watch the changing of the Evzone guards from my windows. From the other side of the hotel you could watch the light on the ancient Acropolis.

Since 1924 the Grande Bretagne hosted Greeks and foreigners who were shaping the political, economic and social life of the country. Famous foreigners often stayed next door to eccentric ones. The hotel expanded, yet it seemed cramped when a guest like Mary Pickford needed an extra room just for her shoes.

In April of 1941, when Athens fell, the manager of the Grande Bretagne was forced to let in hundreds of German officers. For three and a half years, the Nazis watched public movements in Syntagma Square from the windows of the hotel. Herman Goering was a regular visitor, and Heinrich Himmler stayed there while inspecting Gestapo troops. Hitler dropped in briefly, too, on his only visit to Greece in June of 1941.

Legends of intrigue, espionage, and confidential agents add to the hotel’s colorful biography. Inside with its stained glass ceilinged halls, mirrored salons and rooms furnished with masterpieces, history has played itself out for one hundred and fifty years.

Today, modern Athens has over three million people, noisy traffic and pollution you will not soon forget. Still, don’t miss visiting the cradle of European history and birthplace of democracy. The unique mixture of classical, Byzantine and modern inspired by some of the greatest philosophers, playwrights and artists of all time is very evident still today.

I cannot imagine a stay in Athens without being at the Hotel Grande Bretagne, I only wish I could have stayed longer.

By Kit Caraganis Carson           January, 2000 

A photographic archive of The Ancient City of Athens includes archaeological and architectural sites.

United States Greek Embassy’s listing of the museums in Athens includes descriptions, contact numbers, and hours of operation.