Periscope

This design-forward hotel offers a great value and a quiet local setting.

• The Penthouse Suite, with a rooftop terrace and outdoor hot tub facing the Parthenon
• The all-day complimentary treats in the lobby, including soft drinks and sandwiches

Located in the peaceful residential neighborhood of Kolonaki, Periscope Hotel allows travelers to live like a local Athenian. The tourist hub of Plaka and Parliament Square is only a 15-minute walk away, but the hotel feels worlds apart. Here, you don’t need to worry about bumping into passengers filing off tour buses or cruise ships. In the evenings, Kolonaki resembles Manhattan’s Upper East Side, with relaxed but refined restaurants populated by well-dressed locals and quiet streets lit by lamplight.

Periscope occupies a narrow building on a small side street. Its nondescript entrance reveals stylish interiors with teal velvet columns and sectionals, overstuffed white lounge chairs, black iron tables and stools with hairpin legs. Periscope is part of Design Hotels, a collection of boutique hotels that are design-driven (sometimes to a fault). While Periscope’s 22 rooms are mostly standard and comfortable with a minimalist, monochromatic aesthetic, the hotel’s signature offering, the Penthouse Suite, may place too much emphasis on form over function. (At 700 square feet, the toilet and shower fit behind the same glass door, making for an inefficient bathroom layout.) Despite these drawbacks, the penthouse offers one of the best values in all of Athens. For the price of an entry-level room at the Four Seasons Astir Palace, for example, guests at Periscope can stay in a duplex suite with a rooftop hot tub and a view of the Parthenon.

There are no guest facilities, but the hotel does offer a complimentary buffet of refreshments available all day. Guests can snack on cakes, sandwiches, nuts and other treats while enjoying the stylish lobby, which serves as the only common space in this tiny boutique hotel.

Low-key travelers who value stylish, well-priced accommodations and a local neighborhood setting would be happy at Periscope. Those who prefer to stay in a more central location and would benefit from more facilities, such as a gym and pool, should consider the Grand Bretagne or King George Hotel.