Glyfada, Athens Riviera
One&Only Aesthesis
Setting
The resort lies in the fashionable Athens suburb of Glyfada on the Athens Riviera, set within a 21-hectare beach and forest reserve overlooking the Aegean. Despite its proximity to the city it feels like a private island. Athens' ancient sights are around 30 minutes away, as are the city centre and the airport.
History & architecture
In the 1950s and 1960s the site was home to the legendary Asteria Beach Club, a meeting place for international celebrity. In 2023 the first One&Only in Greece opened here, giving the mid-century legacy a contemporary reading. A sixties-style reception building, with a sweeping staircase down to the Alelia bar, sets the tone; the low, widely spaced structures open onto Mediterranean vegetation. For its sustainable approach the resort holds LEED and SITES certification: some 200,000 newly planted Mediterranean and native species, efficient building services, local materials.
Rooms, bungalows & villas
There are 127 accommodations plus 14 private homes, generously spread across the grounds. The range runs from rooms through bungalows, suites and residences to villas; the expansive outdoor areas have a private pool, garden, outdoor shower and fire pit. Floor-to-ceiling windows, pale wood and natural stone define the mid-century interiors; some accommodations sit directly on the water, others in Mediterranean gardens. The top category is the 1,400 m² Villa One with 922 m² of outdoor space, a 25-metre pool, a jacuzzi by the sea and a sunken lounge with fire pit.
Dining
The culinary heart is Ora by Ettore Botrini, serving the starred chef's modern Mediterranean cuisine, and Manko, a day-to-night destination with Peruvian-inspired food, its own pool and three bars right on the beach. There are also the Alelia bar, the Minima pool bar and the evening address Thimsi.
Spa, sport & families
The first Guerlain Spa in Greece offers ten treatment rooms, including two double suites, a sauna, hammam and outdoor pool, along with highly personalised treatments; a Bastien Gonzalez Pedi:Mani:Cure studio completes it. Club One comprises tennis and padel courts, a fitness centre with Technogym equipment, personal training and yoga and pilates classes; several pools range from an adults-only oasis to family and children's pools, and there is a beach club with cabanas. Activity comes in the form of e-foiling, paddleboarding, kayaking and the cycling and running paths along the coast.
Excursions
The Acropolis and the old town of Athens are around 30 minutes away by car, and the hotel arranges private tours of the Parthenon. Yacht charters leave the nearby marina of Glyfada for hidden coves, sunset cruises or the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion. There are also workshop visits to Athenian artisans, from jewellery design to making your own Greek leather sandals. On the estate itself, trails lead through the forest reserve, alongside an insectarium, private dinners among the pines and evenings with a telescope and an astronomer.
