The Athenian Riviera has never exactly lacked confidence. This is a storied coastline of luxury hotel lore, where for many decades upscale places to stay have risen from polished Greek marble like modern temples to leisure, their infinity pools competing with the Aegean itself. It’s where bougie, bronzed Athenians glide between beach clubs and luxury cars with enviable ease. And every few years, a new contender appears on the hotel scene, each more lavish than the last. Yet just when you think the strip has settled into a predictable rhythm of five-star grandeur, along comes an innovative, conceptual resort like 91 Athens Riviera, The Resort to remind you that modern luxury needn’t always mean stone columns and chandeliers.
Opened in the summer of 2024, this curious little retreat occupies a plot in Voula along the now expanded Athens Riviera. But long before anyone dreamt of safari-inspired suites or boutique hospitality, chic Athenians were already coming here to play tennis, swim in the sea and spend impossibly languid weekends beneath the beach club umbrellas.
In a move that felt rather un-Greek, instead of building yet another gleaming hotel block, the developers did something completely refreshing: they embraced what was already there. Instead of flattening mature gardens and starting from scratch, the existing sports club, beach club and remarkable landscaping became the foundations for an entirely different kind of resort.
Twenty-eight canvas-and-timber cabanas have been gently threaded between established planting, creating what feels less like a hotel and more like an exclusive coastal village that somehow happened to bloom beneath the trees.
You can almost imagine the conversation that sparked it. “We’ve already got a fabulous beach club, some of the country’s smartest tennis courts and half the city’s fashionable set arriving every weekend. They all need somewhere to sleep, without changing the vibe”! It’s difficult to argue with that logic.
The project marks an intriguing evolution for Domes Resorts, whose portfolio has quickly become one of Greece’s most compelling luxury success stories. Best known for contemporary hotels across Crete, Corfu, Santorini and beyond, the brand has built its reputation on taking quintessentially Greek destinations and interpreting them through modern, design-led hospitality rather than predictable Mediterranean pastiche.
This collaboration with Grivalia Hospitality extends that philosophy to Athens, becoming part of the broader transformation of the Riviera stretching south towards Cape Sounion. The famous coastline here no longer begins and ends with Vouliagmeni. Luxury is steadily creeping further up and down the cape, creating an increasingly attractive destination in its own right – beyond being merely an urban-Athens add-on – where some of the Aegean’s best hospitality experiences are within an easy taxi ride of each other.
And yet 91 Athens Riviera, The Resort doesn’t feel remotely interested in competing with its neighbouring grand, big-brand hotels, including the one literally over the wall next door. That’s rather the point.
Where the neighbouring resorts lean heavily into polished, internationally minded opulence, 91 Athens Riviera is proud to be distinctively Greek. It feels wonderfully informal and intimate. There are no soaring lobbies and no marble staircases. Luxury here comes in a pair of flip-flops or tennis shoes.
Before arriving, we had to admit that, as seasoned OutThere “Sophisticates”, we were a little concerned by how many people referred to it as “glamping”. But doing so would be like describing the Acropolis as “quite an old building”. Yes, technically these are tents – “LuxTents”, the resort manager casually corrected us. But architecturally, they resemble luxury safari lodges that somehow wandered in from Africa, caught sight of the Saronic Gulf and sensibly decided never to leave.
Curved canvas roofs rise above circular timber structures while huge sheets of glass dissolve the boundaries between indoors and out. They’re less tents than miniature villas wrapped in fabric.
Stepping inside, the illusion continues. Warm sands, soft taupes, pale oak and creamy linens echo the surrounding landscape with understated confidence. A vast bed anchors the space beneath soaring canvas ceilings that create surprising volume, while woven textures, sculptural lighting and matte black contemporary furnishings avoid the all-too-common temptation to over-style. Thoughtfully concealed storage, discreet technology, Marshall Bluetooth speakers and artsy coffee-table books worthy of flicking through over a fresh cup of Nespresso all reminded us that this was firmly five-star hospitality dressed in considerably more relaxed clothing.
Our bathroom and dressing room were cleverly concealed behind the sleeping area, while enormous sliding doors opened onto generous timber decks complete with outdoor furniture. Many cabanas also feature circular plunge pools cocooned by dense and beautiful Mediterranean planting.
The landscaping deserves particular applause because, frankly, it is magnificent. Now, we appreciate this risks alienating anyone who believes ornamental grasses are simply weeds with better publicists, but these gardens often stopped us in our tracks. Anyone who knows us well understands we possess an entirely disproportionate enthusiasm for beautifully maintained, sculptural garden design. It takes quite a lot to impress us, but 91 Athens Riviera managed it.
Billowing clouds of pampas grass catch the sea breeze beside lavender, silvery Mediterranean shrubs and gnarly olive trees that have clearly witnessed decades of Riviera summers. Everything feels established rather than simply planted to plan.
The effect is extraordinary because the architecture almost disappears. The cabanas emerge between planting like elegant hermit crabs borrowing designer shells for the summer. Everywhere we looked, there was another secluded pathway, another pocket of greenery or another perfectly framed glimpse towards the sea.
Our own cabana, however, illustrated the importance of choosing wisely. Positioned rather unfortunately beside the service area and car park, it occasionally sacrificed serenity to the steady choreography of housekeeping golf carts and staff movement (and verbal enthusiasm) throughout the day.
Conceptually, there was absolutely nothing wrong with our tent, but practically speaking, some locations are undeniably more desirable than others. The cabanas clustered around the central lagoon, particularly those with plunge pools, enjoy considerably greater privacy and are idyllic sanctuaries for slow summer afternoons. Those pools are unheated, mind, but beneath the Attica sun you’ll scarcely notice. Upgrade if your budget allows. It will be money well – or at least better – spent.
The resort’s central swimming pool curves elegantly through more gardens, adjoining Barbarossa, the beach club, like an abstract lagoon, surrounded by designer-chic loungers. Three leisurely minutes away lies the semi-private stretch of beach, dotted with Barbarossa’s own sun loungers and parasols. Behind it is the celebrated Paros-born restaurant and beach club that has become one of Athens’ smartest seaside addresses.
Weekends hum with fashionable Athenians escaping the city, bronzed bodies reclining beneath immaculate umbrellas while DJs soundtrack long lunches and sunsets with tasteful restraint. During weekdays, however, everything softens. Buddha-Bar beats drift lazily across aligned sunbeds as the sea laps gently against the shore.
But let’s be realistic. This isn’t the emerald water and white-sand perfection of Greece’s southern islands. This remains very much a “city beach”. And yet it’s a lovely one. The water shelves gently into the Saronic Gulf, perfect for lingering dips rather than heroic swims, while the horizon stretches endlessly, interrupted only occasionally by the distant silhouette of an oil tanker or cruise ship, reminding us that Piraeus remains one of the Mediterranean’s great working ports. Somehow, it only enhances the authenticity.
Barbarossa was unsurprisingly excellent, serving refined island-inspired cuisine without disappearing entirely into theatrical fine dining. Breakfasts here unfolded slowly beneath shaded terraces, with attentive if occasionally slow service that encouraged lingering over one final coffee rather than rushing anywhere.
We also found ourselves repeatedly drawn to the club members’ restaurant, where inventive dishes borrowed confidently from across the Mediterranean with occasional global flourishes.
Sport, too, is central to everything. The immaculate tennis courts host a steady procession of chiselled, lanky instructors called Giorgos, Yiannis, Nikos or some equally reassuringly Greek variation thereof. Similarly named personal trainers drift between members at the gym, which rivals many dedicated fitness clubs.
A superb heated lap pool is tucked within the wellness courtyard, offering a peaceful respite away from beach club energy and families with overexcited children by the main pool.
More often than not, you’re sharing facilities with club members rather than fellow hotel guests, lending the entire property an authentic country club atmosphere rarely achieved by purpose-built places to stay.
The resort’s wellness offering, Soma Spa – The Finest, continues that sense of understated excellence. Our massages were deeply responsive rather than formulaic, exactly the kind of treatment that left us floating back towards the beach, wondering whether gravity had been quietly suspended. Oddly, though, the spa’s private sauna and hydrotherapy circuit comes at an extra cost, small but extra nevertheless. For a resort positioning itself firmly within the luxury segment, this feels like an unnecessary point of friction, particularly when guests have already invested significantly in the overall experience. While we understand that additional treatments and specialist services often sit outside the standard room rate, charging separately for access to core wellness facilities may leave some guests feeling that the final bill is accumulating small surprises. We didn’t try it for that reason, and left feeling that perhaps a different approach would better align with the sense of effortless hospitality the resort otherwise strives to create.
As OutThere travellers, we particularly appreciated the warmth with which the team embraced inclusivity. We were naturally addressed as a same-sex couple without hesitation or awkwardness, something that still sadly cannot be taken for granted even within luxury hospitality.
Accessibility presents a more significant challenge. There are a number of accessible cabanas, with hoists for plunge pools and bathrooms fitted with those for disabilities, but doorways and space around beds still pose a challenge. Furthermore, gravel pathways, steps into the reception cabana and the resort’s inherently compact design mean guests with reduced mobility may struggle to experience the grounds like everyone else, despite the staff’s obvious willingness to assist with buggies on the perimeter road. It remains an area where thoughtful future evolution would undoubtedly strengthen an otherwise progressive concept.
Service overall was consistently enthusiastic, though it occasionally felt just a little rehearsed. Staff frequently sought affirmation, inviting both positive and negative feedback with such regularity that we wondered whether management meetings had become unusually earnest affairs. The warmth itself never felt insincere, merely slightly over-coached. Should they relax into their own confidence a little more, the hospitality would become genuinely exceptional.
So, who would we recommend stay at 91 Athens Riviera? Certainly not everyone.
Those seeking gilded grandeur, butler service and monumental architecture may feel happier at the Riviera’s established luxury institutions. But travellers wanting something more relaxed, more contemporary and arguably more connected to the rhythms of Greek coastal life will find something genuinely refreshing here.
It attracts wealthy Athenians escaping the city, Greek-American and Greek-Australian returnees rediscovering home, digital nomads, stylish couples, wellness devotees and curious travellers looking beyond predictable luxury. During our stay, we met honeymooners, luxury cruise disembarkers finding their land legs and locals treating the place as an extension of their own social lives. From our conversations, we all felt the same relaxed, lifestyle-driven atmosphere.
Luxury hospitality increasingly risks becoming homogenised, with each new opening chasing ever greater extravagance until every marble lobby, every branded chain restaurant helmed by a celebrity chef and every infinity pool begins to resemble the next.
What makes 91 Athens Riviera so appealing is precisely its refusal to join that race. Instead, it proposes something altogether more interesting: that true luxury might be found not behind imposing walls but beneath canvas roofs, among lavender borders, beside tennis courts and just a short stroll from the sea.
Sometimes the cleverest thing a luxury hotel can do is stop trying quite so hard to look like one. 91 Athens Riviera, The Resort understands that beautifully.
Photography by Domes Resorts
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While you’re OutThere
Head to the sea, turn right at the beach and walk for around ten minutes around the rocky promontory and you’ll find Voula’s official nudist beach, perfect for topping up your all-over tan.
And when you’ve had enough of being a lobster and feel like eating some instead, grab a car to nearby Vouliagmeni to Sardelaki me Thea, a charming local restaurant serving some of the freshest seafood you’ll find on the cape. You can’t make a reservation, so be prepared to wait with the jostling Athenian diners in peak season. It’s all part of the experience.
