Lover’s lane leads to the lap of luxury
The stroll down lover’s lane this Valentine’s Day may lead happy couples into the lap of luxury, be it a relaxing day at a spa with all the frills or enjoying a five-course meal by candlelight before turning in for the night in an opulent suite. At the heart of the city center, the Grande Bretagne’s Valentine’s Sweetheart Offer for two (price 100 euros per couple) offers a day of R&R at the spa with use of the indoor swimming pool and thermal suite and a selection of any four treatments of 45 minutes for two staying at the VIP couple suite (GB Spa, tel 210.333.0799). If the perfect present is what you’re after, the GB Spa has issued gift vouchers of 50, 100 and 200 euros, while the special dinner’s (80 euros per person) funky menu features tempting selections, such as Love at First Sip and Aphrodite’s Temptation, Heart Stealer’s Delight and Cupid’s Ecstasy. (Hotel Grande Bretagne, Syntagma Square, tel 210.333.0824.) The landmark King George II has exclusive arrangements running from today to February 15 with Valentine’s perks accompanying room reservations. Prices range from 200 euros per night for the superior or premiere guest room, including breakfast and a complimentary bottle of champagne and box of chocolates, to the Acropolis Deluxe Suite, which at 600 euros includes two 70-minute Ratna Stone Therapy treatments at the spa and a three-course dinner at the Tudor Hall restaurant. The hotel also has a special Valentine’s dinner (priced at 110 euros per person), where menu highlights include steamed Dover sole and coquilles Saint-Jacques accompanied by green ravioli and a fennel mousseline, and pheasant fillet with crayfish on a bed of mushrooms and asparagus. (King George II, 3 Vas. Georgiou A’, Syntagma, tel 210.322.2210.) The Athens Hilton also offers all-inclusive packages for one overnight stay, at prices ranging from 163 euros per person – in a standard room with a view and a reserved table at the panoramic Galaxy Bar with two complimentary cocktails – to 572 euros, in the executive suite, breakfast at the Executive Lounge, a five-course dinner at the Byzantine Restaurant and a welcome of champagne and pralines. Other treats are a gift for all the ladies from Kessaris jewelers and special cocktails mixed for men (Canadian Mist) and women (Raspberry Delight). For dinner only, the five-course meal (95 euros per person), includes veal fillet on horseradish creamed potatoes with a port wine sauce and roasted pepper compote, while for desert there’s rich chocolate cake on a rasberry-macaroon crisp. (Athens Hilton, 46 Vassilissis Sofias, tel 210.728.1000.) Classics with a twist «Romeo and Juliet» is the inspiration behind the Athenaeum Inter-Continental’s Valentine’s package which includes one overnight stay in a room adorned with fresh flowers, complimentary champagne and breakfast in bed. (Prices start at 125 euros.) At the hotel’s Premiere Lounge Bar & Grill Restaurant, there’s a five-course meal (100 euros per person) to the sounds of live piano music, while the Cafezoe and Cafe Vienna Tea Lounge also offer the right ambience for a night of romance. (Athenaeum Inter-Continental, 89-93 Syngrou, tel 210.920.6000.) At the NJV Athens Plaza’s Parliament restaurant, the chef has married all-time classics such as foie gras, quail breast and crunchy meringue, with traditional Greek brushstrokes and a dash of the exotic in a seven-course meal (priced at 150 euros per couple, including drinks) that is served to the accompaniment of live music. ( NJV Athens Plaza, Syntagma, tel 210.335.2400.) The Metropolitan Hotel’s Valentine’s dinner at Le Trocadero restaurant is a more affordable option at 45 euros per person and begins with a shrimp and crayfish salad with a mustard sauce, followed by goat’s cheese and prosciutto wrapped in string pastry, mango and lime sorbet, sauteed veal fillets with a mushroom tart and Parisienne potatoes, and last, but not least, poached pears stuffed with chocolate and served with frozen yogurt. If you want to spend the night, the special rate is set at 85 euros per person and includes dinner and breakfast. (Metropolitan Hotel, 385 Syngrou, tel 210.947.1000.) Designer chic Further north, pastel tones and designer chic are on the menu at the revamped Semiramis hotel in Kifissia, where the chef is putting together a veritable fusion feast for the Valentine’s Day dinner. Special offers for the night begin with a 290-euro-package that includes one overnight stay, a welcome of champagne and strawberries, dinner for two (price does not include wine) and a buffet breakfast the next morning. A simple stay, not including the dinner, is priced at 180 euros, while there is also a special weekend offer starting today and running to Monday. (Semiramis, 48 Harilaou Trikoupi, Kifissia, tel 210.628.4400.)
