Pool parties, a rooftop sunset series, and a summer’s worth of music, Ace Hotel & Swim Club Athens sets the tone for the Athenian Riviera, from Sebastian to Sora Rooftop.
In Glyfada, on the stretch of coast that’s become shorthand for Athens’ summer social life, Ace Hotel & Swim Club Athens has built a season-long program that runs from breakfast to last call. It’s the hotel’s second Swim Club globally under the Ace name, and the pool sits at the center of it all: a gathering point for locals and guests alike, built around a full day by the water rather than a single afternoon swim.
Poolside, every weekend
Weekend DJ sessions set the tone at the pool, moving through Balearic sounds, organic house, downtempo grooves, and ethnic influences. It’s less a party than a soundtrack, the kind of programming meant to hold a Saturday together from midday into evening.
All-day at Sebastian
The hotel’s French-American restaurant, Sebastian, is led by Executive Chef Elvi Dimitris Zyba and draws on the bistro traditions of New York and Paris, filtered through seasonal and Mediterranean ingredients. Brunch has become one of the fixed points of the southern suburbs’ weekend circuit, with pool views and a room that balances contemporary design against something more relaxed. Through the summer, occasional dinner soundtracks extend the restaurant’s day even further.
Sora, on the roof
At the top of the building, Sora splits into two distinct experiences. Sora Restaurant serves a modern take on pan-Asian cuisine with a curated sake list and cocktail menu, while Sora Rooftop Lounge takes over at sunset, with views stretching from Hymettus to the Saronic Gulf. The summer’s thematic music nights include Keys in the Sky with Efrem, Vinyls in the Sky with George Rallis, and Beats in the Sky with Nikko Sunset, each one recasting the sunset as its own event.
Wellness on Sundays
Sundays are set aside for wellness, with rotating instructors from Hobnob, one of Glyfada’s known wellness studios, leading 75-minute yoga sessions in Fenix, the hotel’s light-filled multi-use space. Open to guests and outside visitors alike, it’s a quieter counterpoint to the rest of the program.
Art at Good Chemistry
Through September 30, the hotel hosts Villa Esperanza, an exhibition by Spanish artist Jordi Machí, staged in the Good Chemistry space. The series imagines a fictional city where modern architecture and suspended summer light invite the viewer to construct their own narrative, work that has traveled through Europe, Brazil, Lebanon, the US, Mexico, and Asia. Machí works between Madrid and Valencia, and the pieces sit somewhere between irony and emotional intensity.
Sunset Series
The summer’s headline bookings are the Sunset Series, bringing international electronic names to Glyfada. Kaz James plays July 11 with a warm-up from Tourist ATH, followed by Satori on September 18, with Carayas & Efrem opening. Both are shaping up as reference points for the season on the Athenian Riviera.
Taken together, the program is less about any single event than a sustained argument for spending an entire day, or an entire summer, at the water’s edge in Glyfada.
INFO:
Address: Artemisiou 1, Glyfada 166 75
Website: acehotel.com/athens
Full event calendar: acehotel.com/athens/goings-on
TheHotelTrotter.com is curated by greek journalist and fanatic hotel lover Eleni Stasinopoulou. With the eye of a fashion and lifestyle editor, Eleni hopes to inspire all connoisseurs of traveling, focusing on stylish hotel moments around the globe.
