Fodor's Expert Review Four Seasons Astir Palace

Beginning in the 1960s, the first cabanas started arriving on Vouliagmeni's wooded peninsula of Laimos and a few years later a hotel arrived—a grande dame for the golden age of the Greek Riviera, where everyone from Jackie Onassis to Frank Sinatra could be seen lounging by the pool. Flash forward fifty-something years and what became the Astir Palace hotel has been reborn. In 2019, Four Seasons completed a $250 million makeover of not just the hotel but this entire stretch of the pensinula. The facilities are overwhelming, split over three residential areas, including a cluster of retro bungalows overlooking the water, where Barack Obama recently stayed. Add to that private stretches of beach, a helipad, a spa, two gyms, an adult-only infinity pool, seven restaurants (including an offshoot of famous sushi joint Nobu), tennis courts, and a soccer pitch—there's even a branch of the Benaki Museum gift shop. The original hotel (now Nafsika building) remains, given a nip-tuck but still oozing more sixties chic than a Dean Martin lookalike. Needless to say, it doesn't come cheap, though if you're not staying overnight, day passes are available if the hotel isn't at capacity.