Get 'Orthodox' This Easter at Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel

As temperatures in Athens start to gently rise, signalling that the life-giving season of spring has well and truly arrived, Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens is preparing to celebrate both Western and Orthodox Greek Easter in exuberant fashion over two weekends in April.

Make the most of the holiday by gathering with loved ones at the family-friendly Athens Riviera hotel situated at the edge of a private peninsula in the Saronic Gulf.

Shake off the winter blues with an energising stroll around the hotel grounds, absorbing the warm sunshine, breathing in the scent of pine trees and taking in views of calm blue seas. Take a moment to reflect on the symbolism of Easter, a time for fresh optimism, peace and new beginnings. There’s no better time to openly express gratitude and love for family and friends.

Choose between a sublime Italian-style dinner on April 16, 2022 and an authentic Greek Easter lunch on April 24, 2022. Young guests will be treated to a range of fun activities at the onsite Kid’s Club on each occasion.

Take home luscious chocolate eggs and tsoureki, a traditional Greek brioche, available at an Easter pop-up shop operating in the Nafsika hotel lobby as of April 15, 2022.

Easter Dinner with Italian Flair at Mercato

Conveying the spirit of hope and renewal that defines Easter, brilliantly-coloured wildflower blooms are already making an appearance on the rugged hills above the Athens Riviera resort area of Vouliagmeni, where Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens is located.

Take a break this year from preparing the Easter family meal at home and savour a sumptuous Italian-style spread at Mercato, the Hotel’s refined trattoria, on Saturday, April 16, 2022.

Sicilian-born Head Chef Sergio Fatava has devised a sumptuous Easter Saturday dinner menu whose highlight will be Italian-style lamb and a bounty of locally-sourced spring vegetables.

Authentic Greek Easter Lunch at Taverna 37

For Greeks, Easter is the country’s most significant annual holiday. It’s a time of year when families and friends come together to rejoice in one another, embrace and raise a toast to the boundless beauty and wonder of life.

Regardless of one’s creed or personal beliefs, it’s impossible not to be moved by the deep spirituality underpinning the traditions of Easter Holy Week. Faithful attend solemn daily church services that culminate in the conclusion of Lent on the evening of Holy Saturday, when immediate relatives gather to break the fast.

Easter Sunday, known as Great and Holy Pascha, however, is when the biggest celebration takes place, as families and friends join together to partake in a rich, joy-filled feast.

Delicacies usually include spit-roasted lamb or goat, piquant cheeses, dips, flaky spinach pie and classic Greek salad, accompanied by free-flowing wine.

Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens honours this momentous holiday with an authentic Greek Easter Sunday lunch on April 24, 2022 at beachfront Taverna 37.

Chef Theodoros Karinos, who takes pride in preparing dishes he would serve to his own family, has created a hearty festive spread drawing on the bounty of the season.

Sit back, tune in to discreet live bouzouki and take in the relaxing seaside atmosphere, while youngsters crack red-dyed boiled eggs for good luck. Expect appetisers such as spicy cheese and tzatziki dips, rice- and herb-stuffed vine leaves (dolmadakia) and eggplant salad with Cretan xigalo cheese.

Main course Easter favourites include tender whole spit-roasted lamb; lemony, oregano-encrusted kokoretsi; and crisp oven-baked potatoes with graviera cheese. Kritharoto with lobster and fresh herbs, a Taverna 37 mainstay made with orzo; and pork kontosouvli with roasted vegetables also figure on the menu.

Finish on a sweet note with pistachio-filled homemade baklava and ekmek kataifi with walnut and cinnamon, which count among the tempting desserts.

The Hotel’s Kids Club will keep youngsters aged four to 12 entertained with a variety of activities including Easter cookie baking, face painting, chocolate egg hunting, arts and crafts and egg colouring.

View the full Easter menu at Taverna 37 here. For dining reservations, call +30 210 890 1000 or email diningreservations.athens@fourseasons.com