As I promised in my recent blog post Thessaloniki – A City of Many Treasures would like to share with you some of my impressions from our stay at The Met Hotel; a lovely contemporary and artsy luxury hotel with a rooftop pool that delivers mesmerizing views . . . that is situated close to the city’s industrial harbor; a short taxi ride from the center of town.
At first I thought the hotel’s location, away from the center, might be a drawback but as our Greek Easter week-end progressed, I felt it had become a blessing in disguise as on this holiday week-end Thessalonikis’ center seemed to have been invaded by overwhelming crowds of tourists and locals alike! Its streets and sidewalks were jam-packed, making it at times, difficult to move around and finding a seat at one of the many seafront promenade cafés or bars a real challenge!
Fortunately for us, The Met hotel provides its guest with a well-organized shuttle bus service to the center (Aristotelous Square), so we left our car during the entire stay at the hotel’s garage at no extra cost.
On our first evening, Good Friday, after strolling around the center we were lucky to find a table at the Electra Palace Hotel balcony café/bar where we savored the fabulous evening view and sunset while sipping on handcrafted cocktails!
Apart from this outing and an early lunch on Saturday at the must visit KefteDes, which serves exceptional Greek meatballs that both I and my hubby love . . . we got a pretty good taste of Thessaloniki without leaving the hotel . . . in style and comfort!
Our hotel dining experiences reflected locally sourced ingredients of the highest quality. The breakfast buffet, served at the ground-floor restaurant Avenue 48, offered lots of tasty options in pleasant surroundings . . . for all palates.
Upon arrival at the hotel, after a 5 ½ hours’ drive from Athens, we were famished and headed straight to the hotel’s restaurant where we sampled the fasting menu that really hit the spot! To start with we opted for a plate with dips and olives from the island of Thasos . . . then . . . a salad with crispy vegetables, red peppers and oven baked beetroots and a caramelized octopus with fresh thyme and grilled veggies that was outstanding. The dessert, a duet of almond and chocolate semolina pudding, didn’t thrill us but was a tasty and innovative twist on a classic with nice details.
The midnight Easter buffet was well-presented with a full spread of delicious Greek Easter specialties, but for somebody like me who doesn’t like to eat late at night . . . a bit overwhelming.
However, I really liked the décor and the atmosphere with live music, so while others dug into the many specialties with gusto I ended up enjoying a glass or two of the red in-house wine, a spoonful of the delicious Easter soup as well as a few bites of a local specialty called Tzigerosarmades (liver- rice patties) that were surprisingly tasty and something I had never seen or sampled before!
On Easter Sunday, after a quick cup of coffee and a sesame bread ring (Koulouri Thessalonikis) we were ready to head into the city for a really long walk alongside Thessalonikis’ waterfront while taking in the view in beautiful weather . . . and building up an appetite for even more food; the Easter celebration that was being set up next to the outdoor pool at The Met’s hotel rooftop.
Before our walk, I got special permission to go up to the rooftop for a sneak preview! Actually what I really wanted to check out was the classic lamb on the spit . . . which I found on the far side of the rooftop; slowly turning on the spit over charcoal . . . that filled the air with its smell and anticipation of a lovely feast in the making!
Again, I have to say that I was delighted with the hotel’s set up and the lamb was superb! I even went for a second serving and that is saying a lot for somebody who rarely eats meat!
Other than the succulent meat, I tasted some of the salads that were really fresh and delicious and for a sweet ending I indulged on a plate of goodies by the pool while enjoying the view and the DJ’s pool music . . . a terrific mix that had all the elements for a great pool party!
Until next time . . . . and I sure hope it will be soon . . . as we loved our stay at The Met Hotel