2 Best Hotels in Volos, The Sporades

The summer residence of the gods, according to Greek myth, is now home to one of the city's top hotels. Originally built in the 1960s it was fully renovated to five-star standard in 2005, located just east of the marina. Rooms come with mountain, city, or sea views, and a relatively demure design scheme that doesn't try to compete with the deep blue water outside—in fact, it accentuates it with blue bed clothes, curtains, and furnishings on a sand-colored wood floor. The award-winning Dreamway Spa has a hydrotonic pool that includes special therapies for specific parts of the body. The hotel's rooftop garden, Yacht Club, is a hot spot for the local well-to-do.

Although it has just three stars, the Aegli clearly has aspirations for something more; the hotel offers a suprising amount of comfort, space, and design savvy across its three floors. You enter into a cocktail-lounge-like reception area and cafeteria on the ground floor before going up to the rooms and suites above, which may be a bit short of five-star polish, but adopt a 21st-century tone in their light wood furnishings and ensuite bathrooms. The best rooms have balconies that directly overlook the port, right in front of the building.