Ronda Kaysen

Ronda Kaysen

Feb. 16, 2023

A couple from Miami set their sights on Pangrati, a vibrant neighborhood in Athens, and looked for a home with a view of the historic city. Here’s what they found.

Nick Hados, left, and Ken Cook in Athens. The couple had owned a tiny pied-à-terre in the city since 2016, but wanted something larger they could retire in. It could also be their ticket to Greek residency. “We love traveling, and we want to be somewhere where we can pop to Rome or London or wherever,” Mr. Cook said.

Maria Mavropoulou for The New York Times

After a two-year pandemic delay, the time had come for Nick Hados and his husband, Ken Cook, to find an apartment where they could retire. The couple, who live in Little Havana in Miami, had fallen in love with Athens, spending their vacations there in a tiny pied-à-terre they had owned since 2016. But by early 2022, they wanted something big enough to live in full time.

thehunt@nytimes.com

The couple had grown attached to Athens, a vibrant city steeped in history, and one that felt family-centric, embracing everyone from the very young to the very old. Wander down a narrow, meandering street and you’re as likely to encounter a Byzantine church as you are to pass a family out to dinner at 10 p.m. or a couple dancing in a neighborhood park. The country was particularly meaningful for Mr. Hados, 59, who is of Greek descent and speaks the language.

“It’s just chock full of creativity here. There’s a lot of young people, a lot of energy,” said Mr. Hados, an architect. “In Miami, old people, they don’t go out, but here, they go out. People of all ages are walking around all hours of the day or night.”

The couple also saw Greece as a place to retire affordably, with a lower cost of living. As retired Greek residents, they could spend less on taxes, food, healthcare and other living expenses. The couple set their sights on Pangrati, a trendy neighborhood in central Athens favored by artists and full of restaurants, cafes, parks and civic gems like the National Gallery of Athens. The hilly neighborhood also offered streets with fantastic city views, and Mr. Hados wanted an apartment with a view of the Acropolis and the Parthenon.

The couple also saw Greece as a place to retire affordably, with a lower cost of living. As retired Greek residents, they could spend less on taxes, food, healthcare and other living expenses. The couple set their sights on Pangrati, a trendy neighborhood in central Athens favored by artists and full of restaurants, cafes, parks and civic gems like the National Gallery of Athens. The hilly neighborhood also offered streets with fantastic city views, and Mr. Hados wanted an apartment with a view of the Acropolis and the Parthenon.

In January 2022, they sold a commercial property in Miami, securing the funds to pay for an apartment. With the money in hand and their options narrowed to a few finalists they found online, Mr. Hados flew to Greece in February in search of their ideal home.

Maria Mavropoulou

At almost 1,600 square feet, this four-bedroom, one-and-a-half-bathroom apartment in Pangrati took up an entire floor of the building and had two entrances, so part of the apartment could be used as an in-law suite for guests. With wood floors and an open, light-filled living room, the apartment had a nice layout and felt spacious. The balcony, however, was narrow, with only a small, partial Acropolis view. The apartment, which they found on a real estate listing site, had an asking price of €270,000, or about $290,000.

Maria Mavropoulou

This three-bedroom, one-and-a-half-bathroom Pangrati apartment was almost 1,300 square feet, with gorgeous green marble floors. It had a wide, inviting terrace that, at roughly 330 square feet, provided ample space for entertaining. Because the apartment was on the top floor, the terrace got plenty of sunlight and the couple would never be disturbed by upstairs neighbors. But there was no Acropolis view. They found the apartment on a real estate listing website, with an asking price of €285,000, or about $306,000.

Maria Mavropoulou

The couple found this top-floor apartment in Pangrati on xe.gr, a website that Mr. Hados described as the Craigslist of Athens. It was for sale by the owner and, at 1,000 square feet, was considerably smaller than the other two apartments, and fairly dark. Along the trim were scenes from Greek mythology, hand painted by the previous owners. The apartment had two bedrooms, one and a half bathrooms and a cramped, awkward layout with a foyer that wasted space. It was on the top floor of the building, with a 750-square-foot terrace that ran the length of the apartment and wrapped around the side. One end of the terrace had a spectacular, unobstructed view of the Parthenon atop the Acropolis; so did both bedrooms. The apartment was listed for €290,000 or roughly $300,300.

The couple found this top-floor apartment in Pangrati on xe.gr, a website that Mr. Hados described as the Craigslist of Athens. It was for sale by the owner and, at 1,000 square feet, was considerably smaller than the other two apartments, and fairly dark. Along the trim were scenes from Greek mythology, hand painted by the previous owners. The apartment had two bedrooms, one and a half bathrooms and a cramped, awkward layout with a foyer that wasted space. It was on the top floor of the building, with a 750-square-foot terrace that ran the length of the apartment and wrapped around the side. One end of the terrace had a spectacular, unobstructed view of the Parthenon atop the Acropolis; so did both bedrooms. The apartment was listed for €290,000 or roughly $300,300.

The couple found this top-floor apartment in Pangrati on xe.gr, a website that Mr. Hados described as the Craigslist of Athens. It was for sale by the owner and, at 1,000 square feet, was considerably smaller than the other two apartments, and fairly dark. Along the trim were scenes from Greek mythology, hand painted by the previous owners. The apartment had two bedrooms, one and a half bathrooms and a cramped, awkward layout with a foyer that wasted space. It was on the top floor of the building, with a 750-square-foot terrace that ran the length of the apartment and wrapped around the side. One end of the terrace had a spectacular, unobstructed view of the Parthenon atop the Acropolis; so did both bedrooms. The apartment was listed for €290,000 or roughly $300,300.

The couple found this top-floor apartment in Pangrati on xe.gr, a website that Mr. Hados described as the Craigslist of Athens. It was for sale by the owner and, at 1,000 square feet, was considerably smaller than the other two apartments, and fairly dark. Along the trim were scenes from Greek mythology, hand painted by the previous owners. The apartment had two bedrooms, one and a half bathrooms and a cramped, awkward layout with a foyer that wasted space. It was on the top floor of the building, with a 750-square-foot terrace that ran the length of the apartment and wrapped around the side. One end of the terrace had a spectacular, unobstructed view of the Parthenon atop the Acropolis; so did both bedrooms. The apartment was listed for €290,000 or roughly $300,300.