Nereides Apartments Reviews

We were really looking forward to our peaceful and relaxing holiday on the quiet island of Alonissos.
We were very aware that we would be travelling all day to reach our destination and had prepared the children!

We were not disappointed when we arrived.
The one-bedroomed apartment was a decent size, clean and comfortable.
Our first meal was in the hotel restaurant and this was delicious!
(Maid service was every day!)

We had booked a nice quiet holiday, but for the children had made sure there was a decent sized pool they could play in. The pool was a good size and clean, with a scattering of sun-beds around. Not many we thought for the size of the hotel, but as we were to find out it was rarely used by other guests.
This hotel was very popular with Greek holiday makers and a major problem we discovered on the first day was that between the hours of 3-6pm it is considered 'quiet time' and as such no noise could be made in or by the pool! This meant that the children could not make any noise or splash for these 3 hours and if they did they were told off because the 'resting' Greeks complained. You felt like you were having to creep about and this did rather spoil the holiday.

The walk down to the main port area was enjoyable if taken slowly, the walk up involved 3 very steep sets of steps and 4 steep slopes. So be warned if you have any leg injuries or breathing problems.

It was easy to get the local bus to the 'Old Town' as it ran very frequently throughout the day from the Port (1 euro 10). It is well worth a visit and we would recommend the Kastel restaurant. The Rocks served good food but it was sort of thrown at you!

If you are feeling energetic a walk down to Mikros beach (from the Old Town) is good as long as you realise you have to walk back and there are no snack bars etc there, so take supplies!!

The bus ( 1 euro 20) to Steni Vala only runs twice a day but it is well worth a visit. There is a nice beach there (no sunbeds) and a few restaurants and shops.

Taxis and water taxis are good to get to other beaches. Christi Milia is what they term a sandy beach, and you can walk for quite a distance out into the crystal blue sea without it getting deep. It is great for the children! There is also a Taverna there which does nice food. A taxi took us there and arranged a time to pick us back up! Get the hotel to order you one! We also arranged for the driver to pick us up the next day and there he was!

The water taxis are fun and we even saw a seal on our return to Patitiri!

A must is a boat trip! There are fancy yachts or simple re-furbished fishing boats. We did the fishing boat and had a great day out and the children really enjoyed diving into the clear blue water! We paid 25 euros each and our 10 yr old was 15 euros- the day lasted from 10:30am -7:30 pm It was hoped we'd see dolphins but alas no.

Eating out in Patitiri is good. we tended to favour the last 2 restaurants on the right (overlooking the beach).

The beach in Patitiri itself is nice and the sea clear but the beach is pebbles. You do need beach shoes to walk into the sea! The sun does seems to disappear early from this area though.

Alonissos is a nice quiet, relaxing holiday and the people there are generally friendly and welcoming.

If you are looking for a more traditional Greek Island, that is green and lush, with very little tourism then Alonissis is for you. Not too many sandy beaches, and quite steep and hilly in places, but if these things do not bother you then we would definitely recommend a visit.

We planned our own trip after checking several tour operators, we booked our own flight from Birmingham to Skiathos, then a taxi to the Ferry Port (5 euros) then a Flying Dolphin for the one and a half hour trip to Alonissis.

We stayed at the Nereides Apartments, booking direct with the owners (web site and details at www nereides gr) The apartments were very clean and spacious, with air conditioning, TV, fridge, cooking facilities, balcony, and most rooms with a spectacular sea view. The apartments have their own swimming pool, from 3 feet to about 8 feet in depth with a diving board!

Costas and Becky could not have been more helpful throughout our stay, Becky has a wealth of knowledge regarding the island, and will offer advice on where to go and how to get there, and will help with the language. The food in the apartments was excellent, prepared and served by Mr Nikiforos and Sophia (Costas's parents) there is no menu, guests are taken into the kitchen to see what is available and choose for themselves. You have to try Sophia's walnut cake, and the honey balls - just forget your diet for a week or two! Mr Nikiforos also produces his own red wine, which is absolutely delicious, and this was not just a holiday tasting, it tastes just as good back in the UK! Value was exceptional - on the rare occasions we ate out we found that the apartments prices compared very favourably with the other tavernas on the quayside.

The easiest way to get to the beaches on the island is by water taxi, and these leave from the port every day between 10.30 and 11.00, returning at around 5pm. There is only one good sandy beach at Chrisi Milla, this is ideal for children as you walk into the sea for about 100 yards and still the water is below your waist. Our favourite beach was at Ag Dimitri - a shingle beach which juts out from the mainland, 2 sun beds and an umbrella will cost 6 euros for the day, and there is a snack bar and a taverna for lunch. There is a gentle breeze blowing all day long, sometimes turning more windy, but we found this refreshing and as long as you use plenty of sun lotion you can stay in the sun a little longer.

We hired a car for 3 days, just to explore the rest of the island, check with Costas for the best rental prices as he got us a small air conditioned car for 30 euros per day (compared with the 44 euros quoted at the quayside) Mopeds are also available at around 10 euros per day.

The island has one main road which splits into two about half way up, beware of some of the ";roads"; showing on the map as they are just dirt tracks, and unless you have a 4X4 - keep off. To give you an idea of the size of the place, we drove from one end of the road at the north of the island to the other at the ferry port in the south in just over 45 minutes.

We were amazed at how organised the island was for walkers - although this was not what we went for, there are ample information boards dotted around with details in English about the walks from that point, with distance and approximate times to complete the walk. Apparently 'Alonissis on Foot' is also compulsive reading for the walkers.

The food in the apartments was so good we did not really explore the alternative tavernas - Argo was very good, in a beautiful garden setting (follow the signs for the sailing club opposite where the car ferry comes in) with spectacular views over the port, very tasty food and reasonable prices.

The footpath walk from the apartments up to the old town was quite steep, and not recommended at night, although you can walk down the road as long as you have a torch. There is a bus service, and taxis if you do not fancy the walk. The old town was quite interesting, lots of cobbled streets, some of the original houses from before the earthquake, and some spectacular views. The best views were from bars rather than tavernas - but this is just another reason to drink some more!

For a rather special day out we recommend the Odyssey boat trip - a really special 40 foot sailing boat, with very plush fixtures and fittings, and a friendly crew. Depart the port at around 10.00 sail up past Alonissis to the marine park, a short visit (and steep climb) up to a monastery, a chance for a swim in a quiet cove before lunch, which is served on board, then a dolphin watch and we had an unscheduled stop at Ag. Dimitri for a quick swim on the way back, arriving back in the port at about 5pm. We paid 40 euros each, and the photo opportunities on board were worth this alone.

We were on the island when Greece won Euro 2004 and were 'adopted' as Greek supporters, the atmosphere was incredible, especially when you consider how small the island is. All in all an excellent relaxing holiday - learn a little Greek before you go - you will be surprised how much difference this will make.