Latest Reviews for Skiathos

Kolios is a relatively small resort though it is well connected to the other main resorts on Skiathos by a very good bus system and widely available taxis.

The Beaches at Kolios and Agia Paraskevi are lovely and the sea very safe for bathing.

Food and drink prices are reasonable and on par with what we expected given the exchange rate when we went.

There is a reasonable selection of restaurants but some of the gems aren't immediately obvious. Seek out Green Park, good food, huge portions (arguably too big) and very good service. Platanis Taverna also very good.

Can't really comment on the nightlife as we had young ones with us and didn't see much of it.

As for things to see and do, the south side of the island is very accessible by bus and taxi. To really see the sights though, hire yourself a jeep and head along the north coast for some really lovely little remote beaches and some stunning views.

We spent the last two weeks in August staying at the Theodora Studios and were more than happy.

Cleanliness - Our studio apartment was serviced daily (except Sunday) and the bedding changed once a week. The pool bar, pool area and apartment complex itself were always spotless and very well presented.

Food - The pool bar served a good selection of breakfasts, snacks and omelettes. All freshly prepared to order. The Greek salads were lovely. Naturally a full selection of drinks were available at the bar. Oh how I long for a Mythos....

Hotel Service - Maria and Staff were fantastic hosts, offering a warm welcome on arrival and an equally sincere farewell on departure. Worthy of particular praise was the tireless Maggie, a genuinely lovely person. She made a real fuss of the kids and was generally an all round star.

Location - 500m'ish from bus stop 15 on the main road, for us it was near perfect. Nice and quiet, no traffic noise. The only downside was that the walk to the nearest cluster of tavernas (at Agia Paraskevi) meant a walk down the side of the main road. Weekdays not much of an issue, but on the weekends the road was very busy.

Room comfort - If you don't spend a lot of time in your apartment when on holiday it will be fine. There was four of us (2 adults, 1 child, 1 infant) sharing the studio and there wasn't a great deal of privacy or room to spare. However, everything worked. Air conditioning was a god-send during the night and as we didn't eat in the apartment really (other than some fruit based breakfasts on the patio) then the very limited cooking facilities weren't an issue to us. Also, as we had a toddler with us they gave us a ground floor studio which opened onto a lawned area which was great to let the kids run around, no worries about balconies.

Overall - We would definitely recommend the Theodora Studios.

Unfortunately this was spoilt by rain but what we did get to see was good.The food in JIMMYS bus stop 16 is excellent.

We arrived on a Wednesday evening & by Sunday had still not had any hot water.The room had not been cleaned properly some of the appliances did not work & the front door did not close (apartment 208). The pool bar is all they have and this doubles up as the restaurant in the evening,also the food is not that good.When it rains (and it did from Friday through to Monday) there is no where to sit due to all the diners so its get wet & catch a cold,I feel there should be some kind of indoor area. The Hermes its self is located in the middle of nowhere so everything is a bus ride or taxi fare which is not a complaint. If you could get a good nights sleep you were doing well as the cats screaming for food or fighting kept you awake, ( why do people insist on feeding these pests as they become dependent. Its not Tiddles for god sake they are wild ferral cats). To put everything into perspective we moved out on the Monday & paid to stay in the Princess Hotel (hot water & a bath on tap no pun intended,this was sheer bliss). Moral of this story DO NOT STAY AT THE HERMES.

Kolios beach is very quiet, with just one taverna, but is very, very pretty. Aghia Paraskevi is much more sandy and busy, with all water sports available and a couple of bars/tavernas. The water is crystal clear at both beaches and shelves down gently making it excellent for snorkelling and swimming. All in all fantastic beaches on a fantastic island. Highly recommeded.

You cannot fault the cleanliness of this hotel, it is spotless and well furnished. The cleaners work very hard. The only fault is that the pool is not big enough for the number of people staying there and also there are not enough sun beds. This meant that some larger families and groups staying at the Marina put towels out early and then dissapeared for the day! (Very selfish). Stelios was in charge whilst we were there as the owner, Yannis, was ill in hospital. We wish him well. Stelios was very friendly and helpful (ask him to do his card tricks, they are amazing), but the same could not be said for his wife (Yannis' daughter) who did not smile once while we were there except when her family amd friends came to visit! However we would recommend this hotel but not during school holidays.

Koukounaries is at the opposite end of the island from Skiathos town, the bus stops and turns around here.It is easy to get a seat on the bus into town and they run pretty regularly. Over the seven years we have been visiting the island the standard of the restaurants seems to have improved. This year we ate at The Village, Muses twice and Strofillia twice. All very good meals. The prices seem to have gone up over the past year but we managed to eat for around 35euros, two starters, two mains and a litre of house wine. So no bad value compared to home.

Alicia apartments are a small family run complex. We stayed at the begining of September 08 which was near the end of the season. The complex was still in imaculate condition. The pool tempts you to stay in the complex rather than visit nearby beaches. As usual the rooms are basic but ours was quite large with a seperate kitchen area and bathroom. The rooms were cleaned every day and the owners were very obliging. Being set back off the road it is a very quiet location, no road noise etc. We would definately stay here again. The transfer to and from the airport only takes around 45 minutes.

Koukounaries is obviously a resort that has grown to support tourism and does not have a centre, instead it is more of a strip of hotels and restaurants, with a couple of bars thrown in. Catching the bus to town in the evening is a must, but there are plenty of excellent restaurants to choose from if you don't want to bother. My personal recommendations would be Hera, the taverna belonging to Muses Hotel, Ilia's Orchard serves piping hot food to an excellent standard. If you enjoy sharing meze, make sure that you pay Captain Mikalis a visit, the starter meze is fish based and the meat platter for 2 people is excellent, we got 1 very large pork chop, 3 lamb chops, 3 pieces of chicken, 1 village sausage and a few small roast potates. I would recommend a side order of rice or potatoes with this meal. The Village, near to bus stop 26 serves a fabulous stuffed garlic bread. It is a flat bread, so not doughy at all, stuffed with Feta, tomatoe and oregano, it's delicious and worth a trip for this alone. Agustera is the best bar, next to the supermarket. Beaches. The main beach is beautiful but I found it over crowded and the sun loungers are packed too close for my liking. Loud music is pumped out all day. If this is not your thing, take a 25 minute walk to Agia Eleni. This is a smaller beach with no music in the morning and gentle music in the afternoon. There is a Taverna and toilets available on this beach. You will be told that it is a 1 hour stroll through a pine forest to Mandraki Beach. Don't be fooled. One hour is a conservative estimate, best to hire a jeep to visit this beach. You can drive trough the forest, but the coast road is easier and much prettier. If you want to take the bus to town in the evening, it costs 1.8 euros and runs every 20 minutes from 7.00am through to 1.00am the following morning. some of the funniest moments of our holiday were on the bus, so i would recommend the experience. Once in town, head for the cushions on the steps in the Old Port that belong to "Rock and Roll". Happy hour is from 7.00pm to 9.00pm and prices are similar to those paid every where else at this time. Be prepared for a hefty bill if you go at any other time. Food at Asprolithos, which is signposted from bus stop 4 is excellent and the standard of service is very high. Bonaparte is a delightful change from the norm, again, food is of a superb standard.

The Panorama Hotel is situated close to the main beach a Koukounaries, it takes around 10-15 minutes to walk there. The Hotel looks impressive right from the gateway from the road and certainly lives up to the image that it presents. It is a family run hotel, providing a very friendly atmosphere and cleanliness is second to none. We stayed in September and could not find a single spec of dust or dirty mark. The Hotel was refurbished last year and is bright and airy, with marble floors and staircases and a very modern dining area. Breakfast was a selection of cereals, bread (a toaster is provided), yogurt, fruit, cheese pies and croisant. Fried eggs or omlettes were alternated on daily basis. You can purchase a full English breakfast from the pool bar if you wish, though we did not find this necessary. The pool bar serves snacks from 10.00am to 3.00pm and opens as a restaurant from 5.00pm. snacks were of a very high standard and, if you want a drink only between 3.00pm and 5.00pm, the family are happy to serve you. Evening meals are of a very good standard. The pool is deep and there is no separate childrens pool, this seems to be standard with all hotels in the resort, the pool, and pool area, are kept to a very high standard and the Hotel is set within very pretty gardens with lawned areas. There is a delightful pergola for those who prefer a bit of shade. The rooms are spacious and the bathrooms are some of the best that I have seen in Greece in 18 years of travel, mosaic tiles cover the floor and the fittings are all modern. We had rather poor water pressure in our shower but the people who stayed in the room opposite us said that the pressure was so high in their shower that they stuggled not to saturate the floor, so this seems a little hit and miss. Air conditioning, TV and a fridge are included in the price, we paid 2 euros per day for a safety deposit box. Towels are changed every day, including Sunday. The couple of very small niggles that we experienced would not prevent me from recommending this excellet hotel to couples and families alike. If you need to change money, you will get the same, if not better rates by changingit at the hotel than you would at the bank.

Koukounaries resort fantastic for beaches and chilled out cocktail drinking but if you want somewhere really lively you'd be better off heading for Skiathos Town. We wanted a chilled out holiday though so it was perfect for us! Mandraki & Elias beach was accessed out of the gate by the pool area and turn right - good 20 mins walk through lovely forest area, some of it uphill. Koukounaries beach was as busy as they say it is at peak time but go approx 11am and there are plenty of sunbeds and it didn't feel claustrophobic as it's huge! Banana Beach nice through the day but a bit Ibiza party crowd when the sun went down - I'm a party animal in my mid thirties but the loud music on repetitive almost drove me mad!! Ambelakia Beach (accessed by turning sharp left as if heading for Banana and go past the derelict Xenia Hotel) was lovely - steep to get to and steep stairs down but maybe this is why is seemed a lot quieter and peaceful! Nightlife - Stamelos Bar was great for cocktails - not sure about the restaurants next to it - we had a very dodgy meal on first night. Wholeheartedly recommend Elias Mandraki hotel restaurant - come down from apartment and 5 mins on the left & Asprolithus restaurant in Skiathos Town was totally amazing - the best food we've ever tasted. Would go back again!

We were pleasantly surprised by these apartments after reading a selection of mixed reviews! I'm not very good at summarising but I'll do my best! Apartments right in the centre of Koukounaries with 2 separate routes up small dirt tracks (approx 5 mins walk) - either to the left or right of Stamelos Bar - we tended to use the right hand path more! Our apartment initially looked a bit of a let down as it was very dark inside and looked quite basic but first impressions should NOT count in this case, believe me!! We spent no time at all in the apartment during the day as we were on one of the 5 beaches within walking distance so the the initial darkness didn't bother us again. Apartments were cleaned EVERY day by Magda who spoke no English but was a lovely, sweet woman! On the last day we were putting crockery away when I had an unfortunate accident & broke about 5 plates and bowls - I fully expected to pay for the damage but Magda said not to worry! You should bring your own bath towel but write up states this clearly. Also, DO bring a torch as the walk back at night is unlit but beautiful looking up at the stars! The best bit about the Magda apartments was the pool area. It really felt like out own personal pool - hardly anyone used it and it was totally spotless - in fact the pool shower/toilet area was almost nicer than our apartment one! Air con and safety deposit boxes were available for a small fee - definitely needed the air con! Overall, fantastic holiday in good, clean apartments with great pool area and good access to facilities.

Skiathos and the resort of Aghia Paraskevi is beautiful there are good restaurants and beautiful beaches.

We booked this Olmypic Holidays through Going Places. We have been to Skaithos many times and always stay at Aghia Paraskevi which is beautiful. Unfortuantely on this occasioin we couldn't stay at our usual appartments and settled for Roulas. The brochure pictures looked good so we didn't seem concerned. It all looked very nice from the outside, but when we got to our room, what a shock when we got. It was nothing like what had been shown in the brochure. The room was dark, toilet seat hanging off, shower curtain was dirty with mould, curtain poles rusty, sink in bathroom cracked, sink in kitchen rusty, towels supplied were ripped with holes and stained. The whole place when inside lacked maintenance. When we complained to our rep, he told us that these were the best appartments in Skiathos and that we would not be moved. Best of luck if you decide to stay there.

We stayed in Aghia Paraskevi. It is basically a busy road with tavernas and apartments on both sides. The road is busy and one downside is there are no pavements so walking is done single file alongside the road which isnt very relaxing. The beach is lovely but gets busy. There are some very comfy sunbeds outside the Princess Hotel which you can use if you buy drinks. The waiter brings them to your sunbed which is very nice! There are lots of nice eating places, our favourtie being Jimmys. The Green Meadow and the Orsa are nice too. There are only 2/3 bars. Platanias being busiest and best. You can get the bus into Skiathos town (better nightlife) for 1.60 euros or a taxi for 9euros. The taxi also pick up other passengers but you both still have to pay full fare. Skiathos Town is lovely. Lots of cobbled streets and lots of expensive yachets moored on the harbour. I would avoid July/August as it is too busy with greek/italian holiday makers. Try the Chicken George for lovely meat dishes or La Torra for Italian. The roof top bar has lovely views and is run by a lovely very friendly english lady. We didnt do any trips but one day when it rained we took the bus to Koukanaries beach. We came across an old derelict hotel (Xenia) which was very eerie to see. Overall Skiathos is a beautifyl island but no good if you have walking difficulties.

We booked these apartments on reccommedation of reviews on various sites. The apartments were very clean and modern (by greek standards) The beds were very hard which is usual in Greece. There was no TV but we didnt miss this. The shower was powerful and the bathroom modern although still no shower curtain. The maids came nearly every day.

The pool is small but fine for the number of apartments. Most of the time the pool wasnt full, there was always sunbeds available. It was very quiet around the pool during the day. Bar snacks are served all day. However the music played all day drove us nuts! All foreign depressing music. In the evening the pool bar could do with some entertainment, although they do hold a greek night every Monday which gets full. I think they need to provide some alternative nights entertainment or at least some decent music as it tends to be quiet most nights. We understand there is some dispute with some neighbours regarding noise at night and this is the reason the bar remains quiet. Two greek blokes are running the bar this year, Christos and George. When we first arrived they were very friendly and chatty. We forgot to pay for a round of drinks one night (7euros)they didnt tell us until 2 days later. We apoligized and paid straigjht away. They were very cool with us after that and we felt there was an atmosphere when all it was was a misunderstanding. We gave more than 7 euros in tips most days, its not like we did it on purpose. For this reason we wont be going back to the Ostria.