Latest Reviews for Achladies

The resort was quiet with a few bars which had entertainment on selected nights

The hotel is ideal for holidaymakers who wish to spend a relaxing time and are not concerned about being entertained all the time. We booked thro and flew by Thomas Cook airlines, the flight and food were good the only issue I have is the seat pitch but you can pay extra for the extra leg room of the door seats. We were transferred from the airport in the hotels mini bus which made the transfer time less than 15 mins, upon arrival the check in was smooth with a porter waiting to take our cases to the room. Meal times were well attended with the choice of food good but could have been a little hotter. The rooms were cleaned to a high standard every day and all the staff were helpful and friendly. The pool area was well used with the Sunbed grand prix starting at 7:50 with a gates open at 8:00 and all the beds towelled by 8:10.Extra beds were available on the beach at a cost of 8 euros for two beds and umbrella The pool is not suitable for non-swimmers as the depth ranges from 1.75m to 2.25m, however the lack of children meant that adults could supervise the young non-swimmers easily. There is a boat service from the beach in front of the hotel and for a cost of 2 euros you can cross the bay into Skiathos town, The holiday was intended to be a "getaway and unwind” break and it met all the criteria. Guests looking for activities or entertainment would need to travel to other resorts and use this hotel as a tranquil base

The apartments are immaculate with wonderful staff who are friendly and helpful.everyone staying at the time were of the same opinion. The resort is small with a couple of supermarkets and a very good bakery, the beach is 10min walk and very nice with Taverners and the jetty for the water taxi to Skiathos town. The Taverner (?) on the main road, not the Rose Garden,(Bordellino?) is a burger joint! Skiathos town is small but interesting, at the bottom of the main street take the fork left for 50yds and you will come to a lovely little Gyros shop on a corner called "No Name" very good value and lovely grub (2Gyros 1pint Mythos and 1Soft drink 7 euro). Two Lemonades at the Central on the main drag 7 euro!. We left it somewhat late this year to holiday,28 Sept to 12 Oct,this is too late! In the first week the resort started to close down and by the second week if you wanted to go out for a meal in meant into town and that was also starting to close down. A very nice holiday,4 wheel drive if you get a car the roads(!) are something else away from town but good fun. The dogs at the dogs home love to go for a walk and it helps get rid of some of the Mythos and nice food. avery nice holiday on a lovely friendly island.

It was our first time in Skiathos and have already decided to go back next year... prepare to get addicted to the island it is beautiful!

Apartments- We had a warm welcome from Nikos and wife Coola who run the apartments and cant do enough for you. The rooms were basic but clean. Lacked amenities, but wasn't really a problem as we tended to eat out(recommend taking a kettle though). The pool was a resonable size and clean with sunbeds always free! The bar is open all day where we were pleased to get an english breakfast, toast and jam, and a hot drink for 6 euros. It also has sky T.V on big screens ideal for you footy fanatics.

Location- Achladies is peaceful, quiet resort with a fantastic beach within 2 mins walking distance. The water taxi runs all day taking you to and from the more lively, yet still uncommercialised skiathos town for 2 euros. We tended to do this at night as there are some fablous places to eat in the back streets (much better than using the bus which always seemed to be rammed with people). There are 3 supermarkets and bakery in walking distance.

Food- Loacally the rose garden is brilliant about 10 euros for a main course. Although, we still perferred the restaurants in town as in the backstreets we found them cheaper, better quality and are mostly set on the little cobbled streets. Never had a bad meal in the 2 weeks we were there!!!

Trips- we well recommend the 'secret skiathos' trip going round the island on boat to 66 beaches... some beautiful sites! Also, the trip to the islands alonessos and skelopelos is well worth the money. With free guided tours optional around the fantastic town (took by a swedish women who spoke 5 languages and her knowledge was incredible) No cars in skelopelos the postman was a man and a donkey carrying the mail. This can be booked through the rep or in the town.

Overall, fantastic island our experience was made better staying in Yalis!

We arrived in Skiathos to find out that our original Hotel the Atrium had been badly affected by the huge fire that had happened the previous day. We were taken to the hotel but it was badly affected although not burned. It had no water, no electric only a few rooms could be used and the pool was full of ash. Although we felt very sorry for the owners we took the decision that we did not want to take our 2 week holiday in a burntout area of the this beautiful resort. Olympic Tour Operators were fantastic they arranged to move us to the Paradise Hotel. This Hotel is absolutely fantastic. It is family run with parents, three sons and daughter-in-law. They are so proud of the business that they go out of their way to ensure that your holiday is really paradise.

We stayed half board and would well recommend you do this as it was only 13 Euro per day which provided you with a four course meal every evening. Eating out on the raised dining terrace gave you the best sea views on the island. Although it is situated up a steep hill there is a free bus shuttle 5 times a day either into the Skiathos town or down to the beaches on the busy road below. The pool was cleaned every day as were the rooms with fresh towels provided daily. I really would recommend that you check out this hotel. They do take bookings direct so check out their website. They will even pickup and dropoff at the airport. Email them for rates as they do give better rates direct. It would be ideal for couples especially those who appreciate the Greek isles with the wonderful views and peaceful settings but just within easy reach is Skiathos Town and the bustling night life. We hired a jeep which was well worth it as we went off road and explored the hidden beaches and pretended we were in a rally along the roads.

Well recommended we already plan a return trip.

Skiathos is the most beautiful island.The town is very pretty and relaxing,great place for people watching. We hired a car for two days and explored the interior. The scenery was amazing.

Unfortunately we found the Hotel Esperides very disappointing. The position is stunning with fabulous views but the hotel leaves alot to be desired. The food is not only monotonous and boring ( what sort of hotel serves exactly the same deserts every evening we were there? You can only stand so much creme caramel!) it was also a health hazard. We did not find lukewarm food covered in flys very appetising!We complained to the rep but nothing was done. We ended up eating out which we hadn't budgeted for. The room was dark and smelly with poor air conditioning.The view was very nice but the way the balconies are built if you are sitting down you cant see over the wall. There are only two very small lifts which are very tempremental!We also found the First Choice rep utterly useless. She didn't even know about the water sports at the far end of the beach. Also beware if you are travelling on a Friday. There are eighteen flights that day and the airport cannot cope with the amount of people. we were herded about like cattle and some people were taken ill through having to queue for so long.

We would go back to Skiathos but not with First Choice and we definitely wouldn't stay at The Hotel Esperides.It is such a shame this hotel is so poor because it is in such a beautiful position.

First time visit to Skiathos and really liked it. The Filokalia Is a nice little block of studios away from the main road. There is only one neighbouring property, a small bungalow so noise isn't a problem. When we were there, there were probably around 20-30 other guests staying, However the busiest it ever got round the swimming pool was about a dozen people with many going to the beach which charges 8 Euro a day for two sunbeds.

The pool bar does a nice range of cheap sandwiches and omelettes. Warning: Don't order pizza, I waited 2 Hours for the oven to warm up, although it was fantastic when it came!

Would reccommend it and will go back, people with young kids or teenagers might find it a bit boring and difficult to entertain kids, but for couples looking for a quiet holiday it is ideal.

Don't expect much from the olympic reps, they don't like skiathos because they get so many repeat visits they have difficulty selling their excursions.

Down by the main road there are two supermarkets(corner shops) and a fabulous cake shop. The supermarket on the right is cheaper for just about everything.

If you've already booked to go here, relax it's good.

just returned from a week in the esperides. we could not fault it.it was brilliant. staff excellent. maid service was unbelievable. we were there for our sons wedding and i can thoroughly recommend the whole thing. we had a lovely time in skiathos and we hope to return in the future. skiathos is beautiful, word of warning though, its a lot hotter than spain!

Having read most of the reviews on this site, and having just returned from Skiathos, we have to agree that most comments are accurate about this hotel and about Skiathos.

Skiathos is a pretty and quiet island with good beaches and is certainly a place to ";chill out."; A week is sufficient to see everything and hiring a car is a complete waste of money, (this, from someone who usually hires a car on the Greek islands),such is the reliability of the bus service and the availability of taxis.Take the bus to the various recommended places and WALK!! There are some beautiful walks through heavily scented trees and shrubs to hidden beaches. What could be better?

The situation of the hotel is truly stunning and the gardens are extremely well-looked after. There is plenty of space for an additional sun lounge area near the farcical pool but this is not utilised although this is NOT to force you onto the hotel's sun loungers on the beach because the money from these is set by, and goes to, the local municipality.
The beach is ideal, small, clean (the water is transparent) and peaceful and the beach tavernas are excellent for lunch. The water taxi is a handy and useful way of getting to the pretty capital, Skiathos Town.

In the debate on this site as to whether the hotel is 4 star or 3 star, it is probably 4 star by Greek island standards but certainly only 3 star by Western European standards. Some of the plus factors are items such as the charming and pleasant hotel staff, the standard of room cleanliness, the availability of an empty fridge in the bedroom and the reasonable price of table wine. The decor is a little tired (but this could be said about many widely-used hotels) and the room is somewhat basic without the little touches one expects in a 4 star hotel (the 3 star Hotel Jazz in Barcelona would be 5 star plus in Greece).

As many point out on this site, the meals are monotonous, you can forecast what is going to appear at breakfast and at the evening meal. There is plenty of food but the presentation leaves a great deal to be desired - small plates, tiny bowls for cereals, the fruit presented in an unappetising manner (a bowl of apples, a bowl of bananas, a bowl of pears). Just think how, in some hotels, fruit can be presented in a wonderful display. Again what happens to the fruit in the morning? On an island where shops have an abundance of fruit, the only fruit EVERY morning of our stay, was sliced apples. In the same context, tinned carrots and peas in the evening are hardly what you would expect in a top hotel. (along with sprouts in June!!!)Each morning, we had to feed bread through the rotating toaster 3 times to get it slightly brown. A fellow guest informed me that it had been like that for 5 years!! A 4 star hotel would replace this immediately. We could go on like this about the food but we were fed, we didn't get poisoned and the fish was particularly good!!

Overall, we enjoyed the week, we had a good holiday, we loved the peace of Skiathos and we would recommend you to try the hotel and form your own judgement. The hotel was not in the luxury class but it WAS good value for money and and different things appeal to different people.

After reading other comments on this Hotel, we were really looking forward to our holiday. It didn't disappoint us at all.

Our room was on the 5th floor and we had a superb view overlooking the pool and bay. Well worth paying the extra for a sea view. The room was kept very clean by our maid every day. The air con was very efficient and the frige was handy for cold drinks. There was no entertainment at the hotel, which was a bit of a pain as there is nothing ";up the road"; either. There was one Taverna on the beach which held a Greek night every Thursday. Most nights we caught the water taxi into Skiathos Town where there are loads of bars to choose from, also plenty of shops. The beach at the hotel was good with plenty of sun beds. You don't have to get up at the crack of dawn to put a towel on the beds to reserve them!!! There was a great selection of food both for breakfast and the evening meal. The staff in the restaurant and reception were very helpful and friendly.

Most people we met had been to the Esperides more than once and we will definately be going back too .... soon I hope.

Our first time on Skiathos, peaceful and relaxing. Well worth a visit, we went for two weeks whereas a week would probably have been enough. Agree with what others have said on Holidays Uncovered about the island. The town of Skiathos is unspoilt and not yet over commercialised. Very nice atmosphere and pleasant to have a drink on the harbour front and watch the hustle and bustle of the ferries coming and going.

We hired a car, for a few days, and toured the island. Saw it all, covered all the mountain tracks, saw deserted beaches, monasteries and lots of beautiful rugged scenery, but overall we were glad with our choice of location on the island.

Hotel, fine for the money we paid, three stars would be a more honest classification, not four star. Good points are the beach side position, the dining area, and the food was excellent. The beach sun beds and umbrellas are a must as it does get hot in the summer months. Sea lovely and clear, beach kept clean and a couple of nice beach side tavernas for drinks and lunch. We went into Skiathos Town most nights by water taxi for a drink and stroll round the town.
Poor points about the hotel, rooms not that big, bathrooms need updating and greek plumbing leaves a lot to be desired. Pool area very small and we hardly ever used it.
One night we had dinner at the Windmill Restaurant in Skiathos Town - a must if you can get a table - well worth the expensive prices.
Glad we have been, but probably once is enough as there are lots of other islands to see and places to visit, but don't let this put you off visiting. Watch out for the refuelling stop on the way home, it adds a couple of hours to the return journey.