Vasso Studios And Apartments Reviews

Firstly, the resort is variously known as Platanias or Achladies, and the beach is sometimes called Ag Paraskevi. To avoid confusion, this resort is next to Troulos, on the main road from Skiathos Town to Koukanaries.

The Vasso studios are in a block of 12, (inc one apartment), each with their own balconies, and good sized pool. They are 'old Greek' style, with the usual basic two rings for cooking. Our studio consisted of one room containing twin beds, wardrobe, drawers etc, kitchen area of sink, cooking rings, cupboard and shelving; plus separate bathroom of loo, sink and hand held shower, (no curtain).
Note: only HAND towels are provided so you need to take both beach and bath towels with you.

The owner lives on the ground floor, speaks excellent English and is very friendly and helpful. He does all the cleaning etc, and the rooms are spotless. He also has fans available to hire - approx 20 euros per week.

The studios are in a very quiet position, with (I think) only one other block of studios slightly further up the lane. The most noise you'll hear is from the various cockerels, sheep, donkeys and dogs, but we were not disturbed.
This is definitely suited to those looking for peace and quiet - if you want a lively pool bar then this is not for you.
The studios are set in gardens, and the swimming pool is crystal clear. (Don't be put off by some of the brochure pictures where the water looks green - it's just that the pool walls/floor are a speckled pale green rather than the usual flat turquoise). Depth approx 1 mtr to 2 mtrs, with shelf type steps in the shallow end, and one large shelf that you can sit on in the deep end. There is also a small paddling pool adjoining.

It takes about 15 minutes at a gentle pace to get to the main road from the studios, (about 1km). The walk is mainly flat, with one sharp rise, a bit like a hump back bridge, where another lane joins. All but the last 20 yards or so is lit at night, but you may want to take a torch. There are several blocks of studios set along the length of the lane, with the nearest mini market and taverna approximately 5 mins walk. The rest of the tavernas and minimarkets are near/on the main road.

We found that the Avli (on the 'hump')was a nice place to eat and went there several times. Also the Pegasus was fine, (and they do takeaway Pizza of you're desperate!) However we thought that Troulos had a much better selection of Tavernas (especially the Eden),and Mini markets. Main meals are around 6 to 9 euros, with salads at 3 - 5 euros.

The bus stops are at the end of the lane, on the main road, and from here you can travel along the coast and access all of the other beaches by a (usually) short walk. (We had wondered why all of the maps etc referred only to bus stops when giving directions, but we soon realised that there is no other way of finding anything!) The main road is quite busy and there are no pavements at all, so you do need to be aware all the time, and be especially careful to keep an eye on the kids.

We hired a car from Victoria Rentals in Troulos - you can get their number from the advertising board just down the lane from the studios. Very helpful and friendly, they speak very good English, and deliver the car to you. (This is also the firm that Olympic use if you book through the rep). I would recommend a jeep if you are intending to leave the main road as most of the tracks are rutted / dirt.
This is definitely a beach lovers island as there is absolutely nothing else to do. If you were very determined you could spend half a day wandering round Skiathos Town but that's about it! (There is a public loo on the Bourtzi - the 'island' on the harbour - if you like to know these things!)

Most of the beaches have a taverna or two for refreshments, and many also have watersports hire. We did find that the sun lounger hire was expensive - two loungers and an umbrella was 8 euros a day on all of the beaches, which soon adds up. Of course you don't have to hire them, but on some of the beaches there was limited 'towel room'. The beaches are almost all gently shelving sand, with rocks at either end. Very good for snorkelling, but it's also so clear that you can just stand in the water and watch the fish swim past.
We had a really good relaxing holiday, (even though the weather wasn't brilliant!)

This was our first visit to Skiathos and our first experience of Goldensun. We had an excellent holiday and having visited several other Greek Islands, probably our favourite island so far. The flights (with Excelairways) were on time, and there were no problems.

Skiathos is only a small island (about 4km by 11km) but it is very green and picturesque and posesses an abundance of clean, sandy beaches with safe bathing. The weather was very good, although hotter than usual for mid-June...about 90 degrees most days. Skiathos is best suited to couples or families looking for a relaxing beach holiday, as there is little in the way of sightseeing, and nightlife outside of the town is centered around the tavernas and small bars. Skiathos town does have some lively bars and a club ";strip";, but even this is only a small collection of tasteful-looking clubs along the waterfront....definitely not for dedicated clubbers or lovers of all things ";lager-loutish!

We were very pleased with the Vasso studios.They are up a small side road off the main area of Platanias, about 15 minutes walk fom the beach and the tavernas.Thus, they were in a quiet, peaceful location. The rooms were basic (as is usual in Greece) but fairly spacious and in good condition, with balconies overlooking the pool. The baconies are arranged so that you cannot directly overlook the balcony of the room next to you, a nice touch for those who like their privacy.The shower worked well (something that we've never encountered before in Greece!)and there was always plenty of hot water. The standard of cleanliness was excellent as the rooms were thoroughly cleaned every other day. There were about 16 rooms, so it was quite small and friendly and has recently had a pool added, which was also excellent. You stepped down into the pool via small stone steps, rather than the usual metal rungs, so it was great for the less agile.

The owner, Gregory, also lives in the building and is always on hand for advice. He also serves drinks and small snacks from a small poolside bar, and lets you help yourself to the ice-creams if he's not around...as long as you remember to pay him the next day! Our Goldensun rep visited about 3 times a week and was friendly and helpful.

Platanias itself is fairly small, as are all the resorts outside of Skiathos town. They are really just a small collection of tavernas and shops along the main south coast road, which runs along the length of the island. We thought the standard of food in most of the tavernas we tried was better than on the other islands we have been to. The best place to eat in Platanias was the Green Park restaurant..excellent food and no more expensive than the other tavernas.

If you want to travel about,either use the excellent bus service or hire a jeep. Most of the roads away from the south coast are unsuitable for ordinary cars or scooters, so if you want to go off the beaten track, a jeep is a must. If you just want to visit other resorts or the town, the buses run every 10 minutes till about 1.00am and are cheap. It cost us 90 cents each from our resort to the town or Koukounaries at the other end of the island...about 60p, I think.

All in all, we found skiathos to be slightly more ";refined"; than some other islands. No lager louts, generally clean and tidy, decent food and service, etc. We would definitely stay in the Vasso studios again and hope to return next year.

Our first time in Skiathos and what a pleasant surprise, it is a very beautiful island. Plantanias is a small resort with quite a few very good resturants within easy walking distance, the beach is lovely and sandy with clear gently lapping water. Our apartments were down a small road off the main road set in lovely gardens. Gregory the owner was a really friendly chap always cleaning and tending the gardens. The apartments themselves were nice a bit basic but very clean and so quiet. One thing we were amazed about on Skiathos was the public bus service, which I think must be the best in the world, buses came every 15 minutes on the dot you could set your watch by them and the fares were very cheap. We would get a bus into Skiathos Town some evenings and the last bus left at 2am brilliant!! If we ever go back to Skiathos I would stay again at the same resort and apartments. One other thing to mention there is no loud noisy resorts on the island an ideal place for couples who want to chill out.