Athina Studios Reviews

Just returned from a very relaxing holiday in Golden Beach,a heat wave started in the middle of our week, in the 40s, so very hot.
The Athina Studios were more than we expected, having stayed in some very basic studios elsewhere in Greece and the air conditioning was most welcome! We had a beautiful view of the bay from the balcony. Athina and her husband speak very little english, but it was fun trying out our limited Greek.
This is a low key resort,we thought it might get busier in july and august when the local Greeks take their holidays. Food good on the whole but if you like fish then its to die for.

We went into Thassos via the little water taxi at the end of goldon beach 6 euros for 2 a nice trip takes just under the hour and leaves at 4.15 on the dot! It doesnt bring you back but taxis are only 12 euros and if there's four of you its nothing.
Two resturants in Thassos that we found very good, the Pigi in the square, excellent swordfish kebabs and the Thassian for a superb shark like fish (the proper name I forget!) grilled with olive oil lemon juice and oregano, can still taste it. Try the Rose'wine - any of them they are all good.

We had a walk up to Skala Potamis and watched the fishermen tenderise the octupus they do this by smashing them on a rock. sampled some later that night(don't know if they were the same ones!)
The transfers to and from the airport went like clockwork,considering we had a ferry ride in between which was a lovely way to arrive and leave the island,the ferry being followed by flocks of seagulls. It seemed as though they were greeting us coming in and wishing us a safe journey going back as Thassos dissapeared in the distance, magical.

All in all a beautiful week. And I only put on 3 pounds!

We booked this holiday at the last minute and have had the most wonderful time. Athina Studios are bright and clean, with fabulous views of the whole, beautiful bay from the balconies. The beach is ,literally, a 2 minute walk away and we were within really easy walking distance from every amenity in the resort. Eating out was varied and of good quality with friendly, welcoming service everywhere. Spitha's Cafe run by Angie and Graham is well worth frequent visits, as is Pefkas and the Fedra. For a drink, go and have loads of fun with Katie and Poppy in the Starfish Bar. Thanks Katie, for the hospitality, the cocktails and the shopping!!

A lovely day out is a boat trip on the Zeus with Manolis. You can catch the boat right in Golden Beach itself. Swam out of my depth for the first time AND saw Dolphins!
If you like pottery a visit to Costiz in Thassos town is well worth the effort. His studios are right on the edge of the bay, going away from the town centre.
It's worth hiring a car or motor bike and travelling about as little towns inland are just so pretty. Theologus and Micro Prinos are particularly worth the effort.
If you like a livelier resort then Scala Potomia may be more for you, but it is still easily accessible from Golden Beach. Try out Eric's Bar!

Overall, a lovely holiday on a beautiful island.

We had read rather mixed reviews of Thassos' Golden Beach, so were pleasantly surprised when we arrived. It was sunny, pretty and the hotel was only two minutes' walk from the beach and beach-front restaurants, and only one minute from the local newsagent/souvenir shop/grocery store.

Golden Beach seems to be very quiet, so if you prefer the Ibiza-esque dance/rave/whatever holidays this won't suit you, but if (like me) you like a relaxed, tranquil getaway this'll be right up your alley.

The hotel itself was clean, tastefully decked out and every room has a pleasant balcony with views down the path to the sea in the distance. Our room had two hobs, a fridge, a kitchen sink and an en-suite shower-room. The en-suite shower-room was rather dark and dingy, but perfectly functional.

We had a problem with the lock on our door when we arrived- it was broken and we couldn't lock it at all. The owner of the hotel instantly drove off into town and bought a new lock, came back and replaced it there and then. A word of warning though: at the Athina only one or two members of the family who own it speak English, and we didn't speak Greek, so communication was a little difficult. Had we not had the problem with the lock, however, we probably wouldn't have needed to communicate at all, the owners are very happy to let you just enjoy your holiday without interfering.

The hotel has very nice rooms, but that's really all it has: rooms. There's no swimming pool, bar or anything like that. There are, however, plenty of bars and restaurants within two minutes' walk and the sea is nearby, too.

The tours we went on were great, though sadly I can't remember the exact names of them. The tour guide was superb and really made it very interesting indeed.

Golden Beach's restaurants offer all much the same sort of food, and all the food we had was very tasty.

We went at the end of season (September), and I think it's because of this that the beach was in need of cleaning (quite a few cigarette butts around but nothing dangerous). The weather varied between being hot/sunny and being windy and a little chilly. The island, on a whole, is very pretty and there are plenty of lovely views to be seen.

We didn't hire a car, so can't tell you about that side of things, but we found that Golden Beach had everything we wanted. The only thing it doesn't have is larger souvenirs- if you want any big souvenirs you'll have to venture into one of the larger towns.

We also found (being 20 and 22) that we were pretty much the youngest holidayers on the island by a good 30 years or so. We didn't mind this at all; I just think it's something to bear in mind- the island's tranquility attracts a more mature crowd. The people we met were lovely and there was a really nice atmosphere everywhere we went.

Incidentally, the journey to the island was quite long- Thassos has no airport and so Kavala/Kabala is the nearest airport. After arriving in Kavala it's a coach journey to the port, then a ferry to Thassos, then another coach to Golden Beach. We had no problems on this journey, however. The flights each way were also perfectly fine, a broken in-flight movie tape excepted.

There are a few eyesores here and there (unfinished buildings etc.) but on the whole, Thassos is a very nice island and I'd look forward to going back again. The Athina (also variously spelt ";Athena";) Studios are cheap and cheerful and I'd highly recommend them.

We returned to Golden Beach for our second Thassos holiday this year. What a pleasure to find such a wonderful and unspoilt area to relax in.

The weather this year was much hotter than last year although we arrived in Kavala airport to the most spectacular thunder and lightening storm, but this just adds to the beauty of the Island. The wasps were not at all evident this year and we followed the advice of dear Anna who runs the local shop and used a mossie spray called ";Off"; which all the locals use and we had no probs at all.

We hired a scooter from Wheels for 85 euros for the week and had a great time pootling around the Island.

Panagia is just beautiful and it is great to take the pure fresh water that runs down the village and appears on the square through a fountain. The festival of Our Lady is well worth seeing this is a huge religious festival that happens on 15th August each year and attracts a lot of Greek people from the mainland and culminates with a parade through Panagia at around 11am after the church service has finished.

We made a trip of around 20K to Alike beach which was spectacular but did get quite crowded aroud lunch time so arrive early. We ate fresh fish simply char-grilled at the taverna on the beach, delicious. It is worth walking to view the marble ruins on the next little cove.

Golden beach is by far the best beach on the island. Fedra is the only place to eat, Nicos and his team make you so welcome and the food is excellent and very reasonable and as a ";regular"; you are treated to free drinks and puds!! Vigli is wonderfully situated and the 60's 70's night was great fun! The Athina studios offer very clean accomodation just a stone throw from the beach and Market Anna has everything you could need including hugs and kisses from Anna each morning and a wag of the tail from ";Bob the dog";

We are going to enjoy this Island before it gets spolit so here is to Thassos 2004 yes we have booked already! Oh well only 51 weeks to go!!!