Areti

Only downside here is the hill not suitable for people with mobility issue & food only served until 7pm which was a shame. Great views,friendly helpful staff very clean. Great size rooms. Had a lovely Greek night here. Local shop will deliver if you spend over €20. Lovely restaurants nearby especially the pizza restaurant at bottom of hill. Bus stop right outside easy to get to beaches & Slow this town

We stayed for three nights at the Nina-Areti apartments for a taster break to Skiathos (we usually play safe and stick to the Canaries!) and we are so glad that we did and that we chose these specific apartments. Nina was very welcoming on our arrival (without being intrusive) and the apartment was ready for us (lunch time). We stayed in room 7 which has the most beautiful view across the sea from the large window (I could stand there looking out all day long) and a side balcony that got the sun in the mornings which I enjoyed when eating my breakfast. The room was rather basic but had all you needed to make yourself at home and it was very clean. The flat screen TV had some channels which played American programmes in English and the usual BBC news channel. The cleaner visited every day (she was happy to visit later on if we were slow at getting out) and made the beds. The door/window shutters were handy as you could keep some ventilation by keeping the glass door/windows open and kept the room nice and dark. The only problem we had with this were the mosquitos - they took a liking to me particularly (perhaps it was the beer they liked??!) even though I doused myself with bug spray! Hubby seemed less affected though! I would recommend one of those plug ins you can buy. You have a choice of two pools - a plunge pool at Nina apartments or the larger pool as part of the Areti (no problems using this). The view from the larger pool needs to be seen to be believed - it really is the best view at any hotel or destination we have visited- like what you’d expect for a 5 star hotel. The bar and pool area is quiet and beautifully done and although the bar prices are slightly more than you’d pay at the tavernas I really didn’t mind this at all - the surroundings make it very much worth it. We found Karen behind the bar to be a truly lovely person who has fantastic knowledge of Skiathos - so do ask her any questions you may have. The mix of people staying at the apartments whilst we were there was great- everyone spoke to each other and this really added to the relaxing home from home feel. We really didn’t want to leave! Everyone talks about bus stops on Skiathos. The buses seem to run every half hour or so and weren’t too busy whilst we were there in late May. You can catch the bus (bus stop 17) right outside the hotel at the bottom of the steepish drive (really isn’t anywhere near as bad as people let on! - just take your time and it’s fine!). The one road runs from Skiathos Town to the other end of the south side. The island is tiny so it doesn’t take very long - great as transfer from airport took less than half hour after dropping loads of people off on the way! There are beaches and many tavernas within easy walking distance in either direction - take note that there are no pavements so just be weary of larger vehicles. You will need a torch (we used a phone light) when wandering back at nights as it’s very dark as there are no street lights on the main road. We never felt unsafe at any point and the road wasn’t as busy as we were expecting reading some of the previous reviews. The beach down the hill (left out of hotel) was sensational and easily accessible down some steps (quite steep so avoid wearing flip flops!) - gorgeous, calm turquoise sea and golden sparkly sand. Even went in for a swim and it was warm with fish swimming between my feet. We didn’t visit many tavernas but what we did see the food was very tasty and reasonably priced and there is good variety. We did visit a supermarket when we got there - towards Troulos but it was very pricy and we were quite relieved to have packed some essentials in our checked in luggage! Apparently there is a cheaper supermarket near bus stop 3 that the locals use. Skiathos really is a magical island. The people are all so friendly and made us feel so welcome - they desperately need your custom but they give you faultless service every time. I would recommend visiting Skiathos Town - complete contrast to the immediate area around the hotel - lively with many shops, bars and restaurants. If you smoke,it is here that you can buy cigarettes (not in any shop near the hotel) in the kiosks but you need to pay in cash- lots of cash machines everywhere but we didn’t get a good rate (1.02 euros to a pound) so I’d probably get your euros at home. The Nina-Areti apartments are perfectly situated in an area of outstanding beauty. After a few days we felt so relaxed and we really couldn’t fault the place. We can’t wait to come back again soon. It’s just a shame the tourist season is so short as we wouldn’t actually mind visiting whatever the weather even if it does snow in the winter!! One last bit of info and we found it strange but when you arrive a truck takes your checked in luggage to the hotel for you (and to the airport prior to leaving). Our case was left on the drive unattended and although I’m sure no one was going to run off with it you might want to periodically check that it’s arrived as no one informed us that it was there!!

The 4-bedroom was lovely with lots of space, it had a GREAT balcony with a lovely view. The electrical options for those that were self-catering were a little short, as asking around it seemed that none of the mini-ovens had any baking trays, indeed the cutlery was stocked pretty minimally too. The double bed was upstairs with two singles downstairs. The design was nice to look at, but snoring and nighttime adult leisure activities were well echoed. The pool was nice with a kiddy area and open till about 7 pm--I think, which I was hoping to be longer--which it might be in the busy season. Bar prices were reasonable-ish, but my friend was adamant that they were cheaper when sold by the manager than the bar-lady. Sometimes it even felt like we were trouble asking for even a cocktail because it was more effort than a beer. It was a holiday complex so it was frustrating that we had to finish drinking by the pool at midnight when we were more than happy to spend more money there if the option was available to us to stay later. Areti, like many places in Skiathos, was up a little hill, but well placed on the bus lane so everything was easy to get to. They had a Greek night with dancing and a paid barbeque which got everyone together. I liked a lot about this place, but when night came around, it was suddenly a lot quieter and noticeably different. Again, this all might be due to our timing, but I think we arrived at the start of the busy season and hoped for more freedom around the pool area. Maybe better customer service overall?