Hotel Skiathos Princess

We booked this hotel as the second leg of our two week celebrations and because we'd been to Aghia Paraskevi many times before and used the hotels facilities on several occasions so where quite shocked from the moment we arrived. The reception greeting was cold and offhand the room we were given wasn't the room we'd booked but on going to reception to ask if we could be moved were told point blankly no> The room itself was pleasant enough but up two flights of stairs and as I'd just had injections in my knees this made the whole stay very difficult. The bed was extremely hard so we were given a mattress topper which was absolutely filthy and full of stains I removed it and asked for a replacement which was also filthy. it took four requests to get a clean replacement on our bed which was only a protector. The service throughout our stay was appalling from the restaurant to the beachside restaurant there was no service whatsoever staff were rude and unhelpful in the beachside restaurant and the service was practically none existent with long waits and cold food. The hotel restaurant food was of a very poor quality and again poor service with the exception of two lovely young ladies one at breakfast and one at evening meal. The restaurant had cats roaming around at meal times and even jumping up to be fed which isn't what you would expect and we love animals but not at meal times. We gave up in the end and ate out most nights. The beach beds were dirty and never cleaned the beach area very disappointing in general. We did find two of the younger receptionists who were helpful but overall we wish we'd chosen another hotel as our celebrations were ruined by our stay here.

We were a group of four and spent a week at the Skiathos Princess Hotel at the end of September. It was a birthday treat. We first spotted this hotel four years ago when we were holidaying on the island and when an opportunity came up to stay we grabbed it. It exceeded our expectations. This was mainly due to the gracious and welcoming staff who turned our holiday into an experience we shall not forget. So a huge thank you to you all. On arrival it was clear that one of our party would be having some difficulty with the accommodation booked and we were swiftly upgraded to a ground floor suite that accommodated all four of us. What a treat that was and again shows the manager and his team going that extra distance to ensure their visitors are well looked after for their entire stay. Our apartment was cleaned thoroughly each day, the beds turned down each evening which was a treat to come back to. The maids were friendly and would always give us an extra ten minutes or so if we needed it. Superb hanging space in the wardrobes and even more space in the good quality drawer units. A good number of sockets for gadget charging and the hairdryer was better than my own, so that stayed in the suitcase. The beds were large and very comfortable, sometimes so much I didn't actually want to get up. But when the tummy rumbled it was time for the included breakfast. We could have had it in the apartment but then we'd have missed out on the huge variety on offer. The Princess offers a buffet-plus breakfast with freshly cooked omelettes or pancakes and an enormous selection of pastries, fruit, and hot food to satisfy anyone's palate. Large tables set out for larger parties and smaller tables for two people or four. Cannot be faulted, excellent. After breakfast it was time to explore the grounds. Lots of real grass areas lead you to the large swimming pool with comfortable sunbeds, a jacuzzi pool and a pool for the chlldren which lies behind the adult one. Then off to the beach, the private area of the beach has comfortable sunbeds with bamboo parasols for the much needed shade at certain times of the day. And curtained cabanas are available if you would like some privacy, some did but most didn't. Excellent swimming, starts shallow and then gets deep. If you don't want to use the beds provided there is a large expanse of beach close by for just lying around on your towels. I should mention here that pool towels are provided and there is a bin by the pool bar for leaving the wet ones. Dry ones are left the next day by the maid. There is a pool bar, obviously next to the pools which serve good quality snacks, ice creams and light lunches. You can sit in the sun or in the shade to eat. Plenty of room. By the beach there is another bar for drinks and very, very nice toilets. That was such a surprise to find such lovely toilets for beachgoers. Well done whoever thought of that. Thank you Stelios and Ignatius, we will see you again.

If you just happened to drive by this hotel you could be forgiven for not being particularly impressed or inclined to check it out as its entrance is very low key afair. However, once you check in you are greeted by very helpful and friendly staff and you quickly enter the ‘resort’ which is spacious and well maintained with excellent grounds and fantastic beach location. Having said this the rooms themselves although spacious and comfortable lack the attention to ‘quality ‘ of furnishings and fittings you would expect to find in proper 5* hotels. Similarly the dining arrangements are somewhat limited and if you want an outside table you have to book it at dawn and still suffer smokers on the limited six outdoor tables! The quality of food is generally very good by ‘buffet’ dining standards but falls VERY short of 5* standards.