Skiathos Blu

We loved this hotel. The view is stunning, the room we had at the back of the hotel was beautiful. The staff are really excellent - friendly, helpful and jolly. We will definitely return. The beach is lovely though we wouldn't go back to Barracoa the beach restaurant as it really isn't good and is very overpriced. We loved the hotel though.

We arrived at Skiathos Blu late in the evening, too late for the restaurant, but the lovely people at the hotel gave us a friendly welcome and had arranged a food package for each of the arrvals. Our room was although fairly compact, well decorated and in good conditions, with a very comfortable bed and a small balcony with views over the surrounding hills (part way through the holiday we asked if a room with a bath was available, and we were immediately offered a lovely large room with sea view balcony at no additional cost). We had chosen the B&B package, and breakfast buffet presents fair choice for the size of hotel, and the option of dining in the dining room or on the outdoor terrace with lovely views across the sea and surrounding hills and islands. We only had dinner once at the hotel (as we tend to spend the days out and eat out and grab some snacks for the evening) our meal at the hotel was on “Greek Night” – a nicely presented selection of Greek food – the Greek Night includes traditional music and dancing after the meal. Skiathos Blu has a nice pool area in front of the main building, sheltered from the breeze but catching the sun, a pool bar providing reasonably priced drinks and food throughout the day, as enough sunbeds that we didn’t at any point see them all occupied. One of the key points to consider about the hotel is it’s location, on top of a hill in Kanapitsa. From the bottom of the hill, there is an excellent regular and cheap bus service to Skiathos town and Koukounaries – the challenge is getting to the bottom of the hill to get the bus and getting back up the hill to the hotel. The options are a steep road walk, or to climb the approximately 300 steps from sea level. The hotel does provide a free half hourly shuttle service for the first half of the morning and for later afternoon and evening, but if you want to go up or down in between, it’s steps or hill! Alternatively, cars can be hired cheaply on Skiathos, or you can get a taxi (taxi to or from Skiathos town is around 18 Euro’s). The hotel is handy for a number of local beaches, most of which have a beach bar or taverna, and there are a number of good local restaurants – as Skiathos town is a short trip away, plenty of options to take the evening meal in town as well, or enjoy the hotel restaurant. Overall, the hotel is very good value, and the staff are very friendly and helpful. Having fallen in love with Skiathos, I am sure we shall return , and would happily stay at Skiathos Blu again.

Our second visit of the year, this time being joined by two more family members. They needed a twin bedded room and received an up-grade to the most beautiful suite. Absolutely delighted and again proving that this gorgeous hotel really does manage to go above and beyond with it’s customer service. Thank you again Skiathos Blu for organising great rooms - see you again next year. Delighted customers once again! Lisa and Richard Stevens.

Overall a really lovely stay, the hotel on approach is really lovely and has a traditional rustic feel. All staff were extremely friendly throughout our stay and credit to them for being so on-it when they’re working all day everyday. Location of the hotel was perfect, yes there are steps but if you’re somewhat fit and injury free you’ll be fine as not as bad as the reviews set out. Theres a small shop at the bottom of the steps, perfect for stocking up your fridge in the room and a lovely beach bar called Barcoa which has great cocktails and good value for money. Only a couple of gripes to note, that I wouldn’t say should put you off the hotel but just be aware of; - Some bungalows seem to be quite unkept from the outside and we did happy to check into a run down one that was very dingy inside but the staff were great at getting us into another room further up towards the hotel, which was much better. - The food was good but samey - it would have been nice to have some more traditional Greek food available but of what they did have was lovely. I would say it caters well to a broad range of appetites and tastes. - Drinks prices changed throughout different parts of the hotel, not sure if that’s usual, was only a few euros here and there but didn’t have consistency. - Bed linens weren’t changed throughout the week but they do have towels to change for you. Don’t expect a nice luxe towel - they are very used, especially the pool towels but clean none the less.

Myself and my husband visited Skiathos Blu for a week before the end of the season. Pros:- - The main hotel is stunning. The building is beautiful, modern and has a lovely atmosphere. It’s located on a mountain side which overlooks the Aegean and the views are spectacular- both during the day and especially at sun set. - we stayed in a bungalow which was very modern, clean and well set out with a small private balcony overlooking the sea. It was cleaned daily and sheets changed every three days. Beds were comfortable and the shower was big enough to fit both myself and my husband which was nice 😉 - We found all the staff very friendly (including the females at the pool bar). They work extremely hard. The waiting staff were attentive and the shuttle bus driver was so lovely and went out of his way to nip us up and down the hill to get to where we needed to go. Even the management had an office within the main bar/reception area and the door was always open. If there was something you needed or had an issue with, they were happy to help. - The pool was lovely, big and deep and plenty of loungers. There were also loungers under a shaded canopy with charging points- nice little touch. - The bar area and large balcony were lovely and we spent more time in the bar here than we have done anywhere else- great atmosphere. Furniture and decor very relaxing and inviting. The cocktails were great, with good choice of drinks. - the beach at the bottom of the steps is stunning, water is gorgeous but the sunbeds are expensive. There is also another beach close by that is within walking distance and is also lovely. Cons:- - myself and husband are relatively fit and managed the steps both down to the main road and to our bungalow. They were a bit of a killer. These steps are not suitable in anyway for those with any mobility issues. It’s not the quantity of steps but the differing height of them and the incline. The shuttle bus was fab but doesn’t run from the hotel after 11am until 5pm. Depending on where your bungalow is located, you will still have some steps to climb to get to the hotel regardless of the shuttle bus and so this needs to be considered. - we were there on a half board basis and as has been said by a previous reviewer, the food was okay but a bit samey. The breakfast had good selection but evening offering not so great and so we did get the bus into Skiathos town for food a lot. All in all we had a lovely relaxing break in beautiful surroundings. Thank you to all for making it a fab experience.

The Skiathos Blu hotel is rated 4* by Tui, it definitely isn’t, firstly the food is poor to say the least, yes you will find something to eat but it’s the same thing most nights and very little variety. We booked a room in the main building,I’m glad we did ,we had a room on the top floor which is only one floor above reception, bar and dinning hall, we had a great view of the pool and the sea. The hotel has a long driveway from the main road which is an existence in itself,the hotel runs a shuttle bus to the main road where you can catch a bus to beaches or Skiathos town but it doesn’t run all day,just early morning and in the evening, the bus stop is No.13 town is No.0. You can catch a water taxi to town from the beach at the bottom of the hill. Bus = €2 water taxi = €4.5. There are steps from the hotel to the beach but you need to be fit.There are bungalows down the slope towards the beach but everyone I spoke to said the same thing, “they are nice but didn’t enjoy the up and down climb,to and from the hotel. Room We had a great position but the room was very basic,and when it says tea and coffee making facilities in a 4* hotel you normally get them replenished each day, not here. We booked the ABBA trip with Tui which I would recommend, a great day out which involves a boat trip to Skopelos.