Bourtzi Hotel

Excellent choice if you want a central hotel in Skiathos town. The rooms were spotless and very tastefully decorated with excellent bathroom facilities. Despite its location adjacent to the main pedestrian route it was very quiet and peaceful. The family (owners) were extremely friendly, helpful,humourous and took a pride in their hotel. We had read previous reviews (which may have been written prior to the refurbishment) and some of these were critical of breakfast, swimming pool area and bar prices but we found these to be either inaccurate or completely out of perspective. The breakfast was very good and the only time there was a limited choice was when we arrived at the last minute, or later, which is hardly the hotel's fault! The swimming pool area is in shade for part of day but if you go to Greece to sit around a pool all day then that's a bit sad. The bar prices were typical of a quality hotel/cocktail bar and there are plenty of alternative bars in the area to suit all styles and budgets. We and our friends have stayed in many quality hotels around the world and would not hesitate to recommend this one - indeed we are going back again in 2009.

Went as a family of four, including two teenage daughters, in summer 2008.

Exceeded our expectations even having read the previous reviews on this site.

Modernised to a high standard the newer 'Boutique' rooms looked fabulous. Our room was in the slightly older section but was still very well maintained and spotlessly clean. Room cleaned and fresh towels daily, better than average Continental breakfast, nice pool area, great central location, nothing we could really fault!

Most of all the family who own and run the Hotel were absolutely fabulous. Ever helpful and always had time to have a chat with us, especially Dimitri.

Would definitely stay there again if we return to Skiathos!

Spent five nights at the Bourtzi as part of our three week holiday in Greece.

The hotel facilities were excellent - we were upgraded at no extra cost to a room which would have cost probably £200 a night in most cities in the UK.

The location is very central - just off the main street, but, unlike many town centre hotels, the area was not at all noisy.

The owner was incredibly helpful and friendly as were all the staff and we would recommend this hotel to anyone thinking of staying in Skiathos town and wanting a high quality hotel.

We spent just 2 days in Skiathos and in Bourtzi Hotel and after seen all the previous reviews I would agree with most of them that 1. rooms are clean and spacious. 2. no special view from the balcony, but who cares, 3. excellent location, just off the main market street, quiet place, close to the town's restaurants, bars, clubs, port. If you're coming with the ferry, you don't need transportation to the hotel. 4. loved their bathrooms, and the room decoration (contemporary elegant), 5. nice bar services, but don't waste time in the hotel, go to the town, lots of tavernas, pizza places, gyro-souvlaki and restaurants. Not to mention the nightlife!! It is a pitty to stay in doors, when you can find a variety of clubs, bars and pubs, where after midnight everybody has become friends with each other and having the time of their lives dancing until dawn.

The hotel has a relatively decent size pool (I've seen half the size of this one in other hotels), but who wants a pool, when you can dive in some of the most beautiful sea-shores of Greece and the Aegean. It is a pitty to loose time swimming in an indeferent pool, when the blue waters and golden sand, pine trees and beach bars of Skiathos are waiting for you. Go to Koukounaries, Banana and Vromolimnos beaches - classical choices if you stay for a few days, search for more beaches if you stay longer - yes there are plenty!

When chosing a hotel in Greece, skip the trivial amenities, such as coffee/tea, pool and hotel bar-restaurant. In Greece you can find gorgeous beaches, blue-clean-safe waters, plenty of water-sport opportunities, all kinds of restaurants, from fast-foods to traditional tavers and luxury sushi places. Just book the hotel for a decent sleep, do all the rest outside!. Bourtzi hotel serves that very well. Almost forgot: the owners and the staff are very polite and helpful.

I stayed at the the Bourtzi Boutique Hotel from the 18th of July until the 24th. I went on vacation with my girlfriend at the magic island of Skiathos. We stayed at the newly renovated part of the hotel. We really enjoyed the comfortable room along with the LCD TV. There was a great table in the room with a hidden mirror where my girlfriend could straighten her hair for hours. The bathroom was very big with an extra mirror for my girl to do her make up. The bathtub is also an hydro-massage solution which really helped relax after the drinks all night long at the clubs. Almost forgot!A great experience were the hidden romantic lights above our bed which made our nights really special. Skiathos is next years destination and so is Bourtzi Hotel.

Just returned from a weeks holiday in Skiathos staying at the Bourtzi Hotel. The Bourtzi is a small family run hotel in the centre of Skiathos Town. The room was a good size with plenty of space and a large balcony, the decor was modern and clean, the bathroom was lovely with a shower over the bath and a glass shower screen. The room were spotless and cleaned thoroughly every day. Would highly recommend this hotel on this beautiful island and hope to stay again in the near future.

Having returned from our 4th stay at the Bourtzi, thought i'd like to share the good news with all you others.

It's a super little hotel just off the main street in skiathos town, ideally situated for everything the town has to offer but at the same time a quiet haven at night. The Bourtzi is spotlessly clean beautifully decorated and has a charm all of it's own, last year a new bar had been added leading from the main street throught to the pool area it is absolutely superb and Marias sons who manage the bar are great guys. there used to be two tarrifs for the rooms but this year after refurbishment i believe all the rooms are the same price, we had always stayed in the basic rooms but found then most satisfactory.

Skiathos town is a maze of cobbled streets with bars and restaurants to many to mantion all good i might add, the harbour is beautiful both by day and in the evening when it comes to life. There is plenty of night life to suit all tastes but it is expensive to drink, although the food is very reasonable.

The beaches all 60+ are among some of the best i've ever seen there is a beach to suit almost every taste, the people are friendly try the roof top bar Marg and Roy are lovely people or Jimmys on the harbour corner wonderful...........i could go on and on.

The bus service is briiliant the buses should be experienced look out for some great look a likes on the buses we have spotted 3 or 4. but most of all enjoy the general ambiance of this little island.

Please mail me with any thing you'd like to know and i'll do my best to answer.

Tamla2

We booked Bourtzi hotel after consulting tripadvisor. It was our first holiday to Skiathos and we really enjoyed it.The hotel is great. Our room was very spacious and spotlessly clean. What we liked most was the location. There is an excellent bus service from Skiathos town to all beaches.

We have just made a reservation for July. This time we made it directly with the hotel. We can’t wait for our second holiday to this aegen paradise!

We have just returned from an excellent stay at the Bourtzi Hotel. Dimitris and his mother Maria were so friendly and accommodating and everywhere was so clean. We booked with the hotel independently and chose one of their superior rooms for ourselves. My daughter and her friend had a standard room. Their room was very nice, quite adequate and our room was just sumptuous including a bathroom with bath, overhead shower and constant boiling hot water. The balcony was the biggest and deepest I have ever had but what was best was that the room was cleaned every single day. Our air conditioning and safe costs were included in the price although this is not the case if you book as a package deal. The pool is large with ample sunbeds with a children's pool at one end. Not a lot of brollys but there are always shady and sunny parts to the terrace areas as the sun moves during the day. There are lots of wonderful comfy sofas with cushions positioned everywhere around the pool area. The Bourtzi Hotel also now has a bar called the Lobby which adjoins the pool terrace and then through to the street where non-residents can come in. A great bar, good atmosphere, reasonably priced and very strong cocktails !! with a DJ after 9.30.pm. The breakfast which people complain is the same each day was quite adequate for us in the heatwave - fresh juice, coffee, bread, jam, cheese and ham but there are plenty of cafes just on the road if you want something more substantial. Breakfast is taken around the pool or in your room. A really lovely family and highly recommended hotel. The location is excellent, a turning to the left, at the top of Papadiamantis Street. Surprisingly quiet.

We stayed at the bourtizi hotel in the middle of sept 06 and had a fab time...... despite the unusual amount of rain! A great hotel to use as a base to see the rest of this pretty island. Also, very central for all the bars, restraunts, shops and the harbour. The Bouritzi is a welcoming family run hotel. Yannis, the son was very helpful... and entertaining advising us on places to visit restraunts to eat in and even helping me try a range of interesting drinks at his bar! I can not fault this hotel. The rooms, the cleanliness, the location and the staff were all 1st class and i would definately recomend the Bouritzi hotel to anyone. Thank You to Yannis. Yar Yar

It was our first visit to Skiathos. We found this hotel through the internet and made our reservation through the website. We were very pleasantly surprised. The location was perfect and the rooms were very clean and spacious. The staff was very attendive and helpful. We are anxious to return to Skiathos and Bourtzi hotel!

We stayed at the Hotel Bourtzi for the 3rd time in 4 years. We booked directly with the hotel and everything went very smoothly. The Hotel is always very clean, the rooms are spacious, the air conditioning is fantastic and Dimitris and his family could not do enough for us to ensure our stay was (once again) perfect. I cannot recommend this hotel highly enough, the location is perfect, and despite the close proximity to the town, you never hear any noise, even when sat in the pool side bar. We love the island and will visit many more times in the future, and the Bourtzi will be our choice of hotel. Thanks again to Dimitirs and his family for their fantastic hospitality.

We stayed at Bourtzi Hotel for one week in June and we are very pleased with the hotel, staff and location. In fact it exceeded our expectations. First of all the location is perfect, it’s situated in a side street close to the main street in Skiathos town. It’s surprisingly quiet despite being located in the middle of town. The only noise is perhaps music from the hotel bar by the pool, but it ends before 11 PM so it’s not a problem. Staying in Skiathos town it’s easy to get to the bus stop for the bus that goes to the different beaches, bus stop 4 is the closest. It was nice to be so close to shops, cafes, restaurants and bars and to be able to walk home when we felt like it.

I’ve stayed at quite a lot of different hotels in Greece in the past years and this is without a doubt the best hotel rated *** I’ve stayed in. The hotel area is nice, the staff is professional and the rooms were in great condition with all necessary facilities. We had refrigerator, hairdryer and television with several channels. We got new towels everyday and the cleaners did an excellent job. And I believe it’s the best bed in Southern Europe I’ve ever had. From our balcony we had a view over the pool area which was nice. The pool is not huge, but it’s clean and it was never busy. I can imagine that the pool area can get quite crowded at the peak of the season as the areas in the sun are limited, but we always found a space so we were content. The breakfast is okay(white bread, jam, honey, ham and cheese, orange juice, cookie, tea/coffee), but hey it’s free so it’s not like we expect a gourmet meal. It was really nice to enjoy it outside by the pool area. I’m definitely staying at Bourtzi when I return to Skiathos!

Booked this hotel 'blind' and on the recommendation of a greek travel agent. So pleased we did as it is a marvellous hotel. We stayed in a 'superior' room - bright, light, spotlessly clean, TV, air condtioning, shower AND a bath, fridge - and miracle of miracles - all in working order (not our general experience in Greece), clean linen and towels, rooms cleaned and tidied each day. Balcony overlooking the pool and bar area - again both were spotlessly clean as were the public toilet/shower-rooms beside the pool. Sunbeds and charis tables umbrellas available and reasoanbly priced drinks from the bar. We were able to spend nearly all day sunbathing as the sun hit the bar side of the pool from morning until night. And when it gets too hot there are cooler shady areas in which to lounge out of the glare of the sun.

I understand the hotel is run by a mother and her two sons - all were friendly, polite and charming.

The hotel is located only a few yards from the main market street in Skiathos town yet is a quiet oasis away from the noise and hustle and bustle.

Highly recommended.

my mom has been to skiathos before, not to mention the rest of greece! but for me it was my first visit. i couldn't have wished for a better place and a more wonderful hotel to stay in. i shall definately be returning! very clean, good breakfast,great location. the family that run this lovely hotel are very friendly and helpful...including demitris who does a wicked bacardi and coke!

debbie and judith from england.

Stayed at the Bourtzi Hotel for the first time, very impressed, spotlessly clean, very attentive staff nothing was too much of a bother, has a lovely pool to relax beside. Weather has been glorious, atmosphere with the football tremendous, going back again next year for the third time, you just keep finding more places hidden on this island, would recommend to anyone wanting to just chill out and watch life go by at a very slow pace. Enjoy

We've been four times to this haven, just at the top of the main drag (Papadiamantis), less than 100 yards up a side street. Simple rooms, plain but fresh breakfast, really clean and tidy. Everything moves slowly, but just what you want in Greece surely....nice size pool, well stocked bar, and a fridge/safe in each room. Little supermarket across the lane for most basic items. Take a dictionary !!

My husband and stayed at Bourtzi for a week at the end of May in one of the deluxe rooms. We booked through Travel Republic and had no problems with our reservation and the rates offered were very reasonable. The room was modern, well equipped and extremely comfortable. The bed was had a cocoa mat mattress - superb as I suffer from a bad back. The room was very quiet even though the hotel was full, on the main street and has a cocktail bar open to the public until early hours. Only possible downside is the rooms are small but typical for Europe.

The hotel should be commended for the high standard of cleanliness, fresh towels are provided every day. Great balcony with comfortable 'wicker' sofa and table. There is limited choice at breakfast but serves until 10:30am!

Hotel is family run with welcoming, helpful and friendly staff. Would recommend hotel and Skiathos to friends and family.

Really loved the location of this hotel in a quiet street off the main area of Skiathos Town. It was particularly lovely during the evenings when you could just wander around the narrow streets looking for restaurants/shopping or walk along the promenade at the busy harbour. The hotel was very clean and modern. I liked the design of the furniture and soft furnishings. The owners were friendly. The pool was very clean. Could be difficult at times finding a sunnier spot as there was a lot of shade covering the area around the pool. The breakfast was a very basic continental breakfast. but very pleasant sitting around the pool eating it in the mornings. You couldn't take your own food and drinks to the pool (just water) and the food you could purchase was expensive. Also you had to go through a lobby to get to the bar so a bit inconvenient. Overall I would say this a hotel that is great for couples of all ages who want to explore and have a quiet retreat to return to. I don't think it is suitable for families on a long stay.

A nice clean hotel located in the centre of Skiathos Town just off the top of the main street, although we didn't experience any noise from the street. We stayed during July 2006 and are returning again in July 2007 mainly because of the great location. There are two types of room at the Bourtzi - the first (which we stayed in) are contracted to Kosmar Holidays and are in the older original part of the Hotel - basic but clean. The second type are in the newer part of the Hotel and from the pictures I've seen look to be better, but are more expensive and when we went, were contracted to Thomas Cook and people booking direct with the Hotel. We did enquire about paying more to upgrade before we went, but this was not possible. Breakfast was the same every day - you have to collect it on a tray from reception and you can either take it back to yr room or eat by the pool. (white bread, jam, one slice of ham/cheese, tea/coffee and a cookie). Got a bit boring and stodgy after the first couple of days so we bought breakfast out most of the time. I would recommend the Hotel for a clean basic hotel in a great location.

We have just come back after spending a week long holiday at the Bourtzi hotel in Skiathos Town. The hotel is in an excellent location just off Papadiamantis Street (the main street in Skiathos Town). The rooms even though quite small and basic (but not too basic) were very clean and beds were made every day with a supply of clean towels. The only complaint I would make is that we had to pay 35 euros per room (we had 2 rooms)for air conditioning and 15 euros for a safety deposit box. The breakfast ( consisted of bread, jam, honey, cheese, ham and cookies, which got quite boring after a couple of days )was served on trays in the reception , we chose to eat ours outside at the pool area, which was quite nice. The hotel has a nice pool with a pool bar (quite pricey I thought) we chose to spend our days at Skiathos's lovely beaches . If you want a good quality value for money hotel that is in an excellent location then be sure to try out the Bourtzi !!

The best places to eat in Skiathos Town would be Maria's Pizza, Portabello, Spandagio, Bombay Indian Restaurant and a restaurant next to Kostas (can't remember the name) also a nice little taverna on Achladies Beach. We will definately be visiting Skiathos again.

A family of four from N wales

We have had another fantastic holiday at this hotel, (being our second visit) and our third visit to Skiathos. If you want sophistication then this is not for you, but for simple clean accommodation you will find this hard to beat. The breakfast is simple (our teenage kids didn't always appear), and the bathrooms are extremely clean with even a shower curtain!!. The hotel still has the cheapest bar on the Island!! and is family run. You wouldn't believe how centrally the hotel is situated so it is perfect for visiting the many different beaches in Skiathos by bus, or just a 10 minute walk to the local beach at Meggli Ammos. Alternatively you can walk to the port and get on one of the water taxis. This year with our friends we hired a yacht for a day!! fantastic.

Will deffinitely be back for a visit next year. (Booked through Kosmar).

Just got back from a week in Skiathos staying at the Hotel Bourtzi. The hotel was in an excellent location in the town itself, and many of the guests were return guests some on their 8th visit. The rooms were spacious and clean and the bathrooms had been refurbished which was a plus. The only problem we had was with the rental of the air conditioning. We paid up front for the remote control at 5 euros a day but were not advised that if we decided not to use it we could get a refund, so on the next to last day we did enquire if this was possible only to be advised that we could have handed in the remote at any time and a refund would have been given. Unfortunately for us the weather was very changeable and we did not need to use it at all. We just felt that this should have been pointed out to us on arrival. The pool area was excellent and there were even a couple of very nice sections under cover with comfy settees for those seeking solance from the heat, however it would have been nice if the pool bar had been open even though the hotel was not full. All in all, a great location in the centre of Skiathos town with excellent bus and ferry services, the only comment I would make is that staff or indeed tour operators could be more informative on arrival of what is expected of it's guests.

Wow - Skiathos and Skiathos Town are fantastic, what a wonderful place to go on holiday!

On arrival at the Hotel Bourtzi I found the rooms to be fantastic - we were on the ground floor looking onto the pool. The air conditioning worked a treat and the hotel has a great location just off the main street.

The downfall...

The telephone kept ringing every two minutes from 6am to 11pm and our room was right by reception!!! It was a constant shrill and by the end of the holiday we were being driven insane!

I would definitely recommend this hotel, but if they try and put you in rooms 1-3 ask to be moved!

Have just booked a further visit in June 04. This will be our third time at this hotel. Agree totally with the review that states it is small but very clean and friendly. Found the staff very helpful and the situation of the hotel ideal for going out on a night time. Nice leasurely walk along the high street visiting the restaurants and surrounding bars! Enjoy people watching? Your will love it! Nice beach holiday, always feel totally relaxed on my return! Role on June!

Skiathos here we come!! Just a final word - not much for children here!

Certainly a couple's holiday with candlestick dinners but think small families will find it difficult to keep children amused! Send kids to Grandma's and take a week out to chill out - that's my advice!!

We have just returned from a weeks stay at The Bourtzi Hotel, this was our firstvisit to Skiathos, and certainly wont be our last, but we wont be returning to the Bourtzi, as it wasn't for us, but could be for you.

The location is fab, right next to Papadeamantis street but not at all noisey,so you can be in the Shops in one minute, and harbour in five, there are some great restraunts,BUT do avoid Mediteranno, we had an awful meal ther, Maria's on the other hand was fantastic.

The hotel was spotless and cleaned every day, but food and drinks were expensive, you could not ring out on the phones in the bedroom, and the pool was small and often shaded, but when not shaved there was only three umbrella's

For us it was not the phone or food,but the lack of pool size and facilities, if you are not a pool person Great location then

Stayed at the Bourtzi for two weeks with two children aged 6 and 8. Ladies at front desk took a lot of work to get them to smile but by day 10 we got there! Dimitri however was a very friendly guy-very helpful.

Breakfasts very basic esp for children and pool ICY all day. Air con very noisy we got round this by leaving it on when we went out to eat in the evening and switching it off when we went to bed!

Our room for 4 was a bargain-roomy light and comfortable and most importantly-spotlessly clean. Nice big wardrobe, table and chairs, gleaming bathroom-no complaints at all. Cleaned daily by discrete staff. The finishing touches to a new bar were being made just as we left-looked modern and as we're going back to Skiathos soon we'll prob try it out.

All in all the Bourtzi was worth the money and if I wanted to stay in the town again I'd go back.....recommended .

have just come back fron Bourtzi hotel and agree with previous review, breakfast very boring, no choice of menu,1 slice of cheese,1 slice of ham, bread /jam/honey,bread &coffee, you cannot use the pool area till 10.30am ,when breakfast is finished,

prices at the time for drinks quite expensive compared with other bars, but just as we were leaving they reduced them for hotel guests, we were in standard rooms and was a bit annoyed to have to pay 70 euros extra for air conditioning for 2 weeks as the supieror ones were included in the cost, the owners most of the time ignore you unless you were drinking in the hotel, "good things about the hotel were, rooms and hotel very clean, staff, location, get the others right & you've got a good hotel

Hi We got back from the Bourtzi yesterday. The hotel is clean and the rooms were good sizes, cleaned daily and sheets changed poss once. Quite good location

However I found the hotel to be over rated and didnt understand the rave reviews. There is no pool /snack bar as described but I think you can get drinks from the main bar for around the pool. This bar was as expensive if not more as the bars on the front.

The woman on reception who I think may be the owner was the most miserable person I have ever come across in many visits to greece. We had a couple of problems in the room- a light bulb on the balcony needed replacing and the lock on the balcony door was broke, we reported these on day 1 but they were never sorted despite being small jobs.

We never ate the breakfast because it looked awful, a piece of baggette and not much else, bad even for basic standards

Skiathos itself was beautiful. Lots of places to visit, I would definately recommend a car but the bus and water taxis were fine as well.

I would never go back to the Bourtzi.

My wife and I visited Skiathos for the first time at the end of September 04, and found it to be a lovely island, but let's start with the Bourtzi.

OK, it's a nice clean hotel and the rooms are certainly a decent enough size and are well serviced. We were a little disappointed as the hotel was advertised as having Air Conditioning and Safety Deposit box as a facility, but the brochure failed to mention that you have to pay extra for both.

Anyhow, the rooms were very comfortable, had great power showers, but were lacking in tea and coffee facilities which I have found to be standard elsewhere.

Breakfast is a basic affair - bread, ham, cheese, jam, biscuit, juice, and coffee. We only got up for it about 4 times in 14 days, preferring to eat out or skip breakfast the rest of the time.

The main problem is the pool area which basks in the shade of another block, apart from a postage stamp area which gets sun from about 1pm onwards. Only room for about 6 sun loungers there, and the pool is not heated and never gets the sun, so we certainly didn't use it and didn't see anyone else in there at any time during the 2 weeks either. There was a poolside bar, but never anyone behind it, and in the evening there weren't even lights on out the back.

We were on the top floor and had a problem when it got windy one night, and something started banging around on the roof, and roof tiles were blown across the flat roof as well. We mentioned this to the rep who passed it on to the hotel owners, but nothing was done and another sleepless night followed. The couple who owned it seemed more interested in having a domestic most of the time, which didn't add to the atmosphere.

On this basis, we wouldn't go back to the Bourtzi.

Skiathos Town itself is lovely. A lovely main street (Papadimantis Street) with many lanes going off it up the hill and down to the harbour, most of which are home to tavernas, bars, and shops. Thankfully, the bars here AREN'T called the Red Lion, DON'T serve John Smiths, DON'T have a video playing a continuous tape loop of Only Fools And Horses, and DON'T have Kareoke and Drinking Competitions every night. If you want that, go to Ibiza. Skiathos is a much more cosmopolitan, relaxed, and generally a more sophisticated affair. Ideal for couples of all ages, but also with enough for families.

A must is Maria's Pizza. Just ask a local for directions. People queue for over 30 mins outside but it's worth it. The best fresh cooked pizza and pasta anywhere, and all done by Maria herself with help from 2 prep staff and 1 very friendly waitress.

There are plenty of other great restaurants, but we found it best to steer clear of bargain meals. On the whole, you get what you pay for. Try the local meatballs, or souvlaki (skewered pork, chicken, etc). Very nice if you get them at the right place.

There are lots of nice bars, many of which a re quite chilled. Plenty of cocktails to be had, but best to get them at happy hour (tends to be 7-9), or you could be paying over £5 a time.

The island is pretty small. For less than a £1, you can get the bus all the way along to the other end of the island. There's basically one road along the south side, with 26 stops along the way. The buses run very efficiently every 15 mins. It's well worth getting the bus to stop 26 which is where you will find the beach at Koukonaries. Listed as one of the Top 10 in the world, you can see why. It boasts a sandy beach, clear blue water, and a lovely backdrop of Pine Trees. If you're wanting the nudist beach, 'Little Banana' is the one for you. It's next to Banana Beach, also at stop 26.

Skiathos has a lot of protected natural habitat, and the island is filled with pine trees and olive groves.

If you want to explore further, a car can be hired cheaply, and is preferable to a moped. Just don't make ths mistake we did and put too much petrol/diesel in. The island doesn't really have enough roads to use more than about a 1/4 of a tank, so unless you're having the car for more than a day, or driving up and down the same bit all day, don't go over the top.

We will almost certainly go back to Skiathos, but will stay elsewhere, and will go a little earlier. When we were there (especially the second week), it was the end of the season and a lot of places were closing down.

Good - cleanliness, room facilities

Poor - rude staff, too many steps to access rooms, pool, bar, round pool very shaded

Deceiving - location (furthest end of town and quite a walk to port), no food available in bar except a toastie),

We booked this hotel on the basis three factors: location (which was fabulous), air con and fridge facilities at hotel (anything but fabulous). Air con was very poor and went off (and stayed off) if you opened the doors to the balcony. This meant that only one person could be on the balcony at a time; the other had to be in the room to switch the air con back on so that the room temperature would be marginally less furnace-like.

The biggest problem, however, was the fridge which didn't work at all. We reported this to the indifferent, docile reception staff THREE times and were fobbed off with 'I'll look at it' each time: no one ever came. We reported it to the Thomson rep, too, who wasn't even remotely bothered. This may seem like a small point but when you book a hotel for a specific facility, only to find it unavailable, and you are treated with contempt by the staff it becomes a big deal. We were wasting lots of drinks every day because they became lukewarm after they'd been in the hotel room for ten minutes, and couldn't have cold water in the night (a lacking which was amplified by the inadequate air-con).

Despite the poor room facilites and terrible reception staff, however, the real plus points of this hotel are the bar staff (who were fantastic), the location (in the centre of the town and a ten minute up-hill walk to the beach) and the lovely breakfast (good quality, lots of choice). The town itself is quite sophisticated for a resort town and despite there being a lot of young Greek people there on holiday, there was a really nice atmosphere: none of the rowdiness you'd expect from a resort frequented by British youths. There's a great choice of bars, restaurants and shops to explore at seemingly any time of the day or night; the harbour and main street were busy 24 hours a day.

Also, the hotel is probably the most stylish I've stayed in in a Greek holiday resort (I've been to Greece five times). It's really modern, clean, comfortable and tastefully furnished in the communal areas; there's a really grown-up, contemporary feel. If only this was matched by the facilites in the room and the attitude and service provided by reception. Service can make or break a holiday and, unfortunately, in this case it was woefully lacking.

Bourtzi is great if you want to be downtown for shopping and restaurants. The hotel had no maps to help us drive to its location. There were no towels for the beach. Breakfast was poor.

We booked this hotel on the Internet in January with confirmation from the hotel of this, only to arrive in Skiathos late at night to find that they had not honoured our booking and was told the hotel was full by a taxi driver who did not speak english but had been told not to take us to the hotel. The excuse was extremely feeble when they contacted us at the hotel we eventually stayed at. I would thoroughly recommend staying at the Piscine Hotel in Skiathos as they had the most courteous and helpful staff.