Elsa Studios, Skiathos Town
Hotel Information
Hotel Description:
Situated on a hill, just on the outskirts of Skiathos Town, the Elsa Studios are located just a 20 minute walk to the centre of town with its many tavernas and shops. The nearest beach (Megali Ammos) is approximately 1km away (20 minute walk). However, if you fancy a quick dip the Elsa Studios have their own pool and bar area.Nearby Hotels Viewed by Other Travellers
Elsa Studios Reviews
" another great holiday "
Submitted By: phyll- Date of Holiday:Aug 2009
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Olympic Holidays
" Elsa Hotel, Skiathos Town "
Submitted By: ernie bilkoOn arrival we were met by Horst and his lad who showed us to our room. Our initial impression was the room was fine and was typical greek standard but I would say a little small for two adults and a 9 year old. On speaking to the owner they advised that they do not like letting them for 3 but thats what the tour operators want. They have bigger rooms they let privately.
The pool area was great and was very quiet for the two weeks we stayed. The owners of the pool bar run it very well and are very sociable and spent time speaking to us and advising us on where to eat and drink and where to avoid. Elsa's food was great and a very good price. The beers were served in glasses straight from the freezer and made the beer even better in the hot sun.
We had read review about the BBQ done by Horst but due to low numbers interested in the night, we were not lucky enough to sample the food. However, after booking for the 2nd week and being told it would not go ahead, Horst insisted that he drive us to a restaurant in the hills which would give us a view to remember and great food. Horst drove us up there,had a meal with us and then drove us back to the hotel where we had a few drinks. Horst,was not wrong and if you get the chance,visit the Panormama Restaurant. You can see the whole of Skiathos Town. We watched the planes land, while the sun set.
Would I go Back? Yes I would. People are entitled to their opinion but I can only go on my own experience. We had a great time and had no problems. The rooms were clean regularly and the towels changed every other day. Yes, some things some things could do with being renewed, but at no time did I feel the need to complain.
The walk to the town was a 10 minute stroll and then you were on the main street. A further 5 mins and you were on the harbour.Skiathos Town is a great place for a holiday and I will look to go back sometime soon.
Don't let the reviews put you off. This littlefamily run hotel is a good base for a great resort.
Advice: Loved Skiathos Town
Activities: Visit the Asproithos Restaurant, its the dogs!!!! Recommended to us and we told everyone about it.
- Date of Holiday:Jul 2008
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" Before we went to Skiathos I read the... "
Submitted By: Mr C Anom!Our review is purely based on the 2 weeks we spent at Elsa Studios and not the holiday as a whole.
Location - (Quoted from someone elses review as its pointless writing the same thing!)
"The apartments are situated directly on the northern section of the Skiathos Town ring road and as such when the brochure states "some traffic noise may be expected" it isn't kidding. For a small island with very few roads it has a lot of traffic and this generates the usual noise. The hotel is situated in a lightly industrialised area. It is NOT however on an industrial estate as somebody else stated in a review elsewhere!
The walk to the main pedestrian area of the town (Papadiamantis Street) takes 10 to 12 minutes and is level for all but the last 200yds nearest to the hotel which take on a gentle slope. Be aware that there is sections of the main road which do not have a footpath and as with everywhere else in Greece there are numerous trip and slip hazards for the unwary so do watch your step especially in flip flops!
The nearest supermarket is 3mins walk and bus-stop No3 is outside the supermarket which is handy for supplies after a day at the beach! The view from 95% of rooms is inland mountain."
I'll just add: In terms of location it is perfect for a short walk into the town but it is very noisey with regards to the road noise & animals!
Facilities:
Our room was number 26 on the ground floor and it was fairly small (All the rooms are slightly different I think) but we coped ok. Our room had 2 single extremely uncomfortable beds with only 1 pillow (if you can call them pillows!), a small wardrobe, side table each, small tv on wall bracket (with only 2 channels occasionally), fridge, 2 electric cooking rings and a few bits of crockery etc. It was pretty much what we were expecting, although we were disappointed with the beds. The linen also had stains on from previous uses which wasnt very nice.
Towels were changed twice a week, linen changed once a week. Beds were made every day, bathroom bin emptied every day (even though we flushed the toilet paper), room cleaned once a week I think. (However, like someone else said, the floor is pretty horrible and should really be fully cleaned every day in my opinion)
Air con is available for 40 euros per week. We actually managed without it as we thought paying 80 euros for 2 weeks was a bit expensive. We actually made good friends with our next door neighbours so they switched our air con on a couple of times with their remote! (Cheeky I know!) We took a mosquito plug with us and didnt have a problem at all, even leaving the doors open so I'd advise you take one. However, leaving the doors open means the noise is a lot worse.
There is a security box available but we didnt use it. From what people were saying, there was no need.
The pool is small but kept clean (water was checked every night and cleaner added if required) Plenty of loungers and huge brollies but if you wanted a comfy pad for the lounger that was 2 euros for the day!
The bar has all the drinks you could need at fairly reasonable prices. Bar food is ok ish, but slightly on the expensive side bearing in mind its just snack food.
The BBQ that Horst does is absolutely fantastic. We went both weeks. For your 13 euros you get loads of gorgeous meet and salad as well as a beer or wine. This really is a good night.
The owners:
Horst and Elsa are the most lovely people you could ever meet and really made our stay enjoyable. This for us was the most important thing during our stay. We forgot about the disappointing issues regarding the accommodation because they were so much fun and such nice people.
Overall our stay was a pleasant one and we would probably go back to Elsa again unless we found a better located hotel for a similar price.
- Date of Holiday:Aug 2008
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Olympic Holidays
" We had read so many reviews about... "
Submitted By: Ms C LloydAll the reviews commented on how friendly the hosts were, so a couple of weeks before we were due to go I emailed just to say how excited we were about coming, but we didn't receive a reply, which I thought was quite rude but just thought that maybe they were too busy.
We were a party of four and all had been to Greek islands before so knew to expect just the basics, as this was just a cheap getaway before our main holiday.
We arrived on 6th June to not much of a greeting from the 'friendly host', and were shown to our basic rooms. Nothing in the rooms matched, there were no pillow cases on the pillows and the curtains didn't reach the floor, but not to worry after all we were in Greece!
We decided that we would cook our own breakfast on a couple of occasions, and would take turns as the two rooms were next door to each other. When it was my turn I pulled out the board underneath the cooking rings and wiped it. My cloth was absolutely filthy, but it didn't stop there. The bed linen was to be changed twice in our weeks stay, but was not changed at all, the towels which were supposed to be changed on a regular basis, (once in the week), comprised of a towel and a bath mat each with which to dry our hair!
One afternoon about four thirty we were feeling a bit peckish and asked the host if he would make us a burger. He said that he hadn't got time as he had somewhere to go, so I said that we would have a sandwich instead, which would be quicker for him. He made the sandwich and jumped on his scooter and off he went. That evening we went into town for dinner and decided to come back early and sit in the bar and watch football. We arrived back about ten o'clock to find that the bar was in darkness and that the host had not returned, nor did he at all that evening, with no apology the following day.
If you like to have an early morning swim, then forget it!. The swimming pool had a fence all the way around with three gates, all of which were padlocked and the host didn't arrive until after nine in the morning!
Their time would be better spent taking more time to clean as the apartments were dirty, the pool wasn't cleaned once in the week that we were there and the hosts just sat around in the bar, usually with several members of their family, talking none too quietly!
We have had some fantastic holidays in Skiathos, but this certainly wasn't one of them!
- Date of Holiday:Jun 2008
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Olympic Holidays
" This is an attempt at an honest and... "
Submitted By: Mr T WardLocation
The apartments are situated directly on the northern section of the Skiathos Town ring road and as such when the brochure states "some traffic noise may be expected" it isn't kidding. For a small island with very few roads it has a lot of traffic and this generates the usual noise. The hotel is situated in a lightly industrialised area. It is NOT however on an industrial estate as somebody else stated in a review elsewhere!
The walk to the main pedestrian area of the town (Papadiamantis Street) takes 10 to 12 minutes and is level for all but the last 200yds nearest to the hotel which take on a gentle slope. Be aware that there is sections of the main road which do not have a footpath and as with everywhere else in Greece there are numerous trip and slip hazards for the unwary so do watch your step especially in flip flops!
The nearest supermarket is 3mins walk and bus-stop No3 is outside the supermarket which is handy for supplies after a day at the beach! The view from 95% of rooms is inland mountain.
Facilities:
Rooms have a small "galley style" kitchen area with two electric rings, sink, under counter fridge and cupboards. Food storage space is limited as is cutlery and crockery although I doubt you will be cooking much.
Beds are small, hard as a rock and had noticeable wear. My back was beginning to complain after two nights and by the end of the holiday I was crying out for my own bed! Bedding was changed once a week. Towels changed twice a week. Bins emptied daily and room cleaned once a week (see further).
Air con is available and you will require it in high season so budget 40Euros per week. You will need to take a judgement call on it's use because the mosquito screens appear to be broken in most rooms so you either keep doors shut or sleep with them open and risk the bugs and incessant barking from local dogs, not to mention the entertainment at 4am each morning from the odd cockerel!
Budget 12Euros per week for the security box to store passports and tickets.
There is a small pool which appeared spotlessly clean and plenty of loungers.
The bar is well stocked and Elsa and Horst are excellent cooks serving a variety of light fare.
The Tuesday BBQ is worth the 13Euro's asked and Horst cooks to feed the 5000!!
There are also the most gorgeous cats you are ever likely to come across including two very naughty ginger kittens who appreciate a tickle every now and then!
Cleanliness:
Not wonderful I'm sorry to say and in my book it doesn't matter how little or how much you pay you should expect a clean environment to live in for your two weeks holiday. The bathroom was kept nice and clean and bleach was used at least once a week however nothing else was dusted or wiped and while the floor may have been given a perfunctory going over once during our stay, a look under the beds revealed thick dust and dirt. You needed to wipe off your feet before getting into bed. Could be MUCH better.
Where to Eat:
Maria's Pizza in the Old Town is better than ANY Italian restaurant but get there early to avoid having to wait for a table. The garlic bread will kill at 50 paces and the portions are huge. The chicken salad is particularly good.
Yanni's Place at the bottom of Papadiamantis Street is particularly good for fast food - Giros, Souvlaki, Kebab etc and two can eat for 5Euro!!
Taverna Varthalamis adjacent to The Old Port House pub is an excellent family run taverna where 20Euro will leave you stuffed fit to burst.
Niko's Taverna on Amberlaki Beach does great lunches and superb calamari.
Things To Do:
I would personally avoid the famous Koukounaries Beach unless you wish to be crammed in amongst several hundred other sweaty bodies and be driven nuts with thumping music. Yes it's a nice beach but its WAY too popular and commercial. There are over 60 other beaches on the island to try and many of them are deserted so go hire a trails bike or jeep and explore! A boat trip to Tsougrias Island is well worth it as is pretty much ANY boat trip around the island but do shop around and make sure you are getting what you think otherwise you may end up on a "party boat" if you're not careful!
The Rock N Roll bar on the Seven Step is THE place to be seen but make sure it's between 7 and 9 in the evening as the cocktails are only 5Euro's!
It is astonishing seeing a plane land or take off a the airport if they are coming in over the Town. You can get very very close if you walk to the end of the "club strip" but do be prepared to book passage home on a boat afterwards!!!
Summing Up:
Would I stay again? probably not as there are plenty of other apartments in moderately better surroundings but at the end of the day it's a decent little family run hotel which was let down a little bit by it's location and some housekeeping aspects. That said it was cheap - half the price of a stay at the LaPiscine Art around the corner so you pays your money and takes your choice. Don't be put off - perhaps we should have complained about the cleanliness however there is so much else to do on Skiathos that we ended up just taking it on the chin.
- Date of Holiday:Sep 2007
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Olympic Holidays
" Have just returned from two weeks in... "
Submitted By: Mrs S BartleyThe pool area and garden are lovely and there is a fantastic grape vines which climb right over the front of the studios with lots of grapes!
The rooms are basic but exactly what you expect from Greece and are well maintained with air con if you need it.
We hired a quad bike for a few days (but I expect a jeep is far safer!) and went around the whole island stopping off at beaches and even taking some dogs for a walk from the Dog Shelter!
A great place to stay and a fabulous island.
- Date of Holiday:Aug 2007
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Olympic Holidays
" My husband and I have just returned... "
Submitted By: Mrs CL WIDDOWSONI can understand why so many of the guests return year after year. Horst and Elsa are both wonderful friendly hosts, nothing was too much trouble.
Our room was clean, tidy, and large enough for the two of us (though the kitchen area was a wee bit cramped) with a balcony overlooking the pool and mountains, plus maid service every day for the all important bathroom bin!
We had a small problem with our fridge which, after being reported to Horst, was replaced the next day with a brand new one still in its box - superb service!
Horst is great fun behind the bar and even though they have their own pool, he readily recommends places to go and beaches to visit.
Although we didn’t attend the BBQ, we popped into the bar for a quick drink while Horst was cooking.....and the size of the steaks had to be seen to be believed!
All the other guests were equally friendly and the whole atmosphere was of one big family party!
Elsa Studios is situated approx 3 minutes walk from the nearest bus stop, from where you can reach some of the best beaches we have ever been on - keep an eye out for the Dolphins which we saw from Troulos beach!
A leisurely stroll downhill into the heart of Skiathos Town took 12 minutes, passing a few tavernas and restaurants on the way. Although the return journey is up-hill, most of it is a gently rising slope, but it does get a bit steep towards the Elsa Studios. But please don’t let that put you off - I hate walking, especially up-hill, but didn’t mind it a bit.
If you are considering Skiathos for your holiday I would highly recommend the Elsa Studios.
- Date of Holiday:Jun 2007
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Olympic Holidays
" My family and I (which range from 49... "
Submitted By: Mrs A M FeatherThis was our second visit there and we will be booking again for next year. We had two fun filled weeks enjoying the company of Horst, Elsa and their children Vaso and Fotis.
The cocktails produced by Horst were divine, the food as a snack or at the BBQ Tuesday nights which Elsa prepares are all freshly prepared and really tasty (ask for the sexy sauce!!) be careful how much you have as my sons girlfriend must have had too much last year which is why we now have a 12 week old grandson.
Nothing is ever too much trouble for this couple! The children are a delight they join in with the guests which makes for a lovely family atmosphere. We highly recommend you try the Elsa Studio’s; this is a jewel not to be missed. 10 out of 10
- Date of Holiday:Jul 2006
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Olympic Holidays
" If you want to stay at the Ritz go... "
Submitted By: Mr Charlie GraingerThe family owners supply a homely honest, hilarious atmosphere which has to be seen to be believed. We were very fortunate and honored to be invited to a family wedding which we are still recovering from.
Its only 5 minutes walk to the town which is traditional unspoiled Greece.
- Date of Holiday:Sep 2004
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:First Choice
" A clean, well run and friendly... "
Submitted By: Mr A. StephensonOld and young, easy going, fussy, the lot are treat exactly the same, that is with honesty and friendliness and a desire to make your stay a pleasant one. The apartments. are a little bit basic which we have come to expect in Greece, otherwise a fantastic place. Good home cooked food from Elsa, Horst the best barman in Greece.
And Neeno - Neeno - Neeno is an absolute gem. Wait till you get there for this one !! Near enough to all the facilities, yet far enough to be nice and quiet. If your going here you won't be disappointed. You really are treat like part of the family.
- Date of Holiday:Oct 2004
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Olympic Holidays
" I visited Elsa Studios during the... "
Submitted By: Mrs J Kildare<br><br>
This was my first holiday without my husband and was a little wary as to what to expect but I could not have asked for a better place to have stayed.
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This is a family run apartment complex and the welcoming we received was fantastic, we were made to feel like part of the family straight away by Elsa, her husband Horst, vasiliki and fortes their young children. Vasiliki was the same age as my daughter and as far as they were both concerned I ceased to exist when they were together as all they done was play and swim, which suited me as all I done was sunbathe by the pool, which was a lovely. It was cleaned every day as where the rooms which were spotless.
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The apartments were basic as with many Greek properties but had everything that you would want on a self-catering holiday. There was a small bar and restaurant area where drinks and snacks were served for what seemed to be every hour of the day and night and I can seriously recommend the club sandwich!!
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There was also a BBQ on Tuesdays and the food was fantastic al homemade and party games afterwards for both kids and adults. They also had other games and bingo on different nights and days. Elsa and Horst seemed to welcome their guests so genuinely and I found out later that most of the guests had been there before and chose to go back due to the hospitality. We had a ball and with it not being far from the town centre the location is ideal.
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FANTASTIC DEFINATELY RECOMMEND!
- Date of Holiday:Jun 2005
- Board Basis:Room Only
- Tour Operator:Olympic Holidays











