Esperides Beach Hotel

Housekeeper Valentina stood out to me for her kindness and integrity. She didn’t speak English, but her warm presence and constant smile showed how much she cared about giving guests the best service. Our stay at Esperides Hotel in Skiathos was relaxing and comfortable, with genuine island hospitality. Right on the seafront, it has lovely views and the quiet feel you hope for on holiday. The architecture and outdoor spaces fit naturally into the surroundings, and the attention to cleanliness and detail throughout made it even easier to unwind.

We stayed for 10 days with our small toddler. The location worked very well for a family holiday, the rooms were clean, and the staff really tried to make us comfortable. But the facilities and service don’t match a four-star rating; I’d call it a solid three-star hotel. The building is outdated, there’s no Wi-Fi in rooms, no in-room coffee, the mini-bar was empty, there’s no room service, and there aren’t facilities like a gym. If you arrive expecting three-star standards, things will be fine. Calling it more than that misrepresents global hotel ratings and can give travelers the wrong idea about the value.

We weren’t guests at the hotel, but needed somewhere to park since spaces are hard to find at this beach. We asked if we could use their sunbeds and buy something there in exchange for parking. The lot looked almost empty, maybe 50 spaces, but they wouldn’t let us park. I think that says something about the score they deserve.

We loved it here and I wish I could give it 4.5 stars. We were five people in two rooms, one facing the pool and the other practically on the beach, so both had brilliant spots. Every staff member was wonderful, and the place was really clean. I’d like to see the rooms updated, as other reviews have said, but it didn’t affect our stay and everything worked. There are big unused spaces, including a massive bar area nobody seems to use, and I’d love to know what it was like in its heyday. There was no music at mealtimes until our final day. Our only complaint was other guests being inconsiderate: people queued outside my room for sun loungers at 7:30am after others played football there at 2am, and families walked past chatting loudly while we were in bed. The location was the best, and we’d definitely book again.