Galaxy City Hotel

The location and people were generally good, and the main shopping street is about a 10-minute walk away. I just couldn’t relax much by the pool. The older couple who own the hotel were always around, watching it like a brand-new car, and I felt they looked at us like strangers. I couldn’t even make a cheerful bit of noise during the day without feeling watched. It wasn’t the most welcoming hospitality. Breakfast was only a few small bits of food.

The hotel has a good location and good facilities, but the owner made our stay so unhappy that my daughter didn’t enjoy the last few days. This was her first visit to Greece, and the way we were treated was upsetting. I hope this gets passed to the TUI administrators who choose where to book. I don’t think TUI should endorse this hotel on Thasos, or at least should make clear that families aren’t welcome in any shape or form. We spent a week at the Galaxy Hotel at the end of July 2025. The room was pleasant overall, but the air conditioning was hard to manage, leaving it either freezing or boiling. Open bathroom drains gave off a pungent smell at certain times of day, which made it hard to relax. Breakfast was self-service and the same each day. On the first day I saw that something left half-eaten on a plate was put back on display by the owner’s wife. I’ve stayed at many hotels around the world and was amazed this happened in plain sight. In the UK, it would be closed down. The trouble around the pool kept coming. We arrived after travelling all day on a very hot afternoon and went down for a swim before unpacking, wearing our swimsuits and carrying hotel towels. The owner scolded us and firmly said hotel towels weren’t allowed by, near, or anywhere around the pool. Even though the towels were very worn and had seen better days, we followed the rule and went back for our own packed towels. My 12-year-old daughter loves swimming, but seemed to become the target of the owner’s anger. I was told to move from one part of the pool, not to walk around it because I’d leave wet marks, and not to sit on seats by the pool because they’d get wet. One afternoon another resident gave us a lilo. We moved it from the pool area to where we were sitting, not to use it in the water, but the owner scolded us again, saying no plastic was allowed in the pool. When I explained, he became animated and shouted at both me and my daughter. It was totally unacceptable. The owner’s elderly mother added to the discomfort. She sat in her room on a chair overlooking the pool and stared at people swimming every day, especially my daughter, who felt very uncomfortable. On the second day, she came onto her balcony with clenched fists, shouted something in Greek, and gestured at us animatedly for a couple of minutes. She could hardly walk, and I didn’t know what she was trying to communicate or why. It felt like another problem with the owners and their family directed at us. On the third day I asked the owner, who spent the day and evening by his bar watching TV, whether he had a problem with us. He said no, then grabbed my shorts and told me not to walk around in wet shorts because I was making the patio wet. I couldn’t see what that had to do with anything.

The interior is lovely, and the rooms are very clean and kept clean. But I didn’t feel we got enough for the money. The price was high for Greece, yet breakfast wasn’t included and cost another 5euro. The juice was powder mixed with water. The air conditioner blew straight at my back when I was lying on the bed, and there was no way to adjust the airflow enough to avoid it. Noise was another problem. We could hear the breakfast setup loud and clear, and some guests had a party at night with no front desk staff to ask for help. There was also a party by the pool all day.

Inside the hotel there was always a nice smell, and the rooms had a great design with high-quality equipment. They were clean and new, and the pool was big enough. The staff were very polite. It’s nearly a 10-minute walk to the city centre.