Holiday on Skiathos (Aug/Sept 2025): Day 1: Sunday 31 August

Well Sunday was a day of varying experiences. We had chosen this destination as we wanted to try a Greek island having usually gone to the Canaries and the flight times s from East Midlands Airport worked well for us.

We had a relaxing morning and left for East Midlands at around 1130. All went well. We parked in Mid-Stay 2, checked in with no queuing, got through security (no need to remove anything from hand luggage) and waited for our flight. The flight over the Alps en route passed quickly, suddenly the sun set and it was dark but we were soon on the shuttle bus to our hotel The Skiathos Palace. The evening temperature was lovely.

We knew the hotel was on a hill, but we didn't expect to have to drag our suitcases up part of it. The hotel sent a couple of staff members to help but that was woefully inadequate for the number of guests arriving so we didn't get the porterage help promised.

We checked in, were given oodles of information verbally which we hadn't a hope of remembering and trotted off behind the porter to our room. This was when we got our first nasty surprise. This hotel has no lift and we were 2 floors up. After walking up stairs and along what seemed like never-ending corridors, we finally arrived in our room.

By now it was after 10 and we were thinking about doing a bit of unpacking and going to bed when water dripped on to Graeme's head as he started to put clothes away in the wardrobe. The air-conditioning unit appeared to be leaking water into the wardrobe. The handyman arrived, did a bit of prodding around, said he would put some towels down to avoid us slipping but did agree that we should be transferred to another room for the night.

Our second room was up yet another flight of stairs and had a view over what we think were staff quarters. We were tired so settled to sleep.

Interestingly a kettle is provided in the room but we had no tea, coffee or milk and there was nowhere accessible to plug it in. We were told that people unplug the TV and stretch the lead across, but that would have meant holding it in mid-air until it boiled!

There were only 3 power sockets in the room, one on each side of the bed and a third on the all next to the balcony. There were none above or under the desk and there was no lamp there either and only a pouffe to sit on rather than a chair, so not what we're used to when on holiday.