Need to know
Rooms
161, including 67 suites.
Check–Out
Noon, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 2pm.
More details
Rates usually include breakfast.
Also
The original hotel was one of many built in the Sixties as part of a nation-wide tourism initiative. These government-owned hotels shared two recurring features: they were usually called ‘Xenia’, and they invariably presided over the area’s most exceptional views. But while the political landscape has changed in the intervening decades – which saw Xenia abandoned – the physical landscape has not. Those showpiece Aegean views are still breath-takers to this day.
Hotel closed
11 October until 30 April
At the hotel
Beach, gym, boutique, children's play area. In rooms: TV, air-conditioning, minibar (on request at extra charge), tea, coffee and espresso machine.
Our favourite rooms
Grace suites are built into the lower hillside so the views from the rooms above are unimpeded. This keeps them nice and cool, and mere steps from Ambelakia beach, whose butter-soft sand is just beyond your private plunge pool. If you’re with the family, the Nest villas across the peninsula offer a spacious, self-catered alternative and are close to the beach and pool. All are minimally dressed with the hotel’s emblematic black swan as a recurring motif.
Poolside
The main pool – flanked by a curved bar – is tucked into the hillside, with an infinity edge that pours water to the level below. Shared lap pools face the opposite direction, towards the flawless crescent of Koukounaries beach. Over the hillside at the Nest there's a second 'main' pool neatly set beside the Nest Greek Fish Restaurant. Several rooms and most suites and villas have their own private plunge pools, too.
Spa
Elivi’s spa operates with Ariadne, promising first-class service and treatments packed with trademark minerals and micronutrients. There are three treatment rooms; a beauty salon offering hairdressing, manicures and pedicures; and an indoor pool backed by a sauna and hammam.
Packing tips
If photography’s your bag, bring a long-focus lens for spying wildlife across at the protected wetland’s Strofilia Lake.
Also
There are four disabled-access rooms, reached via a lift or pathways, with bathrooms adapted for wheelchair users.
Pet‐friendly
Pets are welcome at all Nest rooms, suites and villas – although there’s a five-kilo limit to your pooch. See more pet-friendly hotels in Skiathos.
Children
All ages are welcome in the hotel; those four and over are welcome in the kids club. Extra beds and cots can be added to some rooms for a fee, and babysitting can be arranged.
Best for
Kids four and over are welcome, especially over at the Nest on the opposite side of the peninsula, home to the kids’ club, family-friendly beach, pool and play area.
Recommended rooms
The Nest rooms, villas and suites are primed for big and little Smiths, with spacious living areas, verandas and, in some instances, self-catering kitchenettes.
Activities
Choice = spoiled. When you've exhausted family time on the sunset-facing beach and nearby nature reserve, there’s a great kids’ club where your little ones can go for dance lessons, kids pilates and yoga, art classes and more.
Swimming pool
There are two pools: one near the main building over-looking Ambelakia beach and one over at the Nest, beside the Nest Fish Restaurant. Many of the suites and villas have their own plunge pools or hot tubs, too.
Meals
Friendly chefs are more than happy to adapt the menu for children. Highchairs are available on request, as well as children’s cutlery and bibs.
Babysitting
Babysitters are available for €20 euros per hour per child. Please let the hotel know three days in advance.
Also
All rooms, suites and villas are accessible by prams, which, incidentally, are available to borrow.
Sustainability efforts
The unsullied splendour of this stretch of the Aegean and the neighbouring nature reserve is reflected in the hotel’s attitude towards its environment. All rooms are fitted with presence detectors (meaning no power is wasted when you’re not around) LED lights, water-saving taps and geothermal air-conditioning. All pools are maintained without the use of chlorine and the hotel is powered through solar panels.