Irida Aegean View, Philian Hotels and Resorts

If you want simple but comfortable, calm but charming, some of what you want but all of the things you need, then the Irida Aegean View with its beautiful view of the mouth of the bay of Skiathos, is definitely for you. My wife and I stayed there a few weeks ago and had one of the best holidays of our lives. Bearing in mind our last holiday was our dream trip to the Maldives with a few days in Dubai, this was right up there. On landing in Skiathos it took twenty minutes to clear the airport, (including hold luggage retrieval), twenty minutes waiting for a few stragglers to find the bus, twenty minutes transfer journey and a five minute walk from the drop off point, up to the hotel. We were greeted by the ever smiling and wonderful Catherine in reception and after the briefest of check-ins were shown to our first floor room. The room was fairly spacious, comfortably furnished with a good sized ensuite bathroom and a nice sized balcony from which to take in those views. Our hold luggage arrived shortly afterwards, no lugging our cases up the hill to the hotel for us, (more on the hill later), and we immediately began relaxing. Our room was spotless and this was maintained by the very hard working cleaning staff ... every day. Inside there is a very quick and possibly the quietest boiling kettle you will ever use. There's a decent sized fridge and a TV with a good sized screen, but don't expect too many English speaking channels. We hardly used it and certainly didn't miss them. This is a bed and breakfast hotel but the poolside bar serves a nice selection of food from about 11am until 3pm and alcoholic and non-alcohloic drinks from 10am until late. There are around sixteen comfortable sun beds around the pool and the Irida supply you with complimentary towels to use by the pool and for a small fee to use out and about. The fee is refunded in full upon their return. The breakfast has a good mix of a continental selection, cereals, along with a few cooked breakfast options, and delicious Greek Feta cheese and Greek yoghurt. Some might find it a bit 'samey', but we thoroughly enjoyed it all. The access road from the main drag up the hill to the hotel is only a four minute walk going up it and gets a little steep at the very end. As for the hill it's more like a slight incline to begin with, becomes moderately steep in the middle, and is a decent climb at the finish. It's certainly not the worst hill we have encountered but in the summer Skiathos heat it will have you a little out of breath at the finish. Fortunately refreshments are on hand right where it ends. You have the choice of a drink at bar or a dip in the pool. The Irida is situated about a fifteen to twenty minute walk from Skiathos town and the bus, which traverses the main route on the island, can be caught from the stop just yards from the end of the hotel access road. If all you are looking for is a quite, relaxing break with some traditional Greek hospitality, this is the perfect pla

Stunning hotel, stunning views. Couldn’t fault anything. Catherine and Nell were excellent - friendly, helpful, professional and just lovely! Breakfast was fab and Zoe the chef made the best club sandwiches! Location was perfect! We will be returning.

We have just returned from our time here and had a wonderful relaxing time in the iridia.. rooms kept exceptionally clean with fantastic views. Best holiday shower ever!! The staff are efficient and friendly and can’t do enough to accommodate you, a special mention to Catherine on reception/bar who is exemplary. A fresh breakfast everyday with a great choice. A 15 min walk down the beach into town, 2 mins from the bus stop, bakery just round the corner. The only negative is the steep approach so people with mobility issues may find it too much but this applies to most of Skiathos island and town.we would absolutely consider a return trip in the future.

Do not stay here if you value your life. This hotel clearly has had no investment in many years and tonight the air conditioning unit in the room next door caught fire at 2am. The reception is not manned through the night so guests were left to tackle the fire themselves with a fire extinguisher in the corridor. There is an out of hours number on the door of the hotel but the guy who answered was unhelpful at best and rude and aggressive at worst. Over an hour after the fire started, I’m writing this review whilst sat outside the hotel with still no one from the hotel coming out to check guests are alive! This hotel needs to be condemned - broken sun loungers, bathrooms that last had a re-fit about 40 years ago. The trip advisor reviews that are good have probably recognised the hotel’s ‘charm’. There’s no doubt staff like Catherine are doing their best but they are quite frankly polishing a turd.

We had a fabulous week at Irida. Quiet setting with amazing views. We booked a superior room & loved the extra space. The air conditioning was excellent. Yes it's up a hill but we didn't find it a problem at all & we're both 60+.

Brilliant little hotel with super helpful staff and a very friendly atmosphere. There’s only one negative which is the dreaded hill. However once you’re up it’s well worth the effort. The rooms were cleaned every day and were very spacious with fantastic sea views.