Mandraki Village boutique hotel — Hotel in Skiathos Municipality

Mandraki describes itself as a 4 star boutique hotel, and yes it has scatter cushions throws and shabby chic furniture in abundance, but unfortunately in my view that is only a small part of what makes for a boutique experience. On arrival at about 8pm and one of only two couples checking in , we were thrilled to be told we had been upgraded to a junior suite, and went to unpack. We then went down to the white room, bar and restaurant to have a snack and a drink which was nothing special and overpriced After finishing and on our way to reception we were told of a mix up in the rooms, and given notice that we would have to be downgraded to a standard garden view room in the morning. Obviously this involved having to repack and then unpack everything into the new room, and I expressed my annoyance at the inconvenience. No empathy was shown and the general attitude was very disappointing, being told that 'we were getting the room we had booked'. The replacement room which was small and dark, with outdated fittings, and nothing like the photos on the website. Tea and coffee was supplied but when my wife asked for some milk, it seemed that was a very unusual request and was not supplied. At this stage we felt that we were considered to be awkward customers and were made to feel uncomfortable. I eventually talked to a senior member of staff, explaining our dissatisfaction, and two small jugs of milk arrived and the snack was taken off the bill as way of compensation for to the initial room mixup. Not wanting to be seen to complain further, we bought our own supply of tea and milk. PS The hotel's restaurant and white bar is so much more expensive than the bars and restaurant's just down the road, that they always seemed empty and therefore the hotel had no atmosphere whatsoever in the evening, with most guests trekking down the road to eat out. Breakfast was fairly basic and never altered, so if staying for more than a week would probably become repetitive. Also there always seemed to be something missing, sugar ,spoons or glasses for the orange juice, never mind a smile or a welcome.

However the worst was yet to come. On the way back to the airport for our flight home, my wife took out our passports to discover it wasn't hers! Luckily the other lady was also on the bus and we were able to swap them, however if either one of us had Ben staying another week, we can't imagine what would of happened.

I imagine the hotel would argue that they have a lot of repeat customers, and that bookings are good, and this is maybe why the hotel and staff don't need to try to hard to offer the little bit extra, that normally creates a 'boutique' experience. We have stayed at a number of different hotels on the island, some more expensive and some less so, but we have up to this point always been made to feel welcome. We love Skiathos and will no doubt be back, but won't be staying at the Mandraki again. On the plus side the gardens and pool...

Just back from 2 perfect weeks in this lovely hotel. |The room itself is probably the best we have stayed in in Greece, very clean and quite big. The balconies are more enclosed furnished terraces, really roomy and private and come with a clothes airer. |The gardens are kept immaculate and even though they are coming toward end of season there are staff constantly gardening and cleaning.|Breakfast was lovely, normal for Greece as in pastries, greek yoghurt, cold meats etc and is open 8am- 11am.|The pool area was wonderful, no sunbed wars, always beds available at any time of the day and no towels left on beds, reception supply pool towels every day fresh and for a small fee will supply beach towels as well.|Had a few meals at the hotel and found the food to be lovely and priced very reasonably, staff are friendly and attentive as well. We did the Mamma Mia movie night at the hotel which was nice and chilled out, we saw the rock/ jazz night but can't comment on the Greek night as we had gone out. We celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary here and my husband had asked them to order some flowers for me which they went out of their way to do and also done some lovely swans with the towels on the bed which was a lovely touch. |Be aware if you're booking Skiathos some hotels have incredibly steep drives/steps to get up to the hotels but Mandraki if pretty flat and has low rise buildings so if your mobility is not good it's ideal and there are ramps that are perfect for wheelchairs. There are a few restaurants and little tavernas along the main road along with 2 supermarkets within walking distance. The restaurants prices are all much the same, we were paying on average 60 euro for 2 courses, sometimes a pudding and drinks. It's a flatish walk to the gorgeous Koukounaries beach if you turn right and takes about 20 mins, turn left and cross the road and it's at the bottom of a small hill or, there are a few little paths around the lake that will get you there as well. There are some nice beach bars, not too pricey but we noticed sunbeds were 30euro for 2 and a parasol and a lot of the beds did look filthy, there were families buying beach chairs and parasols at the supermarkets and you can always take a towel and just lie on the sand. The bus service is frequent and cheap to get you to other beaches or into Skiathos town as well and runs way into the early hours, top tip if you're coming home from town is to walk to bus stop 0 by the harbour as we noticed a lot of people go to the top of the shopping street on bus stop 4 to go home and it can be rammed by the the time the bus gets there. |In all we have done 8 Greek Islands and Skiathos is our favourite so far, very laid back and quiet and very safe for lone travellers, think we saw more here than we've seen anywhere we've been. |We'll definitely go back to this beautiful little island and would 100% book...

Hi everyone! We just got back from a dream vacation at this hotel, and I just had to share a bit about our experience. It was the three of us — me, my husband, and our 1.5-year-old son — and honestly, it was absolutely amazing!

From our point of view, there’s literally nothing we could complain about. On the contrary, we’re 100% sure we’ll come back here at least once more — probably even sooner than expected!

What really makes this place special is the people. The entire team is incredibly friendly, warm, and attentive to all guests, no matter their age. To be fair, we were among the youngest there — aside from one other couple, most guests were 60+. But honestly, that worked in our favor: peace, space, quiet — perfect for traveling with a toddler. I’m sure the time of year you go plays a role in that too.

Now back to the staff — they’re simply spot on. The reception team was super kind, the bar and restaurant staff always smiling, and no matter where you were on the property, there was always someone nearby ready to help if needed. And the best part? They were never pushy or in your face — just genuinely nice people doing their job right.

The “village” concept is done really well. The rooms are spread across small houses surrounded by trees and greenery, like a real garden. It’s cozy, peaceful, and beautifully maintained. Yes, there are a few bugs (it’s nature, after all), but everything’s under control — all windows and doors have screens, so it’s totally manageable.

The food was a lovely surprise — fresh, tasty, and always served hot. They had high chairs for little ones, and if you needed anything special for kids, they were happy to help. For example, we asked for some fresh fruit for our son (even though it wasn’t on the menu), and they brought it right away, no fuss.

The pool was super clean, the sunbeds were well taken care of, and the overall atmosphere was just… relaxing. Exactly what we needed.

The only tiny downside (if I can even call it that) was a slight musty smell in the room. The island is quite humid, and with this type of traditional architecture, it’s kind of hard to avoid. We even checked out a few other rooms (including where some staff were staying), and they all had the same issue. It’s not a maintenance thing — just the climate. Not a big deal at all, but worth mentioning.

All in all, this was an excellent holiday, especially if you’re traveling with a small child. If you’re looking for peace and quiet, nature, great food, and kind people who genuinely make you feel welcome — this is the place. We’ll...