We travelled on a couples holiday with Thompson at the beggining of September 2011. Arrival at Skiathos Airport was a bit of a shock, it is very small but quite well organised and we managed to collect our bagage and find our connecting coach very easily and quickly. The only small problem i had with the transfers, was with the luggage. You are asked to leave your cases with the Thompson rep and they will be sent seperate to you on the luggage truck. Maybe i am being fussy, but the luggage arrived 45 minutes after we did and was jam packed on the luggage truck and thrown off the truck and on the drive way, very carelessly. (this is not the responsibilty of Hermes, this is a thompson policy, however i think there is room for improvement on this front) We were greeted and given our room keys outside the reception building. When we arrived in our room, it was very nice and clean. We had requested a double, however we were given a twin. We managed to resolve this by pushing the beds together which was fine. The room was of an ample size and had a wonderful view over the trees and woodland to the front on the building and the sea in the distance. We headed to the pool area and to relax after a long journey, the pool area was very busy on the first day, as i think a lot of new arrivals had the same idea. We decided to eat at the resteraunt at the Hermes, we overheard another holidaymaker talking about booking a table if we wanted to eat there, on enquiry we were told that you MUST book a table if you want to eat at the on site resteraunt. The food was fantastic, we ate here several times over the course of the holiday and we only have good things to say. (pizza and garlic bread were great, however try some local food as this was very good too!) The Hermes is located at bus stop 13, the buses are regular but do get very busy on an evening. BEWARE some of the buses are quite old, i ripped my trousers on the arm of a seat as there was some exposed metal. (if you wish to go towards koukanaries, stand on the hermes side of the road opposite the bus stop, we found this out the hard way, after walking half the way!) Skiathos Town is lovely very scenic, lots of good bars and resteraunts. Cocktail and beer prices do vary bar to bar so if your looking for a cheaper deal there are a lot of happy hours and offers. Papadiamantis street is where all the shops and quite a few of the bars are, its very nice but does get busy in the evening, however its a great place to have a walk after a meal. We also used the water taxi, this was a fun way to travel to Skiathos town, it can get a bit windy, so pack a light jacket or cardigan as it can be cooler. Kanapitsa Beach was very very nice, lovley views and water so clear you can see fish swimming around your legs. The Taverna Kanapitsa was great, we had lunch here several times and it was always delicious. My partner very much enjoyed the anchovies and other sea food on offer here. Only problem with Kanapitsa Beach i found was sandflies, i was bitten several times on legs and feet. I found some ammonia spray that soothed the itching a bit, but if you do suffer i would advise antihistemene creams or pills.(doesnt stop the bites but stops the reactions) We also ventured to Vromlimnos beach, this was a bit of a hike but was very beautiful once we arrived, again very clear waters and a nice taverna.
We spent quite a lot of time around the hotel pool (to give my legs a rest from the sandflies) we found Mark and Denise to be pleasant and always willing to help, they do sometimes seem a little harrassed, but we were informed that they were short staffed. This did not stop them being attentive and we had no complaints with the service we recieved. The pool area is clean but small,so it can be a little crowded, however in the time we were there, there was only 1 occasion where we couldnt get a sun lounger.
Problems with the hotel, not many to be honest, there were quite a lot of wasps about, however i would expect them in the UK at that time of year, so it wasnt a major problem. There was a wasps nest in the corner of our balcony, this had clearly been smoked / chemically removed, however the nest was still on the balcony, this was a little off putting. (we did see a bird using this nest as a nesting place) Only other small complaint would be that the air conditioning isnt very effective, however it is free unlike most other hotels in Greece,so its not really a major problem. A suggestion for the hotel would be to have a TV, Radio or CD player / MP3 Dock in the room, as it was lacking something like that.
All together a very beautiful island and a fantastic hotel. Will be visiting again and telling friends and family to visit as well!!!!! Loved it!