Sleek, sophisticated and oh so stylish, the Elivi Skiathos is a Greek island hotel of 5-star proportions.
Originally built in the 1960s as the Xenia hotel where the great and the good would come to recline in the sun, the hotel has been reformed and rebranded to create an elegant, contemporary space for the A-listers of today.
Using the resident black swan of the adjacent lake as its symbol, Elivi offers an authentic Greek holiday experience; from the local seafood on the menu to the natural treatments at the spa.
Surely one of its USPs though is its beaches. Each with its own bars for snacks and drinks, sun loungers and umbrellas, and golf cart transportation to take you straight back to your room, the beaches of Koukounaries, Ambelakia and Little and Big Banana offer plenty of coastal diversity on your doorstep.
What’s more, the Elivi is extremely well designed so that whether you’re visiting as a family, group, couple or single traveller, you’ll easily find a peaceful place of your own.
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Stay
The choice of accommodation at Elivi is excellent, comprising: 32 rooms in the Elivi Xenia Hotel; 86 Elivi Next Rooms, Villas and Suites; and 33 Elivi Grace rooms and 35 Elivi Grace suites.
Whichever you choose expect a bright, modern space to call your own during your stay, with plenty of natural light and details to reflect the hotel’s 1960s history.
Some rooms have their own private pool or hot tub, with all boasting amenities to drool over. Think Elemis bathroom products, complimentary Wifi and coffee capsules.
Options for families include suites with a kitchenette close to the children’s facilities.
Eat
The four restaurants comprise: Leda & The Swan which serves a la carte meals for dinner at the hotel; ELIVI: Grace Restaurant offering Mediterranean dishes for lunch and dinner; Hagoromo which is a sushi bar and Asian restaurant; and Nest Greek Fish Restaurant with its seafood and meze selections.
There’s a strong sense of locality in the food and drink at Elivi, with organic, fresh produce from the island featured on the menu. Room service allows guests to enjoy dishes in the privacy of their accommodation and allergies and intolerances are well catered for.
The six bars are dotted around the resort, with one on each of the beaches too.
Explore
Flying to Skiathos direct from the UK takes around 3hours 15minutes, and the airport is just 15km from the hotel.
There are also numerous connections from the mainland with Athens a 35 minute flight, or by boat from ports such as Agios Constantinos and Volos.
The resort itself is set amid pine and olive trees on the Punta peninsular on the south-western tip of the island, bordered by white sand beaches and the protected wetland of Lake Strofilia.
Skiathos island is home to some fascinating Greek history, such as its 14th century fortress and the walls of Bourtzi.
The hotel’s concierge can recommend and arrange transfers to sites of interest.
Why here?
Two swimming pools in different parts of the resort offer chilled out spots to recline in the sun with a drink and music softly playing in the background. There are also three beaches, each unique, meaning that wherever you choose to lay your towel it won’t feel busy!
Treatments at the spa use award-winning Greek spa brand Ariadne Athens. There are three treatment rooms, a sauna and hammam, an indoor heated swimming pool and beauty facilities including a hair salon.
The fitness centre has numerous workout machines, or there are tennis and basketball courts and an outdoor yoga pavilion.
Family-friendly facilities include a kids’ club, children’s exercise classes in Zumba Fitness and gymnastics, and even a kids’ cinema.
Our take
For a free activity the whole family will enjoy we recommend a wander around the wetlands next to the hotel. Here you’ll find Lake Strofilia, home to the hotel’s motif, the rare black swan, which can also be seen on the beach when it fancies a change of scene. It’ll certainly give the kids a more interesting “feeding the ducks” anecdote when they get home.
The hotel is set behind one of Greece’s best beaches, Koukounaries; a Blue Flag beach hailed for its super clean waters, white sands and pine fragrance from the trees which edge its boundary.
