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Post by yorkshiremouth on Aug 25, 2021 8:49:45 GMT
I’m quite puzzled.
The beach is heaving. It’s famous. Top beach in Europe on trip advisor. There’s no Benidorm-esque industrial tourism on Skíathos, but this is as close as you get. Rows and columns of sun beds, all full.
For around 2 or 3 hours on an evening you can’t get a seat on the bus for people leaving for hotels elsewhere.
So why aren’t the tavernas, restaurants and bars heaving on a night? Why are the Jupiter and Stamelos abandoned?
There are complaints about new hotels being built, and olive trees being pulled down. Why not build on ‘brownfield’ site?
Elivi is, I’m sure, fantastic. But it’s self-enclosed. Wouldn’t someone make a killing with a decent, but not exterminate hotel with the option to eat in or out? Like the Palace, but not on the hill.
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Post by kevb on Aug 25, 2021 10:47:53 GMT
An exterminate hotel? run by daleks? :-)
I'm a novice at Skiathos having only been visiting since 2012 but here goes, since my 2012 and 2013 visits were both Koukounaries. I get the impression that despite the numbers of places to stay it's always been a bit of a backwater and a combination of lots of people who visit the beach are not staying there and some people go to town in the evenings I never found it particularly busy at night. Agustera gets fairly busy peak holiday time and Big Bad Wolf but Ive only had to wait once (barely 10 min) to get into there. The rest always seemed quiet. Maybe a disproportionate number of those staying there but not going elsewhere to eat are really on tight budgets and genuinely do cook at their apartment. There was some grumbling from restraunt owners when the air routes opened up from Russia and neighbouring states that those tourists spent the day on the beach (towels, no sunbeds) then stayed 'at home' in the evenings.
The new developements are another story. Those places are aimed at the higher end and they want to milk that incoming wealth to the max so they make it as desirable as possible to keep people on site spending at their bars and eating in their restaurants. That's why you build those places in relatively inaccessible parts, make it too much trouble for folks to venture off site. Again, this does little for the local bars and restaurants.
I walked right to the end of the bus route 2 years back after calling to say hello to Dino at Agustera. First time I'd been right down there since 2013 and it had changed beyond all recognition. I never really got as far as elivi itself, the tarmac and tennis courts were enough. I could probably see something like that in any other island I travelled to. Katet has been there a lot more often so can probably shed more light on it.
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Post by cariad23 on Aug 25, 2021 16:37:48 GMT
i visited kouk about 25 years ago when we hired a boat beach was lovely then very few sunbeds , had a bus ride there last2 holidays hated the overcrowded beach everyone lying in rows like sardines, got straight back on the bus. the whole place has a strange feel to me, i could never stay there
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Post by balddave on Aug 25, 2021 17:07:21 GMT
I must agree Cariad , not our choice of venue for the beach, however kouk itself has some excellent tavernas and worth the bus/boat journey to try them out.
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Post by katet on Aug 25, 2021 20:58:49 GMT
You're spot on about the Elivi, Kev. They aren't interested in the surrounding area - just in keeping folk spending at the hotel. And it will get worse when the new one gets built at Ag Eleni.
The problem with the middle part of Koukounaries (ie Stamelos, Caravos, Jupiter area) is that it is all owned by Captain Mihalis and, I've been told, he's land-rich but cash-strapped and seems quite happy with his quiet life - luring a few tourists in every now and then. Because he owns such a vast area (which is ripe for re-development) it drags all the rest down quite a lot, in my opinion. The Mandraki hotel, Big Bad Wolf and Ottima at the top end and Cookoonari at the lower end are doing a good job in attracting people from further up the island in to Kouk. The Mandraki and Cookoonari have regular live music nights each week and they seem to be bringing folk in. I had a great night in Cookoonari last month - and took my friends in to the Agustera first, hoping they'll go back another time.
Another big issue is the fact that Koukounaries tends to be a largely British resort (just as Meg Ammos has a lot of Scandinavians) and the past two years have been dreadful for the businesses, as the seasons have started late and many Brits are too afraid to travel (or can't be bothered to do all the paperwork!). Therefore, Kouk is really quiet.
In the first years of 'finding' Skiathos and staying at the Panorama the restaurants and bars used to be very busy and there was a pleasant buzz in the village. I feel so sorry for the taverna/hotel owners now - they must all be worried sick. When I stayed in Koukounaries last August I was in the Agustera most days and never saw more than a handful of people there. It makes me really sad - especially when town is heaving and you have to book to get a table. Let's just hope this vile virus doesn't ruin 2022 season too!
PS - sorry to be so gloomy ... the lovely and hardworking Mayor is aware of the problems and is doing his very best, so I'm told (by George from I Love Skiathos app, who is also working his socks off for the island).
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Post by katet on Aug 25, 2021 21:01:25 GMT
Cariad and Dave - when we first stayed in Koukounaries the beach we fell in love with was Ambelakia & this (plus the Panorama and Agustera) made us return year upon year. Kouk beach was ok then, but not as magical as 'our' beach.
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Post by yorkshiremouth on Aug 26, 2021 6:38:08 GMT
Great posts. Kevb I can’t even remember what auto spell corrected, so I’ll leave exterminate there for a . I don’t like Koukounaries beach - too full. The whole Elivi thing, I don’t think has any impact. Totally different clientele, neither taking away or adding to anything else, totally self-contained. I had heard about the Captain, and we’d discussed this very thought last night. That whole strip between Sunset and Bussola is both derelict and an eyesore. Does he own Caravos as well? To be fair, once you round the corner, the resort between Sunset and the end is in far better shape.
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Post by kevb on Aug 26, 2021 7:32:14 GMT
I'd forgotten about the Captain, had a conversation about him with someone who had obviously been many times way back on my first trip in 2012. He asked where I was staying and that time I was in the Caravos so he went on an explanation that Michaelis owned most of that strip including the Caravos but he wasnt interested in developing it. With that pool area and the little bungalows around it just e bit of money spent on the main building could have turned the Caravos into a very nice hotel but he wasnt bothered. For a bit of nostalgia for Kate here's ambelakia in 2012 : IMG_1210
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Post by Woody (Admin) on Aug 26, 2021 7:34:48 GMT
Ah, those steps! Climbed up and down those a few times!
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Post by bvrc on Aug 26, 2021 7:49:42 GMT
One of my favourite Skiathos views. We loved Ambelakia too and also called it ‘our beach’. Often it was deserted and swimming conditions are perfect for bad swimmers, so still & flat and ground underneath when you get scared. We first visited it in 2000 & spent about 10 days from the 14 there. We stayed in studios up the lane beside Caravos (now private accommodation) and used Caravos’ pool, but Caravos was in much better shape back then. Interestingly we thought back then that Koukanaries had all we needed, we never even went into town once!! 😂
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Post by yorkshiremouth on Aug 26, 2021 8:23:03 GMT
I'd forgotten about the Captain, had a conversation about him with someone who had obviously been many times way back on my first trip in 2012. He asked where I was staying and that time I was in the Caravos so he went on an explanation that Michaelis owned most of that strip including the Caravos but he wasnt interested in developing it. With that pool area and the little bungalows around it just e bit of money spent on the main building could have turned the Caravos into a very nice hotel but he wasnt bothered. For a bit of nostalgia for Kate here's ambelakia in 2012 : IMG_1210 Caravos must have one of the worst average ratings of anywhere on Skiathos. If he doesn’t want to develop it, that’s his choice. But that whole strip as an absolute eyesore, and hugely detrimental to the area, and businesses around it.
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Post by kevb on Aug 26, 2021 8:42:41 GMT
This is the pool area at the Caravos back in 2012, not sure what its like now. The size of that pool! it wasnt busy even then, the lure of the beaches I guess. IMG_1183IMG_1184
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Post by yorkshiremouth on Aug 26, 2021 9:22:02 GMT
Someone told me it’s the largest pool on the island.
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Post by kevb on Aug 26, 2021 10:09:20 GMT
Ive definitely never seen a bigger one in person and scanning satellite photos suggests thats true.
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Post by balddave on Aug 26, 2021 12:38:31 GMT
Someone told me it’s the largest pool on the island. I think the tennis club would be close?
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