Last updated on April 28th, 2023 at 08:19 pm
Hotel Selenunda: A charming two star hotel near the port of Loutraki on Skopelos
Port of Loutraki, near Glossa, Skopelos, GreeceSkopelos is one of three major islands in the Northern Sporades, also called the “Blue-Emerald” island group, in the northern Aegean sea in Greece. About 5,500 live here year ‘round —all families descended from dozens of generations on the island. In the summer, the population can swell to 20,000 or more as tourists from Europe pour onto this 12.3 mile island.
Lodging can be scarce here during the summer months. And the quality of hotels vary. Many residents rent rooms or apartments during the high season.
Most visitors access the island via one of two major ports: Loutraki or Skopelos Town. Selenunda sits prominently above the port of Loutraki and offers a spectacular, panoramic view of the sea all year long.
Port Loutraki, Skopelos, Greece (island of Skiathos in Background)It is a charming two star hotel. But it’s a bit difficult to rate. We rate it a 5 for the view, 4 for the size of the room, 2 for the bathroom, kitchen, lack of countertop space and lack of suitcase stands, and 2 for the navigability of the driveway and parking.
Hotel Selenunda is a family run business. Babis, the principal operator, and his brother, Spiros, when available, operate this hotel. The owners our friendly and helpful.
We stayed at this hotel for almost a month between May 18 and June 17, 2016. And it's all about the VIEW! But there’s much to like about it …
Here are the Pro’s and Con’s as we see it:
Pro’s
• The View: This place offers a panoramic 180° view of the harbor of Loutraki, the Aegean Sea, and nearby islands. It features unobstructed views of the port. One can easily watch the ferries and catamaran’s enter and depart the port all day long. This is a busy port, as Skopelos is accessible only by boat, except for those paying for helicopter service! It's all about the VIEW living at this place!
• A large veranda with comfortable patio chairs
• Ample room to hang clothesline outside on veranda
• Good air flow throughout the room: it’s easy and safe to open up veranda doors for airflow. And the room comes with a fan to increase airflow
• Large open room
• Some counter space in a small kitchenette
• Daily room cleaning
• Clean towels daily
• Sheets changed 2x per week
• Good hot water generally — with some limitations. The source is a solar heated gravity fed tank on the roof.
• Good water pressure
• Good Wi-Fi Internet service (but we were only ones in hotel most of the time so we don’t know what the performance would have been under load).
• Stairs down (about 200 steps) to town of Loutraki where tavernas, shops, and some beach areas are
• Limited onsite parking
• Quiet — secluded from town
• No stairs to rooms on main floor—useful when lugging heavy suitcases
• Sufficient closet space with some hangers
• Air-conditioning
• Baseline kitchenware for guests
Cons:
• Driveway can be a bit treacherous and challenging for a driver not used to the narrow, shoulder-less roads on the island
• Limited parking by hotel entrance — extra space in a grassy area up a hill not far from the hotel entrance
• No shopping conveniences nearby: you must walk/drive to either Loutraki or Glossa
• Beds: singles, featuring ultra hard mattresses.
➢ Note: We used bungy cords to lash beds together with a blanket crammed in between two mattresses to make a “one” bed. The owners provide a single bottom sheet for making one bed. That’s the good news. The bad news? Separate twin top sheets and blankets are on top. This is very awkward for couples used to sleeping together under the same set up sheets and blankets.
• Bathroom
➢ Small and not updated
➢ Toilet seat: uncomfortable
• No shower curtain: everything in the bathroom: toilet, seat, toilet paper, sink — everything — gets wet and has to be mopped up after showering. This is extremely unprofessional.
• No room around sink for toiletries
• The floor not sloped correctly to drain water from shower
• There is a mop in the bathroom, but it is not requires replacement — it's not effective
• Insufficient counter or desktop space. The rooms have lots of space but only small 2-person table inside. There’s plenty of room for a small couch or chair to make room more comfortable
• Limited privacy if someone occupies an adjacent room. Soundproofing is limited. And there’s little privacy between unit panels on the veranda
• Old style TV
• No setup for hanging clothes to dry—i.e. rack or clothespins
• No place to hang longer items to dry— i.e. shirts, skirts, etc.
• No suitcase stands for travelers
Travelers note: This place advertises on the Internet that it accepts credit cards. We paid for the first two weeks with a card. Afterward, the owner informed us he had sent away his machine and was awaiting a new machine. We ended up paying cash for our remaining days. We find this “unavailability” of a credit card point of sale terminals to be a fairly common practice with Greek businesses. We mention this because if paying by credit card matters to you, check with the business in advance and get an affirmative statement about the availability of their point of sale terminal before obtaining services.
Check out our related story, Greece: Cash or credit.
Would we stay here again? Absolutely. It’s tough to find great lodging on remote island and this one is no different. Selenunda gets the job done for travelers.
Contact:
| Property name | Hotel Selenunda, Hotel Selenunda | ||||||
| Address |
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| Phone | +302424034073 | ||||||
| Fax | +302424034093 |
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