Makis Studios

have just had 11 nights at Makis Studios booked via Tui. Location- the coach drops you off at the top of the road and it is a 5 to 10 minute down hill walk to the accommodation. It is up hill going back, but whilst we were there all the surrounding roads were re surfaced so it is now easier to wheel your suitcases. A short walk into the main street for shops and restaurants. A few more minutes to the beach. Lots of great restaurants and value for money. Beach stoney, you need water shoes. Lots of beds and umbrellas for rent, €12 - €15 per set. Accommodation- we were in number 9 which is street level with 2 flights of stairs down to the pool area. The room was typical of this type of accommodation in Greece. Self catering includes a kettle and toaster and 2 of the required cutlery and crockery. There was a hot plate but I wouldn’t fancy cooking anything there. Just a hot drink. The bed was huge with nice linen and the towels were soft and fluffy. Linen and towels are changed every 3 days and ours was done 3 times. Bathroom very basic. Bins emptied and floor mopped daily. Breakfast - this was a limited continental breakfast and there is room for improvement. Offering was coffee (horrible), tea bags and juice, 2 types of cereal, tinned fruit, breads with a toaster, boiled eggs, processed cheese slices, 2 types of processed meat, tomatoes and cucumber. One type of cake. Could be better quality and pastries could be offered. Got a bit boring over 11 days. Pool area- this is the biggest disappointment . There is a bar for coffee and drinks and crisps. We didn’t use it. Staff were friendly. The pool itself, when we arrived was ‘milky’ with a black ‘tide mark’ all around. During our stay the water became clearer. After about a week someone went in the pool with what looked like a big rubber and cleaned all the black off. Why wasn’t this done at the start of the season? It took about 30 mins. The cushions on the sunbeds were filthy and need replacing. There are large umbrellas but these posed a problem. Every afternoon it got very windy. The umbrellas are not stable and several blew over on different days, landing on loungers or in the pool. I got a scraped and bruised arm where one hit me but luckily no one was seriously hurt. The staff’s answer was that when it was windy they had to be put down and laid on the floor. They did then put big lumps of concrete on some of them. They need properly securing. The whole area needs tidying up, get rid of the unused umbrellas, sweep up, cut back the vegetation- it’s not rocket science! Eventually it will need a fair bit of money spent on it but there are some improvements which cost effort, not cash. In terms of going back I would read subsequent reviews and hope for improvement rather than deterioration. It could be a great little place.

Well!! This is my honest review. Beds are comfy and nice clean bedding and towels and the air con is fab, That’s about all I can say nice about makis studios. We stayed from 30th June until 14th July in room 10. When we first arrived it was Clean the pool was clean and Melvin was very helpful. We did have to pay €12 per day for air conditioning and €3 per day for the safe plus the tax so paid an extra €240 on top of the holiday price for two weeks. Showers are dated with a grubby shower curtain and very small, but always hot water. The decor has been updated but not to a very high standard. We watched 3 members of staff being sacked and disappeared, the bar man went first. Then poor Melvin 2 days later, then the Asian cleaning lady who was lovely. The owner was shouting at her by the pool that he was calling the police and on about keys, so unprofessional. The pool wasn’t cleaned after Melvin left, dirt on the bottom. Green scum around the edge. Floating dead bugs. It was disgusting. When the wind got up the pool brollies kept falling over. So the staff asked us all to put the brollies down in almost 40 degree heat, the bases are too flimsy and not safe. These apartments are not suitable for disabled or not able bodied or older guests. Far too many steep steps and the coach doesn’t drop off or pick up from outside the hotel, and it’s a trek up and down the hill in scorching sun. The breakfast is adequate with nice orange juice but the coffee is undrinkable, really undrinkable. We have stayed at many hotels in skala over many years and stayed here about 8 yrs ago when it was the previous owner. But I would never stay here again. They don’t have a reception either so you are met ( if you’re lucky?) by someone sitting outside to loose you into your room. Some guests told us that when they arrived there was no one there to meet them, they just stood about for nearly an hour. When checking out. No room for showers or no where to store luggage, you have to get changed in the small toilet. So not ideal. Please dont bother. Very poor customer service indeed.

I can not give this place a rating as it was a lot run down. The 150 metre walk from the drop off point was easy enough going but a fairly steep hill to climb on the return journey, we were given the wrong room on arrival, when we mentioned it we were moved to another room but we had paid extra for a room that was unavailable, the management said TUI had not sent the correct information to them. The bedding and towels were supposed to be changed every three days we had to ask for clean towels and the sheets weren’t changed at all. There were no snacks at the pool bar just crisps, it’s advertised as having a barbecue and music night once a week, but that didn’t happen. Very poor value for money