The Hostelz.com Review
Francesco's is located in the Ios main town, about one minute walking from the main square. They have both hostel dorms of about four beds and air-conditioned double rooms with ensuite bathroom. The dorm rooms are nice and clean, although they can get somewhat hot in the day, and there are only two shared bathrooms, with the toilet and shower in the same enclosure, causing some waits.
The premises have a gorgeous courtyard with an amazing view out over the port bay and the rest of the town. They serve tasty, reasonably prices breakfasts until 2 pm, and there is a nice bar that will put drinks on your room tab and give you free welcome shots. They also have safe-deposit boxes and fast but expensive internet.
Being close to the Ios town, the situation is ideal for both those who want to party and those who need sleep since all the action is a short ways away and the hostel's bar shuts down at half past midnight. However, they can be very strict and unfriendly about not allowing alcohol purchased outside to be brought on the premises.
All in all an excellent and beautiful place to stay in Ios.
The premises have a gorgeous courtyard with an amazing view out over the port bay and the rest of the town. They serve tasty, reasonably prices breakfasts until 2 pm, and there is a nice bar that will put drinks on your room tab and give you free welcome shots. They also have safe-deposit boxes and fast but expensive internet.
Being close to the Ios town, the situation is ideal for both those who want to party and those who need sleep since all the action is a short ways away and the hostel's bar shuts down at half past midnight. However, they can be very strict and unfriendly about not allowing alcohol purchased outside to be brought on the premises.
All in all an excellent and beautiful place to stay in Ios.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
November 2004
Their Description
Francesco's Details
|
|
(To add or correct information for this listing, please use the Listing Update Form.)
Map Location/ContactHow is Francesco's rated on other websites?
No reviews yet.
No reviews yet.
Francesco's Reviews from the WebHostelz.com Guest Reviews
Love love LOVED! if you're going to Ios, this is where you MUST stay!!! its got an excellent location and the place is huge!! the staff is SO wonderful!!! so friendly and involved in making your stay just wonderful!! I loved the downstairs sitting area -- it has the most wonderful view and people just hang out there, talking, its awesome!! it IS a bit of a party atmosphere in the hostel itself, but this IS Ios. my room was a bit of a way from the hangout area, so it was really nice and quiet -- bathroom in the room. i just wish there was a shower curtain! but there may have been just that room? I only had 2 nights here. if you go, you'd better add on a few more nights to your stay because you will regret not staying longer!! — Anna , United States (2010-07-06) Since Ios is so small anything is a good location. The balcony here is amazing. The rooms are neat and clean. Also the owners are very friendly. Pick up and drop of at the ferry terminal is also very nice. — Daphne (2006-08-10) My girlfriends and I went to Greece for our graduation present from our parents. We stayed at Francesco's and it was awesome. We had a four-person room (four beds) a little mini-kitchen thing with a fridge and a private bathroom. It is near all the clubs and a five-minute bus ride to the beach. I will definitely be coming back. Francesco's is awesome, we get free shots on arrival and also every night at a specific time we all get free shots welcoming the other guests. Its so much fun and family oriented! I loved it. — Kelly H (2006-04-21) I had the delight of staying at Francesco's in August this year and it was totally brilliant. It was very clean, very well organized and the staff were brilliant.
The rooms were very spacious and very clean, and so was the linen. The dorm rooms share the two-toilet/two-shower scenario on the terrace, so the bathrooms can be very overused when people are drinking at the bar. But apart from that nuisance, it's one of the friendliest places I stayed at in my 3-month trip through Europe. And the view is AWESOME. — Kiwi girl (2005-10-12) Most people you meet travelling will tell you this is the best place to stay when in Ios. It's probably one of the best I've been to and very clean, but I recommend trying to get a private room if you are travelling with people. It's about the same price and you'll get your own bathroom. Some of the dorm rooms get hot, it depends which one you are in. The bathroom/shower situation in the dorms is the only thing I'd complain about. They are located just off the terrace and you share with everyone. Other than that, this is a great place to stay in terms of nightlife, and the view is every bit as beautiful as they say. If you want to be social, everyone drinks in the bar and then heads to Blue Note around 12:15. Then you wake up late in the morning, have a nice breakfast and head to the beach. It's a perfect vacation for me! — nicki (2005-08-03) We just loved it! Francesco and Maria have been such a lovely couple to us. We felt so comfortable there we just couldn't leave. Our night wouldn't be the same without the Blue Note. The terrace view was the most beautiful one in the whole of Greece. You can't stay in Ios and not stay in Francesco's. — Four Brazilian girls (2005-07-08) This is the best hostel I have ever stayed in! Once you get there, you don't want to leave. Party at night and lie on the beach by day. The staff are incredible and the rooms and washrooms are very clean. It has the most beautiful view you've ever seen. Get ready to party, though! — Jenn (2005-03-07) This is an absolutely amazing place and an even more amazing value for the money!!! Francesco and Maria become your adopted parents as soon as you step foot in their hostel. The view from the terrace bar is one of the most spectacular you will see in Greece. If you go to Ios you have to stay at Francesco's. — Anonymous (2005-03-02) This was the best hostel of our trip by far. It was so cheap! We paid 15 euros per person for a double room with a bathroom, balcony, TV and air-conditioning. Free pickup and dropoff at the port was also included. The bar at night was a lot of fun. There was lots of young people in a party mood and a welcome shot every night. The staff were incredible. Francesco was cool and Maria let us use the public showers after we had checked out on our last day. We recommend this hostel to anyone. — J and A (2004-09-25) Whilst here I became fairly ill, needing both hospital and doctors' attention. Maria helped brilliantly, sorting out my subsequent financial difficulties and contacting my parents in England. — Alex L. (2004-09-06) This is the best place to stay in Ios! I stayed here with my 3 other Irish girlies for 8 nights. I met the coolest people and had the best time! I would recommend this place to anyone. The people working here are so friendly and become really good mates! Francesco and his wife Marie have an excellent business running there which is well run and is the centre of night life! There's also a restaurant nearby called Escape which has the nicest food I have ever tasted! Enjoy, to whoever goes, because I'm definitely making a trip back!! MONKEY SAYS HI!!! — Aisling (2004-08-13) This is THE place to stay on Ios! Francesco, Maria and the rest of the staff are all so amazing, and they will go out of their way to help you with anything you need. The view from the terrace is awesome, and the bar is a great place to meet people before stumbling onto the streets of Ios. I can't say enough good things about this place...you'll just have to check it out for yourself!!! — Peter (2004-08-13) I was in Greece a total of ten nights, eight of which were spent at Francesco's (the other two were spent on the ferry traveling between Athens and the Ios). I intended on visiting a number of islands but couldn't bring myself to leave once I had arrived. Francesco's is IOS... one of the top hostels in all the world. One night will turn into another, then another, then another. Prime time baby! It's sick (in the best way possible)! — Charles (2004-08-03) This place is so fun, and close to everything--shops, bars, etc. The rooms are spotless, large, comfortable, and CHEAP! It's worth it for the private rooms. There is a bar, a terrace with a view, and the staff are helpful and friendly. I will definitely be returning here!!! — Angel (2004-07-04) Wonderful, wonderful. What more can I say? The hostel was near all the clubs, a fifteen-minute walk to the beach, and the rooms were fantastic. I loved my two-day stay here; it was great. Also, if you walk down the street you can get your laundry cleaned for six euros, and there is a great restaurant, La Fiesta, that serves hefty portions for cheap. — Adrienne (2004-06-14)