Back from Skopelos

[john]

Well, i've waited 9 years to go back................and it is finally over!
2 weeks on this wonderful and it was everything i expected............and more.
It was a pleasure to walk around the cobbled streets of the old town again. We were still finding new streets even after 2 weeks!
There were a few changes since our last visit to the island. new developments have gone up but that is to be expected in 9 years! But the new builds are all on a very small scale and nothing like on the scale that has been seen on Kefalonia.
The centre of the island is very untouched with only a handful of houses here and there and all of the roads are dirt road. Great for exploring by jeep..................which i didn't have!
Skopelos town seemed very quiet during the day apart from the numerous catermarans and feries which arrived but in the evening, well what a difference. It was absolutely buzzing but with no loud music blasting away. All the bars and restaurants were VERY busy but what a fantastic atmosphere. Everyone was in a good mood and the waiters were never flustered or strpppy.
We paid an average of 35 to 40 euros for a 2 course meal with a kilo of wine and a couple of Mythos and soft drinks. Our cheapest for the same was 20 euros and our most expensive was 52 euros.
The cheapest Mythos i found wa only 2 euros for a 500ml bottle...........the dearest was............wait for it............5 euros for a 33oml bottle!!!
My hotel was charging 4.30 euros but i suppose you expect to pay more in a hotel.
My hotel was superb, a traditional Greek hotel with no real frills although the free air conditioning was much appreciated!
There were a couple of things i found strange about this holiday. It took several days for it to hit me, but eventually i realised what they were.
Firstly, Skopelos has not tried to cash in on the success of Mamma Mia!
There were no tourist shops flogging T shirts with the film splattered all over, no postcards saying Skopelos, the "mamma Mia island". Apart from one hotel who changed the name of its' bar to the Mamma Mia! cafe (which was closed) and the town hall which had a couple of huge vertical banners with stills from the film and the name of the locations on the stills, there was nothing. I had to admit that i found this refreshing, but i also remember that about 10 years ago or there about, the Greek government offered to build an airport on Skopelos to boost their tourism but the islanders refused. They obviously still want low key tourism. I admire them for that.
The second thing was the lack of televisions in the bars and restaurants! In Kefalonia, you are hard pushed to find a place to chill out without the TV blasting away. It is the same in Skiathos and many other islands, wall to wall tv's. In Skopelos this is not the case. There were 2 cafes/bars at the southern end of the harbour which were mainly used by the locals. These had televisions in them. There was one bar further into the harbour area which put a television out for the motor racing. As soon as the racing finished, away it went!
Thi was perfect! in fact, for most of the first week i didn't have a clue what day it was. I only realised how time was passing the following Friday....airport transfer day!.
In summary, i would strongly reccommend this island to anyone who wants to rediscover a bit of the old Greece. You will come back totally relaxed. Think of the pace of life in Kefalonia. Relaxing? Yes of course it is. Now try to imagine unwinding by another 50%!!! That will give you an idea of what Skopelos is like.
Would i go back again?.................Too right i would!
I am busy sorting through some photographs. These will be posted soon.

[suej]

Thanks for info john a place we would like to visit did you go independantly or a package.
already looking for next year though when put skolopes in the thomsons 2010 say nothing available looked at skiathos but not sure where to stay

[kefallon]

Sounds just like my sort off place, is there enough to keep me occupied for a couple of weeks in the way of places to see, walk or drive around???

[Phil]

I enjoyed reading your report John. It sounds my kind of place ........ with a jeep of course

[john]

There are plenty of walks Martin, in fact there is a book on sale in Skopelos town with the title "Skopelos walks" It is full of walks from a couple of hours up to six or seven hours. There are good walks all over the island. There is also plenty of opportunity for off road driving! As i mentioned, all of the roads in the interior of the island are dirt roads which are great for jeeps. Mount Delphi, the highest point of the island has some great roads to drive on. The scenery is also very green wherever you go, as opposed to Kefalonia which is barren in parts.
I would say there is definately enough on this island to keep you ocupied for two weeks! If you did run out of options on Skopelos, there is always Alonnisos and Skiathos which are both no more than 40 minutes away by catermaran!
The main road in Skopelos runs from the capital up to Glossa and Loutraki in the north of the island. Glossa is a wonderful place. Only residents are allowd to take cars into the village itself and even then there are restrictions on where they can go. They are not allowed to take cars in unless they have a driveway where they can park off road. It is common to see the locals carrying stuff around donkeys in here and the silence overwhelms you.
The views over towards Skiathos, Evia and Pelion from here are simply breathtaking. I could spend hours in this place.
Aghios Ioannis, the church used for the wedding in Mamma Mia! is a 15 minute drive from Glossa and this place is simply stunning too.
Sue, we booked our package through Manos (part of Thomas Cook)
We did look at doing this independantly but this way was actiually more expensive than the package.
Skiathos is more for people that want to spend time on the beach than explore although again,there are excellent walks through the forests and some excellent remote beaches within easy walking distance of most resorts. Water taxis offer regular transport to every beach on the island and are very cheap. Skiathos has a very good bus service from very early morning until the early hours of the morning. buses run every 15 minutes.
The town is a great place for a meal and a few drinks in the evening. There are some great accommodations in and around Skiathos town but i could not stay there. It is just too busy. I like the quietness of the likes of Troulos and Koukanaries. I can get the bus into town very easily if i want some "action"!

[Rich]

That was a very good read thanks for sharing we us john, I think a few of us are much alike on here we like going off road, hiring jeeps, trying local dishes,and not forgetting sampling the local "water".

rich

[Bell]

Great report John. Glad that you had a great time.

[Janette]

Hi John

Glad you enjoyed your holiday in Skopelos. Your review sums up our thoughts on the Island. We used to love wandering around the cobbled streets of the old town where as you say finding new ones. It used to amaze me when you were walking around them especially high up and you would come across someone sitting on their front step who would nod and smile at you and then you would come across a little toy shop or a grocery store.

When we were there last year Roger said the most he paid for a bottle of Mythos was €4. As he prefers it on draught think the most he paid €3.5.

The owner of where we stayed had told us last year that they didn't want the Island to become too touristy because of the film Mamma Mia and they had played it down and had also moved all the movie set after the cast had left the Island. Did you walk up the the church of Aghios Ioannis?

We first visited Skopelos on a boat trip from Skiathos for the day and I was worried I would find it too quiet but I loved it. It is now my second favourite Island after kefalonia. Skiathos used to be but after spending one night there again on our way home I found it too busy compared to Skopelos.

[john]

Jan, we did go up to Aghios Ioannis. That had to be on our "to do list" When i saw the film and Alonnisos in the background i thought it was in the Skopelos town area. We actually flew over it on our approach to Skiathos and sailed past it on our way into Skopelos although you have to look hard to see it from the sea. It is so close to land.
In real life though, it is simply breathtaking. Anyone with vertigo might want to think twice about going up. That is the easy part......it is looking down that sheer drop on your return tht is the daunting bit!
I agree with you about Skiathos town Jan. As i said earlier, it is fine for visiting for a few hours in the evening. It does have atmosphere. I prefer to stay in one of the outlying resorts and travel in for a visit. I couldn't stay in Skiathos town. Skopelos town is completely different and is a lot quieter.