Skopelos Holiday Reviews

We went to Skopelos in August 2009 and absolutely loved it. It’s relatively unspoilt but there is still plenty to do. It is popular with Greek and Italian tourists which is always a good sign. Here is an overview of some of the restaurants we visited and our hotel.

Restaurants

Platanos 6/10 - Situated in a busy square in Skopelos Town this restaurant is always busy. They serve traditional Greek food and have good home-made pitta breads. The service was fast and efficient and the food was what you would expect in your standard Greek taverna, although it was good value for money.

Finikas 7/10 – Situated a little walk out of Skopelos Town but well worth the walk. The views of Skopelos Town and bay are excellent. A bit more relaxed than the restaurants in town. The owners are very friendly, but they don’t like you to feed the cats! The food is good quality “home-cooked” food; the house wine is also very good.

Englezos 5/10 – Situated towards the end of the harbour this restaurant has always got people waiting to be seated. However, from our experience we found that we were rushed in and rushed out as if on a conveyor belt. After waiting a few minutes for a table we were told to go and wait next to a table where a couple had just been given their bill. The food was good quality standard Greek fayre. This restaurant does not accept Visa.

Anna’s 9/10 – This is a fantastic garden restaurant that is well worth making the effort to find. The menu is amazing with more unusual choices than most traditional Greek tavernas, for example, one of the starters is Skopelos pie with almonds and strawberries (this by the way was delicious!). For those tiring of the usual meat dishes a wide choice of salads are available including rocket, soft cheese and peach (again, delicious!). The staff are friendly and their Retsina is very good.

The Orchard 8/10 – This restaurant is situated off Platanos Square and has a Greek name which translated means The Orchard. The surroundings are lovely and have the feel of an English garden. The menu is varied and again offers more unusual choices than most typical Greek tavernas. Booking is essential during the high season.

Alexander’s 7/10 – A very nice courtyard restaurant with an impressive deep well. The staff are very friendly and attentive and the food is of a good quality. The menu is what you would expect in a Greek taverna.

Agioli 9/10 – This restaurant is attached to The Skopelos Village Hotel situated a little walk out of the town but it is well worth the walk. This restaurant is very up-market and booking is advisable. The menu is modern and not entirely Greek (we ate there on a number of occasions and had risottos, pork with prunes and mash potato and meatballs with vegetables and mash potato). They have an extensive wine list as well as a good choice of deserts. The interior of the restaurant is very stylish and there is a relaxed ambiance created in part by the carefully chosen music.

Agnanti (Glossa) 9/10 – This restaurant has a roof terrace with amazing views. The food is of a very good quality with a mixture of Greek and modern international cuisine. We highly recommend the chicken dolmades dish which consists of a chicken breast stuffed with sun-dried tomatoes wrapped in vine leaves and the pork with prunes.

Things to do/go/see

• Glossa/Loutraki • Agnondas • Panormos • A boat trip to Alonossis • Agios Ioannis • Limnonari beach

Skopelos town is pretty but food and drink expensive. not much nightlife so very chilled out. Definitely not for party animals.

Skopelos is very pretty, but small. There's a good road which runs from Skopelos Town up to the only other town, Glossa / Loutraki. We hired a car, which was a bit superfluous, but enabled us to go a few times to our favourite place - a tiny fishing beach called Agnondas. Three tavernas, a pebble beach, crystal clear water, peaceful and delightful. Worst thing was homeward transfer. The island doesn't have an airport, so you fly to and from Skiathos, then get a fast ferry. Outward, we caught the last ferry of the day by the skin of our teeth (missing it would have meant our tour company putting us up overnight in Skaithos). Homeward, our flight from Skaithos was 20.40. We were picked up from the hotel at 07.15, taken on the ferry and dumped in Skiathos town at 08.30. Our suitcases were stored in a harbour-front cafe, but we had to take our hand luggage with us. I ended up hiring a car for the day and getting out of town to somewhere a bit more relaxing and comfortable. Not ideal. Trips on Skopelos are limited, but there is some fantastic walking and some extremely good walking guides. We did a boat trip, which was long and rather boring (we went to an island to see a monastery (which was shut!), had time to swim and snorkel, ate a salad lunch, and had an hour in Alonissos on the way back. Seeing dolphinsin the wild made it worthwhile, but it was a long day (left 9am, not back until 7.30pm). If I'd taken a book I could have occupied myself better, but my 10-year old son would have ben really bored had he not been allowed to drive the boat! Some good places to eat out. We particularly liked Alexander, good food, lovely ambience, friendly owner and staff. I would go again, on my own, in May, and would just chill out on some of the smaller beaches, and be perfectly happy. I wouldn;t take my son again, there relly isn't enough to do.

An absolute must if you enjoy calm and tranquility. The island is covered in olive trees fields and pine forests... There's a great choice of beaches, mostly covered in pebles. You can rent an umbrella and a 'chaise longue' for a few euros and enjoy a good book. Most beaches have their own taverna where food is excellent and the 'Mythos' (greek beer) or 'Retsina' (famous white wine flavoured with pine resin) is pure pleasure... Of the 360 chapels, churches, monastries on the island, the convent of Agios Ioannis Prodromos has been made famous by Meryl Streep and others in 'Mama Mia' the movie in 2008. This island is full of charm and must not go unmissed in your holidays diary... Have fun...