Perfect
riviera retreat | Perfect
beach | Perfect
costa
The man hiring the boat to us wasn’t there when he’d said he would be, so I
walked up the stony path, away from the tiny, rickety jetty, until I got one
bar on my mobile. I dialled his number and he answered in Greek. I said:
“Hello, it’s Matt. We booked a boat at 10am and it’s 10am now.”
In reply, he spoke for two whole minutes, both of them still in Greek. From
what I could gather from his tone, he was neither apologetic nor angry. If I
were pressed, I’d say he sounded philosophical. Expansive even. At the very
most, judicious.
When it sounded like he had finished his piece, I took my chance: “I’m sorry,
I don’t speak Greek.” I said it in English because I didn’t know how to say
“I don’t speak Greek” in Greek.
“Fifteey. N. Minits,” he offered.
Back at the tiny, rickety jetty, Freddie, my son, was unconcerned, primarily
because he was only 18 months old. Harriet, my wife, on the other hand,
wanted to know what had come to pass.
“He said, “Fifteey. N. Minits,” I explained. “Fifteen minutes?” “I’m not sure.
There was an N, a definite N, but I’m not convinced it was attached to the
50 or the minutes. It could have been 50... Nminutes. Or fifteeeeeen
minutes. It’s impossible to say.”
“For goodness’ sake,” she replied, scrunching up her face in the rising heat
of the morning.
Twenty-four minutes later, the man arrived in his pickup and greeted each of
us with a grunt. Freddie grunted back. The man then siphoned some diesel
from one boat to another, showed me how to start the outboard engine,
advised us to put on life jackets, without advising us where they might be,
then made to leave again.
“Don’t you need a credit-card deposit?”
“No.”
“Don’t I need to sign a disclaimer?”
“No.”
“Which way should we go?”
“That way.”
“Are we allowed to stop at any beach?”
“Yes.”
“How do we stop?”
“Throw in the anchor when you are 10 metres away.”
And before I could ask anything about tides or currents or metres, he left.
I know the whole point of going to a sleepy Greek island for your
summer holiday is so that it leaves you no choice but to unwind. There is
nothing to do but sit around all day on the beach, rising only to cool off
in the turquoise waters, then retire, sun-kissed, to a taverna for stuffed
vegetables, beer and a life-affirming sunset. I know that. But it’s still
difficult.
All the usual dilemmas of life (How do I get to work when the Tube’s not
working?/If we send Freddie to a private nursery, will he become a
tweed-jacket-wearing toff before he’s 18?/Do I buy organic chicken from the
supermarket or bog-standard chicken from the nice butcher?) don’t exist on a
secluded Greek island, but they’re replaced by other ones. And they become
just as worrying. You spend a whole morning trying to decide whether you can
be fagged to drive 5km further to beach B because it’s slightly nicer than
beach A. You agonise over whether you should have the moussaka or the
calamari. You threaten divorce over whose turn it is to give whom a back
massage.
It is, as I’m sure you can imagine, tough – and on Skopelos particularly so.
It is so perfect, you really have to scratch around to find things to get
worked up about. It doesn’t have an airport, for a start – you are forced to
arrive and leave in a relaxed hydrofoilish way from Skiathos. It has just
one main town, which is too wiggly and hilly and whitewash gorgeous to do
anything as taxing as drive round. It has no multinational one-stop
supermarkets and far more monasteries than you’d expect on an island of
about 5,000 people. And it has very little of archeological, cultural or
scenic interest beyond a genuinely unspoilt, forested interior. There’s the
odd tomb, some Byzantine icons, a Venetian castle and a really crumbly
temple: not bothering to see any of them is not like going to Athens and
skipping the Acropolis, so relax.
If you do want to break the fabulous monotony of beach life, you can walk up
into the forests (this is one of Greece’s greenest islands), have a snoop
around a hilltop chapel, spot birds – I don’t know. Some people even come to
Skopelos on walking holidays. Weirdos.
And although there are enough tavernas along the pretty seafront to feel as if
you have a choice, you haven’t really: the one at the very end and the one
three along are by far the best. You can get worked up in the process of
establishing that, but I’m going to save you the bother by telling you the
best restaurants in the smart guide below.
Now you see why it’s tough to keep yourself from panicking about nothing.
Fortunately for me, there was the whole boat thing. Just at the point where
I really was spending an hour trying to decide whether to have a slice of
fresh watermelon or fresh baklava, Harriet found the boat-hire leaflet.
Some of my earliest childhood memories are of my father put-putting my sister
and me off to boat-only beaches on Paxos, Corfu and Skopelos. Now, as a
father myself, the chance to rediscover that sense of freedom, to escape the
shackles of our health-and-safety-dominated lives, was exciting. Almost
thrilling by Skopelos standards.
Except I was being all English about it. What if we got struck by a freak
wave? What if we ran out of petrol? What if that tanker didn’t see us? Why
couldn’t that man have given us a proper safety demonstration?
Fortunately, Harriet was determined that we would enjoy ourselves. She’s good
like that. She sat at the bow, languorously selecting one beach, then
another, then another for closer inspection. To me, battling with the motor
at the back, they all looked fine and, more importantly, land-based.
Eventually, about an hour up the west coast of the island, she found one she
was happy with. It was sandy, it had the requisite band of turquoise before
shelving into deep blue and it was cut off from the rest of the island by
impenetrable, sweet-smelling forests. We could all run around naked if we
wanted.
With a deep, brave breath, I turned the boat and made for land.
“How far is 10 metres?”
“I don’t know.”
“Is that 10 yet?”
“I’d say that was about 40. Can’t you go a little faster?”
“How about now?”
“Thirty-eight. It’s going to get dark soon.”
“Those waves look quite big.”
“They’re fine. Nearly there.”
“Pass me the anchor. Pass me the anchor. For Chrissakes, pass me the anchor.”
“Don’t get so stressed.”
“Now?”
“I s’pose.” I threw in the anchor and watched as the whole rope uncoiled and
vanished into the water after it.
“Why didn’t you attach the rope?”
“Well, I can’t do everything myself.”
“You’re an idiot. Now jump in and find our anchor.”
You’ve been warned: Skopelos is the perfect Greek island.
Matt Rudd travelled as a guest of Greek Islands Club
THE SMART GUIDE
What’s the strategy? It is hard to go really wrong on Skopelos.
Skiathos, the island you fly into before catching a hydrofoil out to
Skopelos, has taken all the commercial heat, leaving your island largely
unspoilt. Except in August. Your strategy, therefore, is to bag a villa with
a view and a car (it’s a small island but the roads are too wiggly to bother
walking), preferably in May or September, when the weather-to-price ratio is
at its best.
The best villas: Greek Islands Club (020 8232 9780, www.greekislandsclub.com)
has a portfolio of top-end villas around the island. Perhaps the jewel in
the crown is one of two Monastiri villas (sleeping 2-4), with a pool terrace
looking down on Skopelos Town. It costs from £578pp departing in May or late
September (two-week prices are from £710pp), rising to £915pp (£1,326pp for
two weeks) in late July, including flights and car hire. Villa Mourtero
(sleeps 2-5) and Villa Gemini (sleeps 2-4) are good family-friendly options
a drive away from town. Other reputable villa operators include Vintage
Travel (0845 344 0460, www.vintagetravel.co.uk)
and, for the first time this year, James Villa Holidays (0800 074 0122, www.jamesvillas.co.uk).
Sunvil (020 8758 4758, www.sunvil.co.uk)
does a nice line in small, family-run hotels and self-catering apartments.
The best beaches: certainly not the one round the bay from Skopelos
Town. Our favourite, without the help of a boat, was across the island at
Staphylos. The taverna opposite the car park does average food but the
iciest, tastiest Mythos beer, accompanied by a spectacular view. Agnondas is
a cute fishermen’s bay that hasn’t changed a bit in 20 years – great place
for a sunset dinner. Wherever you end up (Limonari and Panormos are also
lovely), take a snorkel. The water is crystal clear, the fish nosy. For
boat-only beaches, a relatively straightforward put-put will cost about £50
for half a day. Book through the Hotel Narkissos at Panormos, or call 00 30
24240 23381. Après-beach: taverna names aren’t going to help unless you
speak Greek, so I’ll paint by numbers. The family-run place just before the
cybercafe, right at the harbour-wall end of town, is wonderful. And the next
three before that are great, too.
Smart thinking: I know I’ve already said it, but don’t go in August. If
you’re tied to school holidays, go elsewhere. We went in late September,
when it was cheaper and cooler. The creperie owner said it was 70 degrees in
his shop in August. That’s Celsius. Also, we couldn’t be bothered this time
around but the neighbouring island of Alonissos makes a great side trip – if
Skopelos becomes too hectic.
i would just like to know-are there lots of stray cats and dogs present on the island as i have found with the other parts of greece i have visited- some more than others ??
natalie, walsall, west mids
Sounds like Rob, Budapest, needs to chill-out [sic] - perhaps a week in Skopelos would help to put things into perspective?
Nigel, Ludlow, UK
Stayed in Villa Nefeli, Skopelos Old Town. Great views of harbour from the roof terrace (booked through Sunvil).
If you don't want to book as a package holiday you may find you can get onto a charter flight that better suits you (I used http://www.charterflights.co.uk) and get the ferry / flying dolphin from Skiathos Town harbour (see http://www.skopelosweb.gr/english/transport.html).
A truly great island for a lazy beach holiday.
Chris, London,
Hi
My farther lives on Skiathos and we travel to the islands every year, they are just as described. One thing i would say is to try lo learn some Greek before you go it is much apreciated by the locals and will also make your stay much more enjoyable!!
Andie, nottingham,
The article only confirmed what myself and my husband already know and has helped to explain to our families why we are moving to Skopelos on Thursday!!!
helen, cheshire for a few more days, england
Skopelos is a fabulous island, just perfect.
The headline was spot on. But the article?? Ugh! So disappointing... Not so much worried by the literacy, but the writing here is just so lazy, cliched and utterly, utterly inane. And enough of this smuggery!!
Travel writing is in dire need of a shake-up, I feel. If we keep the style of "what I did on my holidays", how about the Times lets a few bright 10 year olds have a go? It might well be much more revealing....
T Kitchin, Bedford,
Hi, I visited Skopelos and Alonissos this year whilst staying on the island of Skiathos. I loved all 3 islands, each with its own appeal but all sharing one thing in common, the wonderful Greek people and the incredible laid back way of life that is unique to the islands. I laughed out loud reading about the loss of the anchor as that is just the sort of thing i would do myself. A most enjoyable read.
PAUL ANDREWS, HARWICH, ENGLAND
Rob from Budapest: I think you need a holiday.
Mark , Christchurch, New Zealand
Twenty years ago, my wife Elizabeth and I had a panicky experience when, in a remote Scopelos taverna overlooking the Aegean, we came close to bartering for our meal. Feeling very comfortable with my Greek, I placed an order for the “catch of the day†grilled on charcoals without consulting the menu. As I was soaking in the view of the turquoise waters right over the rocks, Elizabeth let out a scary sound when she checked the menu prices. It was too late to substitute the fish for the chicken. The fish was on the grill, the proprietor was looking at us and smiling and no place to exchange money and ATMs didn’t exist yet. We had visions of washing the dishes in the kitchen for a week. Much to our relief, when we were served our fish a greasy piece of paper was tacked underneath with a number written on it. It was the price for our fish dish in drachmas (before the Euro). Apparently, the menu prices for the fish dishes were per kilo (2 pounds), still a common practice and not for single fish dishes. We never had a more tasty meal in our lives. And the view was priceless.
George Polychroniou, Glastonbury, USA / Connecticut
Why is travel writing so semi-literate these days? For goodness sake, DO NOT use such hackneyed compound adjectives as "sun-kissed". Ugghh.
Rob, Budapest, Hungary
Skopelos is just one of the many pearls of Greece, God's gift to the world...true holidays ...holy - days...!
maddie, lombardy, italy