Planning an Affordable Greek Island Holiday Experience

When planning a Greek island holiday, you want the emphasis to be on comfort and convenience. You also want a destination that offers something for the whole family; somewhere that has the buzz of a lively holiday spot, but with some quieter more reclusive downtime options. Skiathos Island, part of the Northern Sporades group, east of the Greek mainland, is such an island.

No less than 64 diverse beaches

No island holiday is much of a getaway without a spectacular beach or two. This island certainly won’t disappoint. In fact, it has 64 incredible beaches on a 40km stretch of coastline. With Skiathos being relatively small, getting from beach to beach in a jeep, on a moped, or quad bike is easy. Island maps are plentiful and easily accessible. Plus there’s a reliable bus route that regularly runs the length of the more popular east side of the island. Practically everywhere you go will open out on a beautiful beach vista, with each beach distinctly different from the last. However, there are certain beaches on the northwest side that are accessible by boat only.

Other Skiathos island highlights

Owing to the crystal, calm waters Skiathos is the perfect location for watersports including some scuba diving. It’s also fast becoming a popular mountain biking destination. You might also want to engage in some island hopping to nearby Alonissos or Skopelos. History lovers won’t want to miss Kastro, the famous cliff top fortress village built by the Skiathos town folk to escape marauding pirates centuries ago. You should also try to visit at least one of the historic monasteries.

Food glorious food

Visitors rave about Greek cuisine. However, in the unlikely event of traditional or modern Greek food not being to your taste, there are a variety of alternatives. There are numerous street cafés, coffee shops, and restaurants. Greeks are also known for their fresh produce including tomatoes, cheeses, yoghurt, artisan sausage and more. Then again, you might prefer the self-catering route so that you can put together an easy al fresco barbecue style meal of your own.

Selecting the right home away from home base

While Skiathos is known as a cosmopolitan island it has managed to retain much of its quirky, unspoiled charm. In order to experience the best of what the island has to offer, you’ll want to stay (link to Villa Nikh) fairly close to the main route that runs the length of the island. You want to be close enough to the town should you want to experience the daily buzz and nightlife. Conversely, you want to have sufficient distance from the main route to avoid the noise of the traffic, so that you can relax and unwind. You also want to wake up each morning to look across the tranquil blue-green sea for which the Northern Sporades islands, Skiathos included, are famous.