I visited Greek Island that’s just a stone’s throw from mainland – it had ancient legends, great beaches and fab food
TELL anyone that the beautiful Greek island of Skiathos is only a stone’s throw from the mainland and you’d be dead right – sort of.
It’s actually about 40 miles from the nearest port, Volos, but that’s not what I’m talking about.
I mean the legend of how this amazing holiday destination came into being.
According to the myth, Zeus, the God of Thunder (he was the philanderer with the messy personal life who married his aunt and sisters), was holidaying on Mount Pelion and chucked a load of boulders down into the sea.
The result was the stunning Sporades islands — Skiathos, Skopelos and Alonissos.
Myths aside, it is easy to get to Skiathos if you fly into Volos, in north-east Greece, then catch the ferry over.
READ MORE ON GREECE
Which is what we did towards the end of last summer, after the direct flights to the island from Britain had ended.
We stayed at the Skiathos Palace Hotel, a fab place set in lovely grounds on a hill overlooking Koukounaries beach — a crescent-shaped stretch of sand, fringed by a pine forest, that is so good it regularly gets voted one of the top ones in the Med.
This is fly-and-flop at its best. You spend the week lazing on the beach with a Mythos (natch) beer in your hand, all the while slightly wishing the day away so you can enjoy cocktails and the superb dinners back at the Palace.
Koukounaries beach is also the main centre for watersports and diving so, needless to say, it’s very popular.
Most read in News Travel
If you prefer peace and quiet, try the Palace’s own private beach, the Maratha, just below the hotel.
Both beaches involve crossing the main road and walking down steep rough paths through the woods but they are worth the effort.
If that’s too much, though, the hotel does provide a complimentary shuttle bus.
Since the success of Mamma Mia!, which was largely filmed there, Skiathos has joined the league of Greece’s celebrity A-list islands alongside Mykonos and Santorini.
That means Skiathos town — a 20-minute boat ride from Koukounaries beach — is full of designer boutiques, jewellery shops and high-end places to eat and drink.
Arguably, it’s retained a more welcoming and laid-back vibe than Mykonos and Santorini, and it’s great for families and couples.
Spend the day wandering through the cobbled streets while munching a tyropita (the spiral-shaped feta cheese pie in filo pastry that’s the local delicacy), then head for a drink at the waterfront Ginfish bar in the Old Port.
Our holiday wasn’t all about Skiathos, though.
We also spent a few days exploring Volos and Mount Pelion.
Most Brits rush through the area to get to the Sporades but they are missing out.
It is also steeped in Greek mythology. Volos is apparently where Jason and the Argonauts set sail from to find the Golden Fleece.
And the thickly forested Mount Pelion was the home of the half-human, half-horse centaurs.
Mount Pelion can also claim to have started the Trojan War via a convoluted story I don’t entirely follow that takes in Zeus (him again), Aphrodite, a golden apple, a wedding, a beauty pageant and Helen Of Troy.
If you are a serious walker, you may already know this rugged and stunning region.
If you’re not but still want to check it out, you will need a car, although a little railway runs up there from Volos in high season
Pelion is full of villages barely changed in centuries, tiny tavernas, monasteries and incredible views.
Pleasing buzz
Head to the east coast and you’ll even find beaches as good as Koukounaries.
It’s Greece away from the tourists and it is wonderful.
Volos is also the real Greece. It’s a working town with a university and isn’t particularly pretty — there are few ancient buildings to visit — but it does have that pleasing buzz common to most ports.
There are scores of lively bars and cafes but it’s very untouristy and English is not widely spoken.
The unassuming Volos is, however, one of Greece’s foodie capitals and the big draw here are the mezedes — small plates of fish, meat and veg that are like tapas.
The best way to eat them is with tsipouro, an ouzo-like spirit you can drink either with or without aniseed.
When you order the drink, the restaurant brings you free mezedes and it’s fun to let the waiter choose what you eat.
Most of the restaurants along the waterfront serve mezedes and tsipouro and it’s a great way to spend a couple of hours as you watch all the activity in the harbour.
It is odd that Volos and Pelion aren’t better known.
Even the myths that are the main selling point there aren’t made much of in the city, bar a small representation of Jason’s ship, the Argo, on the harbour front.
Perhaps they should build some big attraction based on the legends, with rides recreating Jason’s adventures and people dressed up in swords and sandals fighting the Trojan War.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
They could even have some life-size animatronic human-equine creatures, like the kind of stuff you see on the Harry Potter film tour.
Then they could call the whole thing Centaur Parcs.
GO: SKIATHOS & VOLOS
STAYING THERE: A seven-night twin-centre Skiathos & Volos/Pelion trip, staying in 4H properties in seaview rooms on a B&B basis is from £1,232 per person with Olympic Holidays.
Price includes all ferry and land transfers, luggage and flights. Price based on September 2023 departure.
For details, see .