What we liked

• Swimming pool
• Pool bar
• Great breakfast
• Friendly and helpful staff
• Fantastic views over Skopelos Town
• Quiet location away from crowds

Things to know

The hotel sits on the outskirts of Skopelos Town.

For us, this was a major positive as it was quieter and offered beautiful views. However, it does mean:

• Around a 20-30 minute walk into town
• The walk can feel long in 35°C heat
• Taxis occasionally become useful

Note: If booking, we’d strongly recommend avoiding their old rooms and paying extra for one of the more modern room options.

Other Hotels We Noticed

• Minno
• Skopelos Village Hotel
• Adrina

Skopelos Town

Skopelos Town is everything you’d hope for from a Greek island capital.

Expect:

• Whitewashed buildings
• Cobbled pathways
• Small churches
• Hidden courtyards
• Boutique shops

The town climbs steeply up the hillside and is protected by a castle at the shore.

One thing you’ll quickly discover is that Skopelos Town feels like a maze. Half the fun is getting lost among the winding alleyways and stumbling across hidden cafés and independent shops.

Along the waterfront you’ll find:

• Ice cream shops
• Tourist restaurants
• Casual bars
• Souvenir shops
• The local brewery

The upper parts of town feel more authentic and are where you’ll find some of the island’s best restaurants.

Restaurants

For us, food was one of the highlights of the trip. We booked most of our restaurants in advance but this was unnecessary. The only restaurants I’d recommend booking are Anatoli and Stou Dimitraki. I’ve included a rough spend at each restaurant – for these prices assume we had starters and mains each with a Greek salad (mandatory wherever you go) and a bottle of wine.

Must Visit: Anatoli

Our number one recommendation is Anatoli, located on top of Skopelos Town.

Why go?

• Incredible sunset views
• Amazing atmosphere
• Fantastic Greek food
• One of the best dining settings on the island

If you book in advance, try and request their best table, which is positioned right over the sea.

Don’t miss it.

Must Visit: Korali

A wonderful waterfront restaurant in Agnontas that was a more modern dining experience serving delicious Greek food and seafood.

Eat like a local: Stou Dimitraki

Recommended to us as the locals’ favourite. We could see how popular this place was when we passed and people were queueing to get in! Definitely worth checking out it had a busy atmosphere, authentic Greek cooking at great value.

Perfect for a relaxed evening.

Eat like a local: Captain Spyros

A true local fish restaurant in Elios. The owner catches the fish himself and serves the day’s catch. Go if you love seafood. The restaurant itself is basic, but the fish is excellent.

Eat like a local: Gourmet Street Food

Sadly we never made it here because of its location but we passed it plenty of times and it always caught our eye. It allegedly serves some of the best gyros on the island. They also have an animal rescue project on-site and offer additional activities like foraging and hiking.

Anna’s Restaurant

Anna’s has got to be one of the prettiest locations we visited. Situated high up in Skopelos town its set in a beautiful courtyard surrounded by plants and flowers.

In our opinion, the quality of food wasn’t quite at the same level as the surroundings, but we’d still recommend visiting for the atmosphere alone.

Minno Restaurant

Part of the new Minno Hotel. They boast to have the best chef on the island. It was a smart restaurant set in a lovely hotel that served very stylish food but we felt the food looked better than it tasted, which was a shame because it also cost more.

Our view: you’re largely paying for the presentation.

Muses

Located near the waterfront. A lovely place for a relaxed meal with tables overlooking the sea. Particularly nice at sunset.

Other restaurants we had booked but didn’t visit:

• Agnanti
• Agioli

Food

There are certain dishes that are synonymous with Greece and some that are unique to Skopelos. Here are our thoughts.

Skopelos Cheese Pie is the island’s signature dish: spiral-shaped patries filled with feta-like cheese, fried until crisp and golden. You’ll find them on most menus. Most are frozen and defrosted but if you find a good one they can be quite good.

Seafood is central to any Greek island. Whole grilled fish, fried small fish, calamari and octopus are everywhere. You must share a whole grilled fish whilst you’re by the coast!

Greek salad – enough said really. We didn’t go a meal without a Greek salad. It’s such simple ingredients but the ingredients are so fresh that you haven’t had Greek salad until you’ve had one in Greece.

Moussaka is like a lasagna but with potato and aubergine for layers. The flavours that are unlocked with these simple changes are unbelievable. Don’t leave without trying at least one moussaka!

Bars & Nightlife

To be honest, Skopelos is not a nightlife destination. There are bars and cocktail spots around town but don’t expect Mykonos-style evenings.

Popular options include:

• La Costa
• Vrachos
• Oionos

However, there is one standout:

Donkee Bar

This was possibly one of the best bars we’ve ever been to. Located on the walk up towards Anatoli, it has an unbelievable view over the water. Just be prepared to earn your drink on the walk up!

Many visitors simply don’t find it or due to the maze-like streets, or don’t go because of the climb.

Make the effort. It’s worth it.

Beaches

There are lots of beaches to choose from, although expect pebbles rather than sand.

We tried both beaches with beach clubs and sunbeds and also hard to access beaches that aren’t even signposted.

Limnonari Beach

Our favourite beach. It had a great atmosphere, great food and great value sunbeds! Instead of charging a flat rate they charged a minimum spend, which was easily done through lunch or after a couple of drinks.

If you’re only visiting a few beaches, make this one of them.

Hovolo Beach

One of the island’s most interesting beaches. In order to access this beach you need to walk from Elios beach (not nice) through shallow water with uneven rocks but we believe it’s worth the journey.

It’s not suitable if you’re carrying lots of bags or requiring easy access.

Ftelia Beach

One of the easier beaches to reach. It has a beach club and easy to reach from Skopelos town. Sunbeds generally cost between €35 and €60.

Kastani Beach

One of Skopelos’ most famous beaches. Notable for its sand, beach club and sunbeds. Worth visiting, particularly for first-time visitors.

Milia Beach

We didn’t visit ourselves, but it came highly recommended by several people. Often regarded as one of the island’s top beaches.

Glysteri Beach

One of the few on the east coast of the island. Another beach that was highly recommended but which we didn’t have time to visit.

Activities

Boat Tour – Skopelos Cruises

One of the best activities of the trip. We sailed around the island, stopping off to swim, explore and check out various Mamma Mia locations. We opted for the shared sailing experience rather than a charter our own boat or get one with a captain because it was better value. We booked with Skopelos Cruises after another couple recommended them but there are several operators based nearby in the port offering similar trips.

• Cost: €120 pp
• Time: 8-9 hours (starting at 9am)
• Includes: breakfast, lunch and drinks

Greek Cooking Class – Skopelos Cooking

Another must-do. We made moussaka, zucchini balls, traditional tzatziki and Chamali, a traditional almond dessert. Fotini and Marina gave us loads of cooking tips to help us make food like a local.

The food was exceptional and the hosts were brilliant.

Highly recommended.

• Cost: €95 pp
• Time: 3 hours (starting at 6pm)
• Location: at the top of Skopelos town

Gym & Pilates

Both are available on the island. However, the gym location wasn’t that convenient and the pilates classes were fully booked far in advance. It was too hot to run (no matter what time), so if you’re looking to exercise I’d find a hotel with facilities.

Rainy Days

For slower days:

• Visit local museums
• Explore the monasteries
• Wander the town’s hidden streets
• Stop at local patisseries and cafés

Transport

There is no airport on Skopelos. The easiest route is to fly to Skiathos and then take the ferry to Skopelos. There are several ferries a day and they typically take 45 mins. You can go direct or via the other Skopelos town ports.

Tickets can easily be booked through Ferryscanner and similar ferry platforms.

There are lots of ways to get about the island: boat, taxi, bus or car. The preferred route depends on what you’re doing.

Car

Hiring a car gave us the flexibility to visit beaches across the island. We hired an old Fiat Panda for two days. The roads are quiet and easy to navigate. We had no problems parking anywhere.

• Cost: €55 per day

Bus

The bus is probably the easiest way to get around the island. One leaves from Skopelos every 45 minutes and follows the coast north, stopping at every beach. The bus is air conditioned, easy to use and excellent value. At each bus stop there will be a QR code you can scan that will tell you how long until the next bus.

• Cost: approx. €3 per journey

Taxis

We didn’t use them often but when we did, they were reasonably priced and easy to find.

Other Islands

Skiathos and Alonissos

If you have enough time, make room for a day trip. Everyone we spoke to recommended it. They’re similar to Skopelos and known for their traditional Greek charm. Both can be accessed by regular ferries.

Final Thoughts

Skopelos exceeded our expectations. It’s an island that rewards travellers looking for authenticity and relaxing.