Two Greek Islands, one fantastic trip…

Famous for its stunning beaches and impressive landscapes, Skiathos is a Greek island you should definitely be adding to your ‘must visit’ list! I’ve always loved visiting the Greek Islands, but this particular one left me eager to return. We had planned a twin centre island hop between Skiathos and Skopolos, which was a great value way to see more of what Greece has to offer. If you don’t know, Skopolos is famous for being one of the places they filmed scenes for the movie Mamma Mia, most likely due to the breathtaking scenery.

We booked our first two nights stay in Achladias, Skiathos, in a beach front hotel called Maniatis Gardens. There was no pool, and I was travelling with children, but it wasn’t an issue. The hotel was amazingly clean, and the rooms were large enough for a family of 4. The grounds were green and lush with plenty of space for my 6 year old to run around. The staff were friendly and couldn’t do enough for us to make us feel welcome. The hotel sits directly on a golden sandy beach, and the crystal-clear water was so warm and full of lots of interesting fish, which made for great snorkeling. The hotel also has a lovely beach bar, which was the perfect place to relax with a cocktail whilst watching the sun go down.

The local sea taxi service that picked up on the jetty just outside the hotel was so handy. At 3 Euro a person, and free of charge for under 7’s, it was the cheapest way to get over to Skiathos town. It runs every 15 minutes between 8.45am, until 11.15pm, and the ride is really enjoyable.

Skiathos town is stunning. There’s an abundance of restaurants and eateries to choose from serving lots of delicious trational Greek dishes such as Lamb chops, Saganaki and Moussaka. The bustling town of Skiathos is filled with shops, bars and restaurants truly is the perfect place to get lost in its labyrinth of streets.

After two nights in Skiathos, we took the ferry from Skiathos town to Skopolos. The journey cost 25 Euro for a return ticket, and takes approximately 50 minutes. Skopolos is yet another beautiful island in Greece, and is famous for its stunning, picture perfect landscapes, which is probably one of the reasons they used this island as the destination for making the Hollywood movie, Mamma Mia.

We stayed in Skopolos for 4 nights at Skopolos Holidays Hotel & Spa. At the time we arrived, this hotel looked stunning, however there seemed to be an issue with the pool and unfortunately, we never spent any time in the hotel due to this. The rooms were really nice and large, but this hotel isn’t one I’d recommend, despite it claiming to be a five star. I would recommend hotel Rigas Hotel. It is only a 3 star, and we didn’t see the rooms, but the pool area was clean and the staff were great. We walked down to this hotel most days and we ate here twice too; the food was delicious and fresh. The outside area was really pleasant, and inside the hotel was really clean, plus it was really handy for the centre of town. The beach in the town isn’t the best, but there are an abundance of stunning beaches that are easily accessible either by bus or car.

Whilst we were there we took a tour to visit some of the best beaches the island has to offer such as Panormos, Hovolo, Agios Ioannis and Kastani beach, to name a few! Kastani is probably one of the most popular, and the beach here was used in a scene in Mamma Mia due to the crystal waters and white sand. The beach had a great atmosphere with music playing and it had a great bar serving drinks and snacks. On this tour we also visited the church of Agios Iaoannis Kastri, which is also the church featured in Mamma Mia. If you manage to climb the 110 steps carved into the stone in the heat, you’ll witness some of the most unbelievable sights that you’ll ever seen, and that you’ll remember forever. My only disappointment was that the church scenes were not filmed in this (actually really teeny, but stunning) church!

After 4 amazing days on the island of Skopolos, we headed back over to Skiathos where we then stayed in a bed and breakfast Villa Karina, in the resort of Kolios. I highly recommend these gorgeous apartments! The grounds are stunning, the young gentleman who owns it cannot do enough for you, and the rooms are super clean and offers a luxurious stay. The breakfast here was the best I had eaten the entire trip! It’s ideally located just a few minutes’ walk from the beach and a handful of bars and restaurants.

I would have loved to have spent more time in Skiathos, as it had much to offer that I didn’t have time to take advantage of, but I definitely plan to return soon!

To book Skiathos from just £268pp click here