DESTINATIONS GREECE & CYPRUS | SPORADES
experts ASK THE
“Seeing the Mamma Mia! chapel in Skopelos was great – it’s at the top of a big rock and we climbed all the way up to see it. We even played a clip from the movie to make it come to life. I’d never sell a holiday to Skiathos again without insisting clients also visit Skopelos or Alonissos. There’s so much more to see!” Jeff Watts, branch manager, Tailor Made Travel, Bridgend
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Alonissos; Skopelos Village Hotel; stone houses; Chrissi Millia beach PICTURES: Shutterstock; Ioanna Roufopoulou; Thomas Catterall
“To do just one Greek island is leaving yourself short. We’ve made island-hopping easy with accommodation, transfers, ferry tickets and agents on the ground.
Skopelos is beautiful and relaxing, with amazing hiking and churches.” Jonathan Star, product manager, Olympic Holidays
diving are all on offer here), join the popular Mamma Mia! tours, or if they’re feeling particularly nimble-fingered, enjoy a mini shipbuilding course – it was the major industry before tourism took over in the 1970s.
BOOK IT
Olympic Holidays offers 10 nights’ island-hopping from £1,399 per person, including return flights from Gatwick, transfers and ferries. It includes three nights each at Mandraki Village Boutique Hotel in Skiathos, Skopelos Village Hotel and 4 Epoches Alonissos Hotel, and one night at Bourtzi Hotel, Skiathos. Price based on two adults sharing.
olympicholidays.com
74 9 JANUARY 2020
ALONISSOS The most remote island in the Sporades, Alonissos is surrounded by waters rich in marine life, including dolphins, so areas around the island form part of the protected National Marine Park. There are very few souvenir shops. “People are amazed that something like this still exists,” says my guide and resident, Christina. “This is one of the remaining traditional, unspoilt Greek islands; it hasn’t yet been commercialised.” Pause: Alonissos’ rugged interior – made up of acres of pine trees nestled alongside olive groves, fig and plum trees – carpets everything except its small bays and beaches, creating a feeling of splendid
People are amazed that something like this still exists. It is one of the remaining traditional, unspoilt Greek islands
isolation. There are few cars, and prices in restaurants and shops are low. “People come here for the sheer quiet – to be left to their own devices,” Christina adds. One of the few golden sandy beaches on Alonissos is Chrissi Millia, hidden behind dense forest and reached via a gravel path, making it a gem in the rough. Kokkinokastro and Agios Dimitrios are shingle beaches, best reached by car or moped. Take pictures in the narrow lanes of the Old Town. Most residents lived here until 1965, when an
earthquake flattened many of the old stone houses. Play: The waters around Alonissos contain a number of shipwrecks, and the destination is set to grow in popularity next year as a wreck dating back to 400BC, Peristera, will be opened up for scuba diving. At the information centre in the Old Town, clients can use a virtual-reality headset to feel as if they’re diving there (trippy but cool!), from €3. TW
fast fact Ferries between
Skiathos, Skopelos and Alonissos operate daily May-October for €6-11 each way, and take up to 90 minutes.
travelweekly.co.uk
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