Skiathos holidays

Skiathos is one of the greenest islands in Greece, and many of its 60-plus beaches have pine forest backdrops. The beaches in the south of the island, where all the main holiday resorts are, have a lot more facilities than the ones in the north, but they’re also much busier.

Troulos’ pale stretch of sand comes with an endless supply of tavernas and cafés, and there’s an equally long list of watersports on offer by the water’s edge. If you fancy a change from the beach, there are a few hotels behind the sands with sea-facing swimming pools, and some will let you drop by for a swim if you buy something from the pool bar.

Follow the dirt track from Agia Eleni Beach in Koukounaries for about 15 minutes, and you’ll come to a steep path that snakes down to the tucked-away bay of Kryfi Ammoudia. Few people know about this sandy expanse, so it’s perfect if you want to escape the crowds. There’s just one little taverna here, serving a few Greek dishes against a backdrop of surfing and fishing memorabilia.

The narrow side roads splintering off from Papadiamantis Street in Skiathos Town are great for bargain-hunting. Take a wander, and you’ll stumble upon dinky stores selling traditional souvenirs like pottery, embroidered linen and jars of honey. There are independent shops offering the same kind of buys in the more touristy towns, like Kolios and Troulos, too.

If you want to take home something a bit special, pay a visit to the Monastery of Evangelistrias. The convent is less than a 10-minute drive from Skiathos Town and, aside from being a beautiful place to look around, it stocks quality bottles of wine. The plonk is made by the monks who live here, and it’s great value for money.

For serious splurging, Skiathos Town’s main shopping drag, Papadiamantis Street, has a brilliant selection of retail outlets, ranging from designer boutiques to local fashion shops. It’s also good for electrical buys and bespoke crafts.

Achladies Bay moves to a sleepy rhythm after dark, with just a scattering of restaurants and bars for entertainment. The best ones line up along the beach, and the menus major in fresh seafood. Dine along here, and you can look out over the sea and the island of Skopelos in the distance. Alternatively, spend an evening in Skiathos Town, where there’s an open-air cinema showing old favourites and new releases in English.

Skiathos Town is the party animal in these parts. For the best choice of hangouts, head for what’s known as Bar Street, just off Papadiamanti Street, or make a beeline for the disco strip, which runs east along the coast. Both offer up a swarm of busy music bars and clubs that don’t shut until the sun wakes up. Elsewhere on the seafront, you’ll find trendy jazz spots and cocktail lounges with bean bags and cushioned wicker sofas that spill out onto the street.

Saganaki is deep-fried Greek cheese. In Skiathos, salty kefalotyri and creamy kasseri are the cheeses of choice, and they’re fried until they’re sizzling. Once cooked, they tend to be served on their own or in fresh salads. You can pick them up on street stalls, too, where they’re covered in a crispy pastry coating.

Skiathos inherited this recipe from its sister island, Skopelos. It’s not actually a pie – instead, it’s more like a deep-fried spiral of dough, which is stuffed with soft and crumbly goats’ cheese. Look out for other varieties of the product, including ones with spinach and wild vegetables added to the filling.

This is the Greek version of a Turkish doner kebab. Pieces of meat are cooked on a vertical spit, and then stuffed into a pitta with onions, tomatoes and creamy tzatziki sauce. Traditionally, pork or lamb is used, but in Skiathos, veal and chicken versions are ripe. Some types also come with potatoes.

These chewy almond cookies are really moreish. To make them, blanched nuts are ground into a flour-like consistency, and then combined with sugar and orange blossom water to make a biscuit that looks a lot like a macaroon. You can get ribbon-tied boxes of amygdalota from most Greek bakeries, and they make great souvenirs.

If you want to impress the locals, order this after-dinner tipple instead of a glass of ouzo. It’s thought tsipouro dates back to the 14th century and, while ouzo is given an aniseed flavour, this is a pure grape distillate, similar to Italian grappa. Take note, though – it’s stronger than its liquorice-like counterpart.