"Quiet and Unspoilt" Skopelos by jamie_uk

How do you choose which Greek Island to visit, there are thousands of em ?!
I spent hours on VT and Trip Advisor, and finally decided on Skopelos because it looks beautiful, and it is not over-run with northern Europeans.

I was not disappointed, it is really a lovely place, with loads of greenery which I prefer to the lunar landscapes of some of the other Greek islands.
Also, there is just the right amount of tourist development - you can get what you need, but there are no 'egg and chip' restaurants and timeshare salesmen.
It's quite easy to get to as well, you can fly to Skiathos with the masses, then get on a ferry that takes less than an hour to reach Skopelos.

Olive groves near Stafilos

Skopelos is such a small place, there are really only a handful of options.
Here are the main ones:

1. Skopelos Town - the main port and the only sizeable place on the island. If you want to be close to restaurants, shops etc. then you should stay here. There are no proper beaches near the town though. As busy as it gets on this island, but still pretty sleepy. Very picturesque.

2. Stafilos - quite developed area about 5 km from Skopelos town, with 2 beaches that are very popular. A couple of tavernas and quite a few hotels / apartments.

3. Panormos - another quite developed area, with a really nice beach and lots of restaurants, boat rental places, and the only 'proper' hotel on the island (Panormos Beach).

4. Agnontas - Small cluster of restaurants and houses right on the beach, with a natural harbour. Very picturesque, the beach is tiny though.

5. Limnonari - just a couple of tavernas and apartments, this place is down a dead-end road so is very quiet. It was my favourite beach on the island I think, big cliffs each side.

• Pros:Lovely scenery and beaches, unspoilt, quiet
• Cons:Nasty insects, too darn hot in July !