Skiathos has a completely different vibe to its near neighbour Skopelos – much more crowded, less laid back, more commercial. However, it is not without some charm.
There are white painted buildings, a meandering maze of pretty laneways, a profusion of bougainvillea and night jasmine, and tavernas, cafes and bars literally at every turn.
There are restaurants on the waterfront where patrons and passers by can admire boats ranging from quite small cruising sailboats to super yachts tied up to the harbour wall, sparkling in the sun.
Two of those yachts – Catabella and Sea Pony – belong to our travel buddies – a necessary but not necessarily preferred option as the crew of Sea Pony includes a four month old baby and two very white and fluffy Samoyed dogs.
We decided to anchor close by in the bay around the headland called Seferi Beach. It was thankfully quiet and most of the time away from the swell created by the regular ferry service.
One day however, the ferry captain must have been new or in a particularly pernickity mood as he came roaring into port at 14 knots creating a bow wave that sent our normally very stable catamaran into paroxysms – sending cups, bowls and glasses into the sink causing mayhem and some breakages. The bow wave crashed to the shore and came back towards us like a mini tsunami to give us another shake up!
We heard later that he had been reported and subsequent ferries came in far more sedately.
Sue and John on Catabella had a couple of guests Mary and Hilde, so they left to take them on a little tour of nearby islands. Sea Pony and Sunday stayed in Skiathos – the former to visit a local paediatrician to get baby vaccinations and Sunday to wait the arrival of our great niece Molly who was flying in from London in a few days time.
We filled the time pleasantly stocking up on food again, cooking and cleaning and catching up via video calls with our family. A couple of times we took Sea Pony’s canine crew for a walk.
On one of our strolls we decided to stop for coffee (and water for the dogs) at a little cafe built on the site of an old windmill.
The cafe was quite close to the airport and we shouldn’t have been surprised at the level of noise caused by aircraft coming in to land. However, the planes coming in were so low you could almost see the face of the pilot as they skimmed over the roof of the cafe!
I imagine the island and that cafe in particular would be a plane spotters dream.
The day of Molly’s arrival we decided to walk from the beach where we parked our dinghy to the airport. We left loads of time to get there which was just as well as we got thoroughly lost in the labyrinth of laneways.
When we finally emerged at the quay we heaved a joint sigh of relief as we both (but Jonathan especially) find crowds and hubbub uncomfortable.
We arrived at the top of the landing strip in good time and as instructed by Google maps, took the right hand fork in the road. This was counter intuitive as we could see what we thought (correctly) was the terminal building to the left.
We walked on the road for the entire length of the runway and at the end turned left as per instructions from Google Maps. There were some old buildings, a few cute puppies came out to greet us but it was otherwise deserted. We continued down a lane – nothing there but an old caravan, a mass of weeds and the terminal building taunting us from a distance!
Just as we were getting worried about being late to meet Molly, we received a message to say her flight had been delayed, probably for an hour. Relieved, we trudged back the way we had walked and this time took the left hand fork in the road Not long after, Molly arrived – fortunately she was first off the plane as there were only a couple of taxis lined up to take arriving passengers (it was a tiny propeller plane so there wouldn’t have been many needing taxis I guess).
Safely back at the beach after being driven by a total maniac, we loaded her luggage and ourselves aboard the dinghy for a more sedate ride back to Sunday.
It was a perfect night for Molly to arrive as there was a full moon and completely calm sea. It was going to be a tranquil night – something Molly was in much need of as she was about to complete her first year of working in a busy hospital on the outskirts of London as a junior doctor. She had arrived in dire need of rest and relaxation as she was absolutely exhausted!
The next day we set off in the late morning heading for Alonnisos. Sue and John had found a quiet little cove where we could all take it easy for a while.
After a good sail we arrived at Milia Beach – a gorgeous cove with translucent turquoise water and cliffs covered in pine trees rising up from the rocky shore.
While we went for walk with Sue and John from Catabella, Molly rested and sun baked on our foredeck.
Later we took a taxi up to the old town (the chora) which used to be the capital of Alonnisos before an earthquake hit in 1965.
There was so much damage that the residents abandoned the town and it lay empty until the 1980s when people started buying up properties and brought life back to this lovely place.
Now the chora is a colourful, vibrant village with narrow alleyways, gorgeous houses, loads of restaurants and views to die for.
Perched high up 200 metres above sea level it is cooled by wonderful sea breezes.
Unfortunately it was quite a cool evening and none of us brought anything warm to put on. Fortunately the restaurant we stopped at provided blankets for us to snuggle under while we ate dinner.
It was completely dark when we arrived back in the beach but luckily there were a few lights left on at the beach bar so we were able to find the way to our dinghies without too much trouble.
A real treat was in store for Sue, Molly and I, for we had booked in to the Armani (means “peace” in Swahili) 180 Spa up in the hinterland of Alonnisos.
Owned and managed by the delightful Wood family, originally from Zimbabwe, the spa is just gorgeous and the care they give their guests is absolutely first rate.
Luke, one of the sons, came to pick us up from the beach and drove us the short way to the property which was beautifully designed with an African theme (for example, the massage room was built in the style of an African safari tent).
We had a wonderful day relaxing on sun beds, having excellent massages, gazing at the glorious view and swimming in the infinity pool. We could have had a sauna and cold jacuzzi if we’d wanted but couldn’t tear ourselves away from the beautiful pool area.
Around lunch time, we ate some delicious food organised by another son, Justin. The food was beautifully presented and we really enjoyed every last mouthful.
We couldn’t have wished for a more heavenly way to start Molly’s week of rest and relaxation – in fact just what the doctor ordered!
Salty tales from Bali Hai on Sunday 
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