Skiathos Truth

The bad and the ugly: 5 things to avoid

Not all is jolly fine in Skiathos..

1. Intensive sunbathing

 Many of the beaches on Skiathos have little natural shade and it’s sensible therefore that beach tavernas make money by renting out sun beds for the day.  What I don’t see as such a great move is pushing them so close together that it’s barely possible to determine whether there’s any sand at all.  I can see how this practice maximises profit, but, like battery farming, you also end up with an inferior product.

2. Samey restaurants  

Again and again, the same type of restaurants crop up across Skiathos, serving serving generic ‘mediterranean cuisine’ with a large number of pizza and pasta dishes alongside more traditional Greek fare.  Just because people are tourists it doesn’t mean they want to be presented with a bland, entirely predictable and distinctly average menu…or then again, perhaps it does.  The food is unlikely to be terrible, but nor is it terribly inspiring.

3. Banana Beach  

A beach party sounds like a good idea in theory, but in its incarnation on Banana Beach left me grimly fascinated as to what would cause people to subject themselves to this.  As much the organisers and the clientele want to give the impression having ‘a great time’, to me it seems a little contrived.  A case study in the consumerisation of the beach.

4. Tat shops

 A staggering array of shops lining Papadiamantis street sell tacky souvenirs ranging from oven gloves to plastic dolphins.  These are where to head if you’re after low quality gifts which will probably break on the way home – otherwise, avoid. 

5. Motorbikes in Skiathos Town  

A motorbike is great for getting around Skiathos in general, but they can be an unnecessary nuisance in the town itself.  It’s a compact place and if everyone walked, it would be quieter and more pleasant for all concerned.

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