That time I fell in love with Skopelos

I followed Meryl Streep and found nirvana

P Mami

Jan 29, 2024

∙ Paid

Like many of you I’m sure, I fell hard for the movie Mama Mia. It combined three things I didn’t know I adored together until I saw it: ABBA, Meryl Streep and GREECE. The first (Abba) I was already obsessed with and the second two were grown on me as I lined up to the cinema in Toowoomba at least 7-8 times to watch it again. I was 18 years old and it was my gap year between high school and uni and I worked at the Fernwood gym on reception so the movies were a weekly fixture in my life. Every time I went to re experience the few hours of deep trifecta joy, I became equally determined to make it to those islands…one day.

In addition to discovering Abba in 2018, I had also come across Dan Buettner and The Blue Zones - which was just another confirmation that Greece was the right direction to head in. I talk about discovering the work of Dan + The Blue Zones and Ikaria in my book here.

When I did my first trip to Europe, Greece was at the top of the list and at 21 years old, I went all out and did the classic basics. I had won a photography competition for $25,000, because that's the only way a poor uni student can do Europe + move to the United States. I had known that Skiathos and Skopelos were the islands featured in the Mama Mia movie but did the first initial Greece trek that I believe most should do at the start of their adventure to cross them off the list: Mykonos, Santorini, Ios and Paros. Years and trips followed to Naxos, Milos, Ikaria and Samos but eventually I knew I would head North East from Athens to the island scenes that have been in my dreams for years and finally 2023 was the year for Skiathos and Skopelos.

My trip last year was purely a holiday, a real full time DOING NOTHING kind of month. Initially I tried to do the opposite and plan a ‘working holiday’ with partnerships and Pasta Clubs across Europe. Until a friend refused that happening by only having to mention once the lost organ from last years ‘working’ holiday trip in Greece (read the book!!) that didn’t work out. The inner circle put their foot down on P Mami and I was told it was rancho relaxo only, and my intuition instantly screamed that now was the perfect time for some Donna and The Dynamos energy.

I had 12 days total to split between the islands and thankfully a little Google search saved me big time. I can’t tell you exactly what I typed in but it was something along the lines of “what's the difference between Skiathos & Skopelos” to which I was sent to numerous travel chat boards. A few well written posts had mentioned that Skiathos was more touristy and busy (my kryptonite) because it had the airport and more of a nightlife scene, and that Skopelos was more nature and outdoors, slightly quieter but obviously like anywhere in Greece over summer - has tourists. With this in mind, I booked 4 days in Skiathos after flying into the airport and then 8 days in Skopelos as I knew I was looking for a more outdoor environment and less nightlife (my standard practice). I thought 4 days was enough time to experience and see Skiathos…

But shit, you couldn't get me out of there fast enough. I stayed for two days, cancelled my accommodation with no refund on my other two days and went early to Skopelos. With one big and deep breath happening once I arrived. Without any disrespect to my Skiathos-ians or anyone from there, it was not the locals that was hard on my stress but rather the tourists. I don’t know if I arrived on a national holiday or what it was but it was so busy that I felt deeply overwhelmed and stressed whenever I left my hotel.

All the different businesses and restaurants were playing the Mama Mia soundtrack (or other music) out of speakers with different songs/tones and my senses were just trying to make it through the crowds in the heat. The boats lined up every morning to take all the tourists to the swimming spots is lengthy and I don’t think it helped that my accommodation was in town. Right near the music and nightlife going well into the wee mornings. I will be back to try Skiathos again but next time I would get a car and stay on the other side of the island for 4-5 days to explore it properly. My decision to stay close to the tourist buzz in the main port was definitely the error here!

I have spoken to lots of people that have adored this island and some that have felt similar to me so may the internet help you like they did me. With all that mansplaining, that's the reason why you won’t see any Skiathos recs or content because I legitimately stayed in my accommodation until leaving early for Skopelos. But hey, that's the wonderful thing about travel, you can’t and won’t love (straight away) everywhere you visit. Paris and I are still working on our relationship after three goes but we can chat about that another time…

SKOPELOS! Wowza. I fell in love. The same way that I fell in love with Sardinia when I saw it for the first time, the same was here. Many times I whispered to myself: Ima buy a house here, just wait. Another “one day” to the list. It was the perfect mixture of authenticity, quietness, nature and surprise. The simple food experiences were as expected: delicious and the things I whipped up in the kitchen with island produce was the same: delicious. The island is covered in these nearly lime green pine trees, its truly majestic to see the white/blue crystal ocean be lined with such fluro green trees to the waters edge. I pulled the car over multiple times just to get a visual on a stunning scene. One car pull over led me to a restaurant directly on the sand where I ate lunch and swimmed right from my seat after finishing my fried fish.

As per usual I rented a car and split my accommodation on either side of the island so I could explore the different areas. My car rental place gave me a beach map and my accommodation places were near grocery shops so beside the odd roadside stall or bakery trip, Pasta Mama was in the kitchen making something yum from the market - which is half the reason I travel. I would spend the days visiting 1-2 beaches, the afternoons having a nap or watching some trashy reality TV show and then would shop and cook well into the evening. Skopelos the island runs at a slower pace, but not like Ikaria, slightly faster than that. The locals are just wonderful and are the perfect combination of being helpful but giving you space. Both accommodation places were great however it was my sea view apartment on the cliff that really made me happy beyond measure. A tiny town built on a cliff with no car access and if no one told you you’d think it is desolate and empty. But every so often you’d hear an old lady scream ‘Ela ela ela!’ and you’d know you’re not alone.

I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND adding this island to your adventure trip if you are looking for the perfect place to simultaneously explore and wind down with the comforts of local treats and beaches that have everything you need whilst still being quiet-er. I could have stayed for at least a month, which is what happens when I find a place that I love this much but if you are not able to pull four weeks off work, then a solid 5-6 days on this island would suffice and I would absolutely be getting a car to hire. You would fly into Skiathos from Athens and then take a ferry from Skiathos to Skopelos.

Below are some pictures to give you a visual representation of the wonders of Skopelos, and then below that for our paid subscribers are links to the accommodation and some of the beaches + food places I hunted down. I never share them all because half of the fun is exploring things on your own. That's how I find 98% of what I find: curiosity and adventure.

Hope you en-JOY!

With love, chaos & rigatoni

PM xx

P.s. My Mediterranean Pleasure Guide for Sicily, Puglia, Paros + Naxos is here and my guide to Sardinia and Ikaria is in the book :)