Holiday thoughts and recollections

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Thursday, August 20th, 2009 | Mark | Off topic

As you may know I recently came home from a 1 week holiday on Skiathos, an island in Greece. When you are on holiday and lie at the beach all day long you get a chance to reflect over a lot of things. In my case I managed to write 7 articles mostly about poker but I also had some random thoughts about holidays in general. In addition to sharing these thoughts with you I thought I would also give a general review of Skiathos as a holiday destination combined with some pictures we took during our holiday.

My first thought was spawned when we started comparing what we had seen so far on Skiathos with one of the best holidays we ever had in Croatia. I have come to realize that you should try not to compare the holiday you are presently on to great holidays you have had in the past. You run the risk of belittling your current holiday which can lead to disappointment and regret. In my opinion you should live the moment while you’re on holiday and reflect after you return home.

Also I realized that when you make your holiday budget you should remember to take into account the living expenses you would had at home if you weren’t on holiday. These living expenses should be mentally withdrawn from the amount of money you spend on your holiday.

Granted they are not the best thoughts I have had by a long shot, but hey what do you expect from a lazy beached out brain.

Now on to my review of Skiathos. On the positive side the beaches and weather were great. Crystal clear water combined with sandy beaches fringed with green pine trees make for a great setting. Our favorite beach was Eleni so if you ever have a chance to visit it….do it.

The local buses run every 15 minutes from 8 in the morning to 9 in the evening. With only one main road on the island it is pretty easy to find your way even if you are orientational retarded like me. You can rent both cars, motorbikes, scooters and bicycles on the island but if you stay in a fairly central hotel this isn’t really necessary to get around. If you like tormenting yourself try renting bicycles and take the main road to the beach of your choice.

On the minus side it seems that many businesses on Skiathos have grown accustomed to a steady flow of “fresh” tourists. As a result business is taken for granted and people do not take pride in what they do. In our experience this is especially the case in restaurants. You would have a hard time finding a restaurant in Denmark where the staff does not ask you if everything is to your satisfaction during your meal. On Skiathos however this is pretty common. Therefore if your food sucks, and it will, make sure to let the staff know as soon as possible. You won’t get an opportunity to complain presented to you by the staff on a silver plate.

You may have guessed that we had crappy food served to us on more than one occasion. I would like to take the opportunity to say to the people at Mouragio that the lamb kleftiko I ordered was dry, uninspired and pricey. In addition you took way too long to get us the bill and give us back our change. And why on earth do you put bread on table without informing people that you will bill them for it if they eat it?

To the owner of Mitsa’s house I would like to say that your grilled lamb platter was a f…ng joke. It contained 80% fat and bones and 20% meat. Your rice was dry because it was heated from a frozen mixture and your bread tasted like cardboard. If you lose customers due to this article I will be the happiest man in the world.

If you ever go to Skiathos there is only one restaurant we find worth recommending. Maria’s pizza close to the church near the old harbour. The staff is friendly and attentive and the pizzas and pasta dishes are great!

As for organized tours we found several boat tours of the island. At 20€ they are good value as you get to see all the beaches of Skiathos and swin at some of them as well. If you’re totally beached out consider taking a day trip to the island of Skopelos where the main town is more scenic and less busy than Skiathos. The fare takes 1 hour each way and costs about 24€ in total.

Finally, if you are not a fan on mosquito bites that start out as harmless small spots but then all of a sudden explode into giant mounds of pain, get a room with air condition and keep the doors and windows closed at night. Also do yourself the favor of taking a round of your room before you go to bed and kill any little f…ckers that may have sneaked in.

Old harbour of Skiathos

Mandraki beach

Scenic view on the island of Skopelos

Maria's pizza....best place to eat in Skiathos

A very rare sight of me riding a horse (horses scare the bejesus out of me)

Trying to avoid the bloody mosquitos

Who’s winning and who’s losing

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