Skopelos, an Unspoiled Isle in the Central Aegean

SKOPELOS, Greece —  For most tourists, there are four Greek islands: Mykonos, Rhodes and Santorini in the Aegean Sea, and Corfu in the Ionian Sea. These are the islands the tours and cruises visit, and the ones usually featured in advertising and promotional brochures.

But the most famous islands are not necessarily the best ones (partly because they are so famous). To experience the true island life, you should avoid the cruise routes and head for places like Thasos, Zakynthos or Patmos.

The best Greek island, in one man’s opinion, is part of the Sporades Islands in the central Aegean Sea, east of Volos. Its name is Skopelos, and for 12 years it has been my summer home and the highlight of Greece for the hundreds of Americans I’ve taken there on tours.

Like the other Sporadeses, Skopelos is mountainous and pine-covered, with dozens of marvelous beaches and picturesque coves and villages. It is visited during the summer by many knowledgeable tourists from around the world, but fortunately it remains unspoiled by mass tourism and commercialism.

Single Paved Road

Skopelos is a big island, about 40 miles long and 5 to 12 miles wide. A single paved road runs from Glossa, an elevated village on the west coast, to the main town, also called Skopelos, on the northeast side of the island.

Ferryboats stop at both towns, but there is little to do in Glossa so most people come directly to Skopelos.

In a circular harbor backed by mountains, the town rises steeply from the water. The first impression as you enter the harbor is of a huge layer cake: The bottom layer is the waterfront--half a mile of restaurants, shops and cafes almost hidden by the green of mulberry and plane trees. Above it, layers of whitewashed houses with red-tile roofs and brightly colored shutters seem to be piled on top of one another.

Skopelos has several nice hotels. My favorites are the Eleni and the Denise ($25-$35 double occupancy). Others include the Prince Staphylos, Amalia and a group of condominium-type units called Skopelos Village (the latter three range in price from $35 to $60).

Most people, especially the younger and more adventurous, stay in apartments and pensions (domatia) in the town ($10-$20 double), which they rent either from the two tourist agencies at the ferry landing or from the landladies who ask all newcomers if they need a room.

There is very little difference between rooms in the town or in the hotels. If you want quiet and hot water (probably), choose the hotel; if you want to meet people, share the life of the town and take a chance on hot water, stay in a pension.

Five Days or More

Don’t come to Skopelos for one or two days. If you want the experience to be worth the travel, plan on staying five days or longer if possible. It takes at least two days to explore the town and get to know people, and there are countless things to do and see outside the town.

After the hotel’s continental breakfast or the Greek coffee your landlady makes you drink, go to the Platanos Cafe at the north end of the waterfront for a real breakfast.

Sitting outside under an enormous plane tree a few feet from the water, you can watch fishermen mend their nets as yachts and sailboats come and go, while you sample a French omelet or yogurt with honey and fruit.

The young owners of the Platanos are Vassilis and Danielle, his French wife, and their cooking and conversation (in English) are both superb.

During breakfast you’ll meet old friends, make new ones and plan the rest of the day. Morning is a good time for shopping and wandering through town. It’s cool, everything is open, and everyone, it seems, is active.

A dozen boutiques and art stores are strung along the waterfront, selling everything from typical tourist goods (T-shirts, snorkels, etc.) to handmade jewelry and exquisite objets d’art.

One of the most interesting is the shop of Kostas and Voula Kalafatis. Kostas is a jazz musician well known for his recordings of traditional rebetika music. He and his wife spend the winters making clothing, paintings and jewelry to sell in their shop along with hand-painted Skyros pottery.

Winding Mountain Road

Around noon, take a bus (25 cents) or a taxi ($3 for one to four persons) to Agnontas, a tiny fishing village about six miles from Skopelos. The trip offers one of the most beautiful sights in Greece as the mountain road winds through pine forests high above Stafylos Bay, a large crescent named for a prince of Crete who, according to legend, colonized Skopelos during the Bronze Age, about 1500 BC.

Agnontas is deep within a cliff-lined inlet. It consists of a few houses and three waterfront restaurants serving fresh fish, lobster, calamari and langostino.

After lunch you can swim at one of the nearby beaches or return to Stafylos Bay, whose attractions include not only an enormous sandy beach and a taverna on the hillside with a breathtaking view (where fishermen sing and drink their profits from last night’s catch), but also one of the largest and most scenic nude beaches in the Aegean.

After swimming, take a bus or taxi back to Skopelos or--if you’ve imbibed with the fishermen and need a little exercise--walk back on the downhill road, winding through olive groves.

In the evening, everyone descends on the waterfront. You can eat souvlaki (a Greek shish kebab) , steak or lamb at Ioannis, rotisserie chicken or pork at Spiros, or pizza at the Sirene.

The chef at Sirene, another Kostas, learned his trade when he deserted the freighter he was on to go work at a restaurant in the Bronx; he stayed 10 years, and in honor of the experience he named one of his sons Bronx.

Beautiful at Night

The waterfront is even more beautiful at night. Sitting under the plane trees amid the colorful awnings and lanterns, you can watch the fishing boats go out for their night’s work and the moon rise above the mountain across the harbor.

For a rare treat, go about two miles out of town to the Terpsis restaurant, where a jovial woman named Nina, along with her son Dimitris, prepare a famous dish: roast chicken stuffed with honey, pine nuts and other ingredients that Nina won’t reveal.

You have to order your chicken a day ahead, but it’s worth it; I’ve heard many people say that a meal at Terpsis is worth the trip to Greece by itself.

After dinner, people head for the half-dozen zaharoplastia (dessert and coffee shops) because no respectable Greek restaurant serves either of those. By the time the coffee is drunk, it’s 11 or 11:30, but the evening has just begun. There are eight or nine places for drinks and/or entertainment in town (the best is the Platanos, where you had breakfast; it becomes a jazz bar at night).

If you want to see and take part in Greek dancing and music, climb to the Kastro at the top of the town. The location provides a spectacular view of the harbor and (this may be even more important) you can’t get lost in the town’s maze on your way home, as every path and road leads back down to the waterfront.

The music and dancing here are real, unlike the canned shows at the Plaka in Athens or the tourist islands, and, whatever your aptitude or sobriety, you’ll soon find yourself dancing and breaking dishes with your new friends.

These are just a few of the attractions of Skopelos. I could go on forever about its beauty and wealth of activities, or how wonderful it is even to do nothing in such an enchanting place.

The only crime in the islanders’ recent memory involves the town plumber, who several years ago had a little too much retsina and disturbed his neighbors with enthusiastic singing. The town council met to consider whether a brief stay in jail might induce him to mend his ways. But the nearest jail was on the mainland and they didn’t want the town to be without a plumber, so they were forced to release him with a reprimand.

He sang again that very night.

But the chief attraction of this island is its people, whose warmth and friendliness soon make Skopelos seem like a second home, not an anonymous stop on a five-day cruise. Skopelos is not so much a place to go as it is a place to return to.

From Athens you can fly on Olympic Airways (four to six flights daily in summer, about $25) to the island of Skiathos, an hour and a half from Skopelos by ferry.

Or you can take a bus north from Athens to Agios Konstantinos (two hours) and the ferry from there to Skiathos (four hours), Skopelos (5 1/2 hours) or Alonnisos (seven hours). The combined bus and boat tickets cost about $15 and may be bought at Alkyon Tours, the ship company’s agent just off Omonia Square in central Athens.

In 1985, hydrofoil service was begun from Agios Konstantinos to the Sporades Islands; the hydrofoil takes half as long as the boat, costs twice as much, and bookings are made in the same way.

If you have time, fly one way and take the bus and ferry the other way. The boat trip is long, but it’s an adventure.

For more information on Skopelos and other Greek islands, contact the Greek National Tourist Organization, 611 W. 6th St., Suite 1998, Los Angeles 90017; (213) 626-6696.