The pelion region of Greece is a few hours north of Athens and a short hop away from the island of Skiathos. It's served by a military airport called Volos and this has it's disadvantages because it closes early which means that if a commercial flight is late it may have to be postponed till the next day! This nearly happened to me and my companion but luckily we weren't that late so we didn't miss our window.
The journey from Volos airport to our destination took a good 2 hours plus, the destination being 'Katiogoris' which is on the south west of that pennisula, the journey there however is spectacular and takes you over wooded moutains and through traditional villages.
The resort itself is very small and very quiet (three tavernas and no bank etc) it has good walks and great views out to Skiathos, on the second day we managed to get one of the local fishermen to take us to Skiathos in his speed boat, it cost about 15 pounds and took about 10 minutes, Skiathos is too be avoided in my opinion, the main town is ok for a few hours but has succumbed to tourism in a big way, the beaches it has to be said were better than Katiorgis but inevitably quite crowded, Skiathos is by no means the worst place in Greece and i only saw the south/south east side of it very briefly.
Back on the mainland i found the locals not that friendly, i think they are a bit wary of opening up their region to mass tourism, 'Tapestry' the holiday company we travelled there with have an upmarket reputation and are quite dear, but we did get a deal which was nearly half price and well worth it if you are a regular 'off the beaten track traveller'who can travel without much notice.
There are lots of little beaches further up the pennisula to be explored and lots of stunning coastline along which sit the odd rented villa/house for the more discerning European/Greek visitor.
Don't go to the Pelion if you are expecting English bars, Clubs, Trinket Shops, Very hot weather, Live Sky Sports, limited conversation about what Corfu was like last year.
Go if you want to see somewhere that will probably change drastically in the next few years, for lots of walking, to read/write, to try and learn a bit of Greek, rugged coastline, good local food.
I have been to Greece quite a few times and although the Pelion is more desirable than some of the islands i've been to i did find the Peloponesse warmer and more interesting in a cultural sense.
Happy Holidays.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
NH Hotels, the hotel chain leader in Europe, with more than 300 hotels in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Enter into our web site and find the best available tariff at all times
Jan 9th, 2003
very helpful by (80%):
helpful by (20%):
