Operation Kolios
Meet Theo. He was working at the Skiathos Club while we were staying. As a result of a mix-up with our room on the first night, the manager, Anestes, did his utmost to make up for our inconvenience. On the Saturday morning I enquired about the beaches on the island, requesting some tips about the best to visit. He showed me the photos in the guide book and recommended a few. I spotted one called Kolios, which I had not seen in the holiday brochures. I suggested to Anestes that we should visit there on the following Wednesday and asked how much it would cost for him to take us down.
“No! You go today. This afternoon. We will take you. For nothing.”
And so began our daily excursions to various places of Skiathos. Each trip was designated an “operation” and every day or evening Nikos and Giorgos, the driver, would check which operation would be happening. Today was Operation Kolios!
Our driver to Kolios was Theo, who also arranged to meet us there after he finished work to pick us up. At about 4 pm I was in the sea when I spotted him seated at a table in the taverna. He saw me and waved. So, off we trotted to join him at the table, where he was indulging in his favourite tipple “tsipouro me glykaniso” (fire water with iced aniseed). We sat and he ordered fried whitebait, tsatsiki, salads, chips & bread. It was some feast. Maria, the owner, came to chat as did the man who sorted the sunbeds on the beach. Quite the feast. The tsipouro went down well. Theo was a really good host and it was our first taste of the legendary philoxenia of our holiday. When we finished, we split the bill and Theo took us back to the hotel in his car. We’re still in touch on social media and he’s still on the tsipouro in Volos, where he lives.
The sea is very shallow and safe. Visitors often stand in the water feeding the fish as they approach you. It’s a great place to unwind.
Kolios is a small to medium-sized bay which is sheltered from off-shore breezes. There are a couple of small tavernas at one end and at the other where the boats are anchored is a more luxurious beach bar and beds. There are some small hotels there too. It does not appear busy or over-crowded and the staff at our hotel frequently went there when they had free time.
You can spot other coves in the distance. Many people just wander to other beaches to explore.
When the day is done there is nothing better than to sit on the veranda of the Club and watch the clouds shifting around again. The sky seems to alter there every couple of hours. The view is incredible. It’s what brings many of the guests back.
Down below you can just see the Cassandra Bay Hotel & Suites, a luxury environment where you will pay for your indulgence. I popped in when I had a drink at the Rada Taverna in Vassilias. The waiters were all wearing bow ties in the heat and it was all a tad soulless for my liking, certainly a typical upmarket version of non-Greece as you could get. Vassilias beach doesn’t have great swimming either and the sand is coarse. It’s mainly used for weddings at the Rada.
When you have a view like this and a setting to die for, why stay anywhere else?
After the afternoon snack on the beach, there was only one thing to do.
Time for some wine and mythos at the bar with Nikos and a couple of home-made late evening moussakas.
Settling in nicely. More vodka, Theo?