Read Your Indulgence

Destinations: Skiathos – Season Two!

February 1, 2017

skiathos
We’re Number Two!

If Mykonos is the king of gay Greece, think of Skiathos as the brat-prince: Totally gunning for the top spot, and with all the allure of a sun-soaked Aegean island…but not the prices.

With an economy twirling its way through what amounts to an out-of-body experience, Greece is pretty much now a nirvana for travelers of every budget. Luxury? Yep! Budget? Youbetcha! Backpack and a prayer? Yessireebob!

And many of the outlying Aegean islands, envious of Mykonos’s economic boom to the point they can’t even see straight, are beginning to see just how lucrative it can be when you actively court the gay travel biz. There are, in fact, several Greek islands pushing themselves hard into the gay travel niche — Milos and Ios are coming on to the gaydar — but if Mykonos has to worry about any of them, Skiathos is Rival #1.

Off the coast of Thessaly in mainland Greece, Skiathos has two things Wired readers will love: an established gay scene and ixnay on the rice-gouging-pay! (at least, as far as island getaways go). Already the budget go-to when Mykonos and Santorini are simply too much for too little, Skiathos came onto the gay scene with the opening of De Facto, the island’s premier gay club, and when Mirki Banana, long a nudist beach, “unofficially evolved” into the gay beach. It’s still low-key compared to the gay-concentrate of Mykonos, but hey, you gotta start somewhere.

Skiathos is, right now, in the rare travel window of being in the process of discovery without yet turning into an overdeveloped tourist-trap. Even a modest budget can still go a respectable distance here, and many of the best aspects of the island — the views, the untouched landscape, the glass-clear water — are free. A little judicious spending and you can have a Greek vacation of the ages and still come out ahead. Hotels like La Piscine and Kassandra Bay trend small and intimate; you get a more authentic Greek experience than internationalized resorts.

 

Like all Greek anything, nightlight in Skiathos (the main town and island have the same name) goes straight to dawn, and a lot of parties, even if you are nowhere near De Facto, will have a gay contingent. Local Skiathans learned years ago that being gay-friendly was good for business, these days, the sentiment is genuine rather than a tacitly-endured trade-off for a better bottom line. Skiathos wants you to come.

How can you resist an invite like that? Contact Steele Luxury Travel to make all of your arrangements to Greece and beyond! https://steeletravel.com