Skiathos or Olu Deniz

vermas

I have narrowed down my holiday on middle of May to one of these two- me my wife and 3 year old son

want to go somewhere where we can stay in a nice hotel, good beaches but also go on day excursions nearby, experience local life, and also somewhere with some really nice scenery and natural landscape

have been to cyprus paphos before and liked that atmosphere

what would people recommend all round for a good relaxed holiday in beautiful surroundings

amazamum

We went to Skiathos 6 years ago on our honeymoon + really enjoyed it,would go again,although some bits can be a bit hilly but very beautiful.
Enjoy your holiday wherever you decide

creased-leach

Skiathos is stunning, but will be much, much busier until the Mamma Mia effect wears off. Food there is a little bland compared to some Greek Islands though.

HTH

basill

Been to Skiathos a several times, we always stayed at Troulos which is fairly quiet with a few tavernas, a noisy bar plus a decent beach.
I drive quite enough at home so really appreciated the bus service.. Most of the resort areas are spread along the coast between the Banana Beach (naked germans!) and Skiathos Town. There really is a place to suit pretty much anyone along this stretch.
The buses run up and down this road very regularly and cost buttons. So a change of scenery or a change of breakfast establishment is easy. They do get a bit crowded at sundown and late at night but Greek taxis are cheap enough if you get stuck.
I think Skiathos town is nice too you can sit by the water, up a cheaper backstreet, eat, drink and relax.
Even the airport is quite fun as it must be one of the shortest Greek runways going!

Skiathos is already a popular island but the Euromight counterbalance the Mama Mia effect. In any case if you are travelling in May it should not be too busy then.

B

stw48

Olu Deniz is a nice area but not the best in Turkey. The beach is OK but when you want to get into the sea it is quite rocky for a short distance. The blue lagoon is not that special either, my wife thought it quite dirty. We went in August and I have to say that occasionally there was a distinct sewage smell, this may have been a short term problem when we were there.

simmey

We have stayed both places.

Stayed in Hisaronu, just up the hill from Olu Deniz in Turkey, we really enjoyed the holiday, although it was a long time ago and things change, Hisaronu was then a very small village (I believe it is now quite built up), we used to get the dolmus down into Olu Deniz during the day to go to the lovely beaches. Olu Deniz seemed very quiet then, not much to do apart from the beach and a few hotels. You will be able to get the dolmus to Hisaronu and to Fethiya which is quite a large harbour town with pleanty of shops and places to eat.

Skiathos is lovely, one of my favourite Greek Islands, we stayed in Skiathos Town, there are some wonderful restraunts and bars and there is a great, reliable bus service that takes you some other resorts and beaches. We did find Skiathos to be one of the most expensive Greek islands we have visited for drinks but also had some of the trendiest bars ,

Of the two choices I would choose Skiathos.

But - have you considered Thassos, it's very close to Skiathos and in my opinion, the best Greek island after Corfu. Very family friendly, clean and cheep, we stayed in Thassos Town twice and would return again.

Pollycat

We stayed in Kolios in Skiathos a few years ago and loved it.
We're going back in a couple of weeks time.

However, we found it to be more expensive to eat out than other places in Greece - Corfu, Zante and Lesvos.

dorsetjohn_3

Skiathos with out a doubt . Stay in the resort of Koukanaries . Beach is unbelievable

miamoo

As you are going mid May I would choose Turkey, as the weather is more reliable at that time of year. You can check on Wunderground for the weather history for the dates you are travelling.

vermas

I have decided I will probably fly to athens spend 2 days there and then drive to skiathos

how long do i need in athens- is 1 day / 2 nights enough to see the main sights?

Pollycat

As you originally said you were going for a week
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1630957
and thought that

getting to some of the islands looks difficult

your plan doesn't seem to make things easy for you. I'm not sure that a few days sightseeing in Athens then driving to Skiathos will give you the

good relaxed holiday

that you were originally looking for.