Tempted? (Kos)

Member Name: richy77

Product:	Kos
Date:	04/07/01 (1175 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Excellent scenery, Nice people, Easy to get to places

Disadvantages: Very average food

I have recently come back from a week’s holiday to Kos. I was so impressed with my holiday that I decided to write an opinion and share it with everyone. Hopefully by the end of this review you will be impressed with Kos and will think about taking a holiday there soon.

Kos is the second largest Island in the Dodecanese. The largest is Rhodes. The population is roughly about 27,000, which is increased considerably in the summer with tourists. The journey from the UK is about 4 hours by plane.

The Airport

Kos Airport is a new but basic airport, which is only really used for tourists. The staff are very laid back and security did not seem as tight as other European Airports. If I were truthful I would have to say that I was disappointed with this Greek Airport. The check in tills are situated at the front of the airport which is normal, however they don’t have enough room to cater for all the tourists and large queues form outside the airport. The departure lounge is very small as well with very few shops to keep you occupied. I was leaving Kos at the same time as the recent strikes in Palma so my plane was delayed by an hour. Due to all the late flights there were probably too many people in the departure lounge and meant that many people were left standing for a long time. The airport also didn’t seem to keep its customers in touch with what was happening.

The Island

Kos is a very beautiful Island. It has something for everyone. If you are after a quiet lazy holiday by the beach or pool then you will find plenty of accommodation to suit your needs. There are also busier places on the Island like the capital Kos Town.
I stayed in a place called Tingaki, which was only 12km away from Kos Town. Tingaki is right next to the sea and there are plenty of small beaches for you to sunbathe. There is also a very good bus service, which goes into the main area of Tingaki and then onto Kos Town. The price of t
he bus is very reasonable and they run on time, which is an area where we can learn from the Greeks!

Kos Town as mentioned earlier is the capital of the Island. It is situated on the north coast and the main area is around the harbour. At night it is a wonderful sight. The main bars and restaurants look out on the Harbour and it is a very romantic place to take your loved one. There are also plenty of restaurants and shops situated around Kos Town. Places to see in Kos Town include the castle, which was built in 1514. It is not your typical castle and is basically ruins. There are also museums to see. Kos Town also has Europe’s largest tree. The tree is so big that it actually needs scaffolding to hold it up! As mentioned before Kos Town is situated around the harbour and there are many boats, which offer trips to different Greek Islands and even Turkey. At night there are people standing outside the boats offering you trips for the next day. One little warning about Kos Town is that there is quite a lot of traffic and some of the drivers are a little mad to say the least. Most of the youngsters (and some of the older Greek people) drive little scooters.

Other areas of the Island, which are worth seeing included Zia, Kardhamena and Kefalos. Zia is a very beautiful place, which is situated on one of the main mountains. At night many tourists visit this place because it has a beautiful view. There are many restaurants there and you can sit in some of them and watch the sun setting over Kos. A very romantic place, which I am sure, the ladies would love! Kardhamena is completely different and has been described as the Greek version of Blackpool. It is very lively and is full of young people. The place does not get going till about 9pm and goes on all night.

Trips

The Island doesn’t offer many trips within the Island. Most of the trips involved going to different Islands or Country in the case of Turkey.

I went
on the Turkey trip, which involves taking a boat trip to a place called Bodrum. Bodrum is about an hour away from Kos Town on boat. Due to it being a different country and not being in the EC it is best to try and arrange this trip with your travel operator. I went on this trip with Airtours and it was very well organised. Passports are needed for this trip. Bodrum is a Turkey market town really with plenty of shops selling fake gear. You name it and they have it. You have to barter for items, which can get a little interesting. Before we went we were told to look after our personal items and theft is quite popular there. Also Turkey is a little hotter than Greece so taking lots of sun tan cream is recommended. The Turkey trip is definitely worth considering, as it was certainly an eye opener!

The other trip that I went on was to the Island of Kalymnos which is the third biggest Island being Kos and Rhodes. It is well known for it sponges which are exported all around the world. It is definitely worth purchasing one from here, as they are much cheaper than back in the UK. Visiting the Island is very interesting. There are lots of old ladies dressed all in black. These ladies are mourning the death of their husbands, which died diving for sponges. Seeing all these ladies makes you realise how dangerous is used to be.

Accommodation

When I arrived in Kos we were immediately told that Greek accommodation is very basic to say the least. I actually found out apartments to be very nice. Yes some of the facilities were basic but they were very clean. The main problem seems to be that you cannot flush toilet paper down the toilet. All toilet paper has to be put in a bin next to the toilet. As you can imagine this was a little bit of a culture shock. Otherwise I found the accommodation very acceptable. My apartments had an excellent Swimming Pool and bar. There was also a very convient shop, which was useful for little bits and pieces. Just for r
eference I stayed in the Irina Beach Apartments.

Restaurants and the Food

I would like to report that I was impressed with the food in Kos but I have to admit that it was one of the main areas that was a let down. Most of the restaurants in Kos have exactly the same menu and layout. Well that it not a problem but most of the restaurants serve exactly the same food. Also during my week in Kos I got food poisoning and was ill for a couple of days. I am not sure what caused it but I never went back to the restaurant. Towards the end of the holiday we found ourselves looking for some different alternative restaurants like Chinese and Mexican. They proved to be nicer.

The food in Greece is a mixture of some Traditional Greek dishes like Mousakka and Saganarki (not sure if these are spelt correctly!) and Tourist foods like Steak and Chicken.

The waiters were very funny to watch. In most places there is a waiter who stands outside and tries to get people to go into the restaurants for food or drink. At first this was a novelty and seemed nice but after a while it got annoying being hassled by waiters at every restaurant. All the waiters speak very good English so you are almost guaranteed to get what you ordered. I keep saying Waiters and that is deliberate as there were very few Waitresses in Kos. This is a little bit of a disappointment for us men but never mind.

The Greek People.

Greek People are very laid back and relaxed. Life is so much calmer there and the people seemed to have no worries. Most Greeks speak very good English. It seems that lots of them either go to American or places like Australia during the winter to meet relatives and to brush up on their English. They seemed to be very grateful for tourists and they are very friendly.

Overall

I chose Kos as a holiday venue because I wanted a very relaxing break. I really enjoyed my time on the Island and would definitely go back. The peop
le are very friendly and there is plenty to keep you entertained. As the Island is not very big getting around it is relatively easy.

My only disappointment as mentioned before was the food. I went not expecting much from a holiday island but even then I was disappointed. My tip would be to try one of them and if you are not impressed then try looking for some Chinese or other types of restaurants.

Overall Kos is a very beautiful Island and a perfect place for a holiday. What are you waiting for? Go and book yourself a holiday. You know you want too!!

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