Last year I went to the sunny island of Kos. This fairly large island has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world in my opinion. Even though I don't like sand I do love to watch the sea so sitting by a taverna while the sun sets on the horizon was lovely. Also the beaches weren't too crowded either!
The Hotel I went to Kos with my family including my mam's parents. We stayed in Hermes Hotel in Kefalos which is built into a hill. It isn't a suitable place to take people with walking disabilities. Lots of people complained because of the hill but I found it fairly easy to walk up and down each night after a couple of games of The Alphabet Game (don't ask… my mam's idea). The owners of the hotel were very friendly and even told us our Greek names. We were all amused by our Greek names because they basically stayed the same.
The rooms were basic but very clean, typically Greek, but you only use them as a base.
Watch out for the mad insects cos a centipede tried to attack my brother and a spider spun a web over the door when we were asleep but it was okay cos it was my dad who walked into the web not me. Because we were bed and breakfast we weren't supposed to have alcohol in our room but my mam and dad had a secret stash of Ouzo hidden in mams suitcase. The owners said they weren't insured for alcohol in rooms but my parents didn't believe them but still hid it anyway.
The bar was very comfy and great to relax in on the big squashy sofas that were put outside and inside the bar. I didn't think the bar would be that good but the drinks are cheap and nice with soft drinks for the children. After a long day of doing nothing its great to relax in the bar with a few Ouzos (of course I'm not allowed these because I'm only 14, my parents indulged though)
Next to the bar into the hall is a games room which is great for children to play in or very excited teenagers to try to play in (I don't think the owners were amused when me and my friend tried to make a machine work without money).
The Pool The pool is a great place to go down to every morning and relax on the sun beds all day, occasionally going to the snack bar which is right next to the pool with plenty of seats and tables. The pool has a lot of sun beds, some with cushions and some that don't. I advise going down early to get the comfier sun beds because some people didn't and got the hard ones. One family even complained because a family always had the comfy ones. Ha ha it was us they complained about. It was their own fault because we don't spend half the night partying then waking up at noon like them.
The main town Down from the hotel is a variety of shops and tavernas. There is the commercialised places but also the traditional restaurants. In all of the tavernas I went to - which was quite a lot - there was not a bad one. Also along the sea front is a row of bars which you can take children to and most are not too noisy. My favourite one was a place with a fountain in the middle of the room with little turtles in. Look out for that fountain if you ever go in… the owners try to splash you by turning it on. I found that out the hard way.
Also in the main town is some touristy shops which are great for buying stuff for sunburns, mosquito bites or even if you need protection from the sun. There is also the food shops as well for a bite to eat if your walking around.
Anything extra? There are tenniscourts at the hotel where you can get the tennis racquets from the snack bar if you ask. Me and my friend went to the tennis courts but we found it to hot. I tried barefoot since I was wearing uncomfortable sandals but the ground tried to burn my feet. Do not try that.
There is also a restaurant in the hotel where every Sunday they have a buffet with traditional Greek foods. Me and my family didn't really like the food there so we settled on going down to the tavernas for more authentic Greek food.
There are also very spacious balconies for everyone unless your staying in the downstairs which has a patio. There is a fantastic view from the balconies to a small little island with a church. I don't know if anyone lives there but our Rep told us you can easily just swim to the island and look around.
In conclusion this is a very good hotel to go to and a good resort to go to as well, maybe a bit quiet for some. The only problem I can see people having is the walking up and down the hill to the main town. My grandma and granddad had a hard time with it so I don't want anyone to make the mistake of going if they have walking disabilities or find it hard to walk up hills. Apart from that the hotel is an excellent place to stay. I think it is definitely worth the money and I recommend staying for 14 days to explore a bit more. Or relax more! We paid about £1500 for the fortnight.
Pictures of Hermes Hotel - Kefalos, Kos
Hermes Hotel pool
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