This was the first time that I have been to anywhere in Greece as I have only been to Spain. On this ocassion, I decided a change of scenery and went to Kardemena in Kos with Thomson Travel.
I went last year on the 9th of June to celabrate my 21st birthday in style for a two week holiday so I had the last week of mid season and the first week of high season. Between the two weeks of being there, there was a big difference with the amount of people. As I went before peak season, the shops were giving offers to encourage people to spend their money and the atmosphere was great to say the least (bearing in mind it was not terribly busy), but as soon as the first week of high season came in, there was a great influx of tourists, and this is when the holiday changed. The atmosphere around Kardamena was outstanding, words cannot explain the atmosphere.
All the pubs, bars, clubs, the beach litteratly everywhere was busy, and the sense of excitment and enjoyment could be felt everywhere. I think that this was partly due to England playing at the time and in every pub, there was a big screen showing England. What is good about Kardamena, there are very few foreingers, as everyone is mainly British.
During the day, there was plenty to do all the time, wether you like to dine, sleep, being active, or sight seeing. I did a mixture of all these.
If you are a watersports person, you will enjoy this location as there is jet skiing, bannana boat, and every other watersport you can think of. As far as the sleep goes, I slept on the beach in full sun (to which you should not do expecially during the time of a heat wave), but suprisingly did not burn, but there was a lot of burnt people. I am quite hard skined when it comes to the sun, but I was still wearing factor 15 as the sun was very strong in the area.
The beach is ok in places with clean water and sand. There are parts where the sand is pebbley, but mainly sandy. If you are on a lilow, or any other inflatable, then be carefull as the wind is strong if you go out too far, and of those that ae doing water sports.
There are a lot of day trips that you can do to other islands and countries. These are highly recommended to do, but are cheaper from the beach front for the same trip.
When it comes to dining, try everywhere as all food costs about the same and you get about the same amount in servings. The only difference is the style of cooking and the taste.
There are no safe deposit boxes in the appartment that I stayed in, nor were there any in other hotels, but there are little shops where you can store your belongings away and you have access to it about 20 hours a day. This service does not cost anything, but the only catch is that you have to change you currency there.
The accomodation is very basic in Kos, and I mean basic. All you have is a bathroom with the usual amenities, but the kitchen is basically two rings (one big, one small), and a fridge, then you sleeping area. It is advisable to take a repellent with you. We did not see any insects, but my friends by morning had bites over them.
Overal, this is a highly recommended place for those that like an active holiday or a lazy holiday, but it is advisable to go to Kardamena. Kos town did not seam that attractive or much there, apart from the nightlife (which it is recommended to go on the companys pub crawl there).
This is a good choice for anyone that likes a good time. (personally, I did not want to leave there as I was having too much of a good time.) I enjoyed the island so much, that I am going to both Corfu and Crete this year.
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Advantages: Great Holiday, Cheap items to buy!, had a fantastic holiday! Disadvantages: Hard to find certain places, people weren't as friendly as they could of been!
Laura_Elliott 09.09.2002 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Kos (Greece)
Advantages: cheap to eat out, nice weather and clear blue sea and plenty of water sports Disadvantages: People of Kos don't seem to like tourists, Windy
carinajones 20.08.2003 (20.08.2003)
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Review of Kos (Greece)
Advantages: Good weather. Plenty of good beaches. Small enough to explore. Friendly locals. ferries available for 'Island Hopping' Disadvantages: Nightmare Airport. Queues are the norm even for night flights. High season main beaches get very crowded. Limited cuisine. Not for those seeking 4 /5 Star Hotel standards
peterpansfriend 07.11.2004 ·
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Review of Kos (Greece)
Feb 25th, 2001
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