Last month, my friend Annelie and I jetted off for a few days in the glorious Greek sunshine to the island of Kos. We had both been to Greece (Annelie used to live there) but neither of us had been to Kos before now. It was a few days to forget about work, soak up the sun, explore a little and of course enjoy plenty of cocktails and delicious Greek food. Here are some of my recommendations if you are planning a trip.
WHERE TO STAY?
We bagged ourself a great deal back in February and ended up staying at the Lango Design Hotel: an uber modern and chic adults-only hotel right in front of Lambi beach. Housing only 64 rooms, it was so luxe and beautiful and in general the optimal base for our break. From getting afternoon treats by the pool, great iced coffee and breakfast to the view of Turkey from the outside veranda where we would sit with an iced G&T. It was only open for about a month before we arrived, hence us getting an incredible price. It was a bit of a gamble but it worked out that we hit the jackpot. Top tip is to grab your free welcome drink when you arrive, it will get your into the holiday mood right away.
EXPLORING KOS TOWN
We got taxis quite a lot, our hotel ordered them right from the front desk and back for €7 each way. It is walkable but probably around a 30 minute walk to get into the centre. You can explore all the back street stores just by wandering down the cobbled pavements, meet an endless number of feline friends which were surprisingly well looked after or just sit and have a drink by the marina. It was really nice place to sit back and watch a few World Cup games too. A mix of people from everywhere celebrating, it just had a great vibe.
WHERE TO EAT AND DRINK
Ciao – We found this amazing place with the best house white wine. We went here on our fist night then back on our last for more wine but this time dinner too. the portions were huge and delicious and the staff a pleasure, they even gave us a free desert it was like a mille-feuille with the flaky pastry and creamy vanilla filling with strawberries but had a basil pesto paired with it. Odd but utterly delicious!
Agkyra Fish Restaurant – This place had great TripAdvisor reviews and as so perfect. We sat next to the sea as the sun was setting eating tons and sharing dis after dish (best way to try the whole menu). We drak a few bottles of wine and chatted for hours, if you are a couple this would be a great romantic setting.
Sitar – This is hands down the best cocktail bar in Kos, to the extent we went back every evening. All of their gin-based cocktails were a winner in my book and the smokey paloma won over Annelie. I think on our last evening we must have sat here or a good four hours chatting over ten or so cocktails! Needless to say we had a sore head in the morning, but it was the perfect ending to our holiday.
Meze Academy – This was another stop where we had so many sharing plates, the beetroot was just insanely good. We also of course made sure we had a carafe of their house wine which was both good and cheap.
Beetle – If you like ice-cream you can get it rolled here with any ingredients you like. The perfect desert to finishing the eyeing as you wander the shops after dinner.
There are ample of bars and restaurants to choose from around the town and marina but the above are just some of our top ones.
THREE ISLAND BOAT TOUR
One thing you should do is the three island boat tour! There are so many operators to pick from, all sold by the marina. Our hotel booked ours for us for €35 each plus €10 taxi with scheduled pick up and drop off. They all offer roughly the same, but go with one you feel comfortable with. The stops you’ll do on this tour are:
Persimos – A tiny island with only about 80 inhabitants, here you can swim in the beautiful clear water, relax on the beach for a while and grab a cold drink. It is very remote and utterly beautiful.
Kalymnos – Here you can expect a little area for swimming or cliff jumping, grab a fresh juice (watermelon was my favourite), take a walk down the tiny street, this is the perfect place to buy some natural sponges which is what this island is famed for or grab yourself some Greek donuts called Loukoumades, they are donut balls covered in honey and cinnamon.
Plati – While it is an island, it is more of a stop off in the sea. You can jump off the boat and just swim and enjoy the ocean. This was the favourite part for me actually, it was a scorching day and was a relief but it was also just breathtaking to sit treading water, watching the world go by.
Lunch is included in the trip too, though drinks are not so bring cash. If you are lucky you may also spot some dolphins, we did along with swordfish too.
Overall Kos was just beautiful, it was so hot when we visited to the extent it was unbearable at times. I wore factor 50 the whole time and still some how got a little pink glow which for me is unusual, so be careful! It was the perfect break, longer than a city break and just enough time to kick back and relax.
Have you ever been to Kos? What did you get up to while you were there? if you follow me on Instagram you can keep up with my travels, next up is Valencia followed by the Philippines.
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