Family Holidays: Kos family holidays

Take the Family holiday rating 4 stars out of 5

Why

Although one of the most visited of the Greek Dodecanese islands, Kos is still a wonderful family destination. The second largest and greenest of the Dodecanese, Kos has a 2000 year history, is the birthplace of the father of medicine, Hippocrates, and full of fascinating Hellinistic and Roman ruins. Kos is more than just a sun and beach holiday, although it can be that with ease. One of the first to experience mass package tourism, Kos has an excellent tourist infrastructure, it is easy to leave the resorts and move from village to village or from golden beach to beach on special buses and ferries. You can find any type of water sport here and any type of family entertainment. For an easy, cheap, beautiful family holiday, Kos can’t be bettered, you’ll just have to be prepared to share it.

Top left: Kos beach tower
Top middle: Floating cantina offering beverages
Top right: Ancient stone arches at Asklipeiion

Bottom left: Kos street scene
Bottom right: Wonderful rocky coastline

When

Visit Kos anytime from early May through to mid October. Note that the hottest and busiest Month is July, with temperatures in the mid-thirties, whilst earlier in the year during April and May temperatures are nudging the mid-twenties.

High humidity during late July and the whole of August can cause storms, after weeks of sunshine. The storm will only last a short while though, often just a matter of hours.

How

Flights to Kos are available from many UK airports, including Gatwick, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, East Midlands, Glasgow, Luton, Manchester, Newcastle and Stansted. Check deals with Expedia flights. Excel Airways is our preferred airline and flys from Bristol, East Midlands, London Gatwick, London Stanstead, Manchester and Newcastle. Note that not all flights are direct, and you may have to change, for example in Rome or Paris.

Stay

From budget to family activity villages to 5 star spa hotels on private estates, for example the Neptune Hotel and Spa. Kos has a great range of accommodation, and is extremely well equipped to cater for families. Some packages have entertainment and activities included. Check great deals with Thomson and Expedia Holidays.

Do

If you are on a package tour to a resort here, then all the water sports, night entertainment etc will be laid on. This is not a good island for independent travel, as most of the coast line has been given over to resort life and endless tourist fun. You can visit Kos Town, a slightly mad mix of beach resort, nightclubs and ancient ruins. Wander the streets looking at the beautiful street mosaics and elegant Roman columns, interspersed with clubs known as Lunatic or Crazy Monster. Alternatively you can visit Asklepion, the birth place of Hippocrates; visit the ancient sanatorium founded in 444 BC and fight off hordes of traders selling magic water! Many of the beaches are suitable for children, long and sandy with shallow water, Lampi for example or the beaches of the Southern coast with Anglicised names such as Banana, Paradise or Sunny. Check carefully though, as many of these are also very popular with Scandinavian nudists.

Eat

You will have no problem keeping even the fussiest child happy in most resorts in Kos. Any manner of international food is served up, but if you would rather eat Greek, go to a local taverna. Here you can eat any number of Greek staples, such as Mezedes, a selection of small appetiser dishes, familiar to most British families, such as tzatziki, or dolmades, or tarasamalata; or try a heavier dish such as moussaka or grilled fish. By the sea try octopus or squid, or many of the other delicious fresh fish recipes.

Cost

Holidays start at around £250 for low to mid range package, for 7 nights self
catering. Entertainment and activities are often included.There are also some great all inclusive options available which work out pretty cost effective, such as Club Med Kos Village.