Visiting Kos with Teens: A Family Travel Guide

Planning a family holiday to Kos with teenagers? Take the Family is a UK-based travel agency specialising in family holidays that offer something for all ages. Kos is a Greek island that has the perfect mix of beaches, history, water-sports, and activities that older kids will actually enjoy. Sweeping sandy beaches, scattered ancient ruins, and cute harbours clinking with colourful fishing boats… A Kos family holiday really does have stacks of Grecian charm. It's also perfect for an easy one-on-one getaway with your teenager.

Why Kos is perfect for teenagers

The third-largest island in the Dodecanese archipelago, Kos is actually closer to the Turkish resort of Bodrum than it is to Athens, which means it benefits from more sunshine than many other Greek islands and a season that lasts from early April through to late October.

During the summer, there are plenty of all-inclusive Kos family hotels that offer packages to sate a teen’s need for water sports and all-you-can-eat buffets. However, visiting out of season, you'll also find some great Kos resorts that are just as lovely for a teen break.

My teenage daughter Lola has been fascinated by Greece and her islands ever since she saw the movie Mamma Mia! aged six. So when I suggested we go away for a few days, naturally Greece was at the top of her list. Booking a couple of last-minute flights, we soon find ourselves feasting on smoky souvlakis and creamy tzatziki in a candlelit Kos taverna, living the Greek dream.

'Lola is studying History of Art and keenly explains the difference in the columns as we explore the two millennia-old ruins of the propylaeum and the altar of Kyparissios Apollo.'

On our first morning, we head to Kos Town's most famous attraction, Hippocrates' Plane Tree, the large leafy descendent of the original tree that the father of medicine taught under. After pondering the meaning of life, we wander around the Ancient Agora, the ruined remains of the old town with its Roman stadium and gymnasium, and nip into Nerantzia Castle, a grand old fortress built in the 14th century by the Knights of St John.

Kos Town makes a great base for exploring the island, especially if you hire a car. Less than 10 minutes' drive from the town is the site of Asklepieion, one of the most renowned healing temples in ancient Greece. Built by the son of Apollo in 357BC, the sprawling ruins of the medicine school and healing centre is now the island's most famous archeological site.

We pay a couple of euros to enter and spend an hour or so pottering about ancient ruins including the Temple of Apollo and the first Temple of Asclepius, which was built in the 4th century BC. Lola is studying History of Art and keenly explains the difference in the columns as we explore the two millennia-old ruins of the propylaeum and the altar of Kyparissios Apollo.

Over a few days we mooch around the town shopping for silver jewellery, stopping for coffee and Cokes in pretty bougainvillea-strewn cafes and flip-flopping between the island's different beaches. For Instagram clout, we visit Antimachia, a tiny village where the billowing white sails of the last working windmill on the island slowly zturn against the cobalt-blue sky.

Lámbi beach is closest to Kos Town, while Tigaki, another buzzy Kos resort, offers family hotels threaded between its numerous bars and beachfront tavernas. On the southeastern coast you'll find resorts including Kefalos, which is quieter and bags some of the island's nicest sandy beaches. It's here we lunch on Greek salad and chips in a waterfront taverna, where Lola practices her basic Greek of kalimera and efcharisto, charming the twinkly-eyed waiters old enough to be her grandfather.

On our last day, we take a 10-minute drive north of Kos Town to Agios Fokas, a rugged beach dotted with natural sea pools that fill up with thermal waters. Soaking in its warm mineral goodness overlooking a sparkling Aegean Sea, we find it a gorgeous end to our little Greek getaway.

The Best Places to Stay in Kos with Teens

Greco Casa Paradiso

With three pools, top-notch water-sports facilities and a mountain-biking centre, the all-inclusive Kos family hotel the Greco Casa Paradiso is perfect for teenagers. It offers a variety of family rooms, and both buffet and à la carte restaurants, and has a dedicated GrecoTeens club for 13-16-year-olds.

Ikos Aria

Sweeping down the southwest coast of Kos, family hotels with all-inclusive packages such the luxe Ikos Aria have direct access to some the loveliest beaches on the island. Only 20-minutes from the airport, the Ikos in Kefalos has five pools, a football academy and a Just4Teens club.

Grecotel LUXME Kos Imperial

Centred around a huge lagoon, the all-inclusive Grecotel LUXME Kos Imperial is great for family holidays with teenagers. It has six pools and several upmarket restaurants, plus an extensive range of activities for teens, including windsurfing, horse-riding and scuba diving.

By Tracey Davies