Over the years, Kardamena has been transformed from a tiny little fishing village with only 1 holiday rep to a buzzing, packed, cosmopolitan place with something to offer absolutely everyone. Of course, the economic situation has affected us here as well as everywhere else, but although it’s a little quieter at the moment than let’s say 5 years ago, the atmosphere is still great, and the beaches are still gorgeous! The Stone Roses
can boast as being one of the busiest bars here, as we always have been.

The amount of activities to do during the day
is great – there are numerous watersports on offer, the beaches are some of the best on the island, the pools around the village are clean and well run and the restaurants/bars are pretty much open all day and night giving you choice beyond your imagination for a swift half or a spot of lunch. If you fancy a round of crazy golf or a stroll along the harbour, there is always something to take your mind of the sweetness of lying in the sun doing nothing . For those of you that would like to incorporate
a little of the Greek history of Kardamena into your holiday, there is the old original settlement of Alasarnas that has been uncovered a short 10 min stroll out of the village – you can often find archaeological students excavating her in the summer months, searching for that one tiny piece of
the past that is yet undiscovered.

For your evenings (usually ending up in the early morning sun!), there are too many things to mention - be it a quiet but great meal in one of our restaurants or a crazy night in The Stone Roses Bar, there is something for literally everyone . You can have a wander around the local travel agencies offering boat trips to nearby Nissyros and great sunset cruises
to name just 2 – you will find the best deals in these independent offices.

The shops are open all day and into the night, offering souvenirs that can be either original
or regular. The clothes shops here are of a good standard too, bringing you designer names at low prices – although be smart and realise that no matter what the shop owner tells you – an original Calvin Klein top can not be only 10 euros!

The great thing about having a self-catering holiday in the village itself (as opposed to the all-inclusives way out of the centre) is that you can do what you want, when you want to – your holiday is your own and you decide what you do, how and when. You’re on holiday after all – it’s meant to be a refreshing change!

As the low-cost airlines are starting to serve
Kos Island from the UK in 2010, it’s a great opportunity to get a bargain flight and book into one of the self-catering apartments in the village so you can make your holiday your own without following a programme set out by a holiday rep that has an average age of around 19! There are, of course, the usual 18-30 holidays here but usually people realise after day 1 that they have given over their whole week’s spending money to someone promising them a wild time - and it was a complete waste of money – do your own thing, explore the bars and clubs for yourselves and be independent – this way
you will have the holiday of a lifetime!!

Our advice is DON’T let the reps bully you into buying from them – whether it’s trips or bar crawls – you can find everything for half the price if you do it on your own (don’t
tell them we said this!!)
Kos is one of the smaller Greek Islands which makes it a great place to come for a holiday and see everything you would like in a short space of time, leaving you with plenty of time
to work on that tan, or even work off the
night before!

To the south of the island is Kardamena and Kefalos. We have already discussed Kardamena and it’s attraction to both young and old, but a little further along the coast is
the village of Kefalos – a quieter holiday can be found here with most of the action taking place during the day in the hotels or on the fabulous beaches here. Kefalos is quite low-key, offering a very relaxing holiday to those who really want to ‘get away from it all’ but also have a good laugh when it suits them.

Mastichari and Tingaki offer relaxed dining and and ample sunbathing. A lively night there is usually a bottle of ouzo with a restaurant owner after hours! These are quiet villages a bit like Kefalos, but a lot smaller, giving
you your little corner of Greece to relax in!

Kos Town is the capital of the island and offers it’s fast-paced lifestyle in every language you can imagine. It is definitely worth a day trip for shopaholics, and on a night it is an experience to just wander around the hundreds of bars with 1000’s of touts outside offering you everything imaginable – really! There is a rich history here on Kos island, as it is the home of Hippocrates – the founder of modern medicine as we know it, and a lot of the ruins and points of interest are based on this. Visit the tree that he used to teach under (it is still alive) or the school that he built for practicing medicine and where the Hippocratic Oath was formulated – which is still sworn today each time a doctor qualifies.

All in all, Kos island is an all-rounder – offering every walk of life something to build a great holiday around, but at the same time is small enough to explore in a day or two, leaving you with more time to kick back in a comfy chair
at The Stone Roses Bar and listen to your favourite tunes while you are served a Mojito with a smile!!