Kos

Greece

Things to do in Kos:

Kos Restaurants

Affordable (7)

Ambavris

Warmer weather signals the opening of courtyard seating at this converted old house taverna, only open at night. The famous mezze relay may include pikth� (brawn), little fish, stuffed courgette... read more
Fine dining (7)

H2O

Breakfast is served from 9am-4pm, and at lunchtime there's a modest snack menu aimed at nearby beachgoers, but after dark H20's fusion menu features shrimp tempura, risotto, grilled mains and a... read more

Kos Nightlife

Chilled (7)

Law Court Caf�

Within sight of Hippocrates' plane tree, this caf� hidden under arches invites visitors with beer and properly brewed coffee at modest prices for the location. An excellent spot to wait for a ferry. read more
Clubbing (6)

Mylos

By day this musical beach-caf� housed in a converted windmill hosts volleyball; after dark, the pace steadily ramps up with either live music or DJ-fuelled events until sunrise.� read more

This Month in Kos:

By Marc Dubin

Shopping: The Italian-built market hall on central Platia Eleftherias in Kos is mostly devoted to stalls selling herbs, spices, olive products, wine, honey, figs and the like, all attractively packaged, suitable for gifts and not outrageously priced.

Sightseeing: The galleried undercroft of Kos Town's second-century odeon, originally full of shops, has been sensitively restored and illuminated as a mini-museum on Roman odeia in general (and this one in particular), with extensive displays and a video.

Kos News & Gossip

Detox Weekend in Kos

FRIDAY

After an early-morning flight, I headed straight to the Iberostar Odysseus hotel (from �110, book at www.hotels.easyJet.com), my idyllic, temptation-free base for the weekend. I immediately booked into the spa for an Aphrodite Spa Body Therapy treatment - the house special. It was a delicious combination of a mask, massage and body peel and boy did I need it - my skin was dry and flaky after the excess sun and partying of the summer.

Keen to show off my new golden glow and enhance it with a few hours under the Greek sun, I slapped on some factor 30 and went for a pool-side snooze before pulling on my sarong and heading along the beach for a late-afternoon stroll. With the white villas of Bodrum in Turkey glittering at me from across the sea, I sat on the sand and snapped away at the shoreline and some of its wildlife.

By the time evening rolled round, I started to crave a few glasses of wine with my friends. But, staying true to my mission, I asked the girl behind the bar to whip me up something non-alcoholic - a first, I have to say! I sipped a vitamin C-packed blend of orange and cranberry juice, and tucked into lean local meats and low-fat mezze dishes at the Taverna bar, with the sun casting shades of red over the sky as it set below the hills of neighbouring island Kalymnos.

SATURDAY

Nothing says successful detox more than eight hours' of sleep and a face free of under-eye bags, so I treated myself to a very long lie in - my first in months. By the time I did jump out of bed it was too late for breakfast at the hotel, so I got straight on the bus to Kos Town. A truly virtuous detoxer might forgo coffee, but not me! I perched on the beautiful seafront terrace at H2O Caf� Bar (7 Vasileos Gevrgiou, tel: +30 224 204 7200) with an ice-cold frappe and some fresh fruit, taking in the Turkish coastline, Kos' Old Town and the boats dotted between the two.

I wandered to the main square, Plat�a Elefther�as, and along the ancient walls to the huge Hippocrates tree (under which the Greek physician is said to have taught his students). Time for a short rest in the shade of the caf� terraces next to the 5,000-year-old Agora ruins before exploring the indoor market. It was heaving with typical island products, and I stocked up on Greek sponges to keep my skin smooth and glowing.

At the end of a relaxing afternoon, I was going to do a pilates class to tone up, but after meeting some other hotel guests they convinced me to sweat it out at tennis. The energetic match ended with a clear five-to-two win, before changing into a dress for a well-deserved meal at traditional taverna Ambeli (Coast Road). The staff were very friendly and suggested I try the local delicacy of octopus in vinegar. With the waves crashing in the background, it really was a perfect evening.

SUNDAY

I made it in time for breakfast (just before the napkins were packed away) and enjoyed a hearty bowl of Greek yoghurt with fruit. Just the fuel I needed to get me through a calorie-burning morning of cycling and windsurfing. I was told that Tigaki, a comfortable 6km cycle up the road, was the best spot for windsurfing. I hired a bike for �6 from my hotel and headed for Sport Surf, right on Tigaki Beach. It only cost �15 to rent a windsurfing board and sail; �25 with an instructor. As a complete novice, I decided to enlist the help of an expert, who managed to get me upright and whizzing along the waves for a few metres� before I flopped ungracefully in to the warm sea. Something inside me said I should have settled for a wakeboard!

I probably should have left the full-body massage until the end of the weekend, but I had at least had the foresight to book myself in for one last treat before boarding the plane - a quick mani-pedi to keep me looking refreshed and sparkling long after touching down back home.

Kos Trivia

May: The middle of Kos is so low-lying that from K�lymnos island to the north, you can see straight across to the peak of N�ssyros islet south of Kos.
April: Kos one of the few spots in Greece where bulgur wheat (pinigo�ri) is offered in tavernas.
March: Western Kos is blanketed by volcanic tuff, deposited 160,000 years ago by a underwater caldera between here and the volcano-islet of Nissyros, which is dormant.