Emma’s Guide to Kos: Beaches, Bites & Bliss

For our first full day, we decided to relax by the pool and explore the hotel's facilities.

There is a snack bar offering sandwiches, wraps, fruit, and yoghurt pots, as well as a gyros/souvlaki station, all free for all-inclusive guests.

The hotel features two large pools and offers a generous supply of sun loungers.

Due to Kipriotis having multiple hotels, you have access to the sister hotels' pools, the gym, and the slides at Kipriotis Aqualand.

We enjoyed our evening meal at the hotel restaurant. Every night featured a different cuisine, such as Italian, Greek, or Mediterranean.

We decided to head into Kos town to wander around. We stopped for drinks at Astakos, a seafood and grill restaurant located on the harbour. It's lovely to sit outside and take in the views of the sea.

We were planning on booking a boat trip; many of them are located right along the harbour. Most of them cost approximately €30 per person, including lunch, and vary depending on the different locations they visit and the number of people they accommodate.

We enjoyed dinner at the hotel's restaurant before this evening's entertainment, which featured Greek dancing. The dancers performed and got everyone up dancing at the end, which was fun and created a great atmosphere!

We decided to go to Psalidi beach, which is a 5-minute walk from the hotel. The sun loungers were free, which was good. The sea was slightly rough, and with it being hard to walk on the pebbles, we didn't spend much time in the sea; however, it was lovely to relax in the sun with a gentle breeze from the sea.

I recommend buying sea shoes to make it easier to walk on the pebbles, because you will lose your flip-flops (I learnt the hard way!)

After heading back to the hotel to get ready for our meal, we decided to walk back down to the beach to watch the sunset, which was beautiful! We then headed back up to the hotel to enjoy the entertainment, which consisted of a movie quiz that was both fun and got everyone involved!

Today we spent the morning relaxing by the pool before walking to Kos town, which took around 1 hour. We stopped at Taverna Nestoras on the way, which was well needed! It took us 20 minutes to walk there from the hotel, and it was the first restaurant we saw whilst heading to Kos town! The hotel felt slightly remote due to the lack of nearby restaurants and bars.

In the evening, we went to Theofilos beach and Bar, located along Psalidi beach, and I highly recommend it! The Bar is situated right on the beachfront, offering stunning views. The staff are very friendly, they even brought us a plate of snacks free of charge along with our drinks! We stayed there and watched the sunset before heading back to the hotel for the evening.

We decided to take a ferry from Kos town to Bodrum for the day. Bodrum was overwhelming and busy, and you will be stopped at every shop you walk past. There were beautiful areas in Bodrum; however, because we didn't have a phone signal, we couldn't use our maps, so we didn't want to wander too far and get lost!

Looking back, it would have been nice to explore other areas of Bodrum, rather than just wandering through the shops and markets.

We were told it is nearly always 5 degrees hotter in Turkey than in Kos (which felt true), so we enjoyed an ice cream on the way back, which was well needed!

After returning to the hotel, we got ready for our evening meal, which was Italian night. We enjoyed the evening entertainment, which was a game of bingo (where we actually won!)

Today was my favourite day as we had our boat trip day! Our boat was called Captain Morgan, which I would recommend! The atmosphere on the ship was lively and fun!

This boat was one of the fastest, meaning it arrived at its destinations before any other ship, so we were among the first to arrive at the island with a beautiful beach. This island had a population of 25 people, so we felt like we were in a hidden paradise!

The ship stopped at four destinations, all of which were beautiful and felt like a secret paradise.

Lunch was included in the price and consisted of a very delicious souvlaki plate. There was also a bar and extra food on the ship, I'd recommend the ham and cheese toastie!

In addition to the four destinations, we could jump off the boat multiple times and swim in the sea, which was refreshing and a lot of fun!

When the ship returned to Kos town, the taxi rank was busy, so we decided to each hop on an electric scooter back to our hotel. They were a lot of fun, although quite expensive for a 10-minute ride! That being said, I would do it again because it felt like an extra activity, and it was very exciting!

For our last day, we decided to spend the morning at the beach. Instead of going to Psalidi beach, we went to Theofilos beach, which cost €20 for two sunbeds; however, two free drinks were included. The sunbeds were extremely comfortable; I could have spent all day there!

We enjoyed a relaxing swim in the sea before heading back to the hotel.

We grabbed sandwiches from the snack bar to take with us to the airport! We were allocated courtesy rooms to change before our transfer bus arrived.

TUI was great during our travel process. I received a text message the morning of our last day, telling me which transfer bus to take, which made me feel at ease knowing I had all the necessary information without having to look for it.

WHO WOULD THIS TYPE OF TRIP BE SUITED TO?

This trip would be suitable for everyone! The Kipriotis Hotels would be perfect for families, as you have access to the Aqua Park and facilities of the other hotels. Although the area is quiet, it is a 10-minute taxi ride to Kos Town for those who enjoy wandering around. There are various activities available, including boat trips, day trips to Bodrum, water sports, and more, for those who would like to participate.

FAVOURITE RESTAURANT VISITED?

Most of the food we ate was at the hotel; however, I loved Theofilos Beach and Bar and would highly recommend it if you are staying in the area.

GENERAL COMMENTS AND TIPS:

Most of the beaches are pebbly, so I recommend wearing sea shoes, as it is hard to walk on them when you want to go into the sea.

There weren't many restaurants near the hotel for those who enjoy dining out.

AIRLINE COMMENTS:

TUI were fabulous and very efficient throughout the whole holiday! The flight was smooth and the staff were attentive and friendly!

BEST EXPERIENCE FROM THE TRIP?

I loved the boat day! It was a truly enjoyable experience, and we visited areas I had never known existed, but they were beautiful and tranquil! I have done a few boat trips elsewhere, and they are always worth doing; they are usually my favourite part of the trip!