Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
give a good idea of what Kos looked like before tourism arrived, and all have been
severely depopulated by the mad rush to the coast. They are accessible via the curvy
side road from Zipári, 8km from Kos Town; an inconspicuous minor road to
Lagoúdhi; or by the shorter access road for Pylí.
Ziá
There's precious little left of the original village of
ZIÁ
, 7km inland from Tingáki, which
now holds barely a dozen resident families. Instead, its heavily commercialized main
street and spectacular sunsets make it the target of dozens of tour buses daily, and the
general tattiness seems to increase year on year.
Pylí
Both the contemporary village of
Pylí
and the separate ruins of the medieval town can be
reached via the road through Lagoúdhi and Amanioú, or from beside the duck-patrolled
Linopótis pond on the main island trunk road. Apart from its giant, lion-spouted
cistern-fountain (the
piyí
), Pylí's other attraction is the
Harmýlio
(“Tomb of Harmylos”), a
fenced-off, subterranean, niched vault that was probably a Hellenistic family tomb.
Paleó
(medieval)
Pylí
, 3km southeast of its modern descendant, was the Byzantine
capital of Kos. It's an absolutely wonderful spot, perched on what's now a very isolated
peak but still well below the crest of the island's central ridge. Opposite the end of the
paved road up, a stair-path leads within fifteen minutes to the roof of the fort. En route
you pass the remains of the abandoned town tumbling southwards down the slope.
ACCOMMODATION
8
THE EAST
Grecotel Kos Imperial
Psalídhi
T
22420
58000,
W
grecotel.com.
A superbly designed garden complex
with tropical-river novelty pool and spa, where standard
doubles and bungalow
s sha
re decor (including music
systems) and size (large).
€160
Oceanis Beach & Spa Resort
Psalídhi
T
22420
24641,
W
oceanis-hotel.gr.
Enormous beachfront hotel, very
much geared towards families, with almost four hundred
rooms, three pools (two saltwater), kids' club, o
n-site
windsurf school, and an opulent garden environment.
€160
EATING AND DRINKING
Ì
Ambeli
Tingáki
T
22420
69682.
The “Vineyard” is
a great local taverna, in a rural setting 2.5km east of the
main beachfront crossroads. Pleasant seating indoors
and out, and dishes including
pinigoúri
,
bekrí mezé
,
pikhtí
,
yaprákia
(the local
dolmádhes
) and
arnáki
ambelourgoú
, washed down with wine from their
own vineyard. Book ahead in peak season.
Nov-April
Fri & Sat dinner, Sun lunch; May-Oct lunch & dinner
daily.
Iy Palia Piyi
Pylí
T
22420
41510.
Excellent taverna, in a
superb setting beside a fountain fed by a natural
year-round spring in the upper part of Pylí, 100m west of
the partly pedestrianized square and church. Inexpensive
soutzoukákia
grilled with onions, home-made
tzatzíki
,
fried-vegetable mezédhes and local sweet red wine.
Daily
lunch & dinner.
Ì
Oromedon
Ziá
T
22420
69983,
W
pragmata.info
/Oromedon_gb.htm.
The best of Ziá's dozen tavernas, this
Greek-patronized place serves good
pinigoúri
, mushrooms
and local sausage on a roof terrace. Bill Clinton and the
Greek and Turkish presidents have all eaten here.
May-Oct
daily lunch & dinner.
The west
Near the desolate centre of the island, well sown with military installations, a pair of
giant, adjacent roundabouts by the airport funnels traffic northwest towards
Mastihári
,
northeast back towards town, southwest towards
Kéfalos
and southeast to
Kardhámena
.
Most visitors are bound for the south-coast
beaches
, reached from the Kéfalos-bound
turning.
Mastihári
The least “packaged” and least expensive of the north-shore resorts,
MASTIHÁRI
, 8km
north of the airport, has a shortish, broad beach extending west, with less frequented
