Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
dunes (and no sunbeds) towards the far end. Ferries and excursion boats from
Kálymnos (see p.574) moor close to the centre, which has the feel of a genuine town.
Kardhámena
KARDHÁMENA
, 31km from Kos Town and 8km southeast of the airport, is the island's
largest package resort after the capital itself. In summer, locals are vastly outnumbered
by boozing-and-bonking visitors, predominantly young Brits. A beach stretches to
either side - sandier to the southwest, intermittently reefy and hemmed in by a road
towards the northeast - but runaway development has banished any redeeming
qualities the place might have had. The main reason anyone not staying here would
bother to visit is to catch a boat to Níssyros (see p.554).
South-coast beaches
The coastline west of Kardhámena boasts a series of scenic and secluded
south-facing
beaches
. Though each has a fanciful English name, they form essentially one long
stretch at the base of a cliff, accessed by successive footpaths down from the main road.
As the prevailing wind on the island is usually from the north, the water as a rule is
gloriously calm.
The longest, broadest and wildest of the beaches, “
Magic
”, officially Polémi, has a
proper taverna above the car park, no jet-skis and a nudist zone (“
Exotic
”) at its eastern
end. “
Sunny
”, signposted as Psilós Gremmós and easily walkable from “Magic”, has
another taverna and jet-skis;
Langádhes
is the cleanest and most picturesque, with
junipers tumbling off its dunes and more jet-skis. “
Paradise
”, alias “
Bubble Beach
”
because of volcanic gas-vents in the tidal zone, is small and oversubscribed, with
wall-to-wall sunbeds and a large restaurant just above. Jet-ski-free “
Camel
” (Kamíla) is
the shortest and loneliest, protected by the steep, unpaved drive in past its hillside
taverna; the shore here is pure, fine sand, with good snorkelling to either side.
8
Kamári
he westernmost resort on Kos,
KAMÁRI
, comes just before the high headland at the
island's western tip, and is essentially the shoreline annexe of the old town of Kéfalos.
More popular with families and older visitors than Kardhámena, Kamári may look
from the main road like a long and rather dispiriting strip, but the beach itself is good.
There's also a very lovely spot at its western end, 3km from the centre, where the
tiny
Kastrí
islet, topped by a little chapel, stands just off the
Áyios Stéfanos
headland.
A public access road, close to an abandoned Club Med, leads down to beaches either
side of a small peninsula, crowned with the remains of two triple-aisled, sixth-
century
basilicas
.
The far west
The village of
KÉFALOS
, 43km from Kos Town, covers a bluff looking down the length
of the island. Aside from some lively
cafés
at the south end, it's a dull little place
mainly of note as a staging point for expeditions into the rugged
peninsula
that
terminates at
Cape Kríkello
.
The main highlights of a visit there, along the ridge road south, include
Panayía
Palatianí
Byzantine church amid the ruins of a larger ancient temple, 1km beyond the
village, and the Classical theatre (unrestricted access) and Hellenistic temple of
ancient
Astypalia
, 500m further via the side-path starting from an unlocked gate. A paved road
west just beyond Astypalia leads to windy
Áyios Theológos
beach
, 7km from Kéfalos.
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
THE WEST
Ayios Theologos Taverna
Ayios Theologos
T
697 45
03 556.
High-quality taverna at the far western tip of the
island, enjoying incredible sunsets. A vast selection of fresh
home-grown produce brings in the crowds at weekends.
Lunch & dinner daily in summer, weekends only in
winter.
