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Kos is a useful gateway airport for easy access to the nearby islands of Kalymnos, Nisyros, Leros, Lipsi and Patmos, with all of which a stay on Kos may obviously be easily shared. However, because of the numerous flights available, the island itself has been developed with mass-market orientated hotels which naturally attract the mass market. In some places, such as Kardamena, it has taken the form of over-development, resulting in noisy drinking and clubbing in the bars well into the small hours. The ten-minute transfer from the airport to Kardamena has of course enhanced its appeal to some. Greek atmosphere? Tell me another! All that said, Kos does have a lot to offer, especially in terms of archaeology: the island was the home of Hippocrates, father of medicine, and the extensive ruins of the Aesclepeion just outside Kos town are un-missable. Whilst the Hippocratic Oath itself may not be on show, at least a giant plane tree is still in situ where the great man was supposed to have taught, though it seems more of a monument to prosthetics today in view of the number of supports to its branches. The modern town has been much improved in recent years with considerable pedestrianisation and there are long beaches stretching for miles to the east and west of the Kos Town. There is a ridge of mountains running down the island from behind Kos town and in its folds can be found quiet villages with café terraces offering breath-taking views across the narrow straits to Kalymnos and Pserimos. Wherever you go, the wrap-round embrace of the Turkish mainland seems tempting – though, alas, much of that has been considerably more over-developed than Kos’s.
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