The island
A personal tour of Kos
The places we send our guests to — an active volcano, a Knights' castle on the ridge, a mountain village at sunset, and the beaches that are worth the drive.
Where to go
Kos is bigger than it looks
Kardámena sits roughly in the middle of the south coast, which makes it a good base: the airport is fifteen minutes away, Kos Town is half an hour, and the castle above the village is ten minutes up the hill.
Below is what we actually recommend, with the distances from your door. Ask Katerina for more — she has lived here her whole life and will happily tell you which taverna to skip.
Nisyros
Day trip by boat
The volcano island on the horizon south of Kardamena. Boats leave from Kardamena harbour, a short walk from all four homes. You walk down into the caldera of an active volcano and back up for lunch in Mandraki. If you do one thing off the island, do this one.
Asklepion
23 – 24 km · about 30 minutes by car
The ancient healing sanctuary where Hippocrates is said to have taught, terraced into a hillside above Kos Town with the Turkish coast laid out in front of it. The most important archaeological site on the island.
Antimachia Castle
3.5 km · 10 minutes by car
A 14th-century Knights of St John fortress on the ridge above Kardamena, with two churches still standing inside the walls and a view over the whole southern coast. The closest proper excursion to your door — and it is free to walk in.
Paleo Pyli
12 – 13 km
The abandoned Byzantine hill village, half-swallowed by fig trees, with the ruins of a castle on the crag above it. Go late in the afternoon when the light is long.
Zia
About 30 minutes by car
The mountain village on the slopes of Dikeos, the island's highest peak — and the place everyone on Kos goes to watch the sun drop into the Aegean. One stepped street of tavernas and handicraft shops, crowded at sunset and quiet again by ten. Go up in the late afternoon, take the view, and stay for dinner.
Antimachia windmill
5 – 6 km
A restored stone windmill on the plateau above Kardamena, still with its sails and its grinding stones. Fifteen minutes from the house.
Kos Town
26 km
The harbour, the Castle of the Knights, the ancient agora and the plane tree of Hippocrates, all within a few hundred metres of each other. Worth an evening more than a day.
The beaches
3.4 – 14 km
Lakitira (3.4–4.5 km) and Chelona (3.9–4.9 km) are the closest alternatives to Kardamena's own sand, both a short drive west. Marmari (14 km) is the long shallow one on the north coast, good for children and for wind when the meltemi blows.
Water slides
5 – 6 km
The water park on the Antimachia road — the standard rainy-plan-that-never-rains for anyone travelling with children.
Or don't go anywhere
The best view on the island might be your balcony
Three of our four homes are on the water. Ostria View has a private roof garden with sun beds, an outdoor shower and an uninterrupted line of sight to Nísyros.
Guests routinely tell us they meant to tour the island and ended up on the terrace with a book. We do not take it personally.
Book direct
Base yourself in Kardámena
Fifteen minutes from the airport, half an hour from Kos Town, and five metres from the sea.