The new 2012 guide book
The ‘A to Z Guide to Kos’ was the second book in the ‘A to Z’ series. A comprehensive, accurate and impartial book that covers all aspects of the island, its history and the many attractions to be found on Kos, the neighbouring island of Nisyros and the nearby Turkish mainland. Tony Oswin the author… Continue Reading…
Read More
News Flash
Date: 16th May I have received emails from people concerned by the recent news coverage of the political situation in Greece and asking for honest information regarding holidays on the islands. Sadly once again there has been some scaremongering in the media regarding holidays in Greece this summer. If (and it is very doubtful) Greece… Continue Reading…
Read More
Comments Off
Below, the latest news & views
Please be advised, to eradicate ‘spam’ our software now compares the email address entered on the comment form against the actual source address. If this does not match, the comment will be automatically deleted and will not be seen by our staff. Regular visits should note that posts are often revised and therefore re-dated, so… Continue Reading…
Read More
Ryanair cancels all flights to Kos from October
Ryanair, the low-cost airline based in Ireland, yesterday confirmed the early cancelation of 82 weekly flights to Rhodes and Kos, after the airline accussed DETAP (The Association for the Development and Progress of the Dodecanese) and the Mayor of Kos of failing to honour an agreed joint marketing campaign to promote Ryanair’s Rhodes and Kos… Continue Reading…
Read More
Hippocrates Plane Tree
I have received an email from an early visitor to Kos who had read in another guide book to the island that Hippocrates’ Plane Tree is the tree under which he taught, asking amongst other things if this is correct? I am sorry to say that the general consensus is that the tree is around… Continue Reading…
Read More
June 17 Elections
For those who have booked holidays on the Greek islands that coincide with the forthcoming elections and are worried about any disruptions, please be advised it is unlikely that you will even notice that the elections are taking place. During the last election, unless you drove past one of the polling stations, you wouldn’t have… Continue Reading…
Read More
Arrivals on Kos up 32%
Arrivals in April at Hippocrates International Airport on Kos showed a 32% increase compared with last year. Visitors from Britain, Holland and Russia all recorded a substantial increase, whilst the number of German visitors remained roughly at 2011 levels. Overall the airport welcomed 4,213 more visitors than last year. The new services from Ryanair were a… Continue Reading…
Read More
Drinking and Driving
Whilst I stress this in my guides, please be aware that the Police on the island are strict on ‘Drink Driving’. If you hire a vehicle, either 4 or 2 wheels and you are stopped at one of the random check-points, or for erratic driving and found to be above the legal limit, you will… Continue Reading…
Read More
Major discounts on internal flights from Aegean Airways
This summer Aegean Airways are offering major discounts on internal flights within Greece. The discount offer includes 80,000 seats starting from 39€ and refers to direct flights operated by Aegean from/to Athens and Thessaloniki to all domestic destinations. Offer is valid for bookings until 11/05/2012 and for flights from 20/05/2012 to 27/10/2012. The period of… Continue Reading…
Read More
New medical service for visitors
From the beginning of this year’s tourist season, there will be a new primary health care service, Kos Medicare, operating on the island. The centre will have specialist doctors covering most fields of medicine and will operate on a 24 hour 7 days a week basis. Kos Medicare is a Private Primary Health Care facility and… Continue Reading…
Read More
Discounts from Thomas Cook
Thomas Cook are offering ‘Low Deposits’ from only £75pp available on selected summer 2012 package holidays. If you book 22 or more weeks ahead of your departure date you pay a low deposit from as little as £75pp for holidays to the Greek islands. You can also save up to £400 on their 2012 summer… Continue Reading…
Read More
Extra early booking discounts from Thomson holidays
Thomson (TUI) are offering very attractive discounts for holidays to the Greek islands this summer. Over and above the discount for web bookings, they are offering an extra £40 off all holidays departing 1st May to the 31st October. Also Thomson are offering customers ‘Low Deposits’ starting at just £100 p.p. A direct link to… Continue Reading…
Read More
Great news for UK tourists to Greece!
The great news for UK tourists planning to visit Greece this summer is that the falling value of the euro in the last month means that holidays on the Greek islands could be even better value for money this summer. This and the traditionally low prices for tourist purchases such as food, drink and entertainment… Continue Reading…
Read More
Care needed when driving!
Even before the summer season gets underway, there have been a number of serious accidents on the island. If you are planning to hire a vehicle during your holiday, we advise that you take extra care and keep your speed to well within acceptable levels for the road conditions. Slow down at all road junctions,… Continue Reading…
Read More
Honest tips on choosing a guide book
We have received e-mails from readers who are disappointed that they have unintentionally ordered old editions of our guides and others who have purchased alternative publications which turn out to have little up to date information on the island. As there are many guide books in the marketplace, it can be a bit “hit and… Continue Reading…
Read More
Dreamy Plaka Forest
One delightful area to visit is Plaka Forest. An ideal spot for picnics and barbeques, the forest is shaded and cool, making it a perfect place to escape from the heat of the mid-summer sun. The air is scented with sweet smelling pine trees and wild flowers that grow in abundance and streams meander through the… Continue Reading…
Read More
Kos Go-Kart track
For those who will be looking for that extra excitement while on Kos, Christos Go-Karts may be just the ticket! Situated between Tigaki and Marmari, this is the largest Go-Kart track on the island. A wide range of karts are available to suit all tastes and ages. For toddlers (3 to 6 years of age),… Continue Reading…
Read More
New attraction in Zia
A new attraction in the quaint village of Zia is the Traditional Park of Zia. With the mountains as a backdrop, the forests stretch out in front of you offering some amazing views. Stone paths, cobbled steps, natural herbs that have been used in traditional medicine for centuries, a vast array of flowers, pine and… Continue Reading…
Read More
Ancient House-Hippocrates Garden Cultural Centre
If you enjoy learning about ancient history the Ancient House-Hippocrates Garden Cultural Centre is well worth a visit. The centre is based on life in ancient Greece. The houses are 5th century B.C. replicas, designed to give the visitor a view of how the ancient Greeks lived. All the furniture and decor in the houses has been… Continue Reading…
Read More
Facility improvements at Kos Airport
The Greek Minister of Transport, Mr M. Voridis has announced major development work and improvements to the infrastructure of Kos Internationally airport. The project at “Hippocrates Airport”, which commences in April will include the construction for a new terminal building at a cost of 30 million euro. Kos airport is operated by the Hellenic Aviation… Continue Reading…
Read More
We listen to our readers
As our prime aim is to offer the most comprehensive and accurate guide book to Kos, we are constantly accessing and developing the book’s content in response to the feedback we receive from our readers. When we designed the format of the ‘A to Z Guides’, we were careful to address all the wishes expressed… Continue Reading…
Read More
TripAdvisor removed
Our primary aim at ‘A to Z Guides’ is to offer our readers independent and accurate information to help make their holidays memorable and problem free. Initially on this website we added links to TripAdvisor reviews on hotels and restaurants on the islands, however recent media articles and more direct instances of problems have persuaded… Continue Reading…
Read More
Malicious reviews on Amazon
Beware of book reviews In the publishing world, malicious book reviews especially on Amazon are well known and widespread (see relevant links below). Where the origin has been confirmed, it is invariably from a competing author/publication, or others who see the book as a commercial threat. In past years all those posted against our books… Continue Reading…
Read More
Budget airline cost comparison
To help the independent traveller to the Greek islands, we have added links to two budget airline comparison websites. The sites will allow you to simply check the flight costs of the main budget airlines who offer flights to your desired destination. We have chosen two of the main comparison sites, one for UK residents… Continue Reading…
Read More
First Choice go ‘all inclusive’
From May 2012, First Choice Holidays will only be offering ‘all inclusive’ holiday packages. Their sister company Thomson Holidays will be the member of the Tui Group that will be focusing on offering self-catering, bed and breakfast, or half board holidays. Although the islands of Thassos and Santorini are still listed as destinations on the… Continue Reading…
Read More
Join us on Facebook
We have now opened a new Facebook page for all three of our travel guides, so please join us on Facebook. The direct link is below:- ‘A to Z Guides to Thassos, Kos and Santorini’ The existing Thassos Facebook page will continue for our Thassos friends. The direct link for this is below:- ‘A to… Continue Reading…
Read More
The cost of eating out
To help those who would like an idea of the cost of eating out on the islands this summer, we have surveyed the local restaurants here on Thassos. A meal for two including a starter plus bread, a main course (we chose mid-range priced menu options), the usual complimentary sweet and a large glass of… Continue Reading…
Read More
Plane Finder (New)
Plane Finder provides near real-time ‘virtual radar’ air traffic maps of the world. By clicking any plane logo, a ‘pop-up’ box will give you information on the airline, flight number, departure and destination airports, height, speed and more. We have added Plane Finder to our website for those who would like friends and family to… Continue Reading…
Read More
Flight-only alternatives to Kos 2012
For independent UK travellers, four ‘low-cost’ airlines will fly direct to Kos during this coming summer season. Ryanair offer flights from Liverpool airport on Sunday and Wednesday and Leeds/Bradford airport on Wednesday. EasyJet fly out of Gatwick on Saturday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday (flight times are either early morning or mid-afternoon dependent on the day)…. Continue Reading…
Read More
Restaurant recommendations
When I set out to write my guidebooks, one of my main objectives was to guarantee the integrity and accuracy of all of the information I published. Therefore, when it came to making recommendations for places to eat out, I decided this wasn’t a good idea. Here are my reasons: 1. The quality of restaurants… Continue Reading…
Read More
Best selling guide book
We are pleased to confirm that the ‘A to Z Guide to Kos’ was the 2011 best selling guide book of those dedicated solely to Kos and the nearby attractions of Nisyros and Bodrum. The Kos book joins the ‘A to Z Guide to Thassos’ which is already the international best seller to Thassos. We… Continue Reading…
Read More
Kos map
Both detailed and basic colour maps are available for you to download and print off for your visit to Kos. To print-off a free copy, please go to the ‘Download’ page, under the section headed ‘Maps’ you will find both the basic and detailed ‘Map of Kos’. ‘Left click’ on the desired one and then… Continue Reading…
Read More
Bodrum to Samos ferry
Ferry tours from Bodrum to Greece’s Samos Island became operational in May 2011 in an effort to boost relations and commercial ties between Greece and Turkey.
Read More
Top rated hotel
Whilst I stand by my decision to be impartial and unbiased in my guide book with regard to accommodation on Kos, I have received a number of emails asking me to mention the Kos Imperial Thalasso hotel at Psalidi. They have all commented on the exceptional quality of service, food and facilities. They have also… Continue Reading…
Read More
Something a little different
If you want to splash out during your stay on Kos and enjoy a more international style of cuisine, I have been advised by a reliable source, that the ‘H2O’ restaurant located in the Hotel Aktis Art is very impressive. Situated near the Bus Station in Kos Town, it offers wonderful views and quality food… Continue Reading…
Read More
Visiting other islands within the Dodecanese
If you are in an exploring mood during your holiday on Kos, we recommend a visit to other islands within the Dodecanese chain. Most local excursion companies offer one day trips by hydrofoil to such destinations as the island of Rhodes or Patmos, allowing around 5-6 hours to explore once you arrive. Rhodes Old Town is… Continue Reading…
Read More
Extended season
Being in the southern Aegean, the summer season on Kos extends into most of October. So for those who prefer more Western European summer temperatures, Kos is a perfect holiday destination at this time of year. Whilst the weather is less reliable than in July, August and September, invariably the daytime temperatures are in the… Continue Reading…
Read More