Kos package holidays

Tourism is a major source of income for Kos island. The tourist industry had as a result the build of many hotels in Kos especially in Kos town and Kardamena. Unfortunatelly the package tourism that stay in those hotels is called the braselet tourism and it brings nothing to the tourist industry of Kos as they have free access within their hotels for food and drinks, plus within the huge hotel complexes there are all kind of entertainment like bars, discos, taverns etch and all with very low prices, as a result the many labour class tourists will spend one or 2 weeks in Kos spending 90% of their times in their golden cages. The tourist business people of Kos are really worried about this situation the so called Bracelet Tourism from the fact that all tourist that stay those big hotel complexes wearing a Bracelet to be recognised and to have free access to all free services and activities that are included in the package. In other words the worst kind of tourism and is not only Kos the same system occurs all major tourist resorts in Spain, like Majorca, Ibiza, Malaga, and other Greek islands like Rhodes or Corfu.

But apart of that Kos is one of the most popular Greek islands in the Aegean Sea part of the Dodecanese islands, Kos is the third largest island of the Dodecanese after Rhodes and Karpathos. The island situated near to the Asia minor coast, northwest of Rhodes and southeast of Nisyros. There are many ferries that connect Kos and other Greek islands like Nisyros, Tilos, Symi, Patmos, Leros, Lipsi and Kalymnos. The island is about 60 miles by 12 miles wide. Kos consists of many fertile plains and mountains.

On Kos there are several monuments from the times of Hippocrates, who according the Greek Mythology his teacher was Asklepios. Famous is the tree of Hippocrates in the same capital Kos. There is also a Hippocrates museum dedicated to him. There are also several archaeological sites in or near the city, including a Roman amphitheatre and a gymnasium. The capital of Kos is the tourist and cultural centre of the island. Close to the port it is a 14th century castle, which was build in 1315 by the Knights of St. John of Rhodes. In the centre of Kos Town is an old marketplace, the agora. The island was inhabited from the prehistoric times by the Carians and during the historic period by the Dorians. In the 7-6th century. BC, Kos along with the cities Knidos, Halicarnassus, Ialysos, Kamiros and Lindos, was the Doric exapolis (six cities). In 500 BC Kos conquerd by the Persians, and was liberated in 479 BC. Kos  became a member of the City of Athens Greece. Kos had a great development in the 4 th century. BC Particularly after the establishment of the new town of Kos 4th century BC.
 Alexander the Great in 4th century BC conquered the island. Kos during the Roman Empire declined but has seen new peak during the Byzantine history . It was again occupied by the Saracens, the Genovese, the Venetians and the Knights of St. John. In 1522 Kos was conquered by the Turks and in 1912 by the Italians. On 3 October 1943  during the world war 2 captured by the Germans and finally unified with Greece in 1948 .

Some of the larger sites on the island include Kos town, Kefalos, Kardamena, Antimachia, Mastihari, Marmari, Tigaki, Lambi  and Pyli. Smaller places are Zia, Zipari, Platani, Lagoudi and Asfendiou. The island has an international airport where many scheduled and charter flights arrive. Kos is a very suitable area for both young and old tourists. The Kos beaches  in comparison with many other Greek beaches are excellent. Kos also has a vibrant nightlife. The Big Bar street is the place to be during the summer months, though this or for the younger tourists.

A journey to Skiathos

With more than 60 wonderful beaches , Skiathos is an island with a rich vegetation. The beach of Koukounaries often considered one of the most beautiful Greek beaches .
 Apart from Koukounaries the visitor can enjoy swimming on Ahladies and Kechries. It is interesting to see the castle, and the monasteries of Kounistra and Evangelistria. Do not forget to visit the home of Papadiamantis
 Skiathos  is one of the most beautiful islands of  Greece and the dream beaches are decorating the tourist guides internationally together with the green inland. Spectacular landscapes compare to the poor vegetation of the  neighbouring Cyclades. But what the Cyclades, and many of the Dodecanese islands kept namely the architecture of the their settlements and their integration with the landscape, it is absent from Skiathos. Old and new residents, have destroyed the element which connects with tradition, embarked on unregulated construction activity, like the one , which we can see in most cities of Greece. The island character disappearing and the uniformity beast takes its place in this picturesque island, that many Greeks get to know through the pages of Alexandros Papadiamantis a giant of the Greek literature. The famous today Koukounaries, during  the era of the great author from Skiathos was little more than a point on the map that they saw it from a distance those who made a tour of the island and at the Castle wasn’t reachable except from determined pilgrims and tough farmers.
 But Skiathos, like most islands, is not for winter visitors. Hardly you will find a hotel with heating, Breakfast is not served as an unnecessary luxury and restaurants have put padlocks waiting the Easter. An island where during the summer hosts thousands of tourists from the depths of the Earth, is not acceptable in the so-called dead period not to maintaining some kind of entertainment and consequently many of its permanent residents are fleeing for winter holidays or for additional employment in the urban centres. This place half the time is bursting with life, while the other half becomes    desert and abandoned. But after all the winter is only a few months and when the spring comes Skiathos is ready to host its visitors.

Rhodes climate

Rhodes is one of the most visited islands in Greece it has many hotels and a very active nightlife, with over 3,000 hours of sunshine a year on the sunniest regions in Europe. From mid-May to mid-September rain is hardly to be expected. The water supply is sufficient, thanks to the limestone mountains all secured. Among other things, the neighbouring islands of Simi and Halki deliveries by ship mitversorgt. During the months of July and August, temperatures up to 40 ° C is not only in the Inland not uncommon. The sea breeze cools, however, on the west coast of the temperatures to around 28 to 32 ° C, on the east coast are mostly 35 to 40 ° C is expected. The relatively low humidity makes the heat bearable. At night, temperatures drop to 23 to 30 ° C. The water temperature in August reached about 27 ° C. Swimming can do it in November. The coolest time in the months of January and February. Daytime temperatures will lie between 12 and 18 ° C at night from 8 to 12 ° C. Frost can virtually be excluded, although on the Attaviros (1,215 m), the highest mountain in Rhodes, sometimes even snow can be reported. The deepest water temperatures are at the end of February or beginning of March with 16 to 17 ° C.

Climate table Rhodes (Airport Station)

Months JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC YEAR
————————————————– ————————-
Daily temperature ° C 15 15 17 20 24 28 31 31 28 25 20 17 22.6
Night temperature ° C 9 9 10 13 16 19 22 23 20 17 13 10 15.1
Sunshine hours per day 5 5 7 9 10 12 13 12 11 8 6 4 8.5
Rainy days 12 10 8 3 2 1 1 0 1 6 9 11 64
Water temperature ° C 17 16 16 17 19 22 24 25 25 23 21 19 20

Patmos island

Patmos, in the northwestern Dodecanese, is only 40 square kilometers and a population of just under 3000 a small island. On the island, the apostle John its revelation about 95 AD. Wrote. For Christians Patmos as a place of vision.

Today, tourism is the main industry on the island. Nevertheless, the island is not as crowded as many other Greek islands. There are many Patmos private rooms and pensions. Thus, it is also in the summer just to find a room. Many owners of the room rentals come with arrival of a large ferry to the port to their rooms loudly.

Worth seeing is the famous monastery of St. John (Moni Agios Christodulos) with its weltbkannten Library, considered as the most important historic library in the Greek Orthodox space. Also, the cave in which John described his work, can be visited. Patmos has many beautiful bays and beaches, but most of them are gravel beaches.