Greece › Kos Best Hotels & Towns
Updated: December 21, 2025 • By Santorini Dave
The fantastic Astir Odysseus Resort & Spa (great for families) in Kos.
The Best Areas to Stay in Kos
• Kos Town (The All-Rounder): As the capital and main port, Kos Town is the best base for most first-time visitors. It offers a unique blend of ancient history (Roman Odeon, Castle of the Knights), Italian-era architecture, and vibrant modern life.
• Why stay here: You get everything in one place: excellent dining, nightlife (Bar Street), and shopping. It is the hub for the island’s extensive bicycle path network. Kos is the most bike-friendly island in Greece. You are also close to the ferry port for day trips to Bodrum (Turkey) or Nisyros.
• Best For: First-timers, history buffs, nightlife lovers, and those who want to explore without a car.Kos Town.
• Kardamena (Nightlife & Resorts): Located on the south coast, 30 minutes from Kos Town. Once a quiet fishing village, it has exploded into a lively resort hub famous for its English-style pubs and clubs.
• The Vibe: High energy. It attracts a younger crowd and package tourists. However, outside the main strip, it is home to several massive, high-end all-inclusive resorts suitable for families.
• Best For: Young travelers looking to party, or families booking large all-inclusive resort packages.• Tigaki (Best for Families): Situated on the north coast, just 11km from Kos Town. Tigaki is famous for its massive 10km stretch of white sand.
• The Beach: The water here is incredibly shallow for a long distance out, making it the safest and most relaxing beach for toddlers and young children.
• The Vibe: Laid-back and purely tourist-focused. It is a long strip of hotels, tavernas, and shops running parallel to the sea.
• Best For: Families with young kids and those wanting a quiet beach holiday close to the capital.• Mastichari (Chill & Traditional): A charming port village on the northwest coast. It feels more “Greek” and less commercial than Tigaki or Kardamena.
• Why stay here: It has a wide, sandy beach that is popular for windsurfing (the Meltemi wind hits here). It is also the departure point for the ferry to the neighboring island of Kalymnos, making for an easy day trip. The seafood tavernas here are excellent.
• Best For: Couples and families wanting a slower pace and fresh fish.• Kefalos & Kamari (Best Beaches): Located on the far southwest tip of the island (40km from Town). This area is home to the island’s absolute best beaches (Paradise Beach, Camel Beach, Agios Stefanos).
• The Vibe: Very quiet and spread out. The village of Kefalos sits high on the hill (traditional), while the hotels are down at the beach (Kamari bay).
• Best For: Beach purists who do not care about nightlife or shopping. You need a car here.• Agios Stefanos (The Postcard Shot): Technically part of the Kefalos bay, but distinct enough to mention. This is the most photographed beach on Kos.
• The Highlight: You swim in crystal clear water directly next to the ruins of two 5th-century Christian basilicas, with the tiny islet of Kastri (and its blue-domed chapel) just offshore.
• Best For: Snorkelers and photographers.• Zia (Mountain Sunsets): Nestled high on the slopes of Mount Dikeos. Zia is famous for its panoramic sunset views.
• My Advice: While charming with its cobblestone streets and colorful shops, Zia is primarily a day-trip destination. Staying here isolates you from the sea (it is a winding drive down to the beach). Come here for a sunset dinner at a rooftop taverna like Oromedon, but stay closer to the coast.
The 9 Best Hotels in Kos, Greece
1. Aktis Art Hotel – Kos Town
Lovely, central, waterfront boutique hotel featuring minimalist and stylish rooms and suites with bathtubs and private balconies or terraces with lovely sea and Turkish coastline views. Suites add living rooms with sofa beds. Excellent location a short walk from the Kos Town main square and the harbor. The hotel now features its own small outdoor pool, and guests still retain access to the larger pool at the sister hotel (Kos Divine Hotel & Suites) nearby.
2. Albergo Gelsomino – Kos Town
For old-world glamour, this is the place. Housed in a restored 1928 Italian-era building, it is one of the most historic landmarks in town. It is a true luxury boutique hotel with high ceilings, art deco interiors, and a private beach club right across the street. Breakfast is served overlooking the sand.
3. Astir Odysseus Resort & Spa – Tigaki
Beautiful, family-friendly resort 6 km from Kos Town, with a good range of elegant, tastefully decorated rooms, suites, and maisonettes featuring furnished balconies/terraces with garden/pool/sea views. Upgraded rooms have bathtubs, shared pools, and sofa beds depending on the category. Executive suites feature living rooms with sofa beds and top-end suites add private pools. The lovely seafront bi-level maisonettes have shared pools with private access and the presidential maisonettes have their own private pools.
4. Aqua Blu Boutique Hotel & Spa – Lambi Beach
Outstanding, sophisticated, adults-only, all-suite boutique hotel set on Lambi beach, 3 km from Kos Town, with bright suites featuring cutting-edge design, floor-to-ceiling windows, wooden floors, purified water filtration systems, open plan bathrooms, bathtubs, and balconies/terraces. Upgraded suites have sea views and pool suites have jacuzzis (some) and private pools. The top end ‘Aqua Blu Loft’ and ‘Deluxe’ suites have living rooms with fireplaces and bathrooms with jacuzzis.
5. Diamond Deluxe Hotel – Lambi Beach
Trendy, adults-only hotel set across the road from a beach and around 4 kms from Kos Town, with white-toned, airy rooms, maisonettes, and suites having parquet floors, jacuzzis, furnished balconies, and pool/partial sea/sea views. Upgraded rooms have shared swimming pools, terraces, and circular beds depending on the category. Bi-level maisonettes have double sofa beds in the living rooms and the top-end suites add circular beds and private pools.
6. Michelangelo Resort & Spa – Agios Fokas
Chic, 45-acre luxury resort on the beach and 9 kms from Kos Town. Stylish rooms and suites have bathtubs and furnished balconies with views. Suites add seating areas. The hotel has a jaw-droppingly beautiful infinity pool with splendid sea views. The resort offers B&B, half-board, full-board, and all-inclusive options.
7. Grecotel LUXME Kos – Psalidi
Huge kid-friendly resort (4 km from Kos Town) with a pebble beach and many interesting water features including a seafront lagoon pool with waterfalls. It offers a staggering range of accommodation options including refined rooms, bungalows, suites, and royal pavilions. Basic rooms start out with rattan furniture, fridges, bathtubs, and balconies or terraces. Suites and villas have private pools and gardens.
8. Atlantica Belvedere Resort – Kardamena
Luxurious adults-only resort (plenty of stone, wood, & marble) set on a gentle hill and dotted with a total of 21 infinity pools. The lovely rooms, suites, and villas feature sofa beds and furnished terraces/balconies. The 42 double guest rooms (starting category) share 11 swimming pools; suites add tiled floors, living rooms, walk-in wardrobes, and private pools; and the bi-level villas add more space. The hotel has a private beach and there’s a local bus stop into Kardamena town (4 km).
9. Neptune Luxury Resort – Mastichari
Sprawling, 37-acre, beachfront, family-friendly resort, 5 km from Mastichari town, with a huge range of tastefully decorated rooms, suites, and apartments. Starting category rooms have bathtubs and balconies/terraces with garden views while upgraded rooms have sea views (some). Family apartments have kitchenettes and the top-end apartments have well-equipped kitchens and seafront locations. The luxurious, top-end suites have walk-in closets, more balconies, and stunning sea views, depending on the category. The hotel has extensive gardens with mythological sculptures, a kids club, mini water park, outdoor games, and more options for children.
Santorini Dave was started in 2011 when I posted a short guide to visiting Santorini with kids. Now, my site publishes regularly updated guides to 
I’m planning a one-week holiday to Kos and having a hard time getting my head around the layout of the island. Can you help me understand the main towns? And what are the best beaches? Are the beaches located near the main towns (i.e. beach towns) or are the beaches on their own? Where do ferries arrive and depart from? Thanks!
Kos is not a difficult island to navigate and once you are on the ground, its geography is easy to comprehend. Have a look at a map while you read this. Almost all inter-island ferries arrive at the main harbour of Kos Town on the far eastern side of Kos. The only exceptions to this is the ‘local’ scheduled inter-island car and passenger ferry that runs from Mastichari in the middle of the northern coast to Kalymnos and the summer excursion boats that run to neighbouring Nisyros (for the volcano) from Kardamena and Kefalos on the south coast.
There are only two sizeable towns as such: Kos Town and Kardamena. Kos is the capital while Kardamena is a sizeable tourist town with a year-round population (unlike other seaside resorts scattered around the coastline). Major inland villages include the mountain villages of Pyli, Zia and Asfendiou, the central village of Andimachia (next to the airport) and Kefalos in the far south. Along the main East-West highway you will pass through the busy agricultural settlement of Zipari. That’s about it as far as Kos’ towns and villages go.
The summer-mainly settlements of Tingaki and Marmari on the north coast, while ‘permanent’, really only come to life between April and October when they are prime tourist destinations. Same story with the beach annexe to Kefalos called Kamari.
Beaches are scattered throughout the island and ‘best’ depends on how you rate a good beach. As a rule of thumb the best sandy beaches are spread out along the soft underbelly of Kos along the south coast running in a gentle curve and names individually with evocative titles such as Paradise Beach, Magic Beach, Sunny Beach and Exotic Beach. The catch is there is little or no accommodation on these beaches so you have to travel to them from where you are staying. Buses pass by very frequently to and from Kefalos and Kos.
Other beaches around Kos can be hit and miss and are generally inferior to the above beaches. The north coast beaches around Tingaki and Marmari are on the whole a bit exposed and scraggly. Some resort hotels have better beach scenes and they are accessible to the public also. East of Kos Town as far as the headland is a very busy beach scene due in the main to the preponderance of large hotel resorts. These beaches are really only pitched at the hotel scene.
Around the headland running to Agios Fokas you will find some pleasant pebbly and less frequented beachfronts – but not much in the way of cafés or restaurants. Lastly at the far end of the road network turning back westwards you will find one of Kos’ paradoxically more popular beach scenes – the Thermal Springs beach known as Therma. The beach is pebbly and you have to walk a fair way down to get to it, but you can sit in thermal rock pools if the sea water is a bit too chilly for your liking. There a basic cafeteria and loungers to hire.
Beaches on the mid-south coast around Kardamena are probably better than their north coast equivalent as they are protected from prevailing summer winds, but can also be hit and miss. Two nice spots are the Akti Beach Club area, about 4km north-east of Kardamena and the area around the Lakitira resort 4 km south of Kardamena. Lovers of solitary beaches might try the remote beach scene of Agios Theologos where there is a very good beach tavern
Finally, Kos is a popular bicycle island because it is relatively flat all around the coastline. Hire shops abound. The most popular cycling route is along the north coast from Kos Town to Mastichari.