I visited the small Greek island with kid-friendly family resorts, crystal-clear waters and Jet2 flights
O ROMEO, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?
Well, it turns out he’s on the Greek island of Kos and if you go to his restaurant — just like I did on the first night of my holiday — I bet he’d give you the warmest of welcomes, too.
It was by pure chance that I stumbled into the roadside restaurant, Taverna Romeo, but I’m so glad that I did.
I’d only just arrived on the dinky island with my husband Chris and five-year-old son Alex and the rustic, traditional food was just what we needed to fuel our hungry tummies.
There was also small playground that kept Alex entertained, a while the adults knocked back a carafe of wine.
But best part is the whole meal cost only 40 euros and that included the wine, a large Greek salad, gyros, spaghetti and an ice cream with sparklers for Alex, who was led by Romeo into the kitchen to pick his flavours.
We were staying five minutes up the road at the Grecotel Luxme Kos Imperial hotel in the quiet resort of Psalidi on the east of the island.
It is a stunning hotel with six pools, set over 100,000 square metres, with a huge lagoon in the centre surrounded by well-maintained gardens and 383 rooms.
We had booked bed and breakfast but all kids under 12 are treated to a free half-board dining package.
Luckily for us parents, as well as the crepes, ice cream and cake available all day, there was also plenty of fresh fruit and sandwiches.
For the first few days we dined at Romeo’s or ate at the hotel’s buffet (for 25 euros a head you can eat as much as you like, dining inside or out).
There’s something for everyone at the buffet — local breads, dips and Greek foods plus a huge salad bar and freshly made pizzas and desserts.
Every morning, Alex woke up before 6am desperate to go swimming and I couldn’t really blame him.
The sea here is crystal clear and you can see the Turkish peninsula of Anatolia on the horizon, less than ten miles away.
We bought a spade for five euros from the hotel shop and Alex made sandcastles, fed bread to the fish and left me slightly terrified after demanding we go out for 30 minutes on a pedalo (25 euros).
He also plunged into the kids’ pool, which, thanks to school holidays, meant there were plenty of other children to splash around with.
And if he hadn’t made pals in the pool then he certainly would at the kids’ club, which turned out to be one of the best things about this hotel.
It is run by local lady, Debbie, and an amazing team of staff.
Each day they have a schedule of activities for children, which is shared on the hotel app, including treasure hunts, cookery and Greek lessons, movie afternoons and football.
The adults can even stay and join in.
Together Alex and I did yoga classes, painted stones and made bracelets, which we both adored.
Kos is just 26 miles long and only seven miles wide and has been inhabited since prehistoric times.
It is the third largest of the Dodecanese islands and it can easily be explored thanks to the bus which departs from right outside the hotel and takes guests to the capital, Kos town (the ride takes ten minutes and costs two euros).
We decided to hire a car, however, which meant that we could explore the island at leisure.
It only took us 90 minutes to drive from one end to the other and there is one main road too, so it wasn’t stressful.
The first stop was the Melissa honey farm near the town of Kefalos in the west.
Our guide there showed us the equipment her great grandfather had once used to extract it from the honeycomb, compared to the modern kit her father has now.
We tasted all different types of the sticky, sweet stuff — including wild strawberry, pine and thyme — and left with plenty of jars, as well as a rich honey hand cream for me and baklava pastries packed with nuts for grandad back at home.
The highlight for Alex wasn’t the food, though. It was meeting and feeding the farm’s donkeys that were in stables outside.
Bursting with history
If you’re a nature fan like Alex then head to Plaka Forest, a natural park in the centre of the island which has trails for walkers and towering pine trees plus scores of peacocks who wander freely.
The birds have become so used to people coming to feed them that they are super-friendly.
Sadly one was born completely white and gets bullied by the others for his appearance — so Alex gave him an extra biscuit.
For a bit of culture, Antimachia Castle is bursting with history.
Alex has now decided he wants to be a pilot — and fly back to Kos because ‘it was the best holiday ever’. I couldn’t disagree
We thought it may bore our little one — but he loved it. The fort, which sits 170 metres above sea level, was built in 1322 and played a key role in defending the island from Ottoman invasions.
Some of the walls have been preserved as well as the foundations of the houses. Two tiny churches remain intact — the Byzantine church of Agios Nikolaos and the chapel of Agia Paraskevi — which are a sight to behold.
Entry — just like the honey farm and forest — was free.
On our way back to the hotel, we wandered through the winding cobbled streets of the old town in Kos.
Alex said goodbye to nature – and his pocket money – as he devoured a four euros bubble gum ice cream in a cone.
And thanks to his Greek lessons, he proudly said “efharisto” instead of “thank you” as he handed over his cash.
We were far from eager to return home after such a laidback getaway, but the blow was softened when, before our Jet2 flight took off, the captain welcomed kids into the cockpit for a tour and gave out stickers.
It certainly made our delay on the tarmac whizz by in a flash.
Alex has now decided he wants to be a pilot — and fly back to Kos because “it was the best holiday ever”. I couldn’t disagree.
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GO: KOS
GETTING/STAYING THERE: Seven nights’ B&B at the 5H Grecotel Luxme Kos Imperial is from £849pp including flights from Manchester on May 13, based on two adults and two children sharing.
See jet2.com or call 0800 408 5599.