Kos is the third largest of the Dodecanese islands, which lie on the Aegean Sea, close to the west coast of Turkey.

It has been taken over almost completely by tourism, catering especially for family holidays. As well as its beautiful beaches, Kos has an abundance of interesting ruins to explore, and is easily reached from Rhodes or Bodrum (Turkey) by ferry.

The capital and main port, Kos Town, lies on the eastern end of the island. It has a palm-lines seafront promenade, a large yachting marina, cosmopolitan night life and good shopping.

To the south east lie the towns of Psalidi and Fokas, home to the island’s most upmarket hotels. South west of Kos Town is Kardamena which is the islands largest package resort. Before tourism came to the island this was a peaceful fishing village. Today it is a magnet for British 18-30’s and features numerous English-style pubs and apartment blocks.

Further west to Kardamena is Kefalos, a peaceful purpose-built resort that overlooks a horseshoe bay with superb nearby beaches. On the north coast are the resorts of Tingaki and Marmari which are popular with windsurfers.

The islands rich history is everywhere. It was the birth place of the ‘father of modern medicine’, Hippocrates (460-370BC). The healing temple of Asclepius was founded after his death and the island features many of the remains of temples for other healing deities such as Isis and Sarapis.

In Kos Town there is a plane tree that Hippocrates is said to have taught his pupils under. There are also several archaeological remains of Persian, Turkish, Roman and Byzantine conquerors.

Kos has busy bars and an entertaining nightlife, and there are some pleasant towns and beaches outside the capital. But if you are looking for empty beaches, you should head for quieter islands.