Kos

A full 10-year passport is required, valid for 6 months beyond the intended length of stay. A visa is not required by holders of passports endorsed “British Citizen” for stays of upto 90 days in any 180-day period. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have the correct visa, a valid passport and any other travel documents for your holiday. All information provided relates to British citizens who hold or are entitled to apply for a British passport. For the most up-to-date visa information please visit; Greece Foreign Advice If you are not a British citizen and do not hold a British passport, you must make your own enquiries as to the applicable requirements. Alternatively, you can apply for your Visa with our preferred partner the Travel Visa company by selecting the following link; Travel Visa Company

Transfer time from Kos airport to hotel is approximately 10 to 15 minutes.

You may wish to take an optional excursion during the course of your stay. Listed below are the tours which may be on offer to you depending on the season. Full details will be given at the Information Meeting. The prices quoted, are a guideline only, as these can vary, depending on numbers etc. All tours should be paid for in cash euros. The exact amount will be given at your Information Meeting. Your Tour Leader will help arrange these for you but may not necessarily accompany you. Optional excursions are subject to min passengers and are not exclusive to Solos clients. NISYROS Visit the beautiful island of Nisyros and step back in time to experience Greece as it was 40 years ago. Nisyros is a volcanic Greek island and municipality located in the Aegean Sea. It is part of the Dodecanese group of islands, situated between the islands of Kos and Tilos. This is your chance to walk across the vast crater floor. To experience the hissing sulphurous steam vents and the bubbling mud pools in a landscape resembling the moon. The boat will depart from the Kardamena harbour at 09.30 am, the journey across is approximately 50 minutes. Use this time to take some of your holiday photos. The view is amazing. As you head to Nisyros on your right you will come across YIALI. This means glass in Greek. It is the 3rd largest pumice mine in the world, run by La Farge, the French cement giant who pay Nisyros for the mining rights.  It is only inhabited by the workers of this company, at any given time between 10-15 people. Just as we pass Yiali we meet AGIOS ANTONIOS, a small uninhabited island with a beautiful beach. This island is not easily accessible. On your left you will see a small round island STRONGILI -meaning rounded in greek. As you will see it is only a small deserted island. Once we are in Nisyros, you will be escorted to the coaches for the volcano.  As you start your climb towards the crater, make sure you enjoy the view. The crater is approximately a 7km drive. It will take between 15/20 minutes to arrive. You will have about 35/40 minutes to spend in the crater before you are bought back to Mandraki where you started your trip. You will then have free time to enjoy Mandraki, have lunch or just wander the picturesque streets and enjoy the local culture. EUR 28.00 BODRUM Visiting turkey is easy. All you need is a passport or in some cases an identification card will suffice. You will need them when booking your trip so we can sort out your visas.  PLEASE BRING THE IDENTIFICATION YOU USED TO BOOK YOUR TRIP WITH. You will not be allowed on the trip without it and your day is wasted and money cannot be refunded. The boat departs from Kos because we must pass through custom control as we are travelling to another country. The journey will take about 50 minutes. The currency in Turkey is Lira (TRY) and you will be able to exchange your euro for Lira when you disembark in Bodrum. Although you can use your own currency when shopping and eating but try not to bring Lira back because you cannot change it in the banks here. Market day is ONLY TUESDAY. The market on Friday is a fruit and spices. You will find that the shops in town also offer very similar things as the market and the prices are usually the same as the markets. DON’T FORGET to HAGGLE….it’s fun and you get the price down!! Remember it’s not all about shopping. Bodrum formally known Halicarnassus has an interesting historical past. Visit the CASTLE OF ST.PETERS, which is in the harbour. The museum alone is worth the visit. Departure is usually 16.00 PLEASE CONFIRM and be back at boat 15 minutes earlier. EUR 40.00 3 ISLAND CRUISE Join us on what is sure to be one of the most memorable and enjoyable days you will have on your holiday. Experience a day sailing the amazing Aegean.  Visit 3 beautiful traditional Greek islands, swim and soak up the tan while doing so. Sponge island of Kalymnos. You will be mesmerized by the tiny coloured houses, arranged on the hillside, with life in the port bustling below. You will have the chance to see for yourselves how natural sponges are processed and learn the history and techniques of local sponge fishermen. The cruise starts from Kos harbour. Docking at the attractive harbour town of Pothia/Vathi (depending on day you choose), on the famous sponge island of Kalymnos, you will be mesmerized by the tiny coloured houses, arranged on the hillside, with life in the port bustling below. You will have the chance to see for yourselves how natural sponges are processed and learn the history and techniques of local sponge fishermen. We then sail to the deserted island of Plati, where you can enjoy a swim in the crystal clear waters, whilst lunch, your sumptuous BBQ is being prepared either on board or on the beach. Finally docking at the rocky island of Pserimos, where you can indulge on the long sandy shores gently shelving into the blue crystal sea or have a drink in one of the small, friendly traditional cafes. If you are lucky you may even encounter a pod of dolphins!!! Remember the order of stops can vary at the Captains discretion BUT you do visit 3 islands. The boats we use all have shaded areas, bar service and bathroom facilities. EUR 35.00 3 BAY CRUISE Cruise with us on the pirate ship, Maria Magdalini to Kefalos where you can leave the boat and enjoy an hour and a half of free time. Return to a Greek traditional BBQ before sailing to Kastri island for swimming, with an optional champange dive, from the boat. Then spend about 2 hours on Bubble Beach, reached by transfer in a flat bottomed speed boat, before the return trip to Kardamena. Maria Magdalini has 2 sun decks and a shaded cabin area. EUR 25.00 KOS TOWN SHOPPING Kos Town is big on heritage. We believe and highly recommend you should experience the cosmopolitan atmosphere of the island capital. Kos town is picturesque and interesting. Neatly arranged streets converge on small squares. In Kos you can enjoy a splendid combination of old and new. Tradition, history of thousands of years, natural beauties, historical monuments, an abundance of local shops, restaurants, cafeterias and archeological places of interest. The impressive Castle of Neratzia, built by the Knights Templar, which dominates the harbour front is bound to draw your attention. This castle is connected to the mainland by a bridge that crosses the palm Tree Avenue, the same one that connects the castle to Platanos.  The 1000 yr old plane tree that is said Hippocrates used to teach under. Around town you’ll  also come across Archaeological museum, Ancient Town (now lined with small shops), Agora,  Temple of Dionysus, Casa Romana, Odeum and Xisto (the remains of the largest gymnasium on Kos). Ask at bus depot about the small train services for around Kos and to and from the Asklipeon. EUR 10.00 SUNSET IN ZIA Discover local traditional local village by yourself. See the spectacular sunset from the highest mountain village of Zia, an evening away from your holiday resort. Choose from many traditional restaurant (tavernas), which the locals frequent regularly, many quite different with distinct cuisine and local wine. Enjoy a traditional meze style meal, just as the locals do, a table of various dishes. You will have plenty of time to stroll around its many tasteful little craft shops. Lace, hand woven crafts and handmade ceramics are just a few of the many souvenirs you’ll find. EUR 15.00

Euro

There is often confusion on the question of gratuities, since it frequently depends on the type of holiday, location and, of course, your attitude towards tipping, as to what is normally expected. In order to give you a rough idea, we have given appropriate guidance below. Your Tour Leader will be on hand to offer advice or suggestions if required but gratuities are offered entirely at the sole discretion of the individual. We suggest a group collection to cover drivers, porters and hotel staff of €25.00 per week. Your Tour Leader will collect this on your behalf and distribute it accordingly, thus relieving you of the burden of who, when and how much to tip. The tipping of housekeeping will be left to your individual discretion (a small amount left in your room on departure should cover this and would be much appreciated). As is customary, ‘the hat’ will be passed around for the driver and guide on all optional excursions. For any meals that are not included in your itinerary, or taxi fares, your Tour Leader can advise of an appropriate add on.

Casual, cotton, lightweight daytime wear is the order of the day. Comfortable shoes are a must for sightseeing. Smart casual clothes will be ideal for the evening, with the emphasis throughout being informal but with NO VESTS OR SHORTS (LONG TROUSERS ONLY) in the restaurants in the evenings. Early and late season evenings can be cool so do ensure that you take a cardigan or jacket and even some rainwear – particularly in May and June when you may experience some spring thunderstorms followed by scorching days! A beach towel can be hired from the hotel at a cost of €3 per week and can be changed daily (a further returnable €15 deposit will be required at the start of the week).