Things To Do in Helona Beach

When it comes to food in Helona Beach, it’s all about the hotels, and along with a range of international dishes they also serve up traditional Greek classics. You might be able to try bourekakia – that’s filo pastry parcels stuffed with feta cheese – or saganaki, prawns cooked in ouzo and feta. And should you want a change from the hotels, there are some authentic tavernas at Kardamena’s harbour.

This bar in the heart of Kardamena prides itself on playing non-chart music – so you can enjoy a bit of The Smiths and the Rolling Stones. While you’re waiting for your request to be played, you can kick back and enjoy one of their cocktails. If you come during the day, the shaded outside tables are a pretty good spot for a coffee.

Kardamena might be a hive of modern activity now, but its shops and bars stand on the site of the ancient city of Alasarna. It’s where archaeologists have unearthed a Temple of Apollo, tombs and 4 basilicas – all ready and waiting for you to look at, just a few kilometres northeast of Kardamena itself.

The hotel shops can keep you stocked up with holiday essentials like postcards and suncream, but Kardamena comes to the rescue for more retail therapy. The main square is filled with shops selling locally crafted goods – think pottery, lace, leather goods and beads – and you’ll also find some designer shops and a couple of big supermarkets here as well.

Owners Dimitri and Mike create a friendly atmosphere in this airy place overlooking the little harbour at Kardamena. The restaurant serves up super-fresh seafood like swordfish and crab cakes. Or you could sample the signature Pelagos salad, or tuck into traditional Greek specialities like moussaka and souvlaki. For afters, it has to be their famous cheesecake.

Helona Beach has relaxation written all over it. You can just lie back on your sunlounger and take in the view of Nissyros Island across the water. Of course, you can get involved with the watersports here, too. Beach stalls will sort you out with windsurfing kit, while the hotels can get you going with pedalos, canoes and scuba dives.

In Helona Beach, it’s all about low-key evenings in the hotel bars, with perhaps a spot of bellydancing. That suits most visitors, though Kardamena is always on standby for a racier night. The aptly named Bar Street packs in places doing karaoke and bingo as well as a couple of clubs, and there are later-closing places on the seafront, too.

Sure, the beach dishes up peace and serenity, but you’ll also find plenty to do. A little stall rents out sailing boats and windsurf boards – perfect for breezy afternoons. Meanwhile, the hotels lay on a bigger choice of watersports, including pedalos, canoes and scuba diving. And when you want a buzzy beach scene, there’s always Kardamena.

When summer rolls around, Kos Town lays on a spread of concerts, shows and events. It’s all to celebrate the daddy of modern medicine Hippocrates, who used to live here. Of course he can’t be here to join in with the merriment, but it’s nice to think he’d enjoy the film screenings, art exhibitions and traditional dancing.

The hotels serve up a range of eateries, from gourmet restaurants to Greek-style tavernas where you can sample traditional island dishes. Bourekakia is one of them – it’s filo pastry filled with feta cheese. Even trickier to pronounce but just as tasty is sousoukakia – mini meatballs in a tomato-wine sauce. You’ve also got some authentic eating places down by the harbour in Kardamena.

People love Calypso for its pretty seaside location overlooking the harbour. They’re also quite partial to the cocktails, which are flamboyant with a capital ‘F’. At the very least, they’ll come topped with fruit and umbrellas – but you’ll probably get ice-cream and sparklers, too. And if cocktails aren’t your style, there’s always the beers and snacks.

The 5-star Helona Resort, just a few metres from the beach, has a suitably chi-chi spa and wellness centre. After a session in the luxury indoor pool, sauna and hammam, you can reward yourself with a treatment. One of the more exotic treats is the shirodhara. It’s an ayurvedic massage that not only sorts out stress, it’s also supposed to boost your sight and memory, too.

Helona Beach’s swish hotels have their own in-house mini-marts and fine jewellery stores. Neighbouring Kardamena, meanwhile, is heaving with worth-a-look shops. Here you’ve got 2 big supermarkets, as well as boutiques selling everything from designer clothes to leather goods. It’s top souvenir-hunting territory, too. Keep an eye out for traditional lace tablecloths and bottles of soumada – Kos’s almond-y signature drink.

Nightlife in Helona Beach centres on the hotels, where you can enjoy live entertainment or sip a martini in a swanky cocktail lounge. But Kardamena comes with more of a buzz. It’s got over 100 bars, clubs and discos cranking out everything from dance tracks to traditional Greek bouzouki music. Bar Street shuts at midnight, which is when everybody heads to the seafront to continue the fun.