11 nights half board Kos - Spending money.

iloveshopping93

Hello everyone,

In June next year we are going to Kos for an 11 night break. (We fancied longer than a week, but not quite 2). We are two adults in our early twenties and we are staying in the outskirts of Kardamena in Kos.

We are staying half board, we usually go for all inclusive but we managed a really good deal on this particular hotel. I think it is good too because it means we will get to explore the island a bit more (e.g. visiting clubs, going out for meals).

One question I need to know is how much spending money shall we be aiming for?

Having never been to Kos or any Greek island for that matter, I am not sure what the prices are like. We will be staying 11 nights, and in that time expect to get quite a lot done. We will be making the most of excursions such as the waterpark and boat trips. We need to consider how much we need for drinks (we will only be drinking water and soft drinks in the day, but intend to make the most of cocktails and cheap beer of the night). Lunch is not included in our hotel price, so we need to think about that. A couple of nights we will probably explore Kardamena town to try out the local cuisine, and we would also like to visit the bars and clubs some of the nights.

I want the budget to be realistic, however enough to fall back on if needed. I don't like to spend my holiday worrying about money, so having a target to aim for would be really helpful. Any ideas guys? Would be really helpful!

lea2012

We stayed in Kos last year, in Tingaki and found it to be great value for money. I expect Kardamena would be marginally cheaper as there's more competition too.
Lunch was normally around £5 each for a snack style lunch (sandwich, pizza, salad or gyros) including a drink. I know you're half board but I would still suggest trying to eat out a couple of times as there are plenty of great restaurants to choose from. Evening meals never cost us more than £10-£15pp for two courses and a couple of drinks each usually wine or beer. This was always in nicer restaurants too. Normally we got a free cake or fruit platter and a brandy or ouzo on the house too at the end of dinner.
Cocktails were normally €5-6 but some places did buy one get on free or two for €8. Again they were always good, made in front of you and always very strong!! Large beers were never more than €2.50 and wine was usually around €5 for a 1/2 litre carafe.

Day trips were great value too and there is plenty to do. We had a great day out exploring the old fortress and roman ruins in Kos Town, lunch by the marina and a spot of shopping too. We also went to the nearby island of Nisyros to see the volcano which was great, and we did the sunset dinner in Zia, I would highly reccommend all of them.
Other trips you could do included days trips to Rhodes and Bodrum in Turkey but as I have been to Rhodes several times and also used to live in Turkey I didn't bother with these. Plenty of boat trips, jeep safaris and beaches to explore too.

iloveshopping93

Thanks very much for the info lea2012. I had no idea what the food and drinks prices were. I had heard that Kos was one of the more expensive Greek islands, but seems pretty reasonable to me! We will definitely be trying out some of the local cuisine then!

It's great to hear that the excursions are of good value. We are really interested in visiting Turkey for the day.

mum2one

I did the reserve a few years ago the day trip from Turkey to Kos, and its a nice journey, - just check whether Turkey are still charging the entry into the country, when I went to Turkey it was £10, even if your doing a day trip your need to pay the entry fee.

What I found was really good, in thomas cook stores at the change bureau, they have a guide printed up, giving a base of spending money, for All in, Hb, BB, it was based per person family, based on a week Its def worth a look xx

iloveshopping93

Thanks mum2one, I have actually booked my holiday through Thomas Cook, so will have to go in and have a look for one of those. Sounds handy!

maman

Just to say that Turkey do still charge a £10 entry visa but not sure about for day trips. I'm sure tour operator would be able to tell you.

I've only stayed half board once and that was in Majorca when we were upgraded from a room only apartment as hotel had messed up our booking. What I noticed was that it was very common indeed to see people taking ham, cheese, rolls, muffins, fruit etc. from the breakfast buffet to have as a picnic lunch. It was so common it was the norm.

My point is that if you eat plenty at meals provided (either in situ or otherwise) then you may not need to spend too much on lunches and can keep money for some off-site dinners. Plus, go to supermarkets for your water/soft drinks and snacks, much cheaper than fast food outlets. You won't be needing hot food at lunchtime.

And make sure your OH takes a rucksack so that you don't end up carrying everything in your bag!;):rotfl:

iloveshopping93

Thanks maman,

Not too bothered about the £10 entry fee into Turkey, we are really keen to do that trip so it isn't a big issue for us.

We always make the most of the breakfast and dinner included in our half board option. I have been blessed with quite the greedy partner (he'll be wanting burger and chips or a pizza to see him through at lunch). Good tip about visiting supermarkets for drinks, that'll be cheaper than the hotel.

Haha, we carry loads around in my beach bag - it's just a shame he ends up having to carry a bright red beach bag with lips plastered all over it. Very chic.