Kos is such a bargain - why? The answer is...

Ganga

We went this year to Psalidi in Kos and never saw any refugees/imagrints and that includes several visits into Kos town.
Was it " A BARGAIN "well it did not cost a fortune to go but we spent a lot of money eating/drinking etc.
As for the the old age complaint about A/I killing the local bars,hotels etc,most hotels employ local people so they are helping that way,they must also buy food and drink on the island so again money is being spent locally.
We enjoy visiting Greek islands,dining out at local tavernas etc. but some of the apartments that we have stayed in even before all inclusive came allong were in desperate need of money beign spent on them and the owners knew it but were happy to take the money as there were allways plent of guests returning to the islands every year to keep them in profit.

leylandsunaddict

guestjim wrote: »

Because there is a fear of refugee crisis there and that has reduced demand - but that fear is unfounded as there are no refugees anywhere that I saw. I am staying in a 5 star hotel on an all-inclusive package [5-star for holiday hotels that is!] for less than half what I paid 4 years ago and the hotel still retains superb standards. There will be other bargains, but the hotel we have just had a week in - Akti Palace - is top notch and a steal at current prices.

Well worth considering - and if you book an all-inclusive you take away most of the exchange rate effects.

If you have not been to Kos it is a great holiday destination. Great for families and couples.

That's my idea of holiday hell! A hotel is bad enough, but All Inclusive? :mad: They would have to pay me, never mind me paying them!

Personally I'd rather self cater and help out some of the local businesses that are struggling due the affect of cheap AI holidays.

purcel

Been to Kos Town this June on a very very cheap last minute deal with Thomson and have only seen a handful of immigrants, mostly kids trying to make some money by singing or playing an instrument nearby restaurants.
Been self catering and ate really well at the lovely restaurants in Kos town. Took the bus to Tigaki and Zia and visited the roman vestiges in Kos town. Didn't got bored at all and didn't spend all day in the sun at the pool either.
It has been our first time in Kos this year and I strongly reccommend it!

maman

leylandsunaddict wrote: »

That's my idea of holiday hell! A hotel is bad enough, but All Inclusive? :mad: They would have to pay me, never mind me paying them!

Personally I'd rather self cater and help out some of the local businesses that are struggling due the affect of cheap AI holidays.

I have similar feelings about AI and what puts also me off is that they're often in fairly isolated spots so making it more difficult to get out and explore even if you want to. So if I was going to buy a AI holiday for cheapness I'd want to know how easy it was to get to the nearest town.


I wouldn't dismiss packages though. The poster who said they can be good value since air fares went up is right.


We had a last minute holiday in Sorrento a couple of years ago where it was much cheaper to buy a package with half board (in a hotel close to the town) than do it independently. We resolved that it was cheap enough to eat out if the food was awful although it turned out the only problem we had was huge portions!

Pollycat

Ganga wrote: »

Was it " A BARGAIN "well it did not cost a fortune to go but we spent a lot of money eating/drinking etc.

Having seen several AI hotels where people were queuing up for food, I'd rather pay for my flight & accommodation and be free to choose where and when I ate.

Ganga wrote: »

As for the the old age complaint about A/I killing the local bars,hotels etc,most hotels employ local people so they are helping that way,they must also buy food and drink on the island so again money is being spent locally.

But that doesn't help the local bars, tavernas & shops - which are usually owned by local people and also staffed by local people - who are losing customers to the AI hotels.
There are 3 AI hotels within walking distance of Turgutreis centre (Turkey) and you can see the effect it has had on the local businesses.
I actually compared the cost of staying in one of the AI hotels to what we paid for our s/c accommodation plus eating out at lunch & dinner and it came out about £50 more (with AI being cheaper).

But for that extra £50 we ate traditional Turkish food in places of our choice. A different experience every night if we so wished.

Moto2

I'm another AI hater
We can argue back and forth regarding whether more locals are employed in the AI hotel or via small local businesses and probably never get a consensus.
What is clear though, is that it does affect small businesses and a street where a fair percentage of businesses are closed isn't very attractive to anyone and is likely to put off repeated visits from holiday makers.

Mich81

spadoosh wrote: »

Are you sure?

Theyre not exactly chinese and nigerian in differnce?!?!


Edit : Ahh just noticed, the Syrians have tiny balls, guess thats how you know?

ps its ok, you can report me, i deserve it.

Kardamena is on the other side of the island from Kos Town - any refugees have to stay near the harbour in Kos Town whilst they await their papers and a boat to the mainland.


Unless some of those refugees decided to go for a walk and become a restaurant tout of course, but given almost all of those are English, highly unlikely.


I'm also not a fan of AI - there are some great restaurants in Kardamena, especially if you like Greek Food and Seafood.

guestjim

As for going outside the hotel we visited most parts of the island - car hire is very cheap and there were buses to Kos Town daily and shuttle to the local village. Never came across camps or groups of refugees.
Went AI because it was the cheapest late deal this year and last year- I was prejudiced against the concept before I tried it last year, but it turned out to suit us. Of course depends on the hotel.
The hotel we stayed at the food was excellent and no queuing and the drinks good quality, with top service. The three specialised restaurants were first class.
However, the deal was we could use , the sister hotel next door, but the guests from there couldn't use ours. The standard next door was much lower. We had glasses and they had plastic cups for example. The quality of drinks and food was much higher with us - Gordon's Gin versus local for instance.
I would have been less happy if I had gone to the sister hotel.

pompeyrich

May sound petty but do you still have to put the toilet paper in bins on Kos? We experienced this in Corfu and despite having a great time with great locals, food and drink we were put off by this and haven't returned since.

Pincher

I usually pay SPS, single person supplement, but you can get lucky.

Had a truly great 5* package for a week in Soma Bay, near Hurghada, Egypt. They were very under occupied, I think 10%, but they said 20%. Anyway, no mention of SPS.

I think it was definitely a SPS setup, but they were desperate for business. Even more so now, I expect. Winter prices are obviously down for 2016/17.