Day 27-28: Astypalea to Kos and Kos Town First Day

Friday 15th and Saturday 16th July 2022

Friday 15th – Astypalea to Kos

Today’s travel day began with an unusually early start. My alarm sounded at 4 am to wake me up in good time for the 5 o’clock ferry to Kos. If you haven’t read my previous post, I’d been delayed an extra two nights on Astypalea due to high winds cancelling my high-speed ferry on Wednesday. I wouldn’t normally travel so early in the morning, but this was the next available boat over to Kos and I was keen to get there are soon as possible as I’d already booked my accommodation and didn’t want to waste any more nights.

I’d packed most of my luggage the night before so after a quick shower, I got dressed and quietly left my room and headed down to the port. It was still a bit early, but I knew the ferry had arrived overnight so I was hopeful of being able to get on early.

There were a few passengers already boarded when I got down to the port at about 4:40, most of them looking as sleepy as I felt. I dragged my suitcase on, stowed it in the luggage area and made my way up to the outside deck area. As I’d expected, it was a little chilly at that time of the morning so I’d put on my body warmer – something I hadn’t taken out of my case since I arrived in Greece nearly a month ago!

The ferry set off on time and the crossing was uneventful. It was incredible watching the sunrise over the horizon as we sailed east towards Kos:

I’d taken a travel sickness tablet as it was still a bit windy. Despite the ferry being quite large it did get a bit turbulent at times – I felt a little queasy for a while, but it settled down as we neared the coastline of Kos.

Kos Town Arrival

We finally arrived in Kos Town harbour just after 9 am. It was nice to be back on familiar ground, having spent three weeks here last summer. I grabbed my suitcase and wheeled it slowly around the harbour towards my next accommodation, Hotel Astron. I hadn’t stayed there before but had walked past it many times on the way to and from the beach and the tavernas along the beach road, so I didn’t need to use my phone for directions.

I was greeted at reception by a very friendly guy. When I explained who I was, he said they’d received my email regarding my delay and were glad to see I’d made it to Kos. He mentioned that he would see what he could do about me having to pay for the first two nights that I hadn’t used, which gave me hope that I might not get charged. My room wasn’t quite ready, but he offered to store my luggage until it was.

After dropping off my suitcase, I went out for a walk and decided to head down to the gym where I had trained the previous year to see about membership options. I also stopped in at the Sunburnt Arms, my favourite beach spot from 2021, to see Yannis the friendly owner. As expected, I received a warm greeting – it’s nice to be remembered when you’re revisiting places, it definitely makes you feel welcomed! I ordered a Nescafe frappe to give me an energy boost after the early start.

It was still too early to check in at the hotel, so I decided to fill the time productively by changing into my workout gear and heading back to the gym for a session. It cost €8 for a day pass which isn’t cheap, but I hadn’t done any exercise since leaving Paros and was keen to get back into it. The session was good, very sweaty as usual but satisfying.

I returned to the hotel just before midday and was given a key to my room: room 21 on the ground floor just behind reception. It was a small room, a little dim and dated inside but was good enough for my needs and it had a small balcony looking out towards the pool. I got showered to wash off the gym sweat, then headed straight out to the pool to catch some sun.

I spent an hour or so just relaxing by the pool, with a couple of dips in the water to cool off. It definitely felt warmer here than it had been on Astypalea, but luckily not as extreme heat as there had been the previous year.

To break up the day, I then had the idea of taking some of my more frequently worn clothes down to the laundrette that I’d used last year to get them cleaned. After dropping them off I was told they’d be ready to collect after 4 pm, so I headed back to the hotel via a supermarket, getting a protein shake and some more water for the room on the way. I spent another couple of hours by the pool, then went to pick up my clothes.

For dinner, I had a number of favourite places from last year and I was torn between which one to try first. In the end, I decided on Twin Dragon, a Chinese restaurant along the seafront not far from the hotel.

For starters, I had spring rolls followed by Kung Pao chicken with egg fried rice as the main course, plus the obligatory (if you’re me) 0.5-litre carafe of house wine. The food was just as good as I remembered and it was nice to sit right on the sand with views over the sea towards the Turkish coastline.

As if I hadn’t eaten enough food, I decided to go for a post-dinner stroll around the marina and down to Kos Old Town. Aside from walking off my meal and passing some time, I wanted to find the ice cream shop I’d visited last year that sold freshly made rolled-up frozen ice cream desserts. I couldn’t remember what it was called but had a rough idea of where it was. The marina and old town were bustling with people – it was definitely busier this year compared to last. Although I don’t really like crowds, the atmosphere was nice and made a change from the relative quiet of Astypalea.

It didn’t take long to find the ice cream shop: Chop’n’Roll is its name. I ordered an ice cream and watched as they made it on the special cold plates, then ate it as I sat outside watching people go by.

Feeling suitably sick from the ice cream and big meal, I made my way back to the hotel for an early night.

Saturday 16th – Chilling in Kos Town

With no work commitments at weekends, my plan for the day was pretty simple: breakfast, a gym workout, and then relaxing at the pool. Buffet breakfast was included in the room rate at Hotel Astron, so I headed to the dining area shortly after waking up. The selection was okay, about what I expected from a relatively budget hotel: bread, coffee, cereal, fake syrupy orange juice and lumpy yoghurt.

I made my way to the gym at 9 am which, according to Google, was when it opened on a Saturday. However, it was locked up with no signs of life inside. I loitered outside for a bit, and then one of the staff from Papas Beach Bar came over and said it doesn’t open until 10. To pass the time, I walked around to Sunburnt Arms and sat at one of the tables in the shade so I wouldn’t get too hot.

When I finally got into the gym, I had a decent workout and left feeling suitably pumped (and sweaty). I’d left my beach gear at Sunburnt Arms, so I walked back around and got changed in their toilet before heading down to the beach for a refreshing dip in the sea followed by some sunbathing.

At lunchtime, I had a cheese & onion toastie and a glass of wine. I needed to figure out how to pick up my girlfriend tomorrow evening as she arrives on a late evening flight and it seemed like the local busses wouldn’t be running by that time. I decided to ask Yannis if he had any ideas, as being a local he would have good knowledge of the transport options. He confirmed that the buses don’t run that late on Sundays and that a taxi would cost €50 and I would have to pay this each way (since I’d agreed to meet my girlfriend at the airport). Hiring a car would be the cheapest option, but I wanted to find somewhere that would let me hire from tomorrow evening to the following evening without paying for two full days so that my girlfriend and I could use the car to explore the island on Monday.

By a stroke of good luck, it turned out that one of the young women who works for Yannis as a waitress has a boyfriend who runs a rental shop in Kos Town. I explained to her what I was hoping for and she kindly called him up and we agreed on a price of €50 to have a small car that I could pick up around 8 pm tomorrow and return at the same time the following day. Problem solved!

I left Sunburnt Arms after lunch and returned to the hotel to use the pool for a bit. I’d booked a haircut at 3 pm at a nearby barber shop, so I went to the appointment and then came back to the hotel pool for the rest of the afternoon.

Dinner today was a return to my number 1 favourite taverna: MamaRosa! I made sure to arrive early as I knew it was popular and didn’t have many tables. I got there at 7 pm and managed to get the last available table. The food was just as good as I remembered it: arancini balls to start followed by a spicy salami pizza.

Not wanting to spend any more money, I headed straight back to the hotel for another early night.