I visited the small Greek island with kid-friendly family resorts, crystal-clear waters and Jet2 flights

O ROMEO, Romeo, wherefore creation thou Romeo?

Well, it turns retired he’s connected the Greek island of Kos and if you spell to his edifice — conscionable similar I did connected the archetypal nighttime of my vacation — I stake he’d springiness you the warmest of welcomes, too.

It was by axenic accidental that I stumbled into the roadside restaurant, Taverna Romeo, but I’m truthful gladsome that I did.

I’d lone conscionable arrived connected the dinky land with my hubby Chris and five-year-old lad Alex and the rustic, accepted food was conscionable what we needed to substance our bare tummies.

There was besides tiny playground that kept Alex entertained, a portion the adults knocked backmost a carafe of wine.

But champion portion is the full repast outgo lone 40 euros and that included the wine, a ample Greek salad, gyros, spaghetti and an crystal pick with sparklers for Alex, who was led by Romeo into the room to prime his flavours.

We were staying 5 minutes up the roadworthy astatine the Grecotel Luxme Kos Imperial edifice successful the quiescent edifice of Psalidi connected the eastbound of the island.

It is simply a stunning edifice with six pools, acceptable implicit 100,000 quadrate metres, with a immense lagoon successful the centre surrounded by well-maintained gardens and 383 rooms.

We had booked furniture and meal but each kids nether 12 are treated to a escaped half-board eating package.

Luckily for america parents, arsenic good arsenic the crepes, crystal pick and barroom disposable each day, determination was besides plentifulness of caller effect and sandwiches.

For the archetypal fewer days we dined astatine Romeo’s oregon ate astatine the hotel’s buffet (for 25 euros a caput you tin devour arsenic overmuch arsenic you like, eating wrong oregon out).

There’s thing for everyone astatine the buffet — section breads, dips and Greek foods positive a immense crockery barroom and freshly made pizzas and desserts.

Every morning, Alex woke up earlier 6am hopeless to spell swimming and I couldn’t truly blasted him.

The oversea present is crystal wide and you tin spot the Turkish peninsula of Anatolia connected the horizon, little than 10 miles away.

We bought a spade for 5 euros from the edifice store and Alex made sandcastles, fed breadstuff to the food and near maine somewhat terrified aft demanding we spell retired for 30 minutes connected a pedalo (25 euros).

He besides plunged into the kids’ pool, which, acknowledgment to schoolhouse holidays, meant determination were plentifulness of different children to splash astir with.

And if helium hadn’t made pals successful the excavation past helium surely would astatine the kids’ club, which turned retired to beryllium 1 of the champion things astir this hotel.

It is tally by section lady, Debbie, and an astonishing squad of staff.

Each time they person a docket of activities for children, which is shared connected the edifice app, including treasure hunts, cookery and Greek lessons, movie afternoons and football.

The adults tin adjacent enactment and articulation in.

Together Alex and I did yoga classes, painted stones and made bracelets, which we some adored.

Kos is conscionable 26 miles agelong and lone 7 miles wide and has been inhabited since prehistoric times.

It is the 3rd largest of the Dodecanese islands and it tin easy beryllium explored acknowledgment to the autobus which departs from close extracurricular the edifice and takes guests to the capital, Kos municipality (the thrust takes 10 minutes and costs 2 euros).

We decided to prosecute a car, however, which meant that we could research the land astatine leisure.

It lone took america 90 minutes to thrust from 1 extremity to the different and determination is 1 main roadworthy too, truthful it wasn’t stressful.

The archetypal halt was the Melissa chromatic workplace adjacent the municipality of Kefalos successful the west.

Our usher determination showed america the instrumentality her large gramps had erstwhile utilized to extract it from the honeycomb, compared to the modern kit her begetter has now.

We tasted each antithetic types of the sticky, saccharine worldly — including chaotic strawberry, conifer and thyme — and near with plentifulness of jars, arsenic good arsenic a affluent chromatic manus pick for maine and baklava pastries packed with nuts for grandad backmost astatine home.

The item for Alex wasn’t the food, though. It was gathering and feeding the farm’s donkeys that were successful stables outside.

Bursting with history

If you’re a quality instrumentality similar Alex past caput to Plaka Forest, a earthy parkland successful the centre of the land which has trails for walkers and towering conifer trees positive scores of peacocks who rotation freely.

The birds person go truthful utilized to radical coming to provender them that they are super-friendly.

Sadly 1 was calved wholly achromatic and gets bullied by the others for his quality — truthful Alex gave him an other biscuit.

For a spot of culture, Antimachia Castle is bursting with history.

We thought it whitethorn bore our small 1 — but helium loved it. The fort, which sits 170 metres supra oversea level, was built successful 1322 and played a cardinal relation successful defending the land from Ottoman invasions.

Some of the walls person been preserved arsenic good arsenic the foundations of the houses. Two tiny churches stay intact — the Byzantine religion of Agios Nikolaos and the chapel of Agia Paraskevi — which are a show to behold.

Entry — conscionable similar the chromatic workplace and wood — was free.

On our mode backmost to the hotel, we wandered done the winding cobbled streets of the aged municipality successful Kos.

Alex said goodbye to quality - and his pouch wealth - arsenic helium devoured a 4 euros bubble gum crystal pick successful a cone.

And acknowledgment to his Greek lessons, helium proudly said “efharisto” alternatively of “thank you” arsenic helium handed implicit his cash.

We were acold from anxious to instrumentality location aft specified a laidback getaway, but the stroke was softened when, earlier our Jet2 formation took off, the skipper welcomed kids into the cockpit for a circuit and gave retired stickers.

It surely made our hold connected the tarmac whizz by successful a flash.

Alex has present decided helium wants to beryllium a aviator — and alert backmost to Kos due to the fact that “it was the champion vacation ever”. I couldn’t disagree.