Helona Beach holidays have both sides nailed down. You can spend your days on a sleepy, sandy beach, before grabbing your glowsticks for a night out in nearby Kardamena.

Peaceful parcel

You’ll find Helona Beach on the southern belly of Kos, just 10 minutes’ cab ride from Kardamena. But this place gets way fewer footprints than its playful neighbour. Its beach is a big, untouched stretch. And a couple of plush hotels have cut themselves a slice of the pie. Other than that, you won’t find anything else to disturb your snoozes on the sand-and-shingle swathe.

Castaway sands

The resort’s beach is deserted – in a good way. It’s got a real Robinson Crusoe vibe, with bare pebble-strewn sands backed by wild shrubs. There’s the odd strip with clusters of sunbeds, but the majority’s au naturel. Luckily, the nearby hotels dole out the drinks, snacks and watersports.

Slides and shots

This place puts all its eggs in the beach basket, so it doesn’t have a town centre as such. Your souvenir-shopping and eating out’s taken care of by the hotels. And it’s easy to get out and about for the day. Aquatica Waterpark’s a five-minute drive out of town. Carry on another five and you’ll hit Kardamena – one of Greece’s top party towns.

At a Glance

  • Catch some Z’s on Helona Beach
  • Make a splash at Aquatica Waterpark
  • Follow the beats to Kardamena’s Bar Street