Kastri island
A small rock with a white chapel directly off the beach.
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**The southwestern end of Kos — a hilltop village above the island's longest beaches** — about 40 km from Kos town. The old village sits on a hill with white lanes, a windmill and the remains of a **Venetian castle**, looking out over the whole bay. Below it runs **Kamari Bay**: a sand strip of several kilometres, with the small island of **Kastri** in the water directly in front, a white chapel on its summit — the best-known image of Kos after the tree and the castle. ✅ The beaches here are **the island's best** and less crowded than the town's: **Agios Stefanos**, **Paradise** and **Magic**. ⚠ But the coast is **exposed to wind** — Kos is among the windiest Aegean islands, which is why it is a centre for wind sports.
A small rock with a white chapel directly off the beach.
Early Byzantine columns standing on the sand at the water's edge.
White lanes, a windmill and a castle looking over the whole bay.
Kefalos, 85301 Kos, Greece
**Its position in an air corridor between the Turkish mainland and the islands — and the meltemi accelerates through it.** ✅ **The mechanism**: Kos lies in a **relatively narrow strait** between the Anatolian coast and the neighbouring islands. When the summer **meltemi** northerlies blow across the Aegean, **they are compressed into this corridor** — and air squeezed through a narrow gap **accelerates** (the Venturi effect). **So the wind reaches Kos stronger** than it reaches open islands. ✅ **Add the island's shape**: Kos is **long, narrow and mostly low**, with no high mountains to break the wind — unlike Crete or Rhodes. ✅ **The result**: **near-daily summer wind**, especially in the afternoon. ⚠ **What it means for you**: **the southwestern beaches (Kefalos) are the most exposed**; if the wind gets up, move to the **northeastern coast** near town or into a sheltered bay. ✅ **The upside**: **wind sports are excellent here** — the island is a destination for sailing and kitesurfing, **and the heat stays bearable** thanks to the breeze.