Tigaki Beach

Tigaki is the wide, easy beach that keeps north Kos in business, and its appeal is exactly as advertised, which is refreshing. It is one of the longest sandy stretches on the island, a broad ribbon of fine pale sand with a gentle slope into water that stays shallow a long way out over a smooth, forgiving seabed. That is the whole pitch and it delivers: small children can paddle safely, nervous swimmers can wade to their comfort, and there are sunbeds, parasols and beach bars strung along the organised stretches when you want service. It is not a secret cove or a design statement, it is a good, honest resort beach that does the basics very well.

What lifts Tigaki above the average package strand is the light and the salt lake behind it. The Alykes lake is a protected Natura 2000 wetland that draws migratory birds, and in spring and autumn you can often watch flamingos out on the shallows, a real event on a beach holiday. In high summer the lake bakes to a pale, almost desert like crust that photographs like nowhere else on Kos, all flat horizon and washed out colour. Between the wide open beach, the shallow mirror of the sea in the morning and the strange bright plain of the lake, this is a shore with more visual range than its reputation suggests. Come early for the calm and the soft light before the crowds and the wind arrive.

The honest caveats are the wind and the development. The same open aspect that makes the entry so gentle also catches a dependable afternoon breeze, which is a gift to windsurfers, kitesurfers and paddleboarders and a mild nuisance to anyone hoping for glassy water and a still towel all day. The main stretch is busy and built up in season, backed by hotels and tavernas rather than dunes, so this is comfort and convenience, not seclusion. Any lifeguard cover is seasonal and partial, so keep watch on children, especially in the breeze, and swim within your depth. Treat the wind, the water and the flamingos alike as typical rather than guaranteed.

Come to Tigaki for an easy family day, reliable service and the surprise of the flamingo lake, and go elsewhere on Kos for a livelier or a wilder mood. For the harbour village and ferry hop feel go to Mastichari Beach, for the long town beach try Lambi Beach, and for the bright southern scene see Paradise Beach. For the full picture start at the best beaches in Kos, for loungers and dining see the Kos beach clubs directory, and to plan your timing read when to go to Kos.