We are hoping to book a holiday in Samos,possibly at KAMBOS/VOTSALAKIA,any info would be appreciated.Is it a good island to explore as we like to hire a vehicle and is this resort suitable for young children.Thankyou,Carol.

Hi Carol<BR><BR>I've been twice, and it's a big, friendly island. However I haven't been to those resort towns.<BR><BR>However<BR><BR>http://www.greek-tourism.gr/samos/indexUK.htm<BR><BR>might be of some help - I've heard good things about Kokkari, too.<BR>Have fun!

We were there for two nights (cut short by a day when the ferry from Kusadasi was cancelled and we had to remain in Turkey an extra day). We stayed along the harbour in Samos Town and loved it there -- seemed like more to do. We hiked up to the monastery and through the "aqua tunnel", and visited a couple of the resort towns -- but they seemed very small and too quiet for us -- but good if you just want to relax. Pythagorus (sp?) was OK and had some nice little seafront restaurants. We did not rent a car there as we did on other islands. We did some hiking and went to the other towns by bus. I do know there was a huge fire burning much of the island just after we were there in 2000. I'm not sure how the island has recovered.<BR>

I was on Samos many years ago for several days. I'm sure it's changed a lot, but it was a fairly large, interesting island. We stayed in Kokkari, which was then a small port village. I remember some exquisite, almost pristine beaches, and lots of olive groves. I also remember renting a car and making the HUGE mistake of driving up the goat path that served as a road to Mount Ambelos. There's more to the story that led me to believe that maybe Samos WASN't such a friendly island, but I'll leave it at that. We visited the Samos wine vineyards, which was interesting, and ate some of the most scrumptious grilled octopus. We also went from there to Kushadassi and on to Ephesus and beyond, which makes for an interesting side trip.

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We went to Samos about 7 years ago and stayed in Kokkari, which we thought was a really nice place - old town (built on a hill with narrow winding streets) and harbour at one end and long beach, bars, and tavernas at the other. Definitely recommend hiring a car for a few days - there's lots of places to explore. We posted some holiday snaps at http://content.communities.msn.co.uk...os.msnw?Page=1

We went to Samos Town last year trying to get to Kudasi. We stayed 3 days and loved it. Our hotel on the harbor was clean and wonderful and we rented a little jeep to drive around and explore the beautiful island. You'll love it.