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Mastichari

Discover Mastichari

Why Book Your Mastichari Holiday with GotoBeach?

Mastichari is the antidote to the big-resort strip — a laid-back fishing village on the north coast of Kos where working boats still bob in the harbour, fish tavernas line the quay, and a wide sandy beach catches the breeze that windsurfers love. It has grown up gently rather than been built for package tourism, so the pace is unhurried and the feel is genuinely Greek: a scattering of low-rise hotels, family-run tavernas, and ferries slipping out to the island of Kalymnos across the water. You fly into Kos Island International Airport (KGS), which sits nearby in the middle of the island, and the transfer is only about fifteen minutes, so you can be watching the fishing boats over lunch the day you land.

Every Mastichari package we sell carries full ATOL financial protection under licence #11211, and your ATOL Certificate arrives the moment you book — you can read how your ATOL financial protection works before you commit a penny. Every hotel on this page has been hand-picked and inspected in person against our 22-point criteria, not chosen from a brochure, so you are booking a resort someone from our team has actually walked through and slept in.

"Mastichari is my pick for people who want the real Greece with a proper beach, not a resort bubble," says Eleni Trachalakis, our Greece Operations Manager, who looked after British holidaymakers across the Dodecanese during her years as a resort representative before Thomas Cook. "It's a working fishing village — you eat fish that came off the boats you can see from your table — and the beach is wide, sandy and breezy, which the windsurfers adore. It's quiet and family-friendly, but the ferry to Kalymnos leaves from the harbour and Kos Town is a short hop when you want more. I re-check the hotels here every season, timing the walk to the sea and tasting the tavernas, so the ones on this page are places I'd happily send my own family." Eleni rates Mastichari as the island's most authentic beach base.

 

Photos of Mastichari

Hand Picked Deals

Top Hotels in Mastichari

Smy Kos Beach and Splash
Smy Kos Beach and Splash

Mastichari / Greece

All Inclusive

£ 1167.34

Horizon Beach Resort
Horizon Beach Resort

Mastichari / Greece

Half Board

£ 1591.78

Neptune Luxury Resort
Neptune Luxury Resort

Mastichari / Greece

Bed&Breakfast

£ 1599.26

See more

Discover Mastichari

Top hotels in Mastichari

Inspected in person · 22-point criteria

Mastichari is a small, low-key village, so our programme here is deliberately compact — two standout resorts that earn their place rather than a long list padded for the sake of it. One leans grown-up and polished; the other is built around a splash park and the school holidays. Each has been inspected in person; here is how they compare.

Mastichari, Kos

Ammos Luxury Resort

Grown-Up Luxe
★★★★★

A smart, contemporary resort a short way from the Mastichari sands, with stylish rooms, elegant pools, a spa and a calm, grown-up feel that suits couples and families wanting a bit of polish. It pairs the village's laid-back charm with proper comfort and good dining, making it the pick for a relaxed but refined north-coast week.

🏖 Near the Mastichari beach · 15 min from KGS

View Ammos Luxury Resort

Mastichari, Kos

SMY Kos Beach & Splash

Family Splash
★★★★

A family all-inclusive built around a splash park with slides and pools, right by the wide Mastichari beach, with kids' clubs, animation and generous buffets to keep everyone busy for a week. The staff are used to children and there is plenty on site, making it the natural choice for a fuss-free family holiday on the quieter north coast.

🏖 By the wide Mastichari beach · 15 min from KGS

View SMY Kos Beach & Splash

Two resorts is the honest answer for a village this compact and this genuine. If you want a wider choice while keeping that easy pace, the shallow family sands of the resort of Tigaki sit along the same north coast, while the hotels in Kos Town put you in the historic harbour. For the big south-coast all-inclusive style, the Mitsis resorts of Kardamena are the counterpoint, and you can browse our child-friendly hotels collection across Greece. It all sits under one straightforward Kos island package.

Discover Mastichari

Mastichari's charm is that it never stopped being a village. Its heart is the little harbour, where fishing boats unload the day's catch and the ferry to Kalymnos comes and goes, ringed by a cluster of tavernas whose menus are dictated by what the boats brought in. Behind it, a low-rise scatter of hotels, rooms and family-run shops runs back from a wide, sandy beach, and that is more or less the whole place — small, walkable and refreshingly free of high-rise sprawl or a thumping club strip. It is the kind of resort where you slip into the local rhythm within a day and stop checking the time.

That authenticity does not mean you are cut off. Mastichari sits on the north-west coast, centrally placed on a compact island, so Kos Town with its castle and Roman ruins is a short drive or bus ride east, the shallow family beaches of Tigaki and Marmari are close along the coast, and the whole flat, bike-friendly interior is easy to explore. It suits two kinds of traveller especially well: couples and families after a genuine, low-key Greek village with a proper beach, and windsurfers drawn by the reliable afternoon breeze. If you are still choosing your base, our specialist's guide to a Kos holiday compares the resorts, and the wider Kos island overview sets Mastichari in context.

Mastichari beach & seafront

The beach is Mastichari's headline — a wide, open sweep of soft golden sand stretching west from the harbour, shelving gently into clear, shallow water that is safe and warm for paddling children. Sunbeds, parasols and a handful of beach bars line the busier central stretch near the village, while the sands run on quieter and more natural the further you walk, so you can always find your own patch. It is an easy, uncomplicated family beach, backed by low dunes and tamarisk trees rather than a wall of hotels, which keeps the whole seafront feeling open and airy.

What sets Mastichari apart is the wind. This north-facing shore catches the meltemi breeze that funnels down the Aegean in high summer, and while it barely troubles sunbathers, it makes the beach one of the best spots on Kos for windsurfing and kitesurfing — a school or two rents kit and gives lessons right on the sand. The same breeze keeps the afternoons pleasant when inland resorts swelter. Add the working harbour at one end, with the fishing boats and the Kalymnos ferry, and it is a seafront with genuine character, not just a strip of loungers.

Things to do around Mastichari

Mastichari's own days are simple and good: the beach, a windsurf lesson or a paddleboard rental, a wander round the harbour and a long fish lunch by the water. The village is the departure point for the ferry to Kalymnos, the rugged sponge-divers' island across the strait, which makes an easy and rewarding day trip — whitewashed harbour towns, dramatic cliffs and some of the best calamari you'll eat. Water-sports operators on the beach cover the breezy afternoons, and the sunsets over the sea to the west are worth timing dinner around.

Beyond the village, the compact island opens up. Kos Town, a short drive or bus ride east, has the Castle of the Knights, the Roman ruins and the ancient Asklepion healing sanctuary, all easy in a morning. The flat land makes cycling genuinely practical, and the hillside village of Zia, up in the green interior, is the classic spot for a sunset and a mountain taverna dinner. To plan beyond the beach, our specialist's Kos holiday guide is the natural next read, and if you are weighing islands, the Rhodes versus Kos comparison sets the two side by side; you can also browse the resorts of Rhodes for contrast.

When to go to Mastichari

Kos has a long, reliable summer cooled by the meltemi breeze, and Mastichari's north-facing beach catches that wind — welcome for sunbathers and a gift for windsurfers. Here is how the months actually feel, and when our specialist would book.

When Air Sea Our take
April–May 20–25°C 18–20°C Green, quiet and unhurried; the sea is still cool but the village walks and harbour lunches are lovely — great value before the crowds.
June 28–29°C 23°C Warm, dry and sunny with a sea that's finally inviting and a gentle breeze building. A sweet spot before the school holidays land.
July–August 31–32°C 25–26°C Peak heat and family buzz, kept comfortable by the meltemi — bath-warm sea and prime windsurfing conditions if you're tied to the holidays.
September 28–29°C 25°C Our pick: warm sea, softer heat and thinner crowds once schools go back, with the breeze easing. The best all-round month for Mastichari.
October 23–24°C 23°C A gentle wind-down — still swimmable and sunny, lovely for couples and a calmer village week before the season closes.

If you can pick your week freely, June and September give you the best balance of warm water, comfortable heat and sensible prices. Windsurfers should aim for July and August, when the meltemi is at its most reliable — but book early, because the village's handful of hotels fill fastest in the summer holidays.

The practical parts

Getting there

You fly into Kos Island International Airport (KGS), which sits centrally on the island, and the transfer to Mastichari takes only about fifteen minutes by road — one of the shorter hops on Kos. A good number of UK airports run direct summer services to Kos, and every GoToBeach package includes your flights and your airport-to-hotel transfer at both ends.

Passports & entry

Greece is in the EU and the Schengen area, so British passport holders can visit for up to 90 days in any 180 without a visa. Your passport must have been issued within the last 10 years and be valid for at least three months after your planned departure. The EU's new EES and ETIAS systems are being phased in, so entry rules can change at short notice — always recheck the official guidance before you travel.

Money

The currency is the euro. Cards work fine in hotels and larger tavernas, but carry some cash for the beach bars, harbour tavernas, ferry tickets and taxis. Tipping isn't obligatory but is appreciated — rounding up the bill or leaving a euro or two for good service is the local norm.

Health & insurance

A free UK GHIC card covers state medical care in Greece on the same terms as locals, but it's not a substitute for travel insurance — you'll still want comprehensive cover for repatriation, private treatment and cancellations. We can point you towards arranging suitable travel insurance when you book. The open beach gets strong sun and breeze, so pack high-factor sun care for the children.

Getting around

Mastichari is small and walkable, so you can stroll to the beach, harbour and tavernas without transport. Frequent buses link the village with Kos Town and the airport side, and taxis are easy to arrange. The flat land makes cycling a pleasure. Hire a car only if you plan to chase the south-western beaches and hill villages under your own steam — otherwise you won't need one.

Food & eating out

Mastichari is where you come to eat fish — the harbour tavernas serve the day's catch straight off the boats, alongside grilled meats, Greek salads heavy with island tomatoes and the local pitaridia pasta. At the resorts you'll have generous all-inclusive buffets too, but do get out to the quay for at least one long, unhurried seafood lunch. For where the island's in-house dining also delivers, see our look at the Mitsis hotels on Kos.

Map of Mastichari

Frequently Asked Questions About Mastichari

Common questions and answers for planning your Mastichari holiday.

Handpicked packages featuring the best destinations across the Mastichari

Further reading from our specialists

Deeper diver from the team, all based on recent resort visits.

Rhodes vs Kos

Two Greek islands, two very different holidays

Where to Eat, Swim and Stay in Kos

Where the best tables are worth finding.

Kos Holiday

Where easy days meet ancient stories.

Official guidance & sources

Entry and health rules for Greece can change at short notice, especially as the EU rolls out its new EES and ETIAS systems, so always check the official advice when you book and again shortly before you fly. These are the sources we trust.