"We’ve just finished our 2-week stay at this hotel, and I wanted to give my honest opinion of the hotel etc.
I think this review could genuinely help someone considering staying here as we’ve stayed at both this hotel now and the Palace next door for the last 3 years, spending a total of 6 weeks between them.
First of all, as I’ve said previously, it’s not a 5-star hotel in the way you would expect from a 5-star hotel in the UK. It’s a Greek 5-star, so you pay more tourist tax. That’s that out of the way.
The Hotel & Grounds
The grounds are very well kept and the maintenance staff work hard to keep everything looking good.
One thing I don’t agree with is the shared pools closing too early. A few days ago they closed at 6pm which in my opinion is far too early, especially when you’re on holiday and the weather is still warm and people in the pool.
The football court is good. Me and my 13-year-old son loved playing football on here and it’s something we’ll definitely miss.
There are loungers around the pool during July and August, not reserved at 7am and there were Lots available this time of year.
The beach outside the hotel isn’t great, very rocky and stoney. If you love a nice beach then take this into consideration.
Staff
The ladies on reception are very helpful and friendly. If they can help you, they will.
A special mention to Anja who helped us during our stay — thank you.
Unfortunately, I can’t say the same about the guy on reception who helps with the bags. I found him very rude and arrogant, which really lets the hotel down.
The new guy at the snack bar, however, is a very nice man. He’s always happy, helpful and pleasant with everyone. Credit to the hotel for having someone like him. Way better than the last guy.
I also have to mention Ioanna at the bar in the evening. Unfortunately, I found her very ignorant, rude and disrespectful. In my opinion, she’s definitely in the wrong job. If it was my business, she wouldn’t be working for me.
Weather & Pools
The weather mid September has been nice overall. We’ve had some very warm days, but also a couple of grey, overcast days and a bit of rain twice.
We’ve previously visited in July and August, and it’s obviously much hotter then.
If you prefer guaranteed hot weather, I wouldn’t recommend coming from mid-September onwards.
However, if you like warm weather, much less humidity and comfortable or cooler evenings, then this time of year could be perfect for you.
The biggest downside for us this time was the pools. They were absolutely freezing. I don’t mind a cold pool but this was take your breath away cold.
If you have a baby or toddler who wants to spend a lot of time in the pool, I would seriously consider this when booking. Our baby wanted to be in the water, but it was simply too cold for him.
I’d recommend the beach in the village near Starlight, or travelling to Marmari. The sea was much warmer.
Rooms
The rooms themselves are good, but unfortunately ours wasn’t cleaned properly during the stay — not once.
A lot of ants too.
The bed sheets also weren’t changed unless you put them in the bathroom.
We also found mould in the coffee machines in two rooms. I don’t like that
There’s no kettle provided either, unless you get one and leave a deposit.
For a hotel of this supposed standard, I think the cleaning could definitely be improved.
Food & Drinks
Food is very good, and this is one of the main reasons we came back.
There’s fresh pizza, sushi, a Chinese station, pasta, stews, fish, chicken, salads and plenty of other choices.
The food at the beach bar is also very good. The chips, burgers and souvlaki are great.
I wouldn’t say there’s a huge amount of choice for anyone with a dairy allergy, though, so that’s something worth considering.
Overall, the food here is much better than the Palace next door and, in my opinion, better than most all-inclusive hotels in this price range. For what you pay, you really can’t complain about the food.
The drinks are also good for an all-inclusive.
Water is available to refill, but we just bought ours from the shop near the beach. We paid €3 for six big bottles.
Getting Around/the village
The coach into Kardamena is really good and saves both money and time. It’s definitely worth using if you want to go into the village.
However I must warn you that nobody queues. It’s a free for all. No consideration for anyone, even women and babies.
The village is amazing, I love it. Big reason why we come to Kardamena every year.
Portoeye and crossroads always our favourites.
Highly recommend a garden tails cocktail at portoeye.
If you can, rent a car and see the island it’s so beautiful. Zia is great.
We rented from Katarina car hire highly recommended don’t use the hotel cars they are way more expensive
We’ve been everywhere now in Kos. My opinion marmari beach is the best and the food at smilies is great. Their cheese Saganaki is the best
Guests
The hotel is mostly Italian and German families, and I have to say that some of the Italian guests in particular seemed to think they owned the hotel.
If you have children who want to make friends, I also wouldn’t say this is the easiest hotel for that compared with some others we’ve stayed at.
Would I return to this hotel?
No, I wouldn’t.
That doesn’t mean it’s a bad hotel. It’s decent enough and certainly isn’t a dump by any means. There are just better hotels in my opinion.
Would I visit Kos again from mid-September onwards?
Maybe, but personally I prefer my summer holiday to be really hot, with a pool that’s comfortable enough to get into.
For me, mid September would probably be more suited to a second holiday rather than my main summer holiday.
Overall
All in all, we had a nice time. Lovely being with the family and relaxing.
We especially loved seeing our baby boy have fun on his first holiday, with his older brother and that’s something we’ll always remember.
There are definitely things this hotel could improve, particularly the room cleaning, customer service with some staff etc.
For us, though, it’s time to try somewhere else."
