White Olive Marine Aquapark

"A nice modern family hotel – lots of positives & useful tips before you go; things I would have liked to been told before booking/visiting. We’ve just returned (Aug 12th-19th) from a family stay (me, husband and 2 boys aged 8 and 4) at White Olive Marine Aquapark in Kos and overall had a really lovely holiday. The hotel is clean and modern, the rooms are fantastic, there’s a great choice of food and the staff work tirelessly. There are a few things I think could be improved, but most are relatively minor and I’ve included them because they’re things I would have found useful to know before travelling. We had a coach to take us from the airport and took 40 mins with one stop before us. Rooms Our bedroom was lovely – modern, clean and really comfortable; high volted ceilings made it feel very spacious. We stayed in room 1912 which was a perfect spot. Blocks 18, 19 and 20 we said were the ideal location of rooms as they are very close to the main pool and balcony overlooks pool/enterainment so if you do have kids that go to bed early you wouldnt get FOMO! Request one of these blocks pre arrival if you can. We were on the 1st floor, ground floor would have been just as good and so easy for our boys to go back and forth while we could see them if they needed a break from the sun/grab a snack etc. Housekeeping came daily and towels were replenished every day apart from Sunday, although even then our bins were emptied and we were given a fresh bath mat. The shower is open, so the bath mat gets very wet and definitely needs replacing each day. The shower temperature could have been a little hotter. Our sink initially seemed blocked, but once we removed the plug it drained absolutely fine. Food & restaurant The buffet restaurant was excellent (note there is only one buffet hall and it is that, a buffet 'hall' being huge with an ever so slight conveyor belt feel but a lovely spot to eat). There are different international themes each day, a huge amount of choice and a dedicated kids’ section. There genuinely seemed to be something for everyone – even our very fussy eaters always found something! The restaurant staff are amazing. They work constantly clearing and resetting tables to keep everything moving. There can be a short wait at peak breakfast and dinner times, but we never waited long. My tip for breakfast would be to get there before 8:30am, as it gets very busy afterwards. Lunch at the pool bar is also extremely popular. The man making the pizzas deserves a medal – he is relentless! The pizzas are clearly a favourite, although when people take four or more slices at a time the queue can build while everyone waits for the next batch. Drinks are largely self-service, including a help-yourself beer tap and wine on tap. Juices and soft drinks are from dispensers rather than fresh juice. It’s worth knowing that ice creams aren’t included in the All Inclusive, nor are premium spirits and some of the more popular cocktails. There also weren’t the little afternoon snacks we’ve had at other All Inclusive resorts, such as sliced fruit or ice lollies. It wasn’t a major issue given how much food is available at mealtimes, but it would be a nice addition, particularly for children. Rooftop à la carte Definitely book the rooftop à la carte restaurant (you get one reservation per stay so get that booked as soon as you arrive as we wanted a certain date but that was fully booked). This was one of our highlights. The setting is stunning and you get an amazing sunset. I was really surprised that the rooftop wasn’t promoted more. It’s a huge space with a bar and fantastic views, yet was practically empty when we were there. Some evenings the main entertainment wasn’t really for us, so it would have been great to see the rooftop promoted as an alternative evening option where families could have a drink and watch the sunset. It feels like a fantastic space that could be utilised so much more. The reception bar was popular in the evenings and was a nice, cooler place to sit with drinks service (note it opens at 5pm). Pools & slides There are two main family pools plus a separate adults-only pool. The main pool is a huge walk-in wave pool, which is brilliant for families and suitable for all ages because of the gradual entry. The wave machine comes on sporadically throughout the day, although I’d probably describe it as more of a ripple machine than a wave machine! 😂 One thing we really liked was how relaxed the pool rules were when it came to children having fun. Ball games and inflatables were allowed in the main pool, which was great for the kids. The other family pool is the waterslide pool, with plenty of different slides and tubes for a range of ages. It’s a great area with lots of variety and you can even go down some of the slides on inflatables. One improvement I’d suggest would be roping off the area directly at the bottom of the slides (the orange one to be specific!). Children naturally walk across from one slide to another and this results in the lifeguards constantly having to blow their whistles to move them out of the way. If you sit around this pool, be prepared for lots of whistle blowing throughout the day! The loungers around the slide pool looked newer and more comfortable, although this area was also very busy. We generally preferred to stay around the main pool. The sun loungers around the main pool could definitely benefit from an upgrade. We found them a little rickety and not particularly comfortable, although I appreciate replacing such a large number would be a significant investment for the hotel. The official pool opening hours are 10am–6pm, which are also the hours when the lifeguards are on duty. One evening we were asked to leave the pool at 6pm so it could be chlorinated, whereas on other evenings things were much more relaxed. When we could, we absolutely loved having a late dip. Being in the pool as the sun was setting with hardly anyone else around was lovely. Obviously just be mindful that the lifeguards have finished by then. If you want a good position around the main pool, you do need to be up fairly early to put towels down, and even earlier if you want an umbrella for shade which for kids is certainly a must. Something worth knowing with younger children is that the wall surrounding the main pool is quite high. Unless you manage to get the loungers along the front it can be difficult to see your children properly while they’re in the pool. The towel hut generally didn’t open until closer to 10am, which seemed a little late. Pool area & cleanliness Cocktails around the pool are served in thin plastic cups. There are plenty of bins, but inevitably not everyone uses them and, because Tigaki can be windy, empty cups and bits of rubbish can occasionally blow around. I found myself picking up other people’s rubbish a few times! Having someone doing regular rounds of the pool area throughout the day would probably alleviate this. Similarly, when we first arrived at around 4pm, the pool/bar area looked a little messy after a busy day, which wasn’t the best first impression. This really wasn’t a major issue though – I’m just a bit obsessive when it comes to things being tidy! 😄 Adults-only pool There is a separate adults-only pool, which looked lovely but was generally very quiet during our stay. I’d estimate around 95% of the guests seemed to be families, so personally I wondered whether this space might be better utilised as another family-friendly pool. The loungers in the adults-only section were also noticeably much nicer, which did make the ones around the main family pool look a little worse by comparison! That’s purely my personal opinion though. I can equally appreciate that adults travelling without children probably really value having a quieter area (however it isnt 'quieter' as this pool is at the end where the speaker plays lound music all day everyday around the main pool which some of the older guests didnt seem to appreciate!). Animation team, activities & music The animation team are great – really enthusiastic, friendly and incredibly talented dancers. A few of them are professional dancers and it definitely shows! They all spoke very good English too. There’s afew things going on during the day, apart from Friday which is their day off, including the morning dance by the pool, aqua gym, darts and a pool tournament. There’s also a volleyball court on site. One thing worth knowing if you have football-mad children who just like to kick a ball around is that there isn’t a football pitch or a dedicated area for them to do this. This was probably one thing our boys missed, so it’s worth bearing in mind if football is a big part of your child’s holiday! There is a kids’ club, although our boys didn’t use it so I can’t comment on it personally. Music is played quite loudly around the main pool for much of the day, generally from around 10am–6pm, apart from Friday. They do have a break over lunchtime, so it isn’t completely non-stop. We enjoyed the lively holiday atmosphere, but it’s worth mentioning for anyone who prefers a quieter pool experience. I did think that if I’d brought my elderly mother with us, for example, she may have struggled with loud music around the pool for most of the day. Evening entertainment The evening entertainment generally starts with the mini disco at around 8:30pm, followed usually by bingo at around 9:15pm, then the standard type of holiday entertainment – Barbie, ABBA, acrobatics and similar shows. Bingo is €1 per card and popcorn is available for €1 a bag. The animation team put a huge amount of energy into the shows and there are some seriously impressive dancers amongst them! If I had one small suggestion, it would be a little more interaction with the children during the mini disco. At other hotels we’ve stayed at, the animation team have spent more time actively encouraging children to join in and teaching them the same routines each evening. It helps the children get to know the team, learn the dances and naturally start interacting with the other kids. Our two boys are quite shy and didn’t really make any holiday friends, so I think that extra bit of encouragement and interaction would have helped them come out of their shells. That’s only a small observation though – the animation team themselves were excellent and clearly work really hard. Also be aware that the pool bar gets very busy in the evenings when the entertainment is on, so expect a bit of a queue at peak times. Beach & Tigaki There is direct access to the beach from the hotel, which is convenient. However, we found the beach immediately outside the hotel quite seaweedy and the sea fairly rough, so it wasn’t our favourite for swimming. Tigaki Beach was by far our favourite of the beaches we visited. We also went to Paradise Beach but personally didn’t think it was as nice as Tigaki. Tigaki Beach has lovely sunbeds available for a small charge. We didn’t hire them as we weren’t staying for long, but I’d happily spend a full beach day there. There are also plenty of watersports at Tigaki and we found the prices cheaper than at some other beaches. We paid €80 for all four of us to go on the inflatable sofa ride, which was great fun. We also visited Bubble Beach. If I’m honest, it was a bit of an anticlimax compared with what we’d imagined! 😂 It’s still worth a stop if you’re exploring the island, as you can find some bubbles naturally coming up from the seabed, but don’t expect anything spectacular. Tigaki is on the northern side of Kos and can be windier than other parts of the island. We actually appreciated this. We travelled in mid-August and it was very hot, so the breeze made it feel much less stifling. Tigaki itself has everything you need – plenty of bars, restaurants and shops, plus a pharmacy – so it’s a good option if you fancy getting away from the hotel or having a change from the All Inclusive. Exploring Kos – hire a buggy! One of the best things we did was hire a beach buggy for the day from just outside the main entrance to the hotel. It cost us €140 for the day (9am - 8pm) and was a brilliant way to explore the island as a family. It was definitely one of the highlights of our holiday. Important tip – remember to bring your driving licence if you’re planning to hire a buggy or car during your stay! If you’re doing an island sightseeing day, definitely stop at Plaka Forest. It was really impressive seeing the peacocks roaming freely around the forest and the kids loved it. You probably only need around 20 minutes there, so it makes a perfect short stop as part of your day. We didn’t visit Kos Town ourselves. A fellow guest told us they paid around €15 each way in a taxi from the hotel and found Kos Town very busy. Tennis There is a tennis court and you can borrow rackets from reception, which is a nice addition. However, there isn’t a booking/sign-out system. We went to play a few times but couldn’t get rackets because previous guests hadn’t returned them to reception. A simple booking or sign-out system would easily solve this. Cash, water & useful things to know Definitely bring some cash with you. There isn’t a cash machine on site. The nearest one we found was at the next hotel, which is a bit of a walk away. You’ll also need a €10 deposit for each of the pool towels and €10 deposit for the safe, so having euros with you when you arrive is useful. The hotel won't take payment for these on card so cash is a must. There is a small on-site shop. You receive one bottle of water in your room on arrival, but bottled water isn’t replenished after this. There are, however, water dispensers/pumps around the hotel where you can refill your bottles. We chose to buy bottled water from the shop during our stay, but the refill option is there. There isn’t a pharmacy on site. When our son was feeling sick, I asked reception whether they had anything that might help. I was told they had some medication available but nothing suitable for children, so we would have needed to travel into Tigaki. It isn’t far away, but it’s worth knowing when travelling with children. Overall Overall, we had a really lovely family holiday and there is far more positive than negative about White Olive Marine Aquapark. The hotel is clean and modern, our room was fantastic, the food choice was excellent and the pools and slides provide plenty for families. Most importantly, the staff throughout the hotel work incredibly hard. From the restaurant team constantly clearing tables, to the animation team and the poor pizza man endlessly producing pizzas at lunchtime, their effort really shows! There are areas that could be improved – particularly upgrading the main pool loungers, having someone regularly tidy around the pool, improving the tennis racket system, perhaps providing somewhere for football-loving kids to have a kickabout or include it as part of the animation team activities, (perhaps early evening once it cools down abit as most parts of the complex are not in the shade), and making much better use of that fantastic rooftop area – but none of these things spoiled our holiday. Would we recommend it? Absolutely. It’s a lovely family hotel, the relaxed approach to inflatables and pool games was a big plus for us, and it’s a great base for getting out and exploring Kos. We had a brilliant holiday and made some lovely family memories."

"Not quite an all inclusive. This hotel is lovely. The rooms are beautiful and someone has spent a lot of time curating the rooms and the communal spaces. It has a lovely aesthetic. The kids loved the pools and the slides - they were happy on them everyday we were there. The pool does get busy but never too busy that you feel overwhelmed or cant find a spare sunbed or 2. Great location right on the beach. It is quite secluded (just one small shop nearby) but the hotel staff can order a taxi if you wish to head into Tigaki or Kos. Criticisms are of the "all inclusive offering". Drinks - were house soft drinks and didnt taste very nice at all! The all inclusive also finished at 11pm and then you had to pay for drinks. The main bar in reception only opened 5-11pm which was a nuisance as it meant you couldn't have a quiet drink - rather had to go to the busy pool bar. Food - no typical all inclusive ice creams for the children in the daytime. Also no 24hr snack bar which we have had at other hotels who charge similar prices. The main restaurant food was nice, although mealtimes were quite busy due to the amount of people in there and them only having one food service area. This is a great hotel, just feel that those little tweaks would have made it excellent and secured a return for us."

"Nearly didnt book due to other reviews but so glad we did! Everyone has been so friendly staff are fantastic. Rooms are comfortable and clean! Pool is great slides are fantastic. There is enough to keep fhe kids entertained all day long Food has been excellent No fight for sunbeds even when we were on day trips we came back and were able to find some. No pushing or trouble at meal times either. Would recommend getting to the stage for evening entertainment early as seats and tables fill up quick .the all inclusive cocktais are lovley. We have tried every one of them and dirty Shirley is our favourite. Only one thing I would ask the hotel to focus on is the toilets by the pool. No locks broken seats and as the day wears on they get slippery and the floor gets dirty. Other than that it was a fantastic holiday and we would definitely come again!"