Vlad State
Ikos Olivia was the choice for our honeymoon and it was an amazing experience. The staff was very helpful and careful to our requests and made the whole experience for us feel perfect. The room was very nice and clean (chapeau to the cleaning ladies), the food was even better and there were a lot of choices in the restaurants or the main buffet. We’re coming back this year
SC80
Our family stayed at Ikos in June 2024, and overall, it was a good experience. Having heard a lot about the Ikos brand, we were eager to see if the reputation lived up to the hype.
As an all-inclusive resort, it’s ideal for families with pre-schoolers. We stayed outside of school holidays, and the resort was hoatching with young children. If you’re looking for a romantic couples’ getaway, this might not be the best choice.
The Positives
First and foremost, the resort itself is well presented, and the staff were truly exceptional—some of the most attentive service we’ve experienced. The kids' splash pool was a huge hit with our four-year-old, and all pool areas were spotless and well-maintained.
Key Highlights:
• White Party on the Beach – Absolutely amazing! A DJ, a live saxophonist, and a fantastic atmosphere. It’s a shame there aren’t more beachside evening events like this throughout the week.
• Mermaid Swimming Academy – A magical experience for our daughter, and a special shout out to Effie, who was fantastic.
• WhatsApp Concierge Service – A seamless and convenient way to communicate with the team.
• Adult Tennis Session – Well-organised and enjoyable, though playing in 36-degree heat was a challenge!
The Niggles
• Accommodation – We booked a panoramic sea-view room, which was spacious but let down by a tired bathroom with mouldy stains in the shower basin. Many balconies, including ours, had bird nests. Waking up to droppings on the floor (and over our belongings) wasn’t pleasant. Small birds darting in and out also made it difficult to relax outside. We understand the rooms are set for renovation for the 2025 season.
• Food & Drink – Generally very good, with the buffet restaurant being the best all-inclusive buffet we’ve experienced. However, more needs to be done to mitigate flies. We tried three à la carte restaurants; while beautifully presented, some dishes were surprisingly bland. Service could be inconsistent — on two separate occasions, our mains arrived before our starters had been cleared. Given the Michelin-star curation in their marketing, we expected more attention to detail.
• Evening Entertainment – This was a weak spot. Apart from the White Party, there was only three questionable evening shows, with nothing at all for kids over the weekend. A resort of this calibre should offer more engaging options in the evenings.
• Location – We knew this going in, but there’s nothing much to do within the hotel vicinity, unless of course, you hire a car.
Final Thoughts
We had a good holiday, but for the price, I’m not completely convinced. It’s a good resort for families with young children, but I’d question its appeal for slightly older kids (5/6+), as there’s little in the way of water slides, pool games, kids’ discos, or high-quality evening entertainment.
Nicholas Lifton
Have had a marvellous time with my wife and friends, the meals in all the restaurants first class with service, all the staff and cleaners were fantastic and very helpful and kind. Lots for families to do with great pools that are heated lots of things for the kids to do and great for couples, beach is nice and plenty of sunbeds sea is has stones as you enter with beach service highly recommend.
Sunny Nags
Really nice holiday with the family. Cannot fault the service and the staff at the hotel. Beyond expectations
One sour note was a fire that occured at 2am on one of the nights. The way it was handled was very poor. The confusion and fear that it caused in the guests was not needed if they had effective communication and strong leadership. I understand it's something the staff and management can definitely learn from but it was something I never wanted to experience on holiday.
I will return to Ikos but I feel like constructive feedback is important for all businesses. Especially a polished example such as the Ikos group.
Please organise an inquest into what happened in the early hours and set an action plan to ensure it is dealt with better. There's families with small children that visit your premises.
Sarah
The hotel itself is beautiful, and the staff are absolutely charming, with a special mention for Marilena, who was exceptional. However, our stay started on a sour note. We had booked a sea view room but were "upgraded" to a one-bedroom apartment with no view, inconveniently located next to the kids' club. The apartment also had stairs, which was completely impractical for us, as we had a 10-month-old baby in a pram. It took several hours and quite a bit of stress to resolve this and get the room we originally booked. This experience left a bad impression at the start of our holiday.
While the service overall is good, it falls short of being exceptional which at the price point of the hotel, I would expect it to be. The biggest drawback, however, is the behaviour of some of the other guests. One downside was the atmosphere during mealtimes, where many children were left to run around freely, creating a somewhat chaotic environment that disrupted the otherwise serene setting. This was not limited to the early meal time slots, but continued through the entire dinner service past 9pm.
In conclusion, while Ikos Olivia has many positive aspects, I would definitely recommend avoiding it if you're traveling without children, as the atmosphere may not be as relaxing as expected.
My Booking
