Kos Reviews - Kardamena Hotels and Apartments M




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Mammis Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: July 2005 Opinion submitted in Aug 2005 by : Wendy Squires - Hampshire 50, 54 Resort Rating: Poor Accommodation Rating: Below Average My/Our Holiday Review: We arrived at the Mammis Beach studios at 4.00am in total darkness. Our Libra Rep told us our keys were in our rooms. We searched our rooms for ages, not that there was a lot to search and found no keys. We were unable to lock our door and therefore unable to go to sleep. The Libra 'wallpaper' stated that we are responsible for the safety and security of our belongings at all times as did our travel insurance so we, together with the other 3 parties who arrived the same time were unable to sleep because our studio rooms were accessible at all times. the owner was unable to understand why we were so disatisfied but explained he could not leave the keys for security reasons, they might have been stolen? It did not seem to metter to either him or Libra that we were left without any secure way of keeping ourselves and our belongings safe from the time of arrival until 8.30 am in the morning. What a way to start the holiday. The rooms had little in the way of furniture and the kitchen comprised of a two ring hob with a saucepan (which was dirty) and a frying pan. Two plates, two cups, two teaspoons, two knives and two forks. The nearest supermarket was 40+ minutes walk away and food at the site restaurant was adequate some days and poor and uneatable other days. Lucky the weather was excellent and the company of the other travellers who arrived the same time was brilliant. The owners wife was wonderfull and helpful, and could understand the points we were complaining about. Unfortunately, it would appear that the wives of Greek Men have little say in business matters. This was not the best holiday I have been on and unfortunately, Libra only want your money, customer satisfaction is not their concern. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mammis Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Libra Discounts) Libra - June 2005 Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : M 34, F 29 Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: Just returned from a week in Mammis Beach and have to say we agree with all of the positive comments in the previous reviews. We do not however agree with the negative comments about George, the owner of the hotel. We were given a very warm welcome, treated with the utmost respect and had many a good laugh with George during our stay. No one who was staying there during our time had anything other than compliments for him!! We could not have asked for a friendlier host!! He even cooked a roast dinner on Saturday evening especially for those of us who were leaving in the early hours of Sunday morning. Renate was also very pleasant and we had some great laughs with Gianni the barman (despite his misconceptions about what makes a good football team...!!) We spent most of our time at the hotel - we did wander into town a few times, but found that all of our needs were met in the hotel. The studios are very clean, and although they are basic, they were certainly well enough equipped. George's BBQ should not be missed - great food, loads of it, and a very entertaining quiz (hint - you might like to count things around the pool area in case you find yourself in a tie break situation!!) Great night. All in all, we could not fault our holiday. We would certainly go to the same hotel again if we return to Kos and Kardemena. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mammis Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Olympic Direct) Olympic - 2005 / 2006 Opinion submitted in May 2006 by : Jane Hodgkinson Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Poor My/Our Holiday Review: The owner/ manager of the hotel made it incredibly difficult for me and my boyfriend to eat outside of thehotel, despite the fact that we had booked a self-catering holiday! As on our first night we went into the centre to eat the very next day he decided that because we hadn't (paid) and eaten his food then the sunbeds around the pool would no longer be free to us. Obviously we complained to our rep about this and got it sorted. As a young couple we wanted cheap accomodation and to eat in lots of different restaurants and to take part in the night life. he couldn't understand us not wanting to eat his food every night or even us going to the beach! he actually came over and shouted at us at one point as we left the pool to go to the beach. I imagine that if you stay on the right side of him (i.e. you stay in the very small complex the whole of the time), he is a very nice man. On the last night as we waited for our coach he tried to make his peace with us by buying us a drink each. Im sorry but this was too little too late. As for the accomodation: basic but fine. Had a great holiday. Would definitly not recommend this to young families due to the trek to nearest supermarket/beach and also to anyone who likes high standards! For basic accomodation it served its purpose. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mammis Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Libra Discounts) Libra 2005 Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : dianne northampton family Resort Rating: Poor Accommodation Rating: Average My/Our Holiday Opinion: returned from this resort and although the location is good and the place clean the owner ruined the holiday, we did not spend a lot of money at his bar as we went selfcatering he was rude and threatened to cut off the power if we did not eat at his bar.i thought i went selfcatering but he made it so hard for us to do that. never would i go back to this place even if somebody paid me. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mammis Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Olympic Direct) Olympic - September 2004 Opinion submitted in Sept 2004 by : Debbie (23), Marc (21), Sarah (20) & Matt (23) - Leeds Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: Mammis Beach Apartments sit just on the outskirts of Kardamena..A short 30mins from the airport..We arrived at around 4am and found ourselves in 2 lovely apartemnts situated on the ground floor..it is advisable to bring some pre-bought water or drinks with you if you are arriving at that time as the pool bar shuts about 3am and with the weather being as hot as it was we were gagging for a drink!!..the apartemnts are basic but where isn't in Greece?.. As previuosly mentioned it does get warm on a night so rent a fan or get some a/c!..the pool area is very good and clean, George and his staff are very friendly and will help you no matter what..the food and drinks are reasonably priced and of good quality.. Kardamena is about a 30-40 mins walk, but taxi's are cheap enough at 6 euro and are easy enough to catch..just ask at the bar and they will order one for you..getting them in town is easy too just go to the top of the square..Kardamena is a busy resort with plenty of good bars and restaurants our favorites being Mojo's Bar on the front and Nemo's restaurant..very nice!.. We hired some Buggys for the day and went round the island - what a laugh!!..We went everywhere, much cheaper than the excursions, plus you can do what you want and go where you want..these cost around 100 euro for 2 days.. Overall Mammis Beach is very nice and even though it is a taxi ride form the centre its ideal for those who like their accomadation not over a bar! I would recomend anyone to stay there regardless of age or anything else.. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mamouzelos - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Olympic Direct) Olympic - 2005 Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : Nicola 25, Sarah 25, Jo 26, Grant 26, Katrina 28 Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: We had a great time in Kardamena,The hotel was great, accomodation is pretty basic but its sufficient. Leftkis, the owner is really lovely, very helpful and welcoming and made our stay even more enjoyable ejoyed many Smirnoff ices in the bar with him (what a bargain at 2 euros). Lots of lovely restaurants in Kardemena, our favourites were probably Yianni's & Scala. We went to Bubble beach which was a bit of a dissapointment ~ there were no bubbles to be seen apart from those coming off the boat that dropped us in there ~ it's good to go to if your into water sports however. As for nightlife, Bar 1960's was great, they play really good music (shame it gets turned off at 12) & always has a great atmosphere & then the two main clubs Staus & Starlight. Wish we were back there now x --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mamouzelos - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Manos Discounts) Manos - October 2004 Opinion submitted in Nov 2004 by : Mark Douglas - Nottingham (44, 32, 16) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: We stayed here in October 2004, wish I was still there, only been back a week and it seems like I've been back a year. These apartments were very good, spacious with a large wardrobe and balcony. Three beds not the usual two and a fold out settee. They were cleaned every other day but Sunday and sheets and towels changed weekly. Safety Deposit box in every room and only 30 euros for the week. About 5 three minutes walk from the cocktails and dreams end of the resort, which is the quieter end. Close to restaurants, bars and shops, but far enough away that they don't become a nuisance. Leftis, the owner, was a good bloke, always ready to help out with an extra blanket or pillow when needed, well it does get cold at night in October. You get as good an exchange rate at the apartments as anywhere in town, so didn't have to carry passport around all the time to change traveller's cheques. Spent many a dawn hour between one and three drinking in the bar after the missus and stepdaughter had gone to bed. Anyone who wants to stay here in the future, please note that he is now ditching Manos and going with Argo Holidays. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mamouzelos - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Manos Discounts) Manos - October 2004 Opinion submitted in Oct 2004 by : Myself - 35 Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Good My/Our Holiday Review: I stayed here in October and had a fab holiday, the apartments were quite good for Greek standards and in quite a good location, just a few mins walk to the beach and about 5 mins to the start of the bars, and about 10 mins towards the main square. I was on the top floor over looking the Agrelis Hotel, (Could be a little noisy in peak season as the Agrelis has a 24 hr bar,) My room was quite large and was kept clean throughout my stay. Leftis the owner is a lovely guy, have a drink in his bar before venturing out !!! It was my first time in Kos and really enjoyed the holiday, went on a couple of trips, also just to add, don't book ANY trips through the reps, I was told by the rep that a day trip to Turkey would be 49 Euros which included the 10 Euro entry fee into Turkey, we ended up booking through the travel agency in the square and it cost 29 Euros and it was only 1 Euro to enter into Turkey, not 10 as he said, so be careful there as all the trips are cheaper if you book them yourselves. Bubble beach is well worth a visit and there really are bubbles coming up from the sea, it was facinating !! All in all a great holiday was had by all. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mamouzelos - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Manos Discounts) Manos (MyTravel) - 2004 Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : Jayne Bradshaw - Wigan (30,30,2,28,31,39,39,8,13) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: Kardamena is a good all round resort - busy if you want it, quieter if thats what you want. Mamouzelos apartments are very good in comparison to some other places we have stayed - the rooms are large (we had a studio for 3) with a basic kitchenette + kettle but it did the job. The bathroom was clean and had a shower curtain which seems to be luxury in greek apartments! The rooms were swept and bins emptied twice a week and clean linen once a week. We had no problems with the rooms at all whilst there. Leftis who runs the apartments was very nice and welcoming, we had a good few drinks in the bar before going out for the night. The only down side we had was the noise - this only applied to the side of the building overlooking the supermarket - we found that lots of the transfer coaches stopped there and we had mopeds up and down all night. A good beach bar is Chris' (run by Mike and Chris and their 3 daughters) straight down the road from Mamouzelos and it is right on the beach - they do food which is very good (Mike's home made burgers are excellent) and are open all day and as late as you want them to be! Wish I was sat there having an ice-frosted glass of beer! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Marina Studios - Kardamena Operator and Date: low cost beds-August 2005 Opinion submitted in Aug 2005 by : 4girls 1 boy 17-20 Resort Rating: Average Accommodation Rating: Below Average My/Our Holiday Review: Upon arrival to the apartments we got what we expected. The accomodation was basic but we got what we paid for. We had booked 2 rooms and one was clean. The other had a dirty sheet so due to wanting to settle in we didnt have time on the first day to tell the cleaner or owner we just wanted to get on with the holiday. The rooms were cleaned and we found the same dirty bedsheet back on the bed. When we did take it up with the owner she began arguing with us and saying that if we dirty the sheets again we can lick them. After this the manager said that no one who isnt staying in the hotel can come inside night or day or we would be kicked out, so our friends had to stay outside the hotel whenever we had to go back in. Most of the other locals are also generally rude no matter how polite you are to them, I was told that I was going to get a slap in my face because I gave my friend a lift on a push bike that I had rented. The actual resort is good if you can dance to all sorts of music all night long NOT A PLACE FOR R&B, HIP HOP, OR BASHMENT LOVERS. compared to all other young and lively resorts the water sports are really expensive. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Marina Studios - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Olympic Direct) Olympic Holidays - August 2004 Opinion submitted in Sept 2004 by : Darren - Coventry (26,27,28) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Good My/Our Holiday Review: On arrival at the Marina Studios we went straight to our room as there did not seem to be a reception area. In fact it is difficult to see that there are any apartments there. The Marina Studios is located close to the Agrellis Hotel/Apartments. First impressions of the room were very good, it had a balcony overlooking a tree-lined courtyard, a refridgerator, electric hob, cupboard space. There was also a fan inside the room. Use of the fan is priced at 15 Euros per week but is worth it. There is a safety deposit box inside the wardrobe which is built into the mortar - priced at 7 Euros per week. On closer inspection two out of three beds in the room collapsed on sitting on them. We were later told that this was due to contraction of the wooden slats across the bed frame due to air moisture/tempurature. We fixed them ourselves but the beds did collapse again once or twice during the holiday. I suspect this was only a problem in our room as no-one else mentioned this to us. The room tempurature was surprisingly very cool and the mosquitos were less than I have experienced in other Kardamena Hotels/Apartments. Main amenities and beach are about 2/3 minutes walk from the apartments. Below the apartments there is a small bar and comfy seating area, this is not really anything to do with the hotel but was nice to go to all the same. The owner of the bar is called Yannis and was very friendly. You can get travellers cheques changed at this bar for the cost of 1 euro. The apartment owner is an Australasian lady called Marina, hence the name of the apartments. She has a set cleaning rota for cleaning the rooms and prefers you not to be in the room when she cleans it. If you are in the room, the room does not get cleaned. Marina works in a local restaurant in the square so you can phone her on the internal phone system during certain hours or see her at the restaurant during other hours. We were very impressed with the bathrooms which had a real bath in them, a shower head, a sink and toilet and a proper shower curtain which is always a plus. The only thing that let the bathroom down was that the door did not close properly so we used a wooden stool to prop it closed for privacy. This hotel does not have its own pool, however you can use the pool at the nearby Agrellis Hotel/Apartments which is good. We used the pool at the nearby Mikargy Hotel which is 3/4 minutes walk. One word of warning about pool use - you are requested to buy at least one drink from the hotel whose pool you use and don't take your own food/drink as you may be told off/told to leave if you do not, we think this is fair. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mikargy Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Airtours Direct) Airtours - Date Not Specified Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : Zoe 21, Jaf 20 Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Poor My/Our Holiday Review: I have to agree with the other comment on here about Kos and the Mikargy hotel - Kos is fab, the Mikargy is pants!!!!! Kos has some good bars and beaches. The drinks can be a bit over priced but i think its the same everywhere with the Euro now. We really liked The Rock, which was right on the beach and did drinks 24 hours and also good food (yummy snack things like potato skins, chicken wings, etc). We also went to Kos town a couple of times as we hired a scooter and that is really nice and quite international. Some lovely bars but more low key and probably more suited for couples and families. DO NOT stay at the Mikargy hotel though! As already stated by someone else who stayed there you could take drink to the pool even though there selection was overpriced and basic. We wanted to hire a fan because it was so hot but they had run out. So we went to hire one from a supermarket and got told that we werent aloud that in our room even though they couldnt supply us with one! they told us if we used it they would charge us £20 a day for using electricity. Breakfast consisted of cold tea, a stale roll and a slice of somewhat suspicious ham and cheese. The pool was ok but dirty and one there were often powercuts but we got sworn and shouted at by the owner for lighting a candle on the balcony so we could see what we were doing and told we would burn the place down! Kos = fab, but do not under any circumstances go to the mikargy - you have been warned!!!!! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mikri Polis - Kardamena Operator and Date: Independant - June 2007 Opinion submitted in July 2007 by : Julie - Scotland Resort Rating: Average Accommodation Rating: Average My/Our Holiday Opinion: Mikri Polis Hotel Meant to be a 5 star hotel but at best is a 3 star based on the room. The food is terrible, repetative and unadventurous. Is made for Germans. Only one night was there any typical Greek food which was a real disappointment. Snacks were cold and the same rubbish every day. Drink too is disappointing for a supposedly 5 star hotel, severe lack of decent alcohol. Entertainment is awful too. Again, tailored for German market. Room is nice and big and beds changed every day which is great. Go if it's cheap as the place is clean but take spending money to eat out. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mitsis Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: First Choice - 2006 Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : MJ - Aylesbury (43,42,15,14,12) Resort Rating: Average Accommodation Rating: Average My/Our Holiday Review: There are two hotels to choose from in this resort, the Summer Palace and the Beach. The Summer Palace is up a VERY steep hill so anyone with walking difficulty will definately not get on with that. We stayed at the Beach which, funny enough, is on the beach front. This is not a sandy beach but very small stones. Ok for walking but no good for kids sand castles. The water also gets deep quite quickly so questionable for younger children. There are water sports available but these can be fairly expensive at 5-15 euros depending on activity. Becomes a lot when you have three kids. One thing to note is the sun beds all go very early, both at the beach and the pools. Get up early like the Germans do eh? I get up early all year round. The hotel rooms are reasonable but if you have three in one (i.e. the older kids) the third bed is a camp bed. It took us three days to get decent mattress for it. For two adults its fine but they are two singles pushed together. The food here is good but is the same every day. Salads are very good, stone cooked pitza nice so no complaints really. Beware the rotten smell outside in the evenings. This is because the water sprays for the grass recycle the toilet waste... yes really. I have to mention the entertainment team were superb in a poor hotel. Looked forward to coming home. Beautiful beaches in the north of Kos - go there instead. Took a hire car to Tigaki. How we wished we had gone there. fyi - Kos Town is a dump. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mitsis Family Village - Kardamena Operator and Date: sunstar - 2006 Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : debbie mason 46,54,12,12, Resort Rating: Poor Accommodation Rating: Below Average My/Our Holiday Review: right where do I start I paid £2000 4 1 wk all inclusive to this place DNT DO IT before i went i read reviews but thought id make own mind up couldnt eat food because rest full of flies so had to pay to eat out in Kardemena, rooms r terrible for a 4 star hotel more like 3was told that would be able to use sister hotel 4 all inclusive not true watered down beer, no imported drinks in so called bar which closed at 12 am on dot so could not buy any drinks at all after that time, also salt water pools, quite dangerous tiles jutting out whilst we were there a boy about 10yrs came down slide at noriba hotel oops sorry 1st 3 dys gale force winds with the sun this poor lad got blow of slide into concrete side of pool resulting in 75 stitches to face an possible scarring 4 life. The three hotels noriba, summer palace, family village in complex r all terrible everyone we spoke was complaining,the complex is built on a very steep hill so take climbing gear with you as for entertainment 4 get it which was at noriba no one told us that but you have to pay for drinks no where to sit just awful. Rep u c once at a/port then when u go home thats it. As for Kardemena music stop at 12am then everbody queues for taxi home, but there is normally some entertainment with teenagers fighting bottles over heads, the lot. I plead with anybody reading this do not waste your money the whole island is worth a visit its was the worst place i have ever been 2. I have visited many greek isle 7 and I would not recommend anyone to go here sorry Kos terrible place especially Noriba, summer palace, family village hotel. Dont go there at all save yourself some money we spent an extra £700.00 4 our week away never again all inclusive. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mitsis Summer Palace - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook - June 2006 Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : Nicola Capaldi - Scotland - 23,24 Resort Rating: Average Accommodation Rating: Poor My/Our Holiday Review: I spent 2 weeks at the Summer Palace in June 2006 with my fiance and to be honest it was the longest 2 weeks of our lives. on arrival at 6am we were left to find our own room and were given the wrong direction not a great start to a holiday and not what you would expect from this standard of hotel. the food was very poor and was sometimes not labeled correctly so you could have been eating anything. There was a very limited choice. The Italian restaurant was terrible and not worth pre booking. The entertainment was terrible. their was un finished building work going on near "disco la boom" which was supposed to be on everynight but it looked derelict. Their was a loose wire right next to our balcony wich occasionaly sparked and the lamp in our room had masking tape on the wire. i spent one day by the pool the rest of the time i couldnt get a lounger because they were claimed night noon and morning. On a positive note Kos itself is a beautiful island and i would def go back. we spent a day at Nissyros which was the highlight of our holiday. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mitsis Summer Palace - Kardamena Operator and Date: (MyTravel Direct) My Travel - May 2006 Opinion submitted in November 2006 by : 28/30 Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: No rating My/Our Holiday Review: It is now Nov 2006, and up until this point My husband and I have had nothing bad to say about this hotel, the food was nice, the hotel was clean and the staff were friendly enough.. All that has now changed, when we were advised today by a close friend that a video of my husband and I has been posted onto a prngraphic webpage ! thinking that this is obviously a joke we checked it out - and sure enough, we have been filmed in our room and posted onto a site. We did notice on one occasion that is seemed as though our mirror opposite our bed had been tampered with - now we know why !! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mitsis Summer Palace - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays Direct) Thomson Holidays - May 2006 Opinion submitted in May 2006 by : 2 adults 2 children aged 9 and 7 Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: just returned from summer palace hotel after spending two weeks their. The weather was great the staff are very friendly and the rooms including hotel was very clean. It is rated a five star although we thought including other holiday tourists suggest its a four star. The food is reasonably good although at times seemed repetative.The children loved the ice creams and down the beach the slush pubbies. There is an Italian resturant which the food is quite nice. The beach is loverly offering free water sports this being canoes and pedal boats the beach bar offers hot dogs and sandwiches which is great aswell with your free drinks.There is a lift which is in use this takes you straight to the beach for those who have difficulty walking. There is also the water park which is also fab for the kids again offering hot dogs and drinks. The only downfall was the night time entertainment bingo every night and what the animation staff presented each night. Although before we left it seemed to be a bit better. A further fault is that you are not allowed to use the norida beach hotel facilities and have to pay 5 euros each person which their entertaimant was much better but you can use the other hotel in Kos town Ramida mitsis hotel which we thought the food and facilities their was poor. We hired a car from kardamera town and traveled around the island which was great and visited small villages including paradise beach. We went to Kardamera in the day and night which is very lively at night time for the young ones not suitable for families with small children. Overall the holiday was great and we would return again but perhaps stay at the norida beach hotel becaue of entertainment and most of the other holiday tourists we met all said they would return again to the hotel. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mitsis Summer Palace - Kardamena Operator and Date: Sunstar Leisure - June 2005 Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : Vicky +1 (21,32) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: We went away for a weeks break to the summer palace in June and what can i say, it was a beautiful hotel with very helpfull staff and great accommodation. Our room had a sea view with a private pool ( well we shared it with 6 other rooms ) but only had one day where we had to share it. The hotel had 8 swimming pools so no fighting for sunbeds at all. The food was first class great mixture even my partner ate the food and hes a very fussy eater. all in all i would say this hotel was first class we are going again next June and october aswell reps were great helped with anything we needed help with and the weither was the icing on the cake ;) 5* from us *** --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mitsis Summer Palace - Kardamena Operator and Date: SunStar Leisure--May 2005 Opinion submitted in May 2005 by : Kelvin & Lynn Cook ( 50 ) Resort Rating: Average Accommodation Rating: Average My/Our Holiday Review: On arriving at the airport we were met by the rep for Sunstar Leisure to be told due to storm damage to the pool at the Norida Beach Hotel we will be staying at the Summer Palace instead this we found out the next day was not the case, the hotel was shut due to finishing touches to the complex. On the journey to our hotel we had to stop off and let a couple of people out at another hotel as the coach driver was reversing a tree branch hit and came through the back window almost hitting a family of four who were sitting on the back seat how nobody was injured god only knows the driver took no notice and started to drive off only to be met with shouts of stop from most of the people on the coach. The rep was hopeless it seemed to me all he wanted to do was to get us all to our hotel so he could get home as it was now around 3am in the morning. Once inside the Summer Palace we were met by a cue of around sixty people all trying to check in, my wife asked if their was any tea or coffee available only to be told it was in your room (it wasnt) after about an hour we were checked in, once in the room no tea or coffee making facilities there. The hotel was clean but not 5 star in my opinion. After a sleep we had a walk around the complex it looked ok. That evening we had a meal in the restaurant which was nothing special the bar only had one person serving so it was not uncommon to cue for twenty minutes for a drink after two nights of this we decided to go out for our evening meal and drinks. We were due to leave the hotel on Sunday the 8th of may at 03.45 in the morning but when I received the flight tickets the time had changed to 19.30 of the 7th of may, on the Friday evening I noticed a lot of people around our tour desk so I went to se what was going on only to be told our flight time had been changed and we had to be out of the hotel and on the coach for the airport for 05.30 on the Saturday morning of the 7th losing a whole day of our holiday so we could catch an 8'oclock flight home (not the case) I asked the rep if he would speak to the hotel reception and authorise a phone call back to England as my car was in a off airport car park but he declined and said I would have to pay for the call. Once checked in at Kos nobody from the tour company was to be seen and no information was given to nobody, at around 10.am two hours after our departure time a Greek aircraft landed Alexander Air we were told this was our aircraft once boarded the craft we were told it was going to fly to Gatwick first then on to Manchester . Its now around 12'oclock and we are taking off, after a couple of hours in the air the captain told the passengers the aircraft had to do a detour to Vienna for radar problems, this was a scheduled stop for maintaince already planned but again we were kept in the dark so after two hours on the ground at Vienna we were back on the move. Lets not forget we had only been offered a small airline breakfast no more food was available. We arrived at Gatwick around 4pm. So from 05.30 until 16.00 we were only given a small breakfast I find this unacceptable. I would never again consider travelling with Sunstar Leisure as the reps were useless and support from them was nil. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mitsis Summer Palace - Kardamena Operator and Date: Sunstar-August 2004 Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : Neate/Rollings-53,48,53,44(ish) Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Opinion: Late arrival at hotel, could have done with some help with cases but first impression of reception area was good. Rooms were excellent had upgraded with sea view and were not disappointed. One room had drain problem but was quickly sorted. Would be good if you could leave air con on but as is works off room key it was not possible. Reception staff helpful but not very bubbly, but bar and restaurant staff excellent. Sometimes they need a smile from us (we sometimes forget that!) also a thankyou goes a long way. Food in buffet restaurant very good and plentiful, sometimes a little repetitive but you can never please everyone all of the time. Do not see where previous reports of invasion of flies comes from, we saw a few, you always do in hot countries. No evidence of any food poisoning, far from it, the worst you may suffer is alchoholic poisoning from the many drinks that were cheerfully served, self inflicted of course. Everyone has mentioned how steep the hillside is, did no one see this in the brochures before they booked, also no one has mentioned the very well used cable car up and down to the pool and beach. Shortage of sun loungers was a problem and they certainly get 'taken' very early but you won't see any bodies on them until much later in the morning. Beach bar excellent pleasant service and snacks available. Try the boat trip to Nysirros the volcano has to be seen to be believed. All in all a very good holiday, and you know what they say 'when in Rome'. If the lack of evening entertainment is a problem do what we did, make your own!! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mitsis Summer Palace - Kardamena Operator and Date: sunleisure - 2004 Opinion submitted in June 2005 by : Chris - Matt (18,18) Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: We're going back again this October, loved the place. If only we could meet the two blondes again -wow what a hot holiday! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Monika Studios - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Golden Sun Discounts) Golden Sun september 2004 Opinion submitted in Oct 2004 by : graham -burnley (50, 50,) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Poor My/Our Holiday Review: DONT GO! ! they are dirty and smell the studios are full of damp kardamena has something for everyone I WILL RETURN but not to monika --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Monika Studios - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Golden Sun Discounts) Golden Sun - july 2004 Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : Sam Marshall-Hardy - Leamingtom Spa (Midlands) (all friends-17) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Opinion: I have just come home from Kardamena and had the best time ever. The resort was amazing,every where u go the people are amazing and the atmosphere is so laid bk!i went with 7other ppl including my boyfriend so its a cool place for groups and couples.We stayed in monika studios,and the regardless of what other reviews have said it was brilliant,the rooms where very basic with 2beds to a room and a small kitchen,but clean,all the rooms have small veranders outside which have small table and chairs.The only thing which was slightly bad was the showers didnt have a shower curtain+the water does go everywhere,but apart from that it was wicked. Its literally 5mins wlk from the town and right by banana beach.All the pools are free,go to 'Philippos pool'!I'm just gonna list stuff thats worth doing--- try rent out a quad or moped for the day and visit kos town, go to the foam party-every tuesday at 'CLUB STARLIGHT',it was fantastic!!! Go to Kardamena beach and try out the water sports...rings especially (15euros). Go to the stones and roses bar in the main square,just all the bars in general are wicked though. Amazon restaurant near the main supermarket-20euros each for a 3course meal and free bar all night 6-12pm!!tastiest ever!Hooties,full english breakfast 6euros(good for after hangovers) To be honest theres not much bad stuff i could say about kardamena,apart from that it is for young ppl and i wouldnt advise a family to take their holiday there.I just had a wicked holiday and i would definately go there again. 10/10!!! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nikos 2 Apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Manos Direct) Manos - June 2006 Opinion submitted in July 2006 by : Paul , Jo and Sam (38, 35, 13) Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: We had actually booked to go to Crete but due to a problem with the hotel had to rearrange our booking and ended up in Kardamena. This resort could not have been any better for our needs, there is a beautiful promenade to walk along with some fantastic restaurants. Our firm favourite was "paradise" which was situated at the end of the resort furthest away from the "Bar Street" end. The staff at the paradise restaurant were so kind and helpful, always smiling and so friendly. The food was the most delicious we have ever tasted on our travels! The Nicos 2 apts were a short stroll from the main town. The rooms, although basic were extremely clean and the maid came every day except one. The apts are run by George and his family and they are lovely people. They also own a bar on "Bar Street" called "Coco Bar" which is a nice place to finish off your evening. The weather was fantastic and all in all we had a great time! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nikos 2 Apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Manos Direct) Manos - June 2006 Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : Hayley- Birmingham (19,18,19,20) Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Average My/Our Holiday Review: We arrived in Kos late at night. Our room was tiny. Could just about squeeze past the bed to get to the other side of the apartment. Noticed that other rooms weren't as small, may have being that we were the corner room. We stayed in the apartments right at the front of the complex, abit hard to sleep at night with the busy road outside, but soon got used to it. The room we stayed in was very basic but very clean, so couldn't complain. Abit difficult when having a shower, there is no basin where you stand in for the shower- so the whole bathroom can get abit wet. Remember to take extra towels for the shower. You only get provided one towel for the week which is a hand towel. The pool was very nice. No problem at all to get sunbeds. Pool very cold, however nice and refreshing with the heat. (it was 44 degrees one day!) Food okay round by the pool. Chips, pizzas and burgers. Walking into the town is about 10/15 minutes away. No pavements so be careful, especially at night. Most of the time we got a taxi back on the night- only 5 Euros. Lots of places to eat and drink. The PR people get on your nerves abit trying to get you in to their restaurants and bars. The nearest supermarket is about 5 minutes away. Down one of the side roads on the opposite side to the apartments. The biggest supermarket is by the taxi rank. Keep going down the road towards the church and it is on your right. its called Louis. The beach in kardamena not very big but okay . Alot of the time if you eat at restaurant by the beach for breakfast or lunch you get the sunbeds for free. Best beach to go to is paradise/bubble beach. There is watersports there and not too expensive either. We took a taxi down to the beach, cost 20 euros between the 4 of us. The sunbeds are between 5 and 7 euros to rent (2 beds and an umbrella). Best book trips in the square rather than the reps. Alot cheaper. We went on the Greek night in Zia. Nice food and surroundings. Just remember they will get you up to have a dance! Would go to Kos again. I would recommend these apartments to people who want a relaxing holiday. They are great for people who enjoy night outs but also like to be a little bit out from the main town. All in all a great holiday! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nikos 2 Apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: Mnos-September 22nd 05 Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : Tanja Lay (28,27,2yr) Resort Rating: Average Accommodation Rating: Below Average My/Our Holiday Review: We wanted a family holiday and was recomended Kardemena-Kos, We stayed at the Nikos 2 studios basic and clean.The pool was unheated and very slippery as it has no grips.The bar manager limited the children to how many ice creams they could buy and told off another family for making toast for their baby in their own apartment! The pool area closes at 7pm leaving no where to socialise with the other holiday makers in the complex.During the day there are things to do like the boat trip to bubble beach which was very nice, book this in the centre you save money! we did all the water sports and hired a car wich was good.The restaurnts are very good a big selection to choose from they welcome children and are all very friendly. As a family there was nothing to do at night there was only one bar which had a comedy act on funny first time round but then he uses the same material every other night he is on! Although the night life was a let down we had a good time and that is thanks to meeting friends we have made for life from north and south of the country! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nikos 2 Apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: Sep 2004 - Club 18-30 Opinion submitted in May 2005 by : 19,19 Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Average My/Our Holiday Review: Having won a Club 18-30 holiday i couldnt say no. However i would definatly not ever book another club 18-30 holiday again. The accommodation was basic and once we were inside we were provided with one loo roll (no others were provided through out the rest of our stay, one cup and a saucepan - the apartments were self catering! The door didnt look at all secure and the bathroom floor acted like the bottom of the shower! When we arrived it was assumed we would be able to take part in the 'booze-cruises' and 'free-bar sessions', but we had to pay an extra 200 euros each for the week. There were quite a few bars on the strip which was a 10 minute walk and a few clubs. There were two main parts to the holiday - 1. Mine and my friends drinks were both spiked whilst we were in the bar... that is all we remember. i was rescued by my rep and taken back to appartment were i was extremly ill then collapsed, then my friend found her way home with one of the friends we had met. God knows what would have happened if no one would have found us! 2. we were taken to Kos Town on a coach for a night out which is around and hour or more away where we were encouraged again to drink alot. i was LEFT there and had to get a taxi back to appartments on my own... i was petrified and had no money left but managed to give the cabby the money when i met my friend at the appartment. The thing that suprises me is when i saw the reps the next day they didnt even know that i went missing... this situation should never happen. if you are up for a very basic and quite sleezy holiday then book with 18-30 to greece... i would never again. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nikos 2 Apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Manos Discounts) Manos June 2004 Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : David Sandford - Birmingham (22,22,23,24) Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Good My/Our Holiday Review: The accommodation is fairly basic, but we just went for the drinking and the sun, so it suited us down to the ground. George who runs the family run place is very friendy and always tried to put a smile on you face no matter what state you are in, but was a little reluctunt when we said that are food was over cooked, anyway, needle in a hay stack. Nightlife was good, little too much R'n'B for my liking, luvly and plentelfull women in the resort. Would recommend, but the beer in the nightclubs can be expensive. Otherwise couldn't fault it. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nikos 2 Apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Manos Discounts) Manos June 2004 Opinion submitted in June 2004 by : Carole and Marilyn 50 plus Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Average My/Our Holiday Review: We booked this last minute so knew it would not be top of the range. We were lucky in that we had "an apartment" although this was really a studio with an extra bedroom, we did have two lovely sized balconies though. The pool was lovely especially as there was hardly anyone in the pool and always plenty of sunbeds. Although it was on the outskirts the short walk into Kardemena was no problem although it was a bit scary walking back in the evening. All the restaurants served excellent food and the prices were very reasonable. We were pestered a bit by the restaurant people but they did take no for an answer. It was a fair walk to a nice beach so we did not bother but not a problem if you intended to go all day. A lot of the supermarkets were doing deals on alcohol and cigarettes/tobacco especially if you paid with english money so you can get some very good deals. We did not do any trips as we were only there for a week but there were some good trips on offer especially if you booked them locally.The dotto train was worth a ride on as it was only two euros for a forty minute ride. All in all a relaxing holiday. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nissia Kamares - Kardamena Operator and Date: First Choice - August 2006 Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Average My/Our Holiday Review: Travelled to Kos (Kardamena) in August 2006. Was shocked at how small the airport was. We were on a night flight from Bristol so our transfer was late at night, we pulled up at our apartments to find no reception area and to be taken in via the back enterance, where a random bloke from behind the poolside bar took us to our room. this was no fault of first choice as our flight was brilliant and our transfer rep was very friendly and bubbley for late at night. oh and that night, had a cockroach crawl over me whilst i was sleeping so that was it to me my holiday was over! we could not fault the staff at the apartments very very nice staff couldnt do enough for you but we did find the place was full of groups of girls about 17 years old, given the location of the place we could understand why. pool area was quiet small but not ove crowded, very good pool side bar well priced too. very central apartments also very flat, close to the beach, shops, bars, plenty of variety of beach front restaurants (Fat Olive, one of the very best restaurants ate there 5 out of the 7 night!!!!!) the resort seems to come alive at night but there are also quiet ends. "Bar Street" closes at 12 due to local residents so there is no noise/music allowed after 12 so you will find also of people go to the clubs where they are sound proof, so if you do travel as a family you wont be kept up all night. plenty of excursions you can do, greek night was....eventful tehy take you up into a traditional greek village that has not been touch my tourism where you can shop in the lcoal crafts shops, and take in some of the most amazing and best views of teh sunset over the island and then sample and 8 course greek meal and live music and dancing. there are also bar crawls, booze cruises, water park, day trips to kos town and Turkey, day down to "Bubble Beach" for one of the best beaches in kos and much more, prices with first choice are very good alot cheaper than Thomas Cook! we did enjoy our time in kos weather was absolutly brilliant one day 44 in the sun and 36 in the shade! personally i would not go back, the whole island was too basic for myself and i think my expectations were a little too high as my previous holdiay have been all inclusive in Gran Canaria and Morocco. i would recommend this type of holiday to young and lively market, who are not really too fussy with the type of accommodation and room facilties etc. would definately travel with First Choice again, highly recommended. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nissia Kamares - Kardamena Operator and Date: Argos Holidays - July 2006 Opinion submitted in July 2006 by : Louise - Surrey (22-25) Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: Stayed at the Nissia and Kamares apartments during the first week in July 2006 and was expecting a complete dump but was very pleasantly surprised. The apartments are basic but clean (we had air con in ours which was 25 euros for the week) and set around a lovely cobbled courtyard area. The pool area was large and clean with plenty of sun loungers. Bar serving food (just dont expect an a la carte menu!) and regular happy hour 6pm - 1am. The staff were really nice and friendly, especially Dimitri who runs it. Watch out for Stefanos the crazy caretaker though! A word of warning to families: don't bring your children here in the peak season - you WILL be woken up in the early hours! The families in-situ when we were there did nothing but moan about the noise, but what do you expect from this kind of resort? Kardemena in general is pretty much like these kind of Greek resorts - lots of groups of girls and boys drinking and sunbathing. The PR's on the main bar street are the most agressive I have ever encountered though and we avoided that bit like the plague after one trip down there! There are plenty of nice bars along the back streets and sea front where you don't get hassled and grabbed and lots of yummy restaurants - Alexanders is nice, but unless you're a fan of REALLY slow service don't go to Nemo's. Go to Mojo's on the seafront for a massive selection of cocktails for 3-5 euros each and a bit of a chilled drink before hitting the clubs. Status is good - small but great atmosphere. Starlight was a bit young and cliched for us ('uk garage comin atcha!'). You must must must go to bubble beach. Its very beautiful and you can walk out to sea for about half a mile in waist height water. Great water sports as well and the boat ride cost us 10 euros per person. All in all a good destination for a lads or girly holiday! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nissia Kamares - Kardamena Operator and Date: Airtours - August 2005 Opinion submitted in June 2007 by : Kim, Sutton, Surrey, age 21 Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Below Average My/Our Holiday Review: Came to Kos for two weeks, and will definitly not be coming back to Kardemena anytime soon. The resort is lively, but also small, so I wouldnt recommend visiting for more than a week, as we were bored of the same bars and clubs after the first week. The Nissia Kamares pool area is nice, it is small, but not overcrowded. The sunbeds were lethal, and many people were falling from collapsed sunbeds everyday! It was forbidden to have any drinks or snacks that were not purchased from the pool bar, and they were really strict about it, the staff would tell you off! It was ridiculous because the prices for fizzy drinks and water were high at the pool bar!! They also had a really strange microphone that they called you order out on, so that the whole of Kardemena knew your food was ready, weird!! The actual studio was small and cramped, and with no air conditioning in August, it was very uncomfortable. We were very disappointed with the studio, there was no where near enough room for three people. You recieved one roll of toilet paper and then you had to purchase your own, it was the most basic hotel i have ever stayed in. The hotel was very near a noisy 18-30 hotel (Sava), and so there was noise 24 hours. We were on the ground floor, and experienced somebody trying to break into our apartment whilst we were in bed. We informed the hotel manager and he made a joke, claiming 'it wasnt me, i promise', which we thought was disgusting. We were scared in the apartment, and the hotel manager was no help what so ever. I wouldnt recommend the Nissia Kamares at all, I would tell people to steer well clear. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nissia Kamares - Kardamena Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - August 2005 Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : Terry, Josie, Sarah, Neil, Heather and Lauren (59, 58, 36, 35, 8, 6) Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: Just come back from two weeks at the Nissia and Kamares Apartments. The apartments are about 5 mins from the main square and 5 mins from the beach. The apartments were clean and tidy but basic. I had forgotten quite how basic Greece is. Our rep was good but I would recommend that you don't book trips with the holiday companies. The price is a rip off. You can book exactly the same trips at one of the several travel agents in the main square. We booked two trips through them and they were equally as good as the holiday companies trips. The pool was a good size but I think they had an issue with keeping it clean. My daughter caught conjunctivitus and several other people were complaining of ear infections and tonsilitis. Most of the local restaurants were good. Would recomend Avli, Alexanders and Tonys. Kardamena is a lovely place, but better suited to young people as it is filled with many lively bars and clubs. Although saying that, we never had any problems with noise at night. Be aware, the apartments are next to the local church and they do ring the bells very early some mornings. All in all we had a really good holiday and would probably go back. Sarah (36) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nissia Kamares - Kardamena Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice Opinion submitted in Aug 2005 by : Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: Fantastic Holiday, Fantastic Resort, Fantastic Appartments if you want to go and have fun in the evenings and just relax during the day you should go. make sure you go to the foam party on a saturday night it is Fantastic (at starlight) Status is also good but no foam party. very cheap and loads to do the hotel is really nice and the people are very friendly aswell. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nissia Kamares - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Direct Holidays) Direct Holidays summer 2004 Opinion submitted in Mar 2005 by : Suzanne Fraser 23 Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: These apartments were fantastic, Very clean with regular maid service. We had celing fan above the beds which served its purpose, however the resort had a powercut so left without power for a whole night...very hot. Lovely apartment would recommend. The resort has some nice bars along the seafront and harbour. We recommend the Kalypso cocktail bar, drunk there most nights. Family run extremely friendly..especially IIias who goes out his way to make you feel welcome...allowed us to stay in after hours on our last nite while waitng on our late bus transfere...even offered to drive us into the airport. The trip to the volcano is a must..its amazing. Overall great holiday, and although i always say i will never go to te same place twice..im considering going here again. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nissia Kamares - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Airtours Direct) Airtours july 2004 Opinion submitted in Sept 2004 by : cardiff crew 20,22,24, Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Good My/Our Holiday Review: the nissia kamares appartments were well presented,clean and in a good location{about 5 mins from the main strip}the pool is a good size and the pool bar had a good selection of snacks and drinks to get you through the day.the only problem was the heat.we had three appartments between us and only had air conditioning in one room{which cost about 40 euros for two weeks}and would only work when the key card was in the slot so as soon as you left it would go off and it would be boiling when you got back. the complex was quite noisy during the night with various groups of girls and boys comming home at all hours drunk.did pose a problem for the young familys but the management did there best even evicting several people. kardamena was a busy resort with a great breeze and with plenty of nice resturants and a good selection of bars and clubs for all tastes. several day trips are available but shop around.would recomend the water park but dont bother with the trip to bubble beach and turkey we were divided on.if you enjoy non stop hagling over every item you touch you will love it!the best buy were the fags in turkey about £10 for 200 would recomend kos to anyone and will be going back for sure. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: Libra - July 2007 Opinion submitted in July 2007 by : Michael Fray & Malcolm Clevett - Littlehampton (46 &47) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review:** This is the second time I've been to the Norida Beach. On both occasions I've had a brilliant time. Since the first visit with my Wife the Hotel complex has expanded considerably - with the addition of a second pool and additional areas of accomodation. I would rate the hotel at 4. We paid £380 for 1 week. On arrival at midday our room wasn't ready therefore had to wait an hour whilst it was prepared. However, this wasn't a problem as we went straight into lunch and had a few free bevvies! The room turned out to be of the usual std, basic but very clean and no complaints from me. We had the added bonus of facing West therefore capturing the sun before it disappeared behind the mountains. The free mini bar was stocked every other day and kept the beers real cool! At Norida, there's the main building with reception, shops, bars, games/TV rooms and accomodation, this was where we were located. However, you could be located outside the main complex which could be a walk up a steep hill - would suggest not for elderly or those with walking problems (unless you can specifically book main building accomodation). The food was excellent with good choice but was repetative. You may have to wait for a seat in the restuarant depending on the time you eat. We waited max 3/4 mins, you wait less or walk straight in if you eat inside. I found inside very hot but we were in the middle of a heat wave! Fresh rolls and hotdogs are always available for snacks, along with ice creams for the kids. The Chinese made a nice change and was very good. The adult bar and main bar is open until Midnight, the drinks were OK for me. Lowenbrow beer (dunno how u spell it!!)and local spirits. If your not going out after Midnight suggest you get 4/5 lined up!! The Beach bar (literally right on the beach) closes at 5.30 but servers lovely free cocktails and hotdogs (& of course any other drink you fancy). There's also a poolside bar at the new pool serving the usual drinks coffees and food. One nice bonus is the the drinks are served in glasses and always full!! All the staff were met were helpfull and very friendly. Thanks to Chico, Marco, Franko and all the rest of the crew... We played football everyday at 5, well organised (usually). Last day was the brits against the rest of Europe (made of of a couple of Germans). Stuffed them!! Evening entertainment was good, there's a theatre which puts on a show everynight, early stuff for the kids, Bingo later and then some sort of late show. There's a disco up the hill with a food place and additional bar. Latest I goot in from there was 7.30am so you can get a late beer/food/dance (have to pay for drinks tho 4Euros each). Kardemena itself was buzzin, went in three times and there's hundreds of bars. We walked the main Bar Street areas which are suitable for teens and twenties, we went for the experience!! All the music stops at Midnight which is a bit disapointing. However, the clubs all kick into gear and are open late. Airport literally 20 mins from Hotel so taxis/transfers cheap. That's about it, I'd defo go again.. Sorry about all the mistakes, can't be bothered to read it again!! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date:* Fleetway travel June 2007 Opinion submitted in June 2007 by : bryan martin and partner-rotherham (46,47) Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: i have just arrived back from an excellent week at the norida beach.myself and my partner just wanted to get away and chill for a week and forget all the other moaners who have wrote in this more than fitted the bill.the hotel is not 5 star but is a credit to the army of cleaners and staff that work there,it is spotless.the food is excellent and a great variety,stone baked pizzas,salads,meat,fish and excellent cakes etc.there is even an excellent chinese which cooks fresh dishes in fronnt of the non-paying public,we ate there twice and the food was exceptional. overall the value for money is first class.we paid a/i just over £365 for a week which is peanuts!!.The weather was extremely hot (apparently was the hottest temps for this time of the year since 1982,42c in the shade but apart from the last day we had a lovely breeze which prevented the sweats).rooms are basic but clean!! and the added bonus of a fridge stocked with 5 botles of pop,2 lagers and bottled water.fridge is stocked up every 2 days.Kardemena is a 10mins away by local bus 1euro 40cents or free hotel bus.well worth a visit as there are plenty of restaurants and bars beware!! if you only like mixing with english people and or super-critical cancel now, for all others i`m sure you have nothing to worry about as i`m confident you will have a great holiday.we did!! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: On The Beach - June 2007 Opinion submitted in June 2007 by : Audrey Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: Just got back from Norida Beach Hotel, and despite some very negative reviews, we had no major problems at all. Our room was spotless, the food choice was very well though out and fresh, the staff (in all areas) work themselves to the bone and despite that, are courteous at all times. If you have children then I would highly recommend this, as the entertainment is centered around them, even the shyest of children enjoyed themselves. Just a few tips, let your bathwater out slowly to prevent overflow from the drains, if you require a quiet drink then go to the adult bar, and wear loads of suntan cream as it is very hot there. Kardamena was fantastic, hire a quad bike, it coast us 25 Euro's for the whole day so you can have one each, and explore the island. The ringos (water sports) are so much fun, but wear goggles. All in all we had a fantastic time and would highly recommend it to all age groups. It is however classed as a 5, but I would suggest that 4 rating is more appropriate. Have a great time!! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook - May 2007 Opinion submitted in June 2007 by : Lisa Pollett - Stoke-on-Trent (25,25,24,22. Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Good My/Our Holiday Review: Hotel is a little isolated 1shop in hotel and 1shop across the road.There is a nightclub and sports bar across the road also up a slight incline.The hotel has its own beach and watersports galore.fully stocked beach bar included in all inclusive.Chinese restaurant is fantastic we ate there 3 of the 7nights.Entertainment is not that good.Good entertainment for kids.The adults bar is not as hectic as the main bar but you cant always get a seat.A guy name chico is very friendly and trys to get people involved in all activities.The beer seemed to be watered down on a few occasions but the cocktails and long drinks were fine. The food was very repetitive but wasnt a major problem only 1 or 2 dishes were changed each night.the deserts were fantastic.The resort of kardemena was miles away you couldnt walk it,about 10min in a taxi and costs 8euros one way.Kardemena wasnt that liveley compared to when ive been malia,laganas,kavos the same time of year.the main club was status it was fab fantastic music funky house,dance,r&b and garage,Drinks very expensive though but free to get in.The Complex is huge and you can be a trek away from the main building and when other reports mention cardiac hill they are right but it is only one part of the complex its not all hilly.There is also the smell of diesel but not bad enough to effect your holiday like other people on this site have said.The pool water is salt water which doesnt taste too good and stings your eyes.If you request rooms close to lower pool as there is 3 around the complex you cant go wrong.the room we had was open plan on 2floors had 2bathrooms and the most powerful shower i have ever had.The tv chanells were mainly german just bbc news was the only english chanel.there were also alot of german guests but didnt effect our holiday. Overall a great holiday 10out of 10 for service,standard and rooms.8out of 10 for alcohol.5out of 10 for choice of food but 10out of 10for quality of food.i would return in future if got a good deal. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: 2007 Opinion submitted in June 2007 by : Paul & Jan Jones Resort Rating: Average Accommodation Rating: Good My/Our Holiday Review: The Hotel in general is a good one, not five star though, I would estimate a good 3 star, lower four, the food is good but the same every day, no change. There is an excellent chinese restaurant included in your all inclusive and you need to book this one day in advance, this has waiter service which is very good indeed, highly recommended, once you eat here you won't want to eat in the main restaurant. The staff in general are good but there is no conversation, the international reps are brilliant, but we didn't see one english rep. The internation reps are the entertainment, they form the animation team. If you have children then this is the holiday for you as 99% of the entertainment is based around the children, there is an adult only bar which is great, table service and you only get the advertised branded goods IF YOU ASK FOR THEM, so don't forget as for a Gordon's Gin or you will get the local brand. The rooms are very clean and are cleaned daily, your mini bar is re stocked every other day with 2 x Stella and 2 x Pepsi and 3 other soft drinks. The shop inside the hotel is extremely expensive, eg for sun tan lotion, the supermarket in Kardemena charges 7.95 Euros and for the same brand in the hotel is 15.90 Euros, so I would not recommend you buy anything in the shop, There is a free bus from the hotel into Kardemena but you need to get a ticket, you must get it early or you won't get on the bus and a taxi will cost you between 8 and 10 Euros. To summarise, if you expecting 5 star you will be disappointed the hotel is over run by children and the only solice is the adult bar, the food is not too bad but the same every day, the chinese restaurant is your best bet. Enjoy! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: Freedomdirect - oct 2006 Opinion submitted in December 2006 by : Mike Risebury - Yorks ( 42,42,9,6 ) Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Average My/Our Holiday Review: hotel situated 3 miles outside kardamena & operates a free courtesy coach which is exellent. the hotel complex is huge so there is much demand for this service. being in a family group we were placed in an annex up the notorious "cardiac hill". in truth unless you are elderley or disabled you will have no problems & it will help shed the pounds. rooms are basic but clean & maid service is daily. pools are plentyful , all having snack bars. beach is very nice with free sunbeds & parasols. we found food to be plentyful & varied. chinese restaurant fantastic but beware you need to book 24hrs in advance & we managed it once in 7 days.beach taverna also very good. now the downside.......... queue's at bars , queue's at restaurants ,very poor entertainment & the worst thing possible TOO MANY BRITS...... let me explain. the hotel must allow one sx groups , therefore drunken yobs singing & swearing on the beach didnt realy add to the ambience & not good for young kids.we are not snobs & i'm fiercely patriotic & love being british. but i dont agree with parents who adopt the drink til you drop attitude & leave the kids to entertain themselves. this hotel abounded with them. all in all a decent hotel in a nice setting , karamena is lovely. no problems with flights , transfers etc,unfotunately due to too many brits won't be back in a hurry................. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: Imperial Oct 06 Opinion submitted in November 2006 by : Bernie 40, 30, 13, 10 Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: No rating My/Our Holiday Review: I have just returned from the Norida Beach and I have to say if I had taken any notice of some of the reviews I would not have gone! That would have been a pity because we had a great holiday. We had a great room, the weather was good and the food in the restaurant was brilliant. The entertainment was OK, we mayde the best of it, I wasn't expected Tom Jones every night. It's a holiday, enjoy what it is, you can have a good time if you want. Try! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: Imperial Travel Oct 2006 Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : Sue C (46, 72, 14,10) Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: We have just returned from the Norida Beach. I have to say that some of the reviews had put me off before I went. However, we had a great time. The food was fabulous with something for everyone and the service in the restaurants and bars is cheerful and polite. The kids had a wonderful time and we all made many friends. We will definitely be going back next year. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: Fleetway Travel - October 2006 Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : Tracey - Hampshire (34,43) Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Below Average My/Our Holiday Review: The hotel seemed very good on arrival. However the next morning we had no water and the toilet didnt flush. We complained to the rep who advised us that we had to run the water for at least 30 mins and up to 2 hours. We eventually did have water, but it came out as brown sludge for the first half hour. Our toilet was temperamental for the duration of our holiday and completely packed up on the second to last day. We had a constant smell of sewerage in our bathroom and mouldy tiles and dirty towels were provided on a daily basis! The reception and bar area was fly infested and smelt of diesel fumes, sewerage and dirty dishcloths. The glasses were unclean from the bar area. The drinks provided were half measures and top ups were refused. The restaurant had very rude staff serving us at the beginning of our holiday but as our faces became known, we got served more politely.The reception staff were also rude and unhelpful. The food was the same every single meal. Times of restaurant opening for all meals constantly changed without prior notice to guests, which resulted in staff refusing to provide any food for breakfast on one occasion. We had rainfall during the night and on the way to breakfast, going down cardiac hill we slipped over on the wet tiles and there was a mudslide down the road outside the hotel foyer, which took over 2 days to clear. The so called entertainment was the same man that barked like a dog and poked everyone with cocktail sticks every night. You can only handle this if you take advantage of the alcohol provided. Kardamena town was apparently a 45 minute walk, but this was not the case..we would have to sprint to get there in that amount of time. On a more positive note, we managed to hire a scooter for the week at the resort for a very reasonable rate, even though the rep tried to talk us out of hiring out a scooter, saying that we would only get 3rd party insurance, this is not the case you can get fully comp for a small fee of 3e per day. We highly recommend getting a scooter and spending all your time out of the resort. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Direct Holidays) Direct Holidays October 2006 Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : Gill - Scotland 27,28 Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Good My/Our Holiday Review: We just arrived back yesterday Friday the 13th 2006, from Greece, after staying for 1 week all inclusive at the hotel. We got 5 good days out of 7, as parts of Greece is having flooding the now and we saw the thunder, lightning and the rain. It was good to watch but it is a bit more drastic over there than here!. We were in room 205, 2nd floor at the back of the hotel, we had no faults with the room, but the hotel does not supply a iron in tghe room, and you don't get hot water after 7pm. We also smelled the diesel that everyone has mentioned on this site. It was ok I would not really complain about this, but with me having asthma I did take my medication a bit more than what I would have done back home. The rooms were cleaned every day, as well as the beds being made, and the mini fridge is filled every 2 days. We thought the food at the Hotel was very good great potatoe salad and pizza, but the Chinese Restaurant has only 15 tables for a hotel with over 400 rooms. It took me 2 attempts at booking the Chinese, which has to be done in the morning before 7.30am at Reception. But be aware the first time I was told come back at 7.30am after being at Reception at 7.00am, and when I did get there at 7.30am they told me it was fully booked. There was a few unhappy people at the Reception Desk that morning. We also had to reserve our room as we were getting picked up late on at night, and it meant we would have over 12 hours to wait from getting out the room at 10am and being picked up. I was taking no chances so I asked about this on the 3rd day of the holiday. Reception told me come back tommorow every morning until I was on the last day of my Holiday, which I got annoyed at because all I wanted was a straight answer could we keep the room or not. When you are on the last day of your holiday they then tell you for definate on this day, if you can get a room and if there is 1 available. We got moved to room 41 at the bottom end of the hotel beside the Shop. I am sure the 4 rooms in that corridor are used for people in our situation. The room was not as nice as the one we had upstairs plenty of ants and bugs in it. If it was a room to be slept in I would ask the Hotel to be moved. The entertainment was good, if you have got children the entertainment is mostly based for them. The Animation Staff are really good and we took part in a few things that they did during the day. We would go back to this Hotel but it is more a family one than a couple one. All though we were all inclusive we went out in the town 2 nights just for a change. The Hotel supply a free bus to the town and getting a taxi back only costs 8 euros. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: Appollo Travel September 2006 Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : Maureen Parker - Kent 50 Resort Rating: Below Average Accommodation Rating: Below Average My/Our Holiday Review: Having had a great flight and transfer, we were in happy holiday mode, quite unprepared for the events of the next few hours. We were allocated room 82.It was situated to the right of the hotel in what appeared to be a dungeon type courtyard. The first thing that was apparent was the smell of diesel. The door looked damaged, but in we went. It was not a pretty sight, beds built into concrete blocks, tarnished and water stained bathroom, mould growing on the tiles. hand painted tatty furniture. Window overlooking brick wall, not a pleasant sight and definately not what I had seen on the internet site where I booked. We returned to reception and said we would not accept the room, we was told in no uncertain terms that the hotel was full and no other room ws available. The reception staff were arrogant and unhelpful. This went on for a few hours. We then managed to see the hotel manager, who earlier we were told had the day off. He offered us another dismal unacceptable room. He then took us to a new building of family rooms which was lovely but he charged us another 300 euro. Which we paid begrudgingly. I thought this was the type of accommadtion I had paid for already. However the draw back with this lovely room was the night visits from the cockroaches. The restaurant was very busy and the food was poor and repetitive.They were working sixteen hour days and were always in a rush to get you in and out. The good thing about the holiday was the weather and visits to Kos and Kardamena, the people their were friendly and the service was excellent. My only regret is I never visited your website before I booked here. Because I definately would not recommend this hotel to anyone. I would rate it like a 2* badly run b& b. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: First Choice- Sept 2006 Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : Emma 26,31 Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: We have just got back from our a week at this hotel and we were so sad that we had to leave! This holiday far exceeded our expectations! We hardly spent any money because we just didnt need to, it was everythimg you would need. I would find it really hard to find fault with this hotel, You will love it! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: July 2006 Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : Connor's gang 32, 34, 35, 16 Resort Rating: Average Accommodation Rating: Average My/Our Holiday Review: this has got to be the biggest wind up being called 5 star in history, 3 star at the most, Maxi and Tornado and the sxy Susie great, food virtually the same every meal, poor... service at the bar was Ok providing there was only a handful of people waiting, day entertainment was ok for the first few days then repetative, evening entertainment was rubbish literally, swimming pools too deep for kids and dangerous around the outside, the slide area is up a steep hill and we were glad our room was in the main block, although the diesal fumes at times were overpowering, to many cats around the site with usual animal lovers feeding them to encourage them to go into the hotel reception area... We booked through an agency in Berkshire, useless, we had no rep, no pick up's, good job we are big boys and could fend for ourselves, a family could be caught out... Not recommended --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: July 06 Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : North/Gomma Resort Rating: Average Accommodation Rating: Average My/Our Holiday Review: Save your time and money, not recommended !!! apart from nice pizza's, and a bit of daytime fun.. choose another destination, unless you like hills, slippery swimming pool area's boring evening entertainment and diesel fumes don't come here..... 5 star your having a laugh --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays Direct) Thomson Holidays june 2006 Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Shane 48 Susan 42 Jo 31 Chloe-bo 3 Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Good My/Our Holiday Review: My brief assumption - very good entertainment crew albeit the evening's got boring with virtually the same routine, luckily the world cup was on and i was able to watch relevent games, our room was in a very good position not up the hill(thsnk god).... the food was ok, pizza's good the rest i managed for a week, bar service was also good with many smiley faces.... the trip from the airport was by taxi and at 17 euro's is better than waiting for the coach.... the swimming pool is an accident waiting to happen, very dangerous, we witnessed people time and time again slipping over and one northern lady that had arrived an hour earlier break her wrist slipping on the wet tiles, it is also far to deep for children....the waterslide area has no sunbeds and is up cardiac hill as it is known, and the beach is shingly, a very windy resort, the hotel/club with average facilities is 5 star no way, i have travelled a lot this would be a 3 star in most other countries.. the holiday was a nice break I booked through a company in Reading called IMPERIAL TRAVEL do yourself a favour avoid them like the plague, that is for personal reasons, would I go back NO. Spain, Bulgaria, Cyprus put this place in the shade --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: global late deals chester, june 10th 2006 Opinion submitted in July 2006 by : diane day 37- chester 64,10. Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: this hotel complex was beautiful, airy and spotless. i have travelled for over 20 years and am used to the caribbean and i can honestly say this holiday was one of the best i have ever been to for lots of reasons. the food was lovely, very fresh and a great choice, the pools were lovely, it had 3, and 5 bars, but the entertainment team especially tornedo, what a star, so funny. they certainly make the holiday, very proffessional and very funny. people of all ages enjoyed it. i certainly recommend this hotel its a great 5 star, and i would definately go back no hesitation atall. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: Trust accommodation - 2006 Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : David smith- emsworth (9,39,39) Resort Rating: Poor Accommodation Rating: Poor My/Our Holiday Review: I found the hotel staff and manager very rude plus so unhelpful,for the first two day of our holiday my family and i was sent to another hotel due to being over booked. the hotel where we was sent was worse than a smelly youth hostal this was ment to be 5 star accommatation!!!!!!!! Then when we did arrive at the Mitsis hotels Norida beach, the bath water looked like dark coffee plus the swimming pools were so unclean. Our room the doors were unsafe they didnt lock at all. the whole hotel i felt was so unsafe so many children on holiday had accidents. i didnt let my nine year old out of sight ever. if i would advise anyone about this hotel it would be, find another place as this was the most unpleasent holiday i have ever had more to the point it was not a holiday it was a nightmare i woke up when i got home MITSIS HOTELS - NORIDA BEACH SUMMER PALACE FAMILY VILLAGE Look out for these when booking a holiday in kos you will surely have a very stressful holiday if not a very unpleasent experance. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: Archers Direct - September 2005 Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : Scott Jones - Essex (32,34,3) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: Just got back from Norida Beach and I thought that I had better add my opinion of the hotel as I have been reading other peoples for the last year. I can honestly say that we had a marvelous holiday and am finding it difficult to find criticism! however i do feel that something should be done about the pool as it caused me and the wife some heart stopping moments when the little one forgets all the warnings and starts running,one girl broke her arm there and i did notice 2 or 3 adults on crutches but i dont know if that was the pool tiles or the free "ouzo",but to be honest if your kids are carefull than you shouldnt let that alone put you off. We did smell diesel up one end of the hotel occationaly but we were on the 1st floor at the other end(114)so i shouldn't comment. As for the notorius cardiac hill again we were in the main building so can't comment although I Would say that if you are elderly it would be worth arranging to stay at the main hotel but as for everyone else it would do you good to walk off the excellent food.(its not nowhere near as bad as what people said though). The food truly was fantastic!and any reviews that say"The only good food was the Pizza,Chips and pancakes"well there diets at home can't consist of much else anyway!We found it varied,fresh and tasty and not one of us had a iffy belly throughout(which is unusual for me). We did eat out in Kardamena once just for a change of surrondings and ended up having a meze which was out of this world and only e19 for the 2 of us,there was so much of it we had to turn away our sweets and coffee(Fat Olives Restraunt,on the beach front by the wooden bridge.) Bubble beach is a must we did it twice,the boat from kardemena is very nice for ?10 for all of us as the little one went for free,the beach was nice sand and it didn't slope away to sharply,but beware it seemed to us that it was hotter there with no breeze and you could burn very easy.... we also went into kos town by coach for again e10,we tried the ramiera hotel just outside of kos town which you can use AI but we found the food not nowhere near Norida standards and the hotel was average at best.Any excursions dont be scared of booking in kardemena as they are so much cheaper than through your rep. the entertainment was different everynight of our two week stay although it starts off with the mini disco and then bingo which was good fun.I even got on stage and won Mr Norida for England,something i would not have normaly done but for the free flowing lowenbrau on tap. Anyway I hope this has been of help but we always go on our hols with the atitude of "holidays are what you make'em".But hopefully you have as good a time as we did(we'll be back...) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: Sunstar- August 2005 Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : One Adult-37, One Child-5 Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: Arrived early hour's,the room was ready and very clean. We then went for a walk to explore, my son was very excited! First impression's of the restaurant at breakfast was good, plenty for a fussy 5 year old to choose from. The food in general was of a high standard. Stone baked pizza's, pancake's and grilled meat's were prepared in front of you. All the pool's were clean, main one being salt water. Kid's club was also very good. Night time entertainment ok. International branded drink's were served when asked for by name. Mini bar stocked every other day. Free use of beach towel's after paying 10E deposit. Beach was long and quite deep, plenty of sunbed's. Snack's were resricted to sandwich's and hotdog's. Try not to book trip's from the rep's or hotel, less than half the price in town. Bodrum trip is good value as is Nissyros Volcano. We hired a scooter for 14E a day to see the island from the rental shop outside the Hotel, very safe, take you time, road's were almost empty. There is a go-kart track 5 minute,s walk away 15E for 15 minute's. Kardemena by day is fine but at night a little rowdy for little one's. All in all a great holiday, my son has asked that we go back sometime, so who know's?? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Direct Holidays) Direct Holidays - August 2005 Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : Sue Taylor - Blackburn (44, 40, 38, 36, 8, 8) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: We have just arrived back from 2 weeks in Norida Beach Hotel. The Hotel was excellent, the rooms were clean, there were 2 adults and 1 child so the 3rd bed did make it feel a bit cramped, but it didn't spoil the holiday.The food again was excellent, fresh pizza's every nite, pasta dishes, local dishes, salads, chips, rice, and meat which was cooked as you watched them, the sweets were just as good, with the usual melon, ice cream, cakes, doughnuts, local cakes which were lovely. The weather never dropped below 94 degrees, there was a strong wind most days so it didn't feel as hot but you still got burn't.The beach made a change from the pool, the sunbeds went early, we were putting our towels out roughly at 7.30am!! The mini fridge which was filled every other day, you got 2 beers 2 cokes 2 lemons and a bottle of water.The Hotel was a bit out of the way, there was a free bus into Kardamena, or you could get the local bus for 1 euro each. Kardamena is worth a look for a change of scenery, the restaurants serve excellent food. If you take a taxi home it cost us 7 euro's. All in all we had a FAB time. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Direct Holidays) Direct Holidays - August 2005 Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : John, Alison, Adam (48,46,8) Resort Rating: Average Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: The food was excellent especially the pizzas and pancakes, which were freshly made. The choice was immense, from cold to hot, even the pickiest eaters must have found something to enjoy. The three pools were OK, but if you're visiting during high season remember your alarm clock as you will need to be up early to book decent sunbeds by the two main pools at the hotel - also a significant number of sunbeds needed repair or replacement. The main pool tiled surround is lethal when wet and the hotel really should do something about it before there are serious injuries. There are "slippery surface" signs but it is much worse than that; you really have to walk slowly to avoid slipping. There are no sunbeds at the pool with the water slides, only chairs, but the slides are great fun for the children of all sizes, and it isn't slippery. Snacks at the "slide" pool are limited to hot dogs. The best place for drinks is at the main bar (with Boris serving if possible and he smiles more if you say thankyou!). Quality of all drinks is fine. This years entertainment is a bit mixed. Daytime has the usual suspects (water polo, beach volleyball, darts, french bowls, etc); they aren't too pushy about participation. The evening entertainment is badly hampered because the seating area is angled around the inner edge of the hotel building so visibility anywhere other than the front is poor to non-existant. If you want a good view you have to be eating before 7 pm. The evening ents themselves were also the usual mix of Kids Disco, then bingo, then a "show" such as Mr + Mrs Norida, Karaoke, Perfect Couple. The "cabaret" stuff was the entertainers (and sometimes guests) doing some mimed dance, show numbers and "set piece" jokes; occasionally very good but generally rather weak; none of the ents staff are really dancers or singers and this showed despite enthusiasm. The "bought in" Greek Dance act covered the animation teams night off and were typical of the type. If you can cope with the weaker aspects its worth a second visit especially for the pizza and pancakes! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: Sunstar Leisure July 2005 Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : Yvette & Mark Allsop (41 and 44) Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: Our holiday got off to a fantastic start travelling with Excel airline and everything being on time. We arrived at Kos airport and again everything ran smoothly. On arriving at the hotel we had to wait about an hour to check into our rooms because they were still being cleaned, however this was not a problem as the hotel reception had the most comfortable settees ever and the bar was open so we were able to get a nice cool glass of lager which at the time was very welcoming and refreshing. The good points about this hotel are as follows; 1.6 BARS - 1 being by the children only pool. The 2nd being an Adults bar only - The third being next to the entertainment area - the 4th being next to the Adults only swimming pool - the 5th being at the Greek Restuarant which is near to the beach and the 6th bar being actually on the beach. 2. The majority of these bars serve some kind of snacks all day (hot dogs - Danish Pastries - ham and cheese rolls (the bread is also very nice). 3. The main restaurant is 2nd to none with ALL food being as fresh as fresh as can be. The Pizzas are out of this world and the salad takes alot of beating. 4. The booze is local or International (Teachers Whisky/Grants Whisky - Gordons Gin - Finland Voda and many more - lowenbrow (sorry cant remember out to spell it) is served from the tap and is also stocked in bottles in your mini bar which is restocked every two days. 5. The All Inclusive chinese restaurant is very good - though if you are a big eater it is probably best to mix and match your meals (eg Chicken Chow Mein and Sweet and Sour Chicken along with egg fried rice). The starters are also very nice although our preference was the spring rolls. 5. The maids clean the room daily and are very friendly. 6. One of the earlier comments mentioned a smell of diesal and this is very true, however this did not by any means ruin our holiday. 7. The building was spotless and the restaurant was the cleanest I have ever come across. I personally would not recommend a trip to Kos Town centre, lots of beggars and felt quite unsafe at times. Car hire is cheap and I would highly recommend a sand buggy (40 euros per day) and boy did we get our monies worth out of this - we actually did the whole island in a day! The beach was lovely and whilst some of you may prefer sand we actually found the shingle beach alot better. There are plenty of sun loungers on the beach although not so many around the pools. There was 15 people in total in our party (Adults and children the youngest being 9 years of age). We all had a lovely time and we would certainly have no hesitation in returning to this destination and to this hotel. I can sometimes be fussy on what I eat, drink etc but on this holiday I had no reason to complain about anything. If you are reading this now I would say go for it and make your own conclusions of this hotel - this is exactly what we did and we were not dissapointed. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: Sunstar July 2005 Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : Tracy Williams -Stevenage 37,40,20,17,16,13,5 Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: Had a briilliant week at Norida Beach hotel.!!!Just didnt want to come home.The food is fantastic and i mean it truly was. There was so much choice and alot of the meals are cooked in front of you.The hotel is truly lovely.We had 3 rooms one was a bungalow up a steep hill but well worth it when you got there.!! The view was amazing.A really huge room with a mini bar.This was refilled with soft drinks andlager every 2 days.The staff were really kind and helpfull.2 members of our party had accidents ,this i add was all their own fault,one was when my daughter was swimming near the rocks and cut her leg badly.The staff at reception were very helpfull and called the doctor who was also nice and helpfull. The beach is shingle but there are loads of sun loungers around so just relax. The beach has free pedalos for hotel users and ringos that you pay for. Kardemena isnt a fantastic place to go but ok for half a day shopping or go to kos town on the bus which leaves outside the hotel. Entertainment is a laugh although some of it is a bit 'adult humour'. There is a quiet adults only pool for those who dont want to join in with the water polo etc. All in all an excellent hotel and we are booking again for next year!! And for those of you worried about booking with cheap sunstar,dont panic they are reliable and we have had 2 holidays of them and its all fine and save money on the thomas cook,cosmos prices.We had our own mini bus to pick us up from the airport for us ,the best transfer we have ever had ,only taking us to the hotel,arrived before the crowds!! So book and go you will love it!!!! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: Sun Star Leisure - June 2005 Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : Ron Smith - Grimsby (57,53) Resort Rating: Average Accommodation Rating: Average My/Our Holiday Review: Eventually arrived after 2 false starts with a faulty aircraft.It was a Jumbo Jet hired from Atlanta Airways Europe. Given room 70. There was a smell of diesel on the way to the room. Room was average with mouldy grouting in the bathroom. Opened the balcony doors and no view just a brick wall! Was offered other rooms but one was near the smell of sewarage, the other was up cardiac hill or kamakazie hill as it is known. An horendous walk up the steep hill, so we staayed were we were allocated. It was only 20 paces from the cocktail bar so it had it's good points. Hotel reception is very spacious and has plenty of sofas to chill out on. The hotel and food is a typical 3 star. Does not really cater for the Brits.Lots of Germans around. Bacon only served on Thursdays, no mushrooms or fried bread.Chips and scallops a plenty though and do not miss the grilled liver we had that 5 days out of the 14 we were there. The Pizza's are very good and fresh. Pasta is also OK. They do have some nice bread and pancakes. The staff are brilliant and very helpful. The new saltwater adult only pool opened while we was there. However some people cannot understand ADULTS ONLY and still brought the kids in. That was until the management moved them on, but they came back when they were not looking. The adult only cocktail bar is very good. waitresses are keen to make sure everybody has a drink at all times. The hotel claims it serves international branded spirits. Only if you ask and then they run out. They do not have Martini, Port or Advocat etc. they ran out of Irish Cream and Peach schnapps 3 days before the end of our stay and did not replace them. The village is too far to walk but buses are free or only 1 euro. Kos Town is well worth a visit only 5 euros if booked in town, double from your rep. A trip to Turkey is 20 euros in town or 40 from your rep. Be aware. A nice holiday which was helped by the group of 10 people we met as fellow travellers and left as friends. Not at all bad but do not think you are going to a 5 star hotel. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook may 2005 Opinion submitted in May 2006 by : grace Mike Lisa (11,8,38 Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: I've been reading all the bad reports and I disagree! just spend youre time out of the hotel! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook - May 2005 Opinion submitted in June 2005 by : Alan Burke - Blackpool (42,38,10,6) Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: This Hotel is fantastic. The food is the best I have ever came across in an all inclusive resort.My 6 year old son just adored the panckes- with the freshly cooked pizza and pasta a firm favourite with all the family.Absolutely no complaints at all about the food. Yes it does get a bit repetive over 2 weeks but it is repetively good !! Always a great range of choice at every meal. The staff are very friendly and curteous. My wife and myself also loved sitting in the cocktail bar at nights with waiters bringing us a regular suppply of alchohol.The waiters give a great service but they are even better if you give them a small tip. We were out on a pedalo a few times and we never had a problem getting one when we wanted.Ther beach is a bit shingly but it is very relaxing sitting on a sunbed and rememeber it is on the doorstep of the hotel. We stayed in one of the bungalows (Rm 337) near the top of the waterslides. The room was very clean and spacious with an excellent sea view from a spacious balcony. The kids ( and myself !) loved the waterslides.The walk up the hill to the bungalows is pretty steep and will be a problem for anybody with walking difficulties - it is easier after copiuous amounts of alchohol !! Another highlight of our holiday was the quadbike we hired for 30 euros a day - I think my wife enjoyed this more than my kids An excellent holiday and I would recommend it to anybody --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: Sunstar - May 2005 Opinion submitted in May 2005 by : Terry Gallagher - Gloucester (48, 46, 48, 48) Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: We have just returned from two weeks at the Norida Beach (11-25/05/05) and, in common with most other reviewers on these pages, found it to be a very clean, well run, 3 to 4 star hotel. We have two complaints that don't seem to have been raised by anyone else so far. 1. From the minute we first walked in to the hotel until we left there was an unmissable smell of diesel fumes, especially to the right of the main entrance, and it got worse the farther to the right that you went! The other couple that we were with were allocated room no. 78 on arrival, which was "in the dungeons" to the right of the hotel where the smell was terrible. Needless to say they didn't accept that room and were given an alternative on the first floor of the hotel. When we raised the issue of the diesel smell with the Sunstar rep we were met with a complete blank, as if they knew nothing about it, and that it was only us that could smell it! Needless to say plenty of other guests commented on the smell during our stay. 2. The sunbeds by the main pool (the salty one) are well past their sell by date! They are of the metal framed type with a fabric cover, and a lot of them are broken, ie, the horizontal bar that the back rest sits on are broken, bent and, in some cases missing! Every morning you would have to sort through them to find a good one and you would end up with a seperate stack of broken ones. Many times we would report this, expecting the broken ones to be repaired or removed from use, but they never were! In a hotel of this standard I would have expected to see good quality white resin sunbeds provided. I cut my index finger quite badly when I trapped it unfolding one of them! On the subject of the salt water pool. Having read other people's reviews I knew what to expect, and once I got used to it I loved it! You can dive to the bottom and keep your eyes open without the stinging sensation you usually get in a chlorinated pool. Just remember to shower off at the freshwater showers at the rear of the pool when you get out and you don't need to worry about the saltwater drying your skin out, oh, and as somebody else said, the poolside is very slippery. Beware of falling over after getting out of the pool. If you haven't got kids then the evening entertainment will not be for you! It certainly wasn't our idea of fun! Kids disco every evening, followed by "Bingo Bango" and eventually the main attraction, whatever that was? We were usually in bed before that started, having had to endure all that had gone before, even though we were sat at the other end of the hotel, at the "Adults Only" bar with no interest in the above! The hotel is remote, plenty of people have already stated that. We walked into Kardamena a few times. We were told by the sunstar rep it would take about 30 mins! Crap! The first time it took us an hour, but by the end of the holiday we had it down to 47 mins! Beat that if you can! The food was adequate. That's the best word I can find to describe it. It's repetitive, bland, and usually not hot enough. The kids seemed to like the pizzas, crepes and burgers. The chinese restaurant was a pleasant surprise. I am not an expert on chinese food but I enjoyed the food that was cooked to order for you, even if the menu was somewhat limited. The alcoholic drinks were good, all brand names. Soft drinks just seemed to make you thirstier, the more you drank! We did three organised trips. The Greek evening in the mountains at Zia is excellent, but beware if you have a seafood allergy, like me! I ate something that violently disagreed with me and I spent the whole night with a violent stomach disorder! Than God for Immodium and Dioralyte! The trip to Bodrum is ok if you're a shopaholic and like being dragged into every shop you pass, if not, give it a miss! The same applies to the shopping trip to Kos town, although it's definitely worth a visit from the historical point of view, Hippocrates etc. The trip to the island of Nisyros is a good one. You are taken up into the mountains by coach to see the authentic Greek way of life. In one small village you stop at you can stand in the road and touch the walls on ether side of the road where it's so narrow!You're then taken down into the mouth (caldera) of an inactive volcano. We hired a car for one day and saw some more of the island. Paradise Beach, also known as Bubble Beach, is beautiful, well worth a visit. I've gone on long enough, so I'll finish by saying I'd go back to Kos again, but I wouldn't go back to Norida Beach! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: Sun Star October 2004 Opinion submitted in Feb 2005 by : Brian Dickinson - Crawley (41, 39,10) Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Good My/Our Holiday Review: The hotel was very well organised throughout the week we stayed. First impressions were very good, a very friendly welcome. Our room was a bit small but with a good view of the pool area. The water in the shower did not get warm for the whole week even though we complained. One nice touch was having a fridge in the room which was renewed with soft drinks every two days. There were two pools. The main one was very deep and extremely cold. The floor area around the pool was also slippery. We mainly used the smaller pool with slides which was also not so deep. Food was very good although it may get a bit boring if you go for two weeks. Always plenty of choice and fresh. The fresly made pizzas went down well. The entertainment was not up to much but it was the last week of the season. The beech is at the bottom of hotel cleaner. The hotel is a 10 min bus ride from Kardamena with Kos another 40 mins away. The hotel is a bit isolated if you wanted to go into the town. Kos iteslf does not seem to be geared up for lots of people. We left on the last day of the season along with every other British tourist there. The airport just cannot cope with this amount of people at once. We had to queue outside the airport for almost an hour. I wouuld have hated to be there in the height of the summer. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook - Oct 2004 Opinion submitted in Dec 2004 by : Ages 33,33,43,55,2 Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: First of all, Norida beach does not claim to be 5star. That claim is made by Sunstar.(Thomas cook do not make that claim and seem to get the better rooms than Sunstar clients) The sign outside the Hotel is quite clear that it is 4 star. Part of the hotel complex (Sunny Palace I think it was called) is 5 star, but the people staying there prefered to come down to Norida since the 5 star was predominently German. They were all in bed for 9.30 to be up to grab their sunbed as 5.30 so there was no entertainment to speak of! Family village bungalows are up a VERY VERY steep hill, be warned, it is not only the elderly or infirm who have problems with this hill, so make sure you will be staying in the hotel itself. Absolutely beautiful reception and lobby area, a perfect first impression. Friendly, helpful staff. Our room was typical of any other 4 star we have stayed in before in Spain. I was surprised at this because I have stayed in Greek 3 star hotels before and found them to be way below 3 star standard. Fantastic maid service. Lovely touch with the mini bar which is refilled every other day. Fantastic food, definately something for everybody. I prefer more exotic food, my father prefers basic English food yet we all ate well every single night. Waiter service for your drinks. The waiters and waitresses are fantastic and so friendly. I found food in the Chinese retaurant VERY bland and tasteless Alcohol is alcoholic. That may sound strange, but I have been on all inclusive holidays where you could not get tipsy all night! Soft drinks are atrocious, including the water, buy your own and drink the bottled stuff from the mini bar, even in mixers, they are undrinkable! Pools and beach are all fantastic. My main concern was there seemed to be a lot of high drops within the hotel grounds such as the bar areas, which were not fenced off with railings or similar. My little boy was a week from turning two, and I could not rest for a second in the evenings, my heart was continuously in my mouth. Entertainment was the same old tripe you get anywhere, but the kids love it and thats all thats important to me No problems getting a sunbed when we went at the begining of October, there were hundreds spare all day although the hotel was full. The weather was just perfect, up to 28 degrees, even staying warm and balmy in the evenings. One of the most enjoyable holidays I have been on, mostly due to it being the first holiday abroad we had taken our little boy on! If you don't go looking for problems, you won't find any, relax, enjoy and chill out! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: sunstar october 2004 Opinion submitted in Nov 2004 by : Keith & Lynette Davies ,Swansea 56, 50 Resort Rating: Poor Accommodation Rating: Poor My/Our Holiday Review: Arrived at the Norida Beach Hotel at about 5am on Sunday 24 October 2004 .We were allocated room 11 which we carried our bags to the room was apalling it looked as if the bed had not been changed merely made up with stained sheets. The bed frame appeared to be made of concrete with wooden slats and 75mm[3inch]thick foam mattresses. The french doors opened onto an enclosed space separated by a low wall from a walkway.The only view was across the walkway --- and that view was a wall! We returned to reception explained why we were rejecting room 11 and asked for an alternative room consistent with the 5* we had booked and which was stated on our accomodation voucher.We were told "return to your room and take your rest come back after 8 o`clock ". We refused to accept room 11 and after a great deal of arguing managed to recover oup passports and booking voucher. The hotel reception continued to refuse us a room change and wer e convinced that due to our lack of sleep they could force us to accept room 11. We stayed in reception until 2pm when Sunstar relocated us to the nearby 4Akti Hotel where we were given a 4 room . Rooms 10, 11&12 at the Norida Beach all face a wall across a walkway.These rooms were described as normal rooms with a balcony by the reception manager. NOT A 5* HOTEL --2? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date:* Sunstar Leisure - October 2004 Opinion submitted in Nov 2004 by : John Roughton - Matlock (49,49) Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: It was sold as a 5 star hotel all inclusive, but is a 4 star and a very good one at that, staff very friendly building showing it's age in places but still very good accommodation and value for money. Tours - if it's your first time do the organised tours, the hotel is at the wrong end of the island for most trips so the additional cost is worth the convenience. The Aussie Bar on Kardamena water front is a compulsary stop (say hello to Billy, who will tell you how to see the island without being ripped off). Don't do Kos town on a Monday as all the museums are closed. Silver at Duty World shop 30 Ifestou Street, in the old town, is good value. The volcano tour at Nisyros is a must as is Bubble Beach. If going to Bodrum beware the quality of the fake shirts, hand bags are good. Take the free town tour which includes a visit to a jewellery factory, but do not show any interest in buying unless you intend to. Please note that they prefer credit cards as the deferred payment actually helps with their unstable currency. Euro is accepted as is the Pound for which you will get a better deal. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: Sunstar Leisure - 20th October 2004 Opinion submitted in Nov 2004 by : Chris - 48, Leon 44 Resort Rating: Average Accommodation Rating: Good My/Our Holiday Review: This was advertised as a 5 star hotel and 3 star would be more appropriate. The hotel was looking in need of much repair which hopefully it will receive now that the season has ended. The toilets especially had broken seats and doors that would not lock. The sports facilities were very poor. A white topped table tennis table, snooker tables with ripped tops. Crazy golf that had seen much better days. The waterslides were not working at the begining of our week and even when they were the pool was so cold that only the very brave went in. The main pool also was freezing cold with only those on inflatable beds daring to venture in. The sea was also cold and the beach large pebbly which sank as you walked on it. The sea dipped away quickly making it very deep when only 12 ft from the shore so not ideal for children. The canoes and pedaloes were available but 30 Euro deposit required. Deposits were required for using any sports equipment and also for the use of towels. The entertainment was non existent and we never had the promised Greek evening. It was Bingo every night followed by Karyoki - not pleasant. We were in the Family Village and although quite a hike up the hill we were one of the lucky ones in the first rows of bungalows. Some who were on the top needed to hire quad bikes or cars just to get down to breakfast etc. The rooms were large, clean and the mini bar restocked every 2 days. The food in the hotel was good apart from getting cold very quickly. Freshly cooked food was available everyday (Pizzas, hamburgers and crepes) although the variety was very much the same. Hotdogs were available freshly cooked at the waterpark if you could stand the wait for them to be cooked as they were heated up in a casserole dish over a very low heat. Otherwise rolls and pastries which were left unchilled all day were the only other food available outside the restaurants. The chinese restraunt served excellent food although the appetisers were not that appealing the main meals were wonderful. The free bus to town was essential as this hotel is too far to walk. As we were leaving the hotel was slowly shutting up with bes and umbrellas being removed. The hotel was closing on Sunday and I was glad that we were going home when we did. The entertainment such as it was finished on the Thursday night leaving those who were booked to Sunday with nothing going on in the hotel. I enjoyed my holiday here but would not consider returning. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: Sunstar- sep 15th 2004 Opinion submitted in Sept 2004 by : Vicki, Pippa, Steve,Des, Tony,Linda, Josh and Libby (27, 27, 30,34, 54,52, 2and 9months) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: Booked our holiday with sunstar 2 months in advance before checking any review web sites.I have to say once booked I had my doubts after reading some of the reviews! After our lovely flight with thomas cook we arrived on time and were met by our Sunstar rep. The journey from the airport takes 15mins. The hotel check in was smooth and off we went to change and make the most of our allinclusive bar!! But once we lugged our bags down two flights of stairs with a push chair and 2 small children we realised it hadn't gone to well.Out of the 3 rooms that we had been given 2 of the rooms were at the bottom of the hotel by the cleaners area and a fuel tank that had a vey strong smell (77&78). Reception advised us that we could move for a small charge which we jumped at!(i'm sure this happens every week as she didn't seem surprised) we had to wait till the following day at 2pm and we moved to the bugalows up the hill.Yes its a walk but worth it the bathrooms are new, the rooms have a fantastic view perfect. The evening buffet is fantastic one of the best hotels for food we've been to. If you dont fancy a walk you can eat in the familly village which is nearer the bungalows. it dosn't have such a wide choice as the norida. The pool area at the family village is lovely better for the kids. The baech is lovely even though its shingles. There is somethimg going on all day if you like that sort of thing Volleyball water polo darts you name it they do it!! the evening entertainment is ok look out for mad Max!!!! would recommend this hotel for sure but when booking i'd pay for the sea views in the main building. It cost us 60 euros a room to move about £40. The bungalows are lovely with fantastic view but again a walk if you have difficulty. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Direct Holidays) Direct Holidays August 2004 Opinion submitted in Sept 2004 by : Anne John Louise( 51 4912) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Good My/Our Holiday Review: We have been back just over a week we had a good time the only thing that l would say is that it is not a four star it is more like a three star. The slide pool could do with a cleaner there for most of the day and the bar and food could do with a clean up, the seats around the slide pool could do with changing as they mostly broken.The hill up to your accommodation can be hard going in the heat,the accommodation was big the beding and towels where changed every two days and your fridge was restocked every two days.The cleaner did work hard but did not clean your floor very day as l know this as we had dead flies on the floor( by the way take a fly spray with you as they are always in your room) The animation team where good and worked hard day and night,the restaurant was excellent my daughter enjoyed the pancakes,the staff are very friendly and helpful they could do with more information on the desk about the buses would we go again, yes --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Direct Holidays) Direct Holidays- august 2004 Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : 55,53,18,12 Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: we have just come back from norida beach and we really enjoyed it. the entertainment through the day was great and there was always something to do. the animation team were very friendly. our favourite animaters were ronnie,franceasca and max. we miss you ! the food was absolutely lovely. anything for anyone. pancakes were lovely!! beach bar was lovely, had snacks, slushes,cocktails. GREAT!! there was alot of english people there which was suprising!! met some nice friendly people. there were 3 pools: main pool where all the entertainment was, the baby pool and the slides which was great fun for the kids it even had a bar and chairs so you could sit down and have a drink while the kids were havin the time of their lives on the slides!!! the main pool is salty water, you soon get use to it-supposedly it makes you tan better! we got a sea view which we didn't have to pay any extra for! at the night time there was a mini disco for the children then the bingo would come on then the main show. there was a disco on for the older ones started at midnight finished at 2. families also went. the sun was beaming all the time!! but there was a lovely breeze. fab holiday we really enjoyed it. we would go back tomorrow!!! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Cosmos Discounts) Cosmos - August 2004 Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : Lisa and Andy Morris - Stockton (40, 35, 9, 6) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: We have just returned from Norida Beach and to tell u the truth I have a few little complaints BUT I would definitely go back next year!! Lets get the little complaints out the way: The beach is not sand but then I knew that when I went, it does hurt your feet for about the first few days but that is more so because it is so hot, you have to dodge between brolly shade!! There is a hill but it depends where u are placed, we were right next to the water slide pool (where my kids wanted to be)and in a bungalow that slept us all in one room. This did not deter me as we were only sleeping and changing in the room. That hill actually toned my bum and i have a bit to tone! We paid more than all the couples that we met but that still didn't deter us, we were out to have a good time and we certainley did that. The bath water is yellow but that didn't bother us, though the kids asked if dad had peed in it!!! That's my little complaints over with now the better bits. The Hotel was immaculate, never have i been to such a clean place. The service was 100% and if you can ignore the odd stoney faced service then u are onto a good one, u just smile and they cave in and smile back. The food was great but repeated after a week, but lets face it we went into Kardamena itself and every menu was the same so same repetition self catering. I felt worried about letting my two boys go off with their mates but after a week i let them but followed without them knowing and they were fine as there was always a parent watching out and in the end we all ended up in the same place anyway. Booze wize - if any of you going like a tipple - no worries u get anything you ask for, beer is not flat at any of the 4 places you go to but is different tasting. The beach bar serves a great beach cocktail but it is all alcohol! The animation guys and galls try their hardest to get u to do things and even though in my head I said bgger off each morning, we did join in to some things and had a right laugh. The evening entertainment is just about adequate and is not so great, but if unlike some reviewers u make friends then it is a laugh as u all join in and generally get tipsy and the kids all make friends. I would recommend this Hotel/All In Resort to anyone with kids and anyone who likes to have a good time on their hols (and the people who don't winge at having the trots because they drank too much the night before and blame the hotel!) The trip to Turkey is a good break for the day but be prepared to haggle as all is fake, we had a good day out, but book in Kardemena and not at hotel. At the end of all this i have said, we are truly knackered and at day 12 wanted to come home, but as day 13 arrived I for one didn't want to come home to sunny (not) UK, but here I am loving the rain, I am jealous of everyone off to Norida Beach in the near future!! Go and make the most of it. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date:* Sunstar - August 2004 Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : Jane Aldrich-Brighton (61,61,40,39,14,13 Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: We had the most wonderful time here. Our only regret is that we didn't book two weeks!!! The hotel is big, busy and loud. Ideal for familys and couples. We arrived 1st August 2004. Many people had gone home so to start with it was a little quiet, but by the time we left it was absolutly buzzing, so if you want peace and quiet this hotel is not for you!!! If you are coming here with small chidren you will most probably be put in the Family Village up the hill which is a bit of a teck but not that bad.It very clean and always being cleaned even late at night.All the staff were great, always smiling and happy to help. Our rooms were basic, but very clean with lots of space for clothes (there was only two of us per room)There is a tv which was wasn't much use because it was mainly in other languages, but that never bothered us as we didn't watch it anyway. In the bathroom there is a hairdryer and you must put toilet paper in the bin. there is a shower, but there isn't a hook for it so it has to be held. If your on the hillside view of the hotel, be prepared for late night coaches bringing people back from trips and people arriving or departing. This shouldn't affect you if you have your windows shut and air condictoning on. Meal times are buffet style, waiters/waitresses will bring you your drinks. the food is FANTASTIC a wide choice and loads of it, kids will love the pizzas, all cooked in front of you. The chefs work really hard and are always happy which we found amazing. you can have their ice as it is imported and is put through filters, but do not drink their water. It is high in minerals and will give you a upset tummy. There is small super market across the road from the hotel where you can buy water. There is also a small shop in the hotel. There are plenty of places to sit in the shade, but if you want a sunbed and umbrella then you you have to be quick!!! The pool is salt water.The beach is lovely its not sandy its more tiny shingle, which has a cool breeze some of the time, you will have to be quick here too for beds and umbrellas. There is a small snack bar and bar. Water sports have to be paid for. the entertainment staff provide things to to in the day, if you like taking part in those sort of things. Its great for the kids, stops them from getting bored. In the evening there is a show for kids and then more for adults later (its more like Butlins but all good fun). The bar shuts at 12 midnight.( God Damn it!!! LOL) There is a disco on the hill which is from 11-2 drinks have to be paid for. If that isn,t late enough for you go by taxi into Kardamena where there are loads of bars open into the early hours. If you want to go into town during the day there is a free bus which runs to and fro from the hotel you get tickets for it from reception also there is a local bus which costs 90c each way make sure you check times because there not like our bus service!!! If you want to do trips then compare prices from your reps to the ones in town. The ones in town can be much cheaper. If you fancy a change from the hotel food (god know's why)it wont break the bank if you go into town, but some people did. You can also walk from the hotel into town via the seafront it takes about an hour very hot to do in the day but much more pleasant in the evening. Well on the whole, this place is fantasic, but what i did notice there are no facilities for the disabled as there are steps everywhere. There are two lifts, but are very small you maybe able to get a wheelchair and one other standing person in them, and these are only any good if you are going to your room. We went in peak season, so be prepared for changes at certain times of the year. Hope you have a really happy holiday and find it as enjoyable as we did --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: Archers direct - July 2004 Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : Ann Evans -Runcorn (40, 39,17,10, 12, 11, 44, 43, 21, Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Good My/Our Holiday Review: On arriving we were put in room's over the reception, we had requested pool view, we could not open the windows on to the balcony because of the fumes from the buses, I complaind and was move 2 days later. On average the hotel is clean there is a hike up a hill to the bunglows so be aware, the hotel pool is salt water and we found a broken class in it, we informed th hotel they did nothing, the food is lovely although its the same thing every other day the rooms are cleaned every day, but the hotel was not cleaned from the night before till about 9.00am. the rooms are air conditioned but the hotel is not there are a lot of flyes to contened with when trying to relax on the sofas, there is a fresh warter pool a short walk up the hill this has some slides for the kids. the entertainment team were great they work so hard but do tend to be in your face for you to join in but its all good fun, I would recommend this hotel we had fun an thats what hols are all about. the staff are all willing to help, there is a shop, the internet cafe is 2 computers in a room the beach is shingle but lovely there is plenty of water sports if you want that sort of thing, kardamena is lovely there was more there than in Kos town, if you get a bus they run from 8.30am till 11.00am the they stop till 3.00pm a good thing to remember. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach Family Village - Kardamena Operator and Date: Apollo Travel - July 2004 Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : The McFarlane Family - (43,32,7,5) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: Our holiday was booked very last minute and we had previously been to Kos twice, both times stayed at Club Hotel Akti down the road! We arrived in the early hours and although not really knowing what to expect we had heard the Norida "Club" Hotels were good - there are 3 hotels, The Norida Beach, The Summer Palace and The Family Village all situated on a steep mountain with their own beaches and all within walking distance of one another. Our room was enormous - considering we booked the week previous the view was amazing panoramic view of the coast, could even see Rhodes and bits of Turkey in the distance. I would rate the rooms at a UK 3 star though and not 4. All was clean with more than adequate space. The meals were all excellent as were the staff, the animation team were great and not pushy as I have known in previous hotels. Kids pool and adult pool great although the main pool is salt water and stings the eyes. The beach was busy but you can use the beach bar (for all the Norida hotel guests). July/Aug - yes it was hot around 35 degrees and so was the pool side but that is what you should expect from that time of year! Generally, as an experienced traveller of much of Greece and Cyprus we couldn't really fault the hotel/resort. I would stress that if you don't like/cannot walk far or uphill this hotel and indeed any of the Norida Hotels in this resort are NOT for you! If you intend to take bus/taxis into town and not walk between hotels then fine. Local Taxi is 7 Euros from the main square in town opposite Louis Supermarket (worth popping in their too!). We read a couple of bad reviews for this hotel - and if you expect silver service and room temp sand in Jul/Aug then think again! All the meals are self service - GREAT choice, the waiting staff are friendsly and bring you drinks to the table. Delicious Ice Cream is available self service 10am til 10pm. There is a very small gift shop at Family Village and a large gift shop at Norida Beach hotel. Family Village is definitely a great place for family's particularly with young children - the mini disco entertained them nicely and the animators played games with the kids during the day - mini club, pool games etc, my girls absolutely loved this holiday. Infact it was probably the best week's holiday we have ever had! Definitely beats the Club Hotel Akti (Kardamena) for standards in general. Excellent!!! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Direct Holidays) Direct Holidays july 2004 Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : halliday family glasgow 37,41,15,9 Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: we have just arived from our holiday in kos at the norida beach hotel,we enjoyes the hotel but it was no where near any shops,if you like walking this isn't the hotel for you as you had to get a bus from the hotel and it tokk 5 10 minutes on a bus to the nearest town (KARDAMEENA)wich was full of bars and clubs, the food in the hotel there wasnt muych choice,in the internet cafe the lady who was there was sweet i like her she was dead friendly, the salt water pool was disgusting they should change the water,EVEN THE SEA WASN'T AS SALTY,the diso la boom was a waste of time it was tiny every night i went up with my boy at 15 and there was only about 22 people there at the most,the shoot pool was well good and we also like the sea,the sea sports was good for your money,the chinese wasnt that good after all there will be something you will like, the go-karts is awsome we went every 2nd day it cost alot of money but it was worth it my son had taken 3oo euros and he came bk with 15o euros because there wasnt much shops there is 2 supermarkets in the hotel wich were ok,the drinks at the bar wasnt the best that wasnt our best all inclusive hotel afterall the holiday wasnt mega good it was okay --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: Sunstar - July 2004 Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : Andrea - Manchester (22) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: After reading very negative reviews of this hotel on this and various other websites, I was dreading this holiday and in fact tried to cancel it!But we got back yesterday and wish we were still there"!I won't go into detail as the most recent reviews are very accurate, all I can say is that if you have booked this holiday you'll have a great time. The standard of food, cleanliness and friendliness of the staff surpassed all expectations, in fact you have to be careful there not to put on weight as the food is so good and there is so much of it! We were there first week in July and although the hotel seemed fairly full,we couldn't complain , apart from a queue in the bar in the afternoon and evening. Reps and waiters really friendly and they really put effort into the entertainment. We were so tired with the heat that we were in bed before 12 most nights, but went into Kardamena town twice, very English and you get hassled to go in all the bars! For any Geordies, visit Quayside bar run by Eddy and Lorraine for a great welcome! Turkey was great for designer labels, but even hotter than Kos as there was no wind!But definitely worth a visit, book in Kardamena to save money and take euros or sterling as you get better prices there! Pool cold at first but you get used to it and it was so hot that this was very refreshing! Also the sea was gorgeous, although got really deep just about 1.5 metres from beach!Its definitely worth buying a snorkel as sea is so clear and lots of fish are actually swimming underneath you! We enjoyed the hotel so much we only left it twice at night and once to go to turkey. I had heard bad things about Sunstar, but although we only saw the reps once at welcome meeting, everything went smoothly and transfers etc were on time. Hadalso heard drinks were watered down, but this wasnt true you just havce to ask for branded alcohol and you get it, spirits were served very strongly and cocktails too!Only thing was coke was really flat but you can avoid it as theres lots of other drinks! We had been expecting a lot less of the hotel and were pleasantly surprised!I would say good for couples or families who want a relaxing time n the sun, there were a lot of kids but also quite a few couples! We heard from some of the people working in bars at Kardamena that Norida had been worse at the start of the season, but I honestly have no complaints, the only thing I wouldnt recxomment the night flights, we got back at 8am and plane ver cramped! Enjpy if youre going!!!We'll be going back! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: sunstar - june 2004 Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : janet,allana,daniella - lincs (50, 34,3) Resort Rating: Average Accommodation Rating: Average My/Our Holiday Review: having booked our holiday on teletext a week before going being told it was 5star hotel we thought it would be luxury as you do so when we got to hotel i would say it was 3star max the food was very good u could not fault salt water pool was dirty air conditioning not working very well entertainment was not up to much dont cater for kids very well and when you have a night flight you want to keep room on but they say hotel is booked up your out of your room at 12.00 so you got all day and half the night to hang round it is not funny when you have little ones if this hotel is 5star i think they having bit of a laugh 3star more like i would not go back to the hotel or the resort. i think sunstar should adjust rating of norida beach to 3star in a 5star hotel every thing would be spot on to the highest standard --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook- June 2004 Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : Jodie and Dave (22, 24) Resort Rating: Average Accommodation Rating: Average My/Our Holiday Review: My boyfriend and I booked a week's holiday in the Norida Beach Hotel last minute. We arrived at the hotel at 2am local time and were put in a room that could only be described as a store room (no 50). It had no natural light, it had double doors that went out into the hallway which had a table and chairs to sit on whilst everyone walked past you. There was no privacy. We instantly went back to the desk to complain but because of the time the receptionist was unable to change the room until the morning. The next 6 hours felt like a lifetime. Wednesday night/Thursday morning was the main arrival day from the UK; the room we were put in echoed every noise through the hotel. By 9am and a lot of arguments we were put into a different room. We went down to the pool at 10am and there was nowhere to sit so we went down to the beach. The beach is nice but it isn't all sand it has small pebbles amongst it and it really hurts your feet. The sea is freezing but once you're in you don't feel it, (not sure if that's because you are numb?!). The food in the hotel is fantastic, especially as everyone says the pizza. The soup is also lovely. The Chinese is fantastic but you do have to book a couple of days before you eat. The facilities are adequate however they are basic. I would rate this hotel 3. The Kardemina town is a 7-euro taxi journey or just under 1 euro on the bus. The nightlife in town is electric. Everything is open until way into the morning. The entertainment staffs are very friendly but the entertainment finishes at 11pm. Drinks are very strong and if you ask for the labelled drinks they do give them to you. Overall it was a good holiday but I wouldn't go to the same hotel again. The views were beautiful and the food was fantastic. The entertainment was funny but mainly child orientated. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date:* Sunstar Leisure - June 2004 Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : Debbie, John, Jodie, Alex - Essex (44, 34, 12, 11) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: On arrival at the Norida Beach, we found we had been booked into the bungalows up the hill and not the main building itself. We were a little disappointed but after 2 days of walking uphill, we got used to it and found the exercise useful for walking off our evening meal! The room was large enough for 4 of us, mini bar re-stocked every other day, air con lovely and cold and the cleaners came every single day (even folded the kids PJ's) The views are fantastic, overlooking kos, the sea, neigbouring islands etc. The only complaints we have were: being accomodated between groups of youngsters who wanted to stay up till 4.30am partying! Ideally, they should have been placed away from families with young children, and the telephone in the room not working for the whole 2 weeks! The food in the main restaurant was plentiful with a lot of variety. The pizza's, crepes and desserts were lovely. Restaurant staff were very helpful. We booked into the chinese restaurant twice with the 2nd visit being more enjoyable after being on a boat trip all day! Beach cocktails and slushes from the beach bar were to die for! Kids (and adults) could help themselves to ice cream all day long) Beer, soft drinks and Hots dogs available from the bar at the water slides. Beach is shingle, and the sea very clear although gets very deep very quickly.. Not suitable for small children. It is well worth a visit to 'Bubble beach' which is sandy and very shallow.. and you can really see the bubbles coming up from the sea bed! Costs 10 euros by boat or bus from Kardamena - book in town though as very expensive through rep. They wanted 39 euros for each adult on a 3 bay cruise with BBQ, when we booked in town for 17 euros each with kids half price. We thought the activities were great. Something for everyone.. even prizes of champagne for the adults of which we won 2 on the apperatif game at noon. Animaters worked very hard all day and evening. Taxi into Kardamena 7 euros, local bus 90 cents each or free bus from hotel, but ensure you get your bus ticket from reception in advance as the bus is almost full by the time it comes down from the Summer Palace. In Kardamena itself are lots of shops, bars and restaurants. We went in the evening as it was much cooler to walk around.. The weather was fantastic for most of the holiday, reaching 97 degrees F on our last day! Norida Beach was a lovely place to stay, plenty to do! We wouldn't book again, but only because we never go to the same place twice.. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: Sunstar Leisure - June 2004 Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : Laura Windeatt - Bewdley (22, 19) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: I'm usually a sceptic, so when I read a bad review of this hotel I was not prepared for the best. However, the holiday was more than we could have dreamed for! Sunstar were very efficient in their transfers, 10 minutes after landing we were departing the airport in a rather smart mini-bus, and the Norida Beach was only 15minutes drive. The hotel has rather a grand lobby with little fountain and lots of comfy sofas. They give you green wrist bands which let you have access to the all inclusive facilities. you can't take them off though. Our rooms weren't anything extravagant, but were very clean and simple. Having everything we needed. Bath, shower, basic hair dryer. Toilet facilities very clean and cleaned daily (settling my worries about the poor drainage system and the hygeine level of putting toilet paper in the bin. The saltwater pool is huge and suprisingly deep, (up to 3metres) there's not much shallow water for children though there is a baby pool and 2 minutes walk away are 3 waterslides which has a poolside bar serving drinks and hotdogs. The beach is in sight of the hotel, sand is quite coarse. Free loungers and umbrellas by pool and on beach (we found them to be nearly all reserved with towels by lunchtime which was quite annoying). Nice beach hut bar on the beach with drinks and cake. Water is not too cold but is rather fresh!! Weather in June - was lovely except for one day of rain and another of cloud. Was windy on these and on one other day. BEWARE of mosquitos! They swarmed out at night time and although not everyone got bitten I did many times so arm yourselves with repellent when you go out in the evenings, even in the hotel. (can be bought there). TV was in German but did screen the footie whilst we were there and a music channel. Food was lovely! Really big choice for lunch and dinner - including freshly made pizzas, and grill. We tried several new dishes every day. Breakfast disappointed at the lack of exotic fruit i expected (except watermelon) but was still nice and plentiful. Gorgeous Chinese restaurant which you have to book a table at the morning before you wish to eat (places fill quick). Meals cooked to order. Wanting to try a lot we ordered an extra starter and main course which they were happy to serve. Waitresses very friendly. Packed lunches can be ordered the day before and are basic - a few rolls, meat, cheese, apples, eggs and cucumber. But are worth getting for the 2 bottles of water. Mini bar in room is good but only filled on every 3rd day. NOTE - take a bottle opener unless you don't mind buying one for 2.50e in the shop. Drinks at the hotel are plentiful - lots of alcoholic choice and cocktails, including international spirits. Can't praise the cocktails enough. (very strong though!) Beer on tap was Lowenbrau. Lots of different juices which did taste a bit more like concentrated squash but in cocktails or with lemonade are great. One bar you collect drinks yourself, the other is table waitress service inside and outside which is nice. Day time snacks - cakes, ice cream is help yourself. sometimes messy but always nice, and rolls. Didn't take part in the entertainment much. Lots for children and later some cheesey entertainment you normally get at resorts! Day time by the pool they offer you lots - water polo, golf, dancing etc. The only negative was the balcony door which I didn't think were very secure and the safety deposit box costs 20e to use. We didn't use this but felt that our stuff was ok in the rooms. I didn't like the way they kept our passports behind reception though they obviously can't have had any problems with it or they wouldn't do it. It's 30e to keep your room until 6pm as you have to check out by noon, but you don't need to - it was hot enough to stay poolside till nearly 7 and there are shower rooms for you to use. (note- advisable to book a time unless you don't mind up to a couple of hours wait!) Luggage is kept in reception area on departure day which did make me feel a bit wary but it was ok in the end as everybody was doing it. Day trips - we went to paradise beach to see the "bubbles", supposedly gorgeous but didn't see anything. Full of sunbeds to hire. Literally only a beach and taverna there though. We missed trip to the volcanic island which sounded good, walking in the crater of a dormant volcano you can see the mud bubble from the heat and hear the hollowness of the ground below you. Trips to Turkey (Bodrum) are also on offer as it's not far away. Zia is very small. lots of stalls and shops for tourists, and bars and restaurants overlooking fabulous view over the island. wouldn't spend a day there though. our short visit was long enough. We hired bicycles for 5e a day, it is pretty much up hill on the way anywhere, after a 25km cycle we found a lovely secluded beach so it was worth it. We also hired a quad bike e30. Recommended as you lose lots of the scenery in a car. The island is very small. We visited Kos Town and Zia (mountain village). You can get free use of Ramida Beach hotel facilites in Kos Town with your Norida wrist band so we got lunch there free. Bike hire by Norida is slightly dearer than in Kardemena and don't like you hiring if you haven't done it before (no quad bikes either). In Kardemena there are plenty. Our one stressed we wore helmets for safety (and to avoid police fine) and bikes were new. Don't forget your driving licence and passport number. Kardemena town is supposedly an hour walk away (not recommended too late as it is a very dark road) but the hotel do free buses regularly, and there are local buses too at only 90c. last bus back at 10pm but taxis aren't too much if you want to stay for the nightlife. Small supermarket opposite hotel, but in regards to alcohol then go to Kardemena. The one opposite the bus stop even offers a discount if you pay in pounds. It's worth going to a beach in Kardemena to get to the fine sand. Water sports are available, free pedaloes but need a deposit. It was too windy whilst we were there to do it on most days. Parascending, skis, rings etc also available at a price. Airport - You get your luggage quickly on the way in, but have to queue outside the building until your check in desk opens. BE CAREFUL in the airport with your hand luggage. We slept and our digital camera went missing between the waiting area and the aeroplane! Thomas Cook planes are quite small - lack of leg room. Journey times were both quicker than the ticket stated but the journey home was uncomfortable and long as a night flight. Ask to sit together as seats are in 3s so you may have an aisle between you. All in all, the hotel was lovely and all we wanted for a relaxing break. Not a lot to do at the resort if it rains, but a beautiful hotel, a lovely island well worth visiting. We'd definately go again! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Cosmos Discounts) Cosmos-26 MAY 2004 Opinion submitted in June 2004 by : Dave & Mandy - DERBYS ( 38,38,10 ) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Opinion: This hotel is great, very very clean,The familey village is up a steep hill. The hotel is about 1 hours walk along the beach into kardamena or get the free bus from the hotel. the food was very good lots to choose from pasta,salad,grill meat, The hotel staff where friendly and very helpful, the main pool at the hotel is salt water, and is very deep from 0.8m to 3m but goes deep fast,the pool with the slides is fresh water and only 1.2m deep.evan the big kids loved it(DADS) the animation team tried their best to get everyone to join in and have fun in the day time but the entertainment at nigh was not that good but they tried their best. its also the first AI hotel that we have been to where the branded drinks have been free too. if you want to get out and about and see all of kos go and book the trips in kardamena they are alot cheaper than with the reps. I WOULD REALLY RECOMMEND GOING TO THIS HOTEL JUST COULD NOT FAULT IT. TAKING EVERYTHINK INTO ACCOUNT 9/10 JUST GREAT. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook 12 - 26 May 2004 Opinion submitted in June 2004 by : Emma, Mark, Calum. Cate. (33, 27. 4, 15mths) Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: First of all, don't believe the bad reports! We read them and were dreading the holiday, but found everything lovely. May is definately the right time to go, as we were leaving it was getting very busy, and as the complex is so big it could get noisy. We were in the bungalows opposite Family village, room was big and kept clean. Maids were very good considering language barrier, if you've got kids and they're sleeping let them know they'll come back later. Infact ALL staff were very helpful, especially if you have kids. Restaurant warms bottles for you, and the mini bus driver will run you up the hill! There are lots of swimming pools around whole complex, fresh and saltwater, we found them to cold for kids, good size though. Entertainment not good, there is a kids disco, which mine loved, starts late though. Would recommend car hire, they make you a picnic to take with you, beautiful island and beaches. Would go back, but when baby doesn't need pushchair - there's a lack of ramps in complex - my only complaint! Food very good, cater for all tastes, pudding are divine! Take a jacket for evenings, gets windy and chilly. If you are booked all inclusive in norida beach, you can use all facillities in familly village and summer palace, free of charge. There is also a free mini bar in room, filled every 3rd day. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Direct Holidays) Direct Holidays - May 2004 Opinion submitted in June 2004 by : The Beeleys - Stockton (42, 36, 10, 6) Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Opinion: If you are looking for a family holiday at the beginning of the season, this all-inclusive hotel is ideal. We stayed in the family village, which is situated a short walk from the hotel. The bungalow was clean, with adequate space for 2 adults and 2 children.The view from our room was spectacular with a panoramic outlook onto the seafront and parallel islands. There were kids' clubs twice a day, refreshments and ice cream were readily available. The pebble beach was clean, with activities all day long. The pedaloes and canoes were at no additional cost, although if you wanted to be more adventurous, flyfish, paragliding and jet skis were available at a cost. The main pool is salt water, so the kids preferred the fresh water pool with three slides, great entertainment. Don't go on this holiday expecting good evening entertainment for adults, its not going to happen, but it was adequate for the kids. The standard of food was very good, catering for both the authentic Greek and the more conventional tastes. Overall the service was good, there are lots of East European staff and language is a problem, but the willingness was there. Anyone not too keen on hot holidays would appreciate the wind here, it definitely cools you down! We would definitely recommend this hotel to families who are happy to make their own evening entertainment and go to bed before 12! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: Sunstar May 2004 Opinion submitted in June 2004 by : MEL ,JUNE,BOB, DOT, MANCHESTER 50,47,52,57 Resort Rating: Average Accommodation Rating: Average My/Our Holiday Review: The hotel is set on the beach in a good location & the facilities are very good as is the food, good selection-something for everyone. However- the hotel was full,very busy and is overrun with kids - they took over the place & were running riot.Buggys were parked outside the restaurant entrance in droves. There was no seating near the evening entertainment as most was taken up by children until midnight.It can get noisy i.e. doors slamming, riff raff shouting,etc. If you are looking for some peace this is not the right hotel to stay at.The sister hotel Summer Palace located up the steep hill next door is much better for couples.It is more select,quieter& has spectacular views.After looking around we wished we had booked in this hotel. Don't get me wrong Norida is OK but in my opinion it is for families with kids - not for couples. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: Sunstar - May 2004 Opinion submitted in May 2004 by : 50-55 Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: we have just come back on 14 May 2004. chose the right time as the hotel was getting very full as we left. would not enjoy this hotel in high season. out of season, when we went it was excellent. excellent food, very helpful staff. nice Chinese restuarant on site included in the All Inclusive deal. lovely bungalow overlooking the sea acroos to Nyssios and Turkey. excellent hotel to stay at out of season. would imagine it will be heaving by now, 16 May. definatley 3+ star hotel. if you want to go more up market go to Summer Palace Hotel on the same site with half board. very luxurious. also on same site is the Norida Family Village which could not use a lot of the Norida Beach Hotel facilities without paying extra. although pool here was beautiful. Highly recommend very early or very late season. slight walk up hill to our bungalow so no good if you cannot walk up hills. plenty of food choice, the pizza's and pancakes are excellent as well as the grill. house wine not up to much but very enjoyable and hospitable. nice rooms and staff were very helpful if you had any problems. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Cosmos Discounts) Cosmos - 2004 Opinion submitted in Sept 2004 by : Graham, Jane, Daniel (46,38,10) Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: Our holiday will probably reflect much of what has already been said to be honest, but what the hell.... the more reviews the easier to make up your mind ! Facilities: The hotel is broken into 3 seperate sections, Norida Beach Hotel, Family Palace and the other escapes me for the moment. Guests at the family palace and the main hotel can use all of each others facilities, but those NOT staying in the "upper class" section (apologies for lack of name !) cannot use that particular areas facilities. Bars are spread across the site and even include a beach bar. Want Chinese ? Theres a wonderful one on site... but you need to book.... It's still free, but because the food is so damn fine, there is normally a 3 day waiting list. 3 waterslides and a freshwater pool keep the kids entertained for the full 2 weeks. Nightly entertainment in each seperate part of the resort mean you can pick and choose, but to be fair its a little limited. The animation crew work extremely hard to entertain and amuse and are also very friendly, but if i said this was an entertainment Mecca, I would simply mean bring a pen for the Bingo... yup.... you got it ! Location: About 10 mins from Kardamena in a cab max. Cabs are efficient, longest we waited was 15 mins. Fare (one-way) 7 Euros (£4.30).... please note that this hotel is situated on the edge of a mountain, get the cabby to drop you off at your front door. After 2 weeks I began to feel like a goat ! Accommodation: We stayed in the family Palace, despite booking in the main hotel. despite having to climb the North face of the Eiger at times, I can only sing the praises for this hotel. Norida Beach is a clean and friendly hotel. The rooms were cleaned every two days and this wasn't simply a quick wipe over with a 10 yer old duster, the bathroom floors were on occassions bleached. Sheets were changed regularly and the mini-bar (my favourite) was refilled every two days as stated. Plenty of storage space... even managed to store the kitchen sink that my wife so kindly packed. Be aware though that there is a pillow shortage on the island. Like 2 pillows ? Take another with you ! Food: No failings here. Ate at 3 of the onsite restaurants. All had exceptionally high standards of both hygene and quality of cooking. Be aware though that the buffet style does mean that they cook pretty much the same food every night. Don't be put off by this though, as there is quite a choice. even more so at the hotels main restaurant. WARNING... The family village is a nice relaxed affair... hit the main one and you have to queue for a table. Kids food consists of kebabs, burgers (v. nice) and pizza's of all varieties (prepared and cooked in front of you). Kept my boy fed with no complaints ! Trips: Guess this is the same where ever you go... we did the lazy day boat trip (38E for adult). Same trip in Kardemena... 18E.... Hmmm... let me think... Basically shop around. If you do fancy a boat trip, try to get one that takes you to Kalimnos, lovely little fishing village. Thats about it really. I have struggled to find negatives on this place, but have come unstuck. Guess the only one would have to be the beach.... despite some saying that its pebbles, I can assure you that its more like all-in-ballast. Yeah it hurts your tootsies.... but go to the supermarket in the resort and get some of Uncle Johnnys surf shoes.... for 11.5 euros, you'll be running up and down the beach all day. Marks overall: 8/10 (hey... I've been spoilt on other holidays) Graham --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: Sunstar - 2004 Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : Stephen & Sarah Glover (49, 10) Resort Rating: Average Accommodation Rating: Average My/Our Holiday Review: Despite Sunstar's advertising this is very far from a 5* hotel. I would find it difficult to give it 2. Arriving at Midnight, it would have been nice to have a beer from the mini-bar. The bottle was there, nicely chilled but where was the bottle opener? There wasn't one. A trip to the bar, closed, found that they had one but I counldn't borrow it. On returning from the room with 1 beer and 1 lemonade bottle, the waiter kindly opened them with a cigarette lighter! This was the start of the holiday and set the tone of the holiday. I could go on and on but frankly I can't be bothered and I certainly won't be bothered to return to the Norida Beach Hotel, but the end was equally bizarre as the start. We were being collected at 9pm so I enquired about facilities to change after a day by the pool. We were told a room would be available for us to shower and change for the trip home. This room turned out to be in the ladies toilet and was like a steam room. Having had a shower, including turning it to cold for the last minute or so, the room was found to be so hot that within a minute of putting on a clean shirt it was so damp with perspiration I was as well have dived in the pool! Overall, I have to say we enjoyed the holiday but don't expect a 5 hotel or service - you just won't get it. Be warned. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Norida Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: Sun Star leisure - Date Not Specified Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : Emma Jackson - Bournemouth (16,18,44,44) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: This holiday was absolutely amazing, I went with my family and we were all really sad to leave! We spent most our time on the beach because there is so much to do down there. The sea's lovely and clear, but gets deep really sudden so you can't touch the bottom about a meter from walking off shore. If you buy some goggles you can see little fish swimming all around your feet. Theres a variety of water sports to do on the beach, the peddalos and canoes are free, so I spent most of my time on them. The ringos are great fun (cut my elbows though). Theres a guy called Steve whos from manchester whos in charge of all the water sports and he's so fit! I forced myself to do parasending just so I'd drive out on the boat with him! It was well worth it though! The reception area is stunning, marble floors, a fountain and lots of comfy couches to sit on. The rooms are fairly simple but spacious. I wasn't too impressed with the bathroom -quite a lot of limescale round the taps. I used my parents shower coz there was yellow water coming out from mine (not nice!) The entertainments directed at kid's but some nights it was quite amusing! ('Dream couple' - what a laugh!) Lots of cocktails to choose from but they don't taste so good with squash in them rather than juice! The food is brilliant! so much to choose from and tastes great. they have a chinese retaurant which makes a change sometimes. Overall this Hotel was brilliant, there is so so much to do for families, couples and friends. It's definitly worth going to Kardamena, (about 15 min drive - 7 euros) which is the lively resort of Kos is nice to visit one night. Full of young english though! If you want to stay near by there is not much entertainment directly outside the hotel. ( No bars or Clubs) except for one small little club called 'disco a la boom' --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Paraskos / Parascos Apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: Kosmar - August 2007 Opinion submitted in August 2007 by : Tricia Nicol Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Below Average My/Our Holiday Review: I have just returned and it was the worst holiday of my life. I found the apartments very basic and ours was only cleaned on the Tuesday after arriving on the Saturday. I was there with my daughter, her boyfriend and my mother for a relaxing break but we could not relax at all as owners are constantly parading the pool area to see if you have any food or drink which was bought outside the pool area even a small bottle of water. I felt we were constantly being watched which we found very uncomfortable. I cut my footand leg very badly on the first day there, and at night I got antiseptic and blood on the sheets and my daughter got make-up on the only small hand towel which was provided. We were told we had to pay for them and we promptly did so even though I said that I was sure the stains would come out. On asking for a receipt the owner sTarted shouting and bawling in an aggressive manner at my 73 year old mother about us making a fuss re: sheets and towels and threw the sheets and towels at us(which she had already put in a bag) and told me to pick up my rubbish!!! My mother was visibly shaken and I have never been so embarrassed in my whole life. This took place at the reception area which was next to the pool and it was very busy with other guests. Please be warned, the owner speaks perfect English but also shouts in perfect english! After this incident she did not change our linen or clean our apartmnts again. In my opinion the owner has taken our money but did not provide the agreed service. In my opinion this was the worst display of conduct I have ever experienced and we would advise that you do not use the towels or sheets and be very careful as you will be charged. The apartments do not have a kettle or good utensils, the shower was broken and we had to do our own cleaning. Oh! I forgot for a minute that I was supposed to be on holiday!! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Paraskos / Parascos Apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: Kosmar - August 2006 Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : Mrs F Doris, - Perth Scotland (17, 49, 53, 56) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Average My/Our Holiday Review: Just back from Kos, Kardemena, we stayed at the Parascos Apartments, My hubby, friend and her daughter had 2 studio apartments adjacent. The apartments were small, very basic, fridge and 2 ring cooker were old, as was the kitchen sink unit....felt you were in a 70's time warp. The studio was clean, as was the bedding but the bathroom was very small. There was not shower curtain and you could have a shower whilst sitting on the loo....water often flooded out into the living area. There was nothing to mop up with. Bring extra towels with you, you are only supplied with a very small hand towel each, replaced once in the week. The bathroom tiles were filthy, WHB was not cleaned the whole week, and the loo paper bin was emptied only twice in the week. The smell was awful. The rooms were cleaned twice and the beds changed once. The pool and area were excellent, sunbeds free, if you lived there. Signs everywhere, not to bring your own food or drink. There was a heatwave 43o when we arrived and had to drink gallons of water, they sold small bottles for 80cents, supermarket sold 6 lts for E1.90...we got caught drinking supermarket water, (filled it at lunchtime with our own cold water from our fride) and the family gave us a row. We just bought 2 wee bottles every morning and continued to fill them at lunchtime. They were not happy if we did not buy food from them. On the first day we were allowed to eat fresh figs from the trees at the poolside, after eating them for 3 days, the family gave us a row because we were eating their figs and not buying their food. The next day the family came with buckets and took away all of the ripe figs. Also, dont leave any lights on or fans on if you are out, the family switch off the electric and give you a row...not very good if the fridge floods the room....happened to a couple next door to us. Apart from these annoying incidents, we still managed to have a great holiday. Try Bar Street, pubs and restuarants to suit everyone. Eat one street up from the beach and the food and drink is a bit cheaper. Must take a trip to Zia, to see the sunset its truly spectacular, great wee village for shopping and eating too. If we ever go back to Kos we will upgrade and definitely get accod., with air con, we had to hire a fan from the family and it was not enough to keep us both cool. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Paraskos Apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: Kosmar - Aug 2006 Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Seb - Leicester (23,23) Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Good My/Our Holiday Review: I find it's always a little risky to read and take heed of reviews, because people look for and take notice of completely different things when on holiday. Therefore I'll give a very brief description of who I am so you can hopefully tell whether what I say is relevant. Me and my partner are both 23 and have very much been around the block when it comes to holidays. We've done all the '18-30s', clubbing stuff and have more recently looked to relax a bit more when we go away. Last year we went to Kassopi in Corfu and, while we had a great time, it did feel like we were there with hundreds of our aunts and uncles. So this time we decided to be slightly livelier and booked a week to Kardamena. Kos airport is no different to any other in Greece. Too small and probably far too disorganised (although they seem to get everything sorted in the end, but that could just be luck). We had to dance between the two luggage carousels about three times as the baggage handlers seemed to operate on a slightly schizophrenic basis. On the way back we had to queue for a long, long time with hundreds of other grumpy passengers. The one bag checking machine really isn't enough for the volume of holidaymakers. The Paraskos apartments are very basic, but all you need. I wouldn't want to cook my own food there, but who does? If you want a quick cuppa in the morning bring or buy a kettle, otherwise the pot and hob will suffice. All rooms have a decent balcony overlooking the pool, which is very nice. There is a small pool bar where you can buy drinks and snacks - ensure you don't take any of your own drink to the poolside as they will confiscate it (even water). The owners of the place seemed quite nice. The woman speaks perfect English and is always happy to help. Her husband is ok, but on the last day he made us pay 5 euros because there was a burn in the sheet (which definitely wasn't us). I wasn't going to moan about a couple of quid so I paid, but I couldn't help but think he might try the same trick on others. Strange because he seems like a genuinely nice bloke. A plus is that it's in a great location just 5 minutes stroll from the centre of Kardamena The apartments are used by both families and young couples and friends and, as with every other place, a lot depends on your neighbours. We were next to a very excitable lad and his girlfriend and there wasn't much peace and quiet, whether it was very loud hard house music or the sound of violent vomiting the following morning (and afternoon). Still, that can happen anywhere and it really didn't bother us too much anyway. The town itself is great and perfect for us. The key is that in one direction you have 'bar street', which is - for want of a better word - mental, and in the other you have the harbour front and numerous good restaurants and relatively quiet cocktail bars. Therefore you can have a completely different night in the same small area. Or you can combine the two (we did that once and I nearly had a heart attack). The food everywhere is brilliant and cheap. There are some amazing cocktails on offer, although some drinks are surprisingly expensive. I would have adored bar street if I was with a group of friends (which I occasionally wished I was - don't tell the other half) but it was a little too much for us after a big meal. Try to find the Garden Bar. It's very nice and situated a couple of sidestreets up from the harbour and cocktail bars. My girlfriend told the barman (who looks like a friendly Mexican criminal) she really wanted a champagne cocktail and the next night we returned to find he had bought champagne and a large list of possible cocktails. Warnings: Be careful of the kids selling tat. They are mainly harmless, but one girl punched my other half in the head when she wouldn't buy something rubbish. Take insect repellent, plugs and after-bite. I got back three days ago and am close to taking a potato peeler to my feet and ankles. Hire the fan for the room. On the first night we didn't have one and I nearly died. I wouldn't recommend scooters or quads - we saw a number of accidents (mainly on the dodgy corner outside the apartment). Don't get too wound up by the reps and PRs outside bars. Just get used to them. I found it easier to let them drag you in. Buy plenty of bottled water Overall we had a fantastic time and would recommend it to young groups of friends and couples under 35. This place isn't really for older people, although I'm sure you'd still enjoy yourself. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Paraskos Apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Kosmar Discounts) Kosmar - Sept 2005 Opinion submitted in Apr 2006 by : L Sagar Preston (25,26, 27, 28, 34) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: Me, my husband and 6 mates stayed in these apartments for a fortnight end of Aug/beginning of Sept 05. We had a fantastic holiday, really enjoyed the resort. The apartments are basic but clean, the owners are really friendly and make fantastic salads and sandwiches for lunch. The pool is really nice (I'm usually a beach person but I wasn't too impressed with Kardamena's beach) so we spent nearly everyday round the pool. The apartments are in a really good location, only 5 mins away from all the nightlife but not too close so you can easily sleep at night. The only negative comment to make is the fact that they don't provide you with any bath towels so make sure you put a couple extra in your suitcase. The best restaurant we found was Avli's, absolutley gorgeous food and in a really nice courtyard setting. Went to the Turkey day trip. Glad we went to see what Turkey is like but wouldn't bother doing it again if we ever return to Kardamena, not my cup of tea! Kardamena is the best young people's resort I've been to by far, there is so much variety to the nightlife, we liked the Stone Roses Bar area best and went to the mad club a few times which was a really good club if you like indie music. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Paraskos Apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: Lunn Poly - August 2004 Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: Loved it, would go back every year! Really nice, clean place. Friendly people. Hotel staff were really helpful. The clubs and bars were really good. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Philippos Apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: Kosmar - July 2007 Opinion submitted in August 2007 by : Scotland - 21, 22 Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Average My/Our Holiday Review: The Philippos is situated at the end of Kardamena, overlooking the third, and smallest, beach in the resort. Most rooms have a sea view so this was an unexpected bonus. The studios themselves are small and basic, with a fridge, two cooking rings and a kettle forming the basis of the kitchenette. We were lucky enough to have one small shaded balcony, as well as a large sea-facing sunny balcony. However, I think most studios only had one balcony. Rooms are cleaned on a daily basis, with towels and sheets changed twice a week. Soap and toilet paper are not supplied, but this is made clear in the booking details. Safety deposit boxes are free and are in the reception, needing 2 keys - Philippos himself holds the other key, making them very safe. The main door is also locked at night so nobody other than guests can get in. The doors are a bit stiff to open and this creates quite a bit of noise. It's only a 5 minute walk into the heart of Kardamena, so it's nice to get some peace and quiet whilst being very near to most of the restaurants. The pool area is fairly big compared to other pools, with free, cushioned sunbeds. All in all it's a cheap and cheerful place to stay - you get what you pay for! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Philippos Apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: kosmar june 2007 Opinion submitted in July 2007 by : gerard and janice newcastle 53, 52. Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: Don't believe all the reports you have heard about these apartments,we found them small but very clean and modern. Usual basic Greek facities but they look as though they have been recently refurbished.Any problems Philippos dealt with straight away. Pool bar next door fine but pool a bit on the deep side,not very good for small children. Plenty of bars to choose from,every taste catered for.Various restuarants to eat at with allkinds of cuisine. The Three Islands trip is worth doing and not to expensive if you book in town. Kos town is worth doing but book in advance if you want to have a seat on the bus. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Philippos Apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: kosmar - June 2006 Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Judy and Nigel, Leeds (47,40) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: This is our second visit to these apartments and Philippos himself has always been a great host. The pool bar is reasonably priced and the food is good. Whilst we had a room near the entrance it was a bit noisy on change over night, but a lump of cotton wool in the ears soon sorted the problem. Great place to eat is Ariadnis and I can highly recommend the chicken Ariadni. Kosmar have always been a great company to travel with. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Philippos Apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: kosmar - June 2006 Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Judy Binks - Leeds (40,47) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: We have stayed at the Philippos appartments twice this year and previously in 2002. The apartments and pool area have always been kept clean and tidy. The lunch time food is cheap and tasty. Philippos himself is very friendly and welcoming. Whilst the hotel is out of the centre it is only a short walk to the restaurants. We ate several times at Ariadnis and can recommend the Chicken Ariadni and also their breakfast menu. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Philippos Apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: Somewhere2stay.com - June 2006 Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : Andrew Mclean - Newcastle upon Tyne Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Below Average My/Our Holiday Review: On arrival there was nobody at reception and the front door was locked. I got let into the place from a kosmar rep. My room was number 7. The balcony door was broken i could open it from the outside when it was locked. i told the manager but when i left 2weeks later it was still broken. The room key fits all the room doors. i found this out when i helped another guest into there room You get a free safety deposit boxes which have two keys to open it. you have one and the manager has one. This is a good idea but can be a pain tracking him down as he is only in the hotel between 9-11am and 6-7pm. Walls are thin, no secrecy but very clean but small rooms. Resort details Excellent, the best bar is hollywood bar, status and star lights are good nightclubs also recommand mad and downtown!! jet skis are a must and good chance to see some dolphins. Overall very good. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Philippos Apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Kosmar Discounts) Kosmar - August 2005 Opinion submitted in Apr 2006 by : Sarah Davies - Cardiff (22) Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Poor My/Our Holiday Review: I would rather have stayed in a dirty kennel. My dog sleeps in a cleaner bed, even when given clean sheets, they were still stained. I stayed for 2 weeks and had clean towels once even after asking numerous times for more. The building is dingy, old fashioned and run down. The pool left a lot to be desired - crammed, broken loungers, cracked floor, pool the size of a babys paddling pool - not that I would have wanted to go in it. It was dirty! The staff were miserable . The rep seemed young, immature and only wanted "gossip". If you had a problem or a query forget it. GOOD LUCK!!! If you chose this place, you are a braver person than me! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Philippos Apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Kosmar Discounts) Kosmar July 2005 Opinion submitted in Aug 2005 by : Newcastle 42, 39, 17,17,17, 14 Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Average My/Our Holiday Review: We were concerned after reading previous reports that the apartments and pool area were dirty. We had two one bedroom apartments, one had four balconies and the other had three. They were basic as is most accomodation in Greece but clean and adequate. Relatives had the room on the roof!!! it was tiny, very cramped and you shared the roof terrace with solar panels, they were disappointed but couldnt get moved. The sheets were change once per week and the towels twice which is usual. However the cleaner was miserable and did not clean the rooms very well. The Pool area was clean. Kardamena had something for every one, loads of bars and restaurants, bar street was great for under 25's. HOWEVER, the thing that spoilt it for us was that the music was swithched off in all of the bars at 12.00 midnight. The atmosphere was killed straight away and we were usually in bed by 1.00 am, the earliest ever on holiday. The teens went out clubbing, ok for them but not for us. Kardamena was fine, not our best holiday, the usual commercialised Greek resort with the usual shops but enjoyable never the less. Nice harbour area and beaches Ok. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Philippos Apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Kosmar Discounts) Kosmar - Sep 2004 Opinion submitted in Jan 2005 by : Newcastle (24,24) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Poor My/Our Holiday Review: Please do not stay in this apartments! We have been to various Greek destinations and never came across accomadation of such a low standard (including 18-30,s). Firstly self catering? a fridge in corner of room (next to bed) and a shelf with two hot rings on not ideal to say the least. Not too much of a problem as we ate out every night however the noise in the apartments and the cleanliness were unacceptable. The walls are less than paper thin and it did not help being right next to main entrance. Noise of the fridge during night also didn't help. None of our requests were considered i.e not ground floor/double bed. Needless to say I spent the first couple of days quite upset and thought that our holiday was spoilt. The rep was less than helpful when we asked to be moved and said we could move to their best hotel at a charge of 40 euros per night! (didn,t fancy it as rep also said that Philippos was the best apartments she had!). By the end of the two weeks the bathroom smelt like a mens urinal (i was actually reeching everytime i went in). Now that the maon is out of the way on to the resort. Kardamena is excellent and has something for everybody. Some nights spent in quieter cocktail bars some in lively clubs ( one bar even did bingo for all you older folks out there). Food was generally good everywhere. Full english was a bit expensive I thought at 7 euros. Also drinks in the livelier bars were expensive as much if not more than what we pay in sunny newcastle 5 euros a cocktail 7 euros for alcopops. Do not be frightened to explore this island. The sunset in the mountians is particulary nice. Recommend hiring a car and visiting Tom Tom beach on opposite side to Kardamena. Lovely food, beautiful beach and not an apartment or hotel in sight. A must see is the volcanic spring at the end of the island. The sea there is red hot and bubbly like a jakuzi we spent two relaxing days just sitting in the water it is sooo nice (smells a bit cause of the sulpher). These apartments nearly spoilt our holiday but Kos is such a great place it made up for it. Enjoy! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Philippos Apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Kosmar Discounts) Kosmar July - August 2004 Opinion submitted in Mar 2005 by : Alison - 18 Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: Me and eleven of my mates stayed in this appartment last year and loved every minute of it. Rooms were basic but very clean. Phillipos was always around to help if it was needed and he also provided free safety deposit boxes. Pool was gorgeous and very clean and food from the pool bar was lovely. Kardamena has a very good night life, with georges bar and bernies bar being two of my favourites. For littleer clubs i have definatley got to reccomend DOWNTOWN and MAD. they are both brilliant clubs and very livley. I totally recommend a trip to Kardamena and i totally recommend staying in philippos apartments. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Philippos Apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Kosmar Discounts) Kosmar-July 2004 Opinion submitted in Sept 2004 by : Andrew-Wales. Resort Rating: Poor Accommodation Rating: Poor My/Our Holiday Review: Kos was a lovley place! the accomodation was awful! it was like a prison. The rooms were dirty, small, and had a lot of room for improvment and change. They were so dirty and I don't think I saw a clean towel/shhet the whole time I was there! The fridge was rusty and the cooker didn't work. I did not go to the pool once as it was small, crammed and very dirty- I don't think it was cleaned once whilst I was there, the rubbish had all been blown into the water and what had not been was scattered everywhere. Not a pleasant stay. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Philippos Apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Kosmar Discounts) Kosmar - July 2004 Opinion submitted in Sept 2004 by : Ria Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Poor My/Our Holiday Review: If you get a room on the first or second floor your in luck! Great! If on the third floor or even the attic-LOOK OUT! The terms apartment and self-catering are used very loosley! A one hob stove outside the toilet isn't my idea of great facilities. If you have the attic room be ready to share your balcony with all the buildings solar pannels: don't go too close they do get hot! The rooms are very dirty, and clean sheets and towels are only something you can hope for. The pool is no bigger than a dark and dingy fish pond- you cannot see the bottom, the floor has been painted and is cracked- and the loungers are uncomfortable and broken (there is a great pool a few doors down) We were not happy with the security and felt the rooms were not that secure either. I would return to the resort but never to that building! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Philippos Apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Kosmar Discounts) Kosmar july 2004 Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : Coleen Wilkinson 18 Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Average My/Our Holiday Review: The first point to make is that kos airport is tiny, on your departure you will definetly be stood outside for up to an hour or so, and its just as small inside. The flight times are usually awful at times like 5 in the morning when you have to be out of your rooms at 3 the day before. not very good. The resort is lively and ideal for young people although the music around bars has to be switched off at 12 or be sound proof. The clubs are good and if you go to the right bars like sports man you get free entry to whichever you like. The best bar on the island is castle bar, george and bess are the nicest people in the world and their son is so cute, free shots and pleasent atmosphere, you cant beat it. The hotel was basic and you have to provide your own loo roll and dont expect your sheets or towels to be changed as they wont for the whole week. you can hire a fan for 15 euros which is good prices and you can keep a room on longer at the end of the holiday for 20 euros. The pool is amzingly clean and really nice, but the best thing is your 2 seconds from bannana beach which is lovely. Hiring quads is a good thing to do and they will accept provisionals for this and its 30 euros a day, we had a fantastic time on them, a great day out. Places to eat- aramis is nice and nemos is nice also yisssi is really nice and good on prices too. You get pestered a bit by 6 year old kids selling uv bracelets for 1 euro and they wont leave you alone so just be firm and say no!They will try and put more than one on you if you accept the bracelet. Everyone is frendly in kardamena and eager to please you.Its a good place to go and party but also relax through the day. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Philippos Apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Kosmar Discounts) Kosmar - 2004 Opinion submitted in Jan 2005 by : Yvette - Liverpool Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: sorry to have to say but i do not agree with what the other reviewers have had to say about this accomodation. i went with a group of 12 girls and every one of us had a fabulous time. the rooms were basic but then again so is everywhere in greece. they were clean as long as you looked after the room. the pool was great. very clean and the poolbar was great too. the bars and resteraunts as fantastic and any one under the ages of 30 wanting a fantastic time would find it here. i've got no complaints what so ever. pillipos is a nice man, (wont stand no messing) and is always around to help. i'm sure if you go here on holiday you will have a fantastic time!! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Philoxenia Studios - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Olympic Direct) Olympic - June 2005 Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : Delwyn & Vickie Hughes (21, 24) Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: Me & my wife travelled to the beautiful Greek Island to Kos in June of this year. We found the reps at Olympic to be very friendly, useful and helpful. When we arrived at our accommodation we found it to be of quite a good standard compared with the usuall basic accomm in greece we have been used too. The staff are very friendly here to. The apartments are fantastic, beyond words. The THIRD BED was the best part of the apartment as this was an ARMCHAIR, dont let this put you off though as this was the best part of the holiday. You must give this a try. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Philoxenia Studios - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Olympic Direct) Olympic 2004 Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : McPherson - Aberdeenshire ( 39,37 ) Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Good My/Our Holiday Review: Apartments clean and tidy, situated in a quiet area, but still close to all the action. Beach a bit crowded, but quieter ones not too far away. Best value for meals is Ta Adelphia...highly recommended ! Bars tend to be geared up for the younger age group, but the Quayside was a nice, friendly pub, and Billy's Karaoke Bar was one of the best for the slightly older couples ! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pilini Apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Manos Discounts) Manos - June 2004 Opinion submitted in Oct 2004 by : Jeannette Oliver, 47,50,17,76 Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: We stayed in a 2 bed apartment for 2 weeks in June 2004 - which was clean albeit basically furnished. The owners/managers live on site - so security and cleanliness was excellent. The location is great for access to the beach where you can choose to go with the crowd or take a short walk and find a place on your own. Snorkelling is good. Great beachside taverna for food or just drinks -called Chrisopolous - very reasonable prices and friendly owners. Another good beachside taverna is the Posidonia. Location is also good if you want to access the buzzing night life - but far enough away so you don't hear the noise and can ignore the whole nightlife scene if you want. We liked it so much we've booked again for 3 weeks in 2005. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Portobello Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: otbeach - July 2006 Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Y Hay (40, 37, 10, 7) Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: Just returned from 2 weeks at the Porto Bello Beach Hotel and a good time was had by all. We arrived just as the restaurants were closing after lunch but were told to go and get whatever we wanted and they would complete our check-in after we had eaten. Our room was clean and quite spacious compared to what we have last year in Majorca. As other people have stated, there are five restaurants, we tried all but the Thai one and found the food on offer to be of good quality if a little repetitive. It is a bit of a bind to have to book your chosen restaurant the day before though. The pool is large and clean - my only concern was that for the majority of our stay, the wet bar supplied drinks in glasses not plastic tumblers, I was surprised that no-one cut their feet as glasses were being broken all the time. However, about 3 days before we were due to come home, they seemed to take delivery of plastic cups and they were all that was used for the remiander of our stay. It would be nice if there was a lifeguard on duty - at it's deepest the pool is 2.5m deep. The hotel operates a beach towel service where you pay a 10? deposit per towel which you can change as often as you like and at the end of your stay you get the full deposit back. The staff, who are predominantly Polish, are fantastic and couldn't do enough to help. The animation team work their backsides off and the daytime entertainment was good - waterpolo, beach volleyball etc but the evening entertainment left a lot to be desired so we didn't really bother. There aren't too many English holidaymakers at this hotel, in fact the majority appeared to be Italian with a sprinkling of Austrian, German, Dutch and Belgian. All in all we had a great time and if we were to visit Kos again we would definately go back to the Porto Bello Beach. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Portobello Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: Gemstone Travel - 2004 / 2005 Opinion submitted in June 2005 by : lynsey - Surrey (31,28,6,3) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: Had a great time here lovely staff,changed room as wasnt happy with first one and got a newly decor one.You get free beach towels to and can change them every day maids also came every day if you put sign out. Greek taverna restaurant was great so was fish one they were our favourites they had a whole lamb one night! Very near airport so get a cab only 17 euros. We got a car out and went to bubble beach but didnt find the bubbles! But do go to the natural spring it is like a hot bath with healing water and the mountain goats were amazing!There isnt many English here which worried me at first but ended up being much better no loud mouths wanting attention very quiet and relaxing. If you want lively bit get the free bus from hotel which is 5 min away with loads of bars and restaurants we ate out just once as the hotel food was just as good if not better. We used to get the 21.45 bus home for 2 euros as after this time went a bit too hectic for kids. This hotel is right on the best beach you dont realise how hot it is as sea breezes,lovely beach bar too and endless ice cream for kids we let kids go in kids club for 1st time which was a hut on beach so i could keep an eye on them and they loved it!at least they got some shade as weather was perfect blue skies everyday. Wish we went to Turkey market as can get some good fake bags there but we will defo go back and our friends have booked the hotel next door which is new and beautiful with 17 pools and we would try that next as it makes our hotel look a bit tired. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Portobello Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Olympic Direct) Olympic - may 2004 Opinion submitted in June 2004 by : glenn,val,chris, julie (42,42,44,42) Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: Arrived in the afternoon, had a taxi tranfer to the hotel,this was really good. Weather was hot but windy.Hotel was 4* and had been rated correctly,very clean rooms and they were cleaned daily. Hotel staff were very friendly and couldn't do enough for you.The Hotel has its own private beach ,there are free watersports on non motorized activities,but they would not let you use the catamaran or the windsurfing boards unless you had a licence.For beginners this was 150.00 euros per person. The swimmingpool was salt water, this was lovely it was very clean as were the surrounding pool area. There are 5 different resturants,we tried the main one the food was good but was repetitive during the two weeks.The Greek one was a little disappointing as there wasn't much greek food,but they did serve chips.The Tai one has a set menu,and we found this really nice. The daytime entertainment,was good, volleyball etc, its good to join in and meet other guests. Evening entertainment, was weak and finished early approx 11.30 but the entertainment staff are very young and enthusiastic we had a really good laugh with them. We booked 3 trips in Kardamena, in the centre,Kos Town,3Bays and Turkey.These cost £63.00 for two people.Kos Town by night,this wasn't long enough and you need to go during the day.3Bays well this was a waste of time and money, just 3 normal beaches and no atmosphere on the boat. We went to Turkey on Sunday,not market day all the shops were open and the Turks are really friendly people, good shopping but we did get fed up with bartering.Lovely place Bodrum. Hire a car to see the island. Overall we would definately go back,but might try the sister hotel nextdoor,which was just being finished, The Porto bella Royale 5* this had 17 swimmingpools. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Roula - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Manos Direct) Manos - July 2005 Opinion submitted in Aug 2005 by : 19, 19 Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Average My/Our Holiday Opinion: Just got back from 2 weeks staying in the Roula apartments, Kardamena. It was the strangest accommodation I have ever stayed in. When we got there, the rep seemed to be in a hurry to get us in. she took us up this alleyway n then stopped. we wouldnt have even known we were at the apartments if it wasnt for a manos sign on the wall next to a doorway. she pointed in the doorway and told us our room was room number 1 up the stairs, and with that she left! There was no sign of any type of reception, just a noticeboard then about 3 flights of stairs till we got to a landing. we found room number 1 (the key was in the door) and went in. The beds weren't made, there were empty bottles and rubbish everywhere, and we had to check for suitcases as we thought someone might still be staying there! the balcony was so small the plastic chairs had to be turned sideways just to fit on it, there was an extremely basic cooking area and it generally looked a mess. After we had sat there for about 5 minutes there was a knock at the door, it was the rep again saying we were actually in room 5 upstairs. We were so relieved when we trekked our suitcases up another 2 flights to find a huge roof terrace (i mean really TOO huge!) and when we opened the door to the room it looked very clean, neat and tidy, all decorated white which was nice. BUT it was very very small considering the size of this terrace it was placed on! The cooking area was still very basic, but the fridge worked well. The plumbing in the whole apartment was very dodgy and the taps rarely worked how you wanted them to. There was NO AIR CON, just a fan which we were charged 20euros for on the last day. We never saw the rep or anyone who worked there for 2 weeks, and did not know who to go to when the electricity kept going off! We later found that is was a power cut across the whole of kardamena so no-one could have helped us anyway. It was located amongst residential properties with lots of greek kids about, but it was close to bar street and the beach - 2 minute walks to both. It was a bit further from the clubs so a bit of a trek back on a night time - about 20mins, and very scary for 2 19 year old girls walking up a dark alley at 4am! Would reccommend the roula to people who literally just want a bed to sleep in and aren't fussed about feeling completely isolated. If you like to have a nice shower, cook in your apartments, and have a rep or staff to liase with, its not for you. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Roula - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Manos Discounts) Manos- June 2004 Opinion submitted in June 2004 by : Ange and Lynz (25,22) Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Good My/Our Holiday Review: Kardemena as a resort is great - restaurants are great and nightlife is good too. It is certainly not as focussed on the non-stop partying that other places are (e.g. Magaluf) but has a good selection of lively bars and a few nightclubs. There isn't alot to do besides the usual lying on beach or by pool but if that's your style then it will suit you fine. The Greeks were all very friendly and seemed to welcome tourists (especially in the gift shops). Our studios were good - quite basic but there was a fridge (it worked as well!!), kettle, cutlery and crockery etc. The room was small but no sign of any beasties and was very clean. The studios are a little bit outside of the centre(about a 10 minute walk to Bar Street) but for what we paid it seemed like a pretty good deal! If you fancy trying some top notch Greek food the Posidonia is worth a visit. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sava Apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: 2wentys - August 2005 Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : Reading (21,21,22,22,22,22) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: This was by far the best holiday I have had. Everything about it was a party from start to finish. We were allocated rooms in the old block of the Seva, so the rooms were quite basic but we were hardly in them to tell you the truth. Plenty of sunloungers round the pool so we always managed to find free ones and the pool was nice and big. The evenings were just the best. We used to always eat out as the cooking facilities in the apartments were rubbish. We found a great restaurant called nemo's to eat out. We ate there most nights as the service was good and the food lovely. Then we used to walk down to bar street and have a few drinks. Our favourite club was starlight as they played better music than status, but status did always seem to be proper busy. When the clubs closed, we all headed back to the bar at the Seva, and so did the rest of Kardamena by the looks of it! It was always so busy but a great atmosphere with it! The reps left us alone really. Don't think they even spoke to us the whole week we were there! Had a right mixture of people at the apartments, even had a few couples there. I would most definitely recommend these apartments if you're looking for a good time & a constant party! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sava Apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: 2wentys - may 05 Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : Kacey & Laura & Katie & Kelboz & Stevie (18,17,18,19,19) Newcastle Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Good My/Our Holiday Review: apartments were wild very clean spacious had a 2bedroom we all had a laugh with the 2wentys reps very nice pool area very clean rooms nice nice views and very clean and big! well we didnt get charged for bringing guests home here! so loved it all the 2wentys rep this is the hq where they hang round because its the nicest of the 2wentys propertys kos is loud and crazy loved every minute may was lively and it was just a wicked laugh us girls had an amazing time do the booze cruise its 1 of the best days out! well would go back but roll on kavos 2006 :o) x --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sava Apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: Twentys May 2005 Opinion submitted in May 2005 by : 19 :-) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: The Seva Apartments are excellant! loads of things to do and a 24 hour bar and indoor swiming pool which was great! We had a pool veiw room with a huge balcony in the new block which was great very spacious!! If you wanted a lyin though you are guaranteed to get woke up by the music early in the morning but it gets you up for the best of the sun!!It was very clean and the maids came round every day! There was a hob, plates, cups but there was no kettle. The reps were great and up for a laugh although they will do there best to make sure you do there package where they take you on trips such as the chill out cruise, i wud not recommend this to any one we sat on a boat for hours it was cold and if we wanted to get to the beach we had to swim about a mile from the boat!But deffidently go on the bar crawl this is a really good way to meet people! We meet some lovely people everyone was just so friendly and chilled out! I was also suprised how many of the greeks spoke english! Best night was at Amazon 18 euros for a 3 course meal and all you can drink!!!this was great got absoultly wasted,we got to smash plates and do greek dancing it was fantastic make sure you try the fish bowls!! Would recomend the Seva it was fantastic! Kos is a wicked place esspecally if your up for partying!!! :-) xxx --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Seva Apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: 2wentys- Oct 2006 Opinion submitted in February 2007 by : both aged 19 Resort Rating: Average Accommodation Rating: Poor My/Our Holiday Review: Me and my friend booked a late holiday to kos after both having a particulary bad year, and we really wanted to get away to somewhere for a bit of peace and quiet for a week. We decided to go to Kos as it was fairly cheap and the best thing we could find at last minute. Also, being a 2wentys holiday, we expected there to be a lot to do and things going on,sunshine, and lots of people of the same age around. Or at least thats the impression the travel agent gave us. We flew out on the 18th Oct (last week of the season) and were excited to see what the appartments were like, as they were given a PLUSH rating in the brochure. We were really dissapointed with the block we were in (the old one) and we had to be given a different room to the one the rep had allocated us as it wasn't ready (despite there only being about 20 other guests.) Our room was very very basic, we had to ask for towels and bed covers at the bar (aka reception). Our door was a thin glass thing which we were worried people would see us through if they walked past at night and our lights were on as our beds were in that roon. The door to the other bedroom had a hole in like someone had put their fist through it, the shower and the shower curtain was mouldy and grim and you had to hold the shower head as it wasnt attatched to anything. the room was just quite dingy with nothing to do (no radio, phone or tv).The balcony also looked directly into a bush. It just looked like the room had been abused all summer by guests and staff had given up as it was the end of season, they didnt seem to care what state it was in. We couldnt understand why all guests werent allocated the newer looking block as the appartments werent full. We looked around the pool and it smelt a bit funny, and it was so breezy and chilly we were in jeans and a jumper. We decided to go to the welcome meeting and what a waste of time because all the excursions we were interested in doing were not running at the end of season, and the only thing we could do were bar crawls which we could do ourselves for free, and all of the main clubs and bars were shut for the end of season anyway!! we walked round Karamena itself and i think the weather let it down because it would probably be a nice resort in the middle of the summer, but the sea just looked grey, there was hardly anyone around and half of the bars, shops and restuarants had shut up for the winter. We were very annoyed about this as there was nothing for us to do, and being young we didnt just want to walk around all day and it was way too chilly to sunbathe. we appreciate things do shut at the end of the season and die down, but you expect things to be open until tourists have all gone home, there were still people wandering about aimlessly not knowing what to do. I didnt see anyone in the sea on the beach as it was so chilly. Me and my friend were so dissapointed we booked a flight home knowing that we wouldnt enjoy our week if we couldnt even sunbathe and there was so little to do. We flew home the next day. That night in seva we told our rep we were going home as it would be cheaper to fly home than waste all our spending money all week in a place we didnt like, and she just said 'Oh thats a shame, nice to of met you, it was short but sweet.'so no help. That night we went to bed about 11 as we were tired from all the travelling and were woken up constantly by people above getting jiggy with it and a group of boys knocking on our door until about 5 in the morn. We were only there a day and were so bored!! In the summer theres bound to be a lot more going on in Kardamena and with the warmer weather and loads more people about so i would reccommend Kardamena, but only in the high season as things will be shut if you go late in Oct. I certainly would not reccommend the Seva as i think it is too basic, saying that if you want to drink all day and dont mind not getting a lot of sleep you will be fine, but thats not what we went away for. also if you are in the new appartments you might be better off. we went away for a relaxing break to chill out and fun, and we didnt get that at Kardamena or the Seva at that time of year. We felt misled about the weather in kos in Oct and the things to do, as we wouldnt of booked if we would of been told how many things were stopped before tha actual end of season. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Seva Apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: First Choice, 2wentys - Oct 2006 Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : Fran - Liverpool (21 - went with partner, 24) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Opinion: Just got back from Kardamena in Kos and it was the best holiday ever! Everything about it was just brilliant! We were in the new block in the Seva with a pool view which was great but we were woken up at half 9 every morning by the music so if you are looking for a lie in you're not going to get it! The room was ok, 3 beds, a small kitchen (which wasn't even used to be fair!) and the bathroom! The shower was rubbish cos you had to hold it yourself and water just went everywhere and there was no shower curtain to stop it!! Got everything you need though so can't really complain! There are no lifts and if you're on the top floor with alot of bags u will struggle! Like I did!! The hotel bar is 24 hours which is great but it can get a bit noisy at all hours in the morning when people decide its time for bed!! The food and drink in the hotel is really nice but very expensive for what you get. One day we paid 9 euros for 2 bottles of sprite which I thought was ridiculous but when you are sitting by the pool you need to quench your thirst and they don't let you eat or drink anything you've bought outside the hotel by the pool! The pool is really big and clean but soooo cold! I managed to get in once cos I was determined I wanted to sit on the bar stools in the pool! The pool bar wasn't open when we went though due to it being the last week of the season! The seva is literally a 2 minute walk from everywhere that you would need! There's a supermarket on the doorstep, a taxi rank right round the corner and the main square and bar street are really close by! I was suprised at how close everything was actually! Bit of advice, do not get on the wrong side of the owner George! Heard him kicking off on someone who broke something and it wasn't pretty!! There's plenty to do in the hotel to keep you amused for most of the day, including pool table and football table and 24 hour indoor heated pool but if you do venture out there are loads of shops and things to do in the streets going off the main square! Theres also a crazy golf course which was quite fun! We went to the beach once but wasn't really that busy and we chose the one day it was cloudy to go! The nightlife was a bit dead at this time of year to be honest! Of the few bars that were still open many of them were empty and there just didn't seem to be that many people about! We chose to go on a few bar crawls with the 2wentys reps which was great cos not only do they show you the best places to go you get to meet loads of people and even though the bars were empty we all made our own fun and had a great laugh! The locals are really friendly and we just felt welcome everywhere we went! One thing I would recommend everyone should do is the greek night to the town of Zia! Free wine and a 9 course greek meal provided plus greek dancers entertaining all night! Was lots of fun! There were a good few restaurants still open, most of which are on the sea front by the harbour or off the streets on the main square. We found a really nice chinese just on the front and a place that did the best full english right next door! I thought, despite it being quiet, that the resort and the hotel was fantastic and I would be back there like a shot! I went with my boyfriend and there was a mix of people staying at the hotel from large groups of young people to couples! I think it suits either to be honest! I would reommend this hotel but only for younger people who are really up for partying! I would definately go again but earlier in the season next time! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Seva Apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: 2wentys - May 2006 Opinion submitted in May 2006 by : Carly - Surrey (19, 19, 20, 20, 20, 20, 20) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: Accomodation: This place is awsome! Everything about it is brilliant. The rooms are basic, but have plenty of room - especially the bigger rooms. We had a room that slept 5 ( 4people in it) and a room that slept 3, and the only problem we had was in the big room the door handles kept falling off - (which was funny for anyone who didnt know) but as long as you let george (the owner) know at the start if anything is damaged then you'll be fine. If you have a room with a pool view you'll prob get woken up by the music at about 10.30 ish (cant really remember), but that was ok coz at least it got us up to et in the sun! but if you have one in the other block you cant hear a thing and they are just as nice! The pool is immaculate, and there were loads of sunbeds all the time and even the lovely bloke who comes and brings u drinks and stuff if u want them! he was cool. The pool bar was just about up n running, but the hotel hadnt been open long so that was ok. I'd definately recommend these apartments if you want a fun holiday. There were a few kids at the pool in th day coz its open to the public, but none staying in the hotel! The 2wenty's reps were brill - Gary, Natalie and Karra. They were up for a right laugh but werent too pushy or anything. We went on the bar crawl which was cool - shows you the good places in town, even though there were loads we didnt get to see, and we went to Kos town for the night with them which was one of the best nights of the holiday! Drinking games and stuff - so funny! havent laughed that hard in so long! We did a boat trip to Bubble beach in the day for 10 euros which was ok, quite a long day though, but it wasnt very busy when we went, so later in the season its probably better. Overall I can honestly say this is the best girly holiday i have ever had. Met some quality people and just generlaly had a wicked time. The Seva rules and is definately the place to be in Kardamena! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Seva Apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: Twenties - September 2005 Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : Sam 25 Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: Seva is the only place to be in Kardemena!! Me and 4 other girls went on holiday and stayed at the Seva, been back 4 days and proper bored and gutted, proper holiday blues. We stayed in the new block by the sounds of things viewing the pool 2nd floor, which was quite bad, girls don't travel lightly and yes you do have to lug all your luggage up the stairs yourself. But once in the apartments they are clean and nice, people saying they are basic what do you want on holiday a red carpet, they are alot better than what I thought for a twenties holiday and better than some places I have stayed before. If you are wanting a nice relaxing holiday the seva is not the place to be as like one reviewer said the music starts really early also very loud, I think I averaged about 4 hours sleep a night. We used to go to the 24hr bar for one before going out for a meal and then hit bar street then we used to head back to the 24hr bar. The bars I prefered on bar street was wicked bar but one get one free can't fault it plus a free shot, watch out for lee though the bar man with the pony tail think he is looking for romance! Also Kings Arms was ace, alot of people have said that and crazy guy in the cowboy hat is what people go in for I think Craig is just mental but lovable just makes you laugh from the minute you walk in to the minute you walk out. Cant really think of many of the names you don't really get the chance to read the names you just get pounced on by the pr's which as another reviewer said are mighty fine. One reviewer also said about the cleaner coming in and to leave your key in the door to stop her, we did everynight and she still managed to get in, bless her dying to clean our room wasn't she!!!! We tried a few restaurants and had a nice meal every night, on our last night we said we had had 6 lovely meals why try a new restaurant and take the risk of not enjoying it so we opted for somewhere where we had already eaten before to guarantee a nice meal on our last night, we opted for Camelot which is to the left handside of the square, it was lovely but I think the nice fit waiter that most of us took a fancy to swayed it! We didn't venture much during the day we had everything we needed at Seva, drinks, pool, music and (don't forget the fit bar men)there is pinky and perky that work in the pool bar that are just constantly making you laugh, if you are trying to sleep you can guarantee them keeping you awake, they work in Toxic on a night also. If you are a lad and have been drinking during day make sure you all stick together and don't let any of your friends fall asleep by the pool as tati from scotland found out, bless he was throwing out the Zzzzzz's when someone decided to shave his hair and eyebrows although he did look better with a skin head. I highly recommend Seva, Dan the night bar man is lovely will always chat to you. I would def go back with either my friends or my fella. There is only my friends and some lads that know about this but Russ if you are reading one thing to say and that is:- GOOD NIGHT KOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Get yourselves to the Seva one of the best holiday I have had. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Seva Apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: 2wentys - May 2005 Opinion submitted in Feb 2006 by : Liz and Laura - Birmingham (20, 21) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: We decided to go to Kos at the last minute when we were sitting at work bored day dreaming of getting away somewhere sunny! We weren't expecting Seva to be great as we had chosen the cheapest holiday possible due to being skint.... but how wrong could we be, it turned into the best holiday ever! Our first impressions weren't good. We arrived at Seva at 6am in the morning, after travelling throughout the night all we wanted to do was get some sleep but we soon realised this was never going to happen as the whole of Kardamena seemed to be in the hotel bar! The bar is open 24/7 so you can garentee there is alway someone down there even at 8am in the morning, but as the holiday went on we did manage to get abit of sleep usually between 6am and 10am. There arent any lifts in Seva so be prepared to drag your cases up 3 flights of stairs or find a friendly scouse worker to take them up for you like we did. We managed to get about 3 hours sleep when the fire alarms started going off at 10am, we soon realised as we ran out onto our balcony that this was a practical joke the reps enjoyed as they all stood by the pool laughing. The music starts by the pool full blast at 10am every day so don't expect a lie in. The reps were sound, a good laugh but i wouldnt recommend going on any of the excusions though as they are totally over rated and over priced! George who owns Seva and the bar staff are wicked, especially Kelly and Fubu who are the bar staff through the night! Our room was nice, basic but everything we could have asked for. The kitchen had 2 rings, a sink, a kettle and lots of utensils, not that we ever used it! The bath was tiny so you can only shower in it and don't expect a shower curtain, i don't think they exsist in Greece! My only complaint is that for the whole week we were provided with 1 loo roll and you are expected to buy the rest yourself which is pretty skanky! Our balcony looked out over the pool so we had a great view and could always see what was going on. Kardamena its self is excellent. Bar street is great, lots of reps trying to get you in lots of bars but you do tend to get lots of free drinks and shots if you ask them nicely! By law the music has to go off in bars at midnight but there are plenty of places to go, the most popular being Status. Our fave night had to be at Sugar where it was full monty night, all the male workers performed on stage and yes they did go the whole way... even one of the lads we met there joined in!! The beach is nice and clean with plenty of sun loungers you can hire for a small fee. If you don't fancy a big night out then there are some bars along the front which are quieter than bar street. We ate at a restaurant called Tony's every night, its literally a 1 minute walk round the corner from Seva. The food is gorgeous and the waiter Nickos is so friendly! We ate there so much we they gave us a free bottle of wine on our last night there! If you are thinking of going to Seva or Kardamena i would definately recommend it as you will have the most amazing time! You get to know everyone who is staying in the hotel and all the workers, we are still in touch with some now! However if you are looking for a relaxing holiday at Seva then you most certainly aint going to get one..... We needed a weeks holiday when we got back! We can't wait to go back and do it all again. Happy Holidaying : ) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Seva Apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: 2wentys 11th may 2005 Opinion submitted in June 2005 by : Amy,Kelly,Emma,Jolene,Ian,Richrad Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: We had a fantastic holiday in kardamena stayed at the Seva Apts.. Went to the welcome meeting the reps were great they had loads of days and nites on offer..basically a fun packed week if thats what you wanted.There were days out on the sunset cruise,the booze cruise and many more.The nights were school disco bar crawl to many to choose from. me and my friends went on the sunset cruise which was nice but was cold after sitting on the boat for hours.if you wanted to go to the beach you had to swim!!!!! The beaches were really nice it was about 3. euros 50 for a sun bed which was cheap.. Loads of places to eat around the seva. The seva was clean the maids came every day.. There is a 24 hour bar,indoor heated swimming pool. The bars which i would recomend are chilli peppers,balck magic,no name bar,sugar and there is a really good club called status which is open till late..... Go to chilli peppers and see Ali G and ask him for a wicked turbo.A couple of them will get you wrecked. We like it that much we are going back in september for a week.... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Seva Studios - Kardamena Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice 2wentys - 2005 Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : zoe - glasgow (18-20) six in the party Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: to be honest the best holiday i have ever had was in the seva . defo the place to be proper good holiday. everything is walkin distance and its small so u see the same faces basiclly every nite. the beach was ok but extreme time on the water spports. the best club to go to is status playin funky house hip hop and rnb and just let me add the dj was pretty damm fine. the best bars to go to on bar street is ultra marine,h2o,kings arms, shipwreaked. the whole walk down bar street you will be sure to find some fit pr's. seva was honestly the best pool to be at, big shout out to nayla (barmaid in the pool bar)ask the reps anything the are top knotch proper good people, would go out there way to help anyone.xxxxxxxxxbe back next year xxxxxxx:.) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Seva Studios - Kardamena Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - sept 2004 Opinion submitted in Oct 2004 by : matt + leanne 23 - lancs Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Poor My/Our Holiday Review: we stayed in the seva studios for 1 week the welcome meeting was a bit over the top. not something that you really want on the first morning. The reps were very poor and not a clue what they were talking about. they seemed more interested in chatting up the ladies. They told everyone only to contact them only for emergencies and no other time. Reps are there to get hold of any time and not just for emergencies. The hotel was very poor and quite noisy. We had to carry our bags up 5 flights of very steep stairs. The room was never cleaned in a whole week and the bed covers were not changed either. while we was there we were woken up in the night by the sound of the hotel staff fighting with other workers and when we complained about this they just said to us "what a quality fight it was" We thought what on earth is this place like. Dont buy drinks from the hotel bar as they are very expensive becasuse we payed 8 euros for 2 galsses of orange which is about 6 pounds. next year when we come back we will be staying in a thompson hotel where we have stayed for the past few years. Kardamena is a top place to come if you want the night life and is also great for couples. The beaches are usually very clean and the locals are really friendly. the night life is fantastic, there are loads of great bars and nightclubs particularly the kings arms. its a english guy who owns it and is totally mad. funniest guy we have ever come across. if you go in try the kings knackers it will blow your mind. status, starlight and sugar are the main nightclubs here but are a bit pricy but brilliant all the same. we ate in a resteraunt called pappagalo`s all week. the food is out of this world and really cheap. The staff speak really good english and are really friendly. we come to kardamena at least twice a year and usually stay in a thompson hotel but this time we didnt and really regretted it. we wont be staying in the seva studios anymore --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Seva Studios - Kardamena Operator and Date: 2wentys- June 2004 Opinion submitted in Feb 2005 by : 2 girls (23) Glasgow Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: Resort: Pretty quiet for this time of year, went in the middle of June, so was fairly dissapointed it wasnt that busy! Best club was starlight, pubs good, but the only thing annoying was there were so many pr's who wouldnt leave u alone! Apartments: Well, what can i say!!! apartments were the best iv ever stayed in! total party atmosphere from the minute we arrived (and that was at 4 in the morning!!!)dumped our bags and headed to the 24 hr bar, plenty of people were jumping in the indoor pool and the ham'n'cheese toasties went down well at 5am afer being out every night! 2 blocks to the apts, we were in the older 1, wasnt bad, but heard the newer block was far better! room was a good size, we werent really bothered about the cooker etc- we didnt come on hol to cook! Pool was great during the day, music etc, and always some carry-on, but chilled out enough to nurse the hangover and catch some sun! met some great people, especially the welsh lads and their antics with leeks and watermelons! also the bexleyheath boys who arrived on our last day. 2wenty's hol was fab. Reps were great-Dave, Ollie and Juicy Lucy. Done most of the excursions, booze cruise was ok, except that it was pouring from the heavens when we went! still, the free alcohol made up for it, the bbq and diving in the sea. The foam party was great, except dont wear stilletos like i did to it! Wicked hol, apart from wish it could have been a bit busier, would defo go bak to kos and to these apts and would recommend a 2wentys hol if your young and totally up for a laugh. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Seva Studios - Kardamena Operator and Date: Twentys - June 2004 Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : AM - Edinburgh (5 20 yr old lasses) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: We went to KD after second year exams and it was the best two weeks of my life - there's a lot of competition after two years at uni as well! The resort has more than enough to keep a group happy although if you re into anything more hardcore than pop and R&B this is not the place for you. It was class for what I wanted but if you're a furry boots wearing D&B/Trance/house fan you won't find that here. We're still in touch with loads of people from Seva including one or two members of staff and the other reviewer was right in saying keep George on side. The bar and club selection is extensive enough to keep away boredom but small enough that you can recognise regulars after a few nights. We never felt threatened or unwelcomne anywhere. We were there for Euro 2004 (although sadly not the final) and the Greeks were class with dancing in the square and fireworks. George woke us all up after they beat France playing Zorba the Greek very loudly and drinking til stupid o clock and everyone loved it. Tip for the girls: get in with the bar boys. The workers out there get discounted food/drink/moped hire and they are hardcore so will finish work at night and then go out. They were absolutely classic. Our favs worked at Jolly roger, Ultra Marine, H20 an Ponit One. Still in touch with some of them as well thanx to them coming in each morning to get us out of bed at 9. They totally made the holiday and we were very tempted to stay and work - especially after exam results came out! Cannot stress how much I miss it. No one has had holiday blues like those post-Seva. Would go back in an instant. Only thing I would say is if anyone goes to Kos town, it is more expensive than Kardamena so take a half bottle of vodka in your handbag - 2 Euros 50 rather than 3 Euros for a lemonade in the bar! Don't go if you're quiet or don't wanna meet new people and I would suggest couples looked elsewhere. 10 out of 10 for everything and I highly recommend the Fubu/Terry/Tristan (whoever is serving) Special cocktail they serve at Seva - not cheap but so so nice! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Seva Studios - Kardamena Operator and Date: Twenties - June 2004 Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : Natalie & Ste 18 &19 Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: where do you start with Kardamena?! well firsty, its the best place ever to go, with good nightlife,its fairly cheap and has lovely people. THE SEVA the seva studios are ideal for groups of mates. there was only my boyfriend and i who went here & even though it was just the two of us in a crazy place we still had the best time. i had no idea about the "new and the old block". but we wer put in a studio that slept two people, i can only imagine that we were in the old block. it had a decent size balcony and was reasonably spacious. if u havent been to greece before, the shower is typical of greek hotels, u have to hold it urself and the water goes everywhere! not very many amenities im afraid. our kitchen consisted of two cooker rings, a fridge and a few pans. at least we managed to make a fry-up! if your balcony overlooks the road, it is incredibly noisy but when your so drunk you forget all about it. the reps tell you that the maids just walk in on you, they would if they could on us. if your staying here, leave your key in the door so she has to knock! hehe. you also only get one towel each which i wasnt very impressed with! this place has a massive clean pool and even though the reps say dont dive, when you do you never get told off. there are seats in the pool so you can sit at the bar and there is always loud music. it creates theperfect holiday atmosphere. there is also an indoor pool and pool tables. the drinks here werent that dear but also not that cheap. i would recommend, you dont buy food here. i just didnt think it was worth the price for what i got, however taking your own food around the pool area is "forbidden"! as soon as i got my water out they were quick to tell me i coudnt drink it there. i thought that was ridiculas. THE BARS we were very impressed with the nightlife in kardamena.most bars are 24 hour! the music stops at 12 but the partying doesnt. the bars stay open til 2am and most nightclubs stay open til 6am. the main clubs were status and starlight. we heard that status was rubbish and really small so we didnt go there. we went to starlight once. this is a place perfect for people who love their r "n" b.they are both close to the seva. not many people have mentioned the "Stone Roses" bar which is in the main square. this is one place that was always packed. ther is a bar opposite called "The Jam" bar and both play indie, rock music. this was great for us as we had never been newhere abroad that was like this. the oasis and franz ferdinand really get everyone goine espeacially Danno who works there! you cant miss him, a face and head full of hair. when this had closed we wentto the "Mad Club". i think this was owned by the same person. it played the same music but in a small cosy club. this is a very good place to go. really we tended to stick to these places as the main bar street got a little to busy and is full of people trying to get you into their bars. the also have the latest films in the bars. so when your a bit too hungover to sit in the sun just take a walk to the Boozers Bar which is down the road from the Seva and see all the new movies. THE RESTAURANTS By all means, before you go home make sure you go to the Amazon Restaurant on the beach front.this is where we had some of our best nights. it is facing the beach and near the bridge. if someone asks you where your going and you say the Amazon, they dont hassle you and just say o well have a good night then. EVERYONE knows about it. it is 20 euros for a 3 course meal and an open bar, all you can drink! you can have beer or coaktails OR fish bowls! i have never been to a crazier restaurnt. people were dancing on the tables and chairs, downing fish bowls and throwin hundreds of serviettes everywhere. George is the man to see about this. he will make sure you have the best night. please everybody go here! the Avli restaurant was also one of my favourite places. this is just before you go into the main square. it is very secluded and a lot nicer than some ofthe others. this one is worth a try. TRIPS whatever you do, dont book trips with the reps that you can get cheaper from the local tourist offices. we went to Bubble Beach. its just a beach that has random bubbles in the sea because of a volcanic spring. the watersports are slighlty cheaper here. we went on a boat here although you can go on a coach. we paid 10 euros each and was there for most of the day, defo a bargain. we also paid 12 euros to go to Kos Town. it was a nice place but i was a bit dissapointed with the lack of good shops. the beer in the off licence was cheaper here though! then we paid about 22 euros to go to the island of Nissyros on the boat. this was lovely to. a chance to see another part of greece whislt on you hol. this trip also takes you to the beach of a desseerted island called San Antonio. this beach was gorgeous. there are many more trips to go on. if you go,m make sure you book with a local tourist office. some drinks were a bit pricey in some places. a smirnoff ice costs between 4 and 5 euros in most bars but 6 to 7 in starlight. beer is between 2 and 3. and cocktails are between 3 and 4 although if you go to the Amazon your drunk for the night on 20 euros! perfect! All in all this is a great place to go. as it is not advertised as much as all the other best young places in europe, dont let this put you off. Kardemena is one of the cleanest young places i have been and there was no fighting whatsoever...not even when Greece won Euro 2004! the seva is a great place to stay. i felt that you could do what you wanted here, play your music as loud and whenever, make as much noise and stay up till god knows when. and the macdonalds is delicious! much better than back here! One little tip, if your going to ring home.as you come out of the seva turn right and right again and you will find a phone box that NEVER has a queue and its in a quiet place.its better than the ones in the main square. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Seva Studios - Kardamena Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice / twenties - Date Not Specified Opinion submitted in June 2004 by : 18,24 Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Good My/Our Holiday Review: There are two parts to the seva studios, the new block and the old block. We were in the old block!! The room was clean and tidy on arrival and it was quite a spacious room! The bathroom was a bit manky, it had a smell that lingered all holiday and the shower was literally a ditch in the floor! You don't get a microwave or kettle, just a little camping stove. Watch out if your worse for ware cuz they charge you for EVERYTHING you brake or loose (19 euros for sheets, 20 euros for lost keys!!) The old block was definitely basic but I spent about 2 hours in there a night and ate all my meals out so I wasn't complaining!! The new block is pretty swanky, the rooms are big with a nice bathroom and pool view balcony. If you haven't already booked your holiday ask for a pool view with air conditioning and your apparently guarenteed the new block! I didnt see any creepy crawlies during my stay so that was cool! Twenties were great!!! I went to the welcome meeting feeling tired and grooggy and left dying to get drunk and have a mad one!! We paid 143 euros for this package from the reps, you got: Bar Crawl - They will take you round the pubs on your first night and show you whats hot and whats not. You get a free shot in each pub that tastes like orange juice. To be fair you could follow them on the bar crawl and they wouldn't kick you out!! I would reccomend the Kings arms for a good english laugh! Bar 69 is a good bar with a lively atmosphere and Status club is right by the Seva and open till 6am. I would reccomend drinking shots (2 euros) or cocktails (approx 4 euros but bar 69 do 2 for 6 euros) My mate had a bacardi breezer and it set her back 7 euros (Not good!!) Foam Party and Kareoke night - This was at a place called Zoom. You got a free bar for 3 houts, it was definitely worth it and you could have any drink possible. Defo a good night out!! Booze Cruize - They cleverly put this at 12noon the day after the free bar so people wouldn't drink as much on the night before. You basically play games, get drunk and have a laugh. If you go in the indoor room downstairs lift up the seats, if noones looking theres plenty of vodka to nick and theres a downstairs bar with loads of wine. Noone was about so we just sat there and got wrecked!! School night - Another 3 hour free bar and a chance to get wrecked. Make sure you have a school uniform as you'll look stupid without it. The seva had a 24 hour bar and indoor pool, great stuff! They have cameras everywhere though so watch what your doing in that indoor pool cuz the rep will take the micky the day after! Also there was one free night where everyone at the seva studios goes to Bar 69. Watch out they film you and show it at 3pm the next day for everyone to see you in a drunken mess, ha ah! We also went on something called the flyfish at the beach, it was wicked! Its hard to explain what it is but you basically lie on a big lilo and get dragged by a big boat and fly. Told you it was hard to explain!! I would defo reccomend the Seva, I had a wicked time!!! Definitely not for families though!! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Silver Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays Direct) Thomson Holidays June 2005 Opinion submitted in June 2005 by : Laura and Ruth (25, 24) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Average My/Our Holiday Review: The silver beach accommodation is basic but clean. The pool area was very disappointing but the beach is where it all happens. The nightlife here is very good. Bar street and "the square" kick off early evening and carry on till 12. The best places we found were the stone roses bar (with the most insane bar staff ever!) and the kings arms. After 12 get yourself down to Status for some dancing fun. This seemed to be the most popular place. We did venture to starlight a couple of times and it wasn't worth it and hardly anyone was there. All in all this resort is perfect for a holiday of drinking and relaxing. For good greek food we liked Alexanders and ariadni's. Would definitely go back to kardemena again. Met some great people and it was one of the best holidays i've had. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Silver Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: Free Style - 2005 Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : Louise x 2 (24 and 25) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Below Average My/Our Holiday Review: The 1st thing i should tell u bout the Silver Beach is the lift, go in it at your own peril!!! If we were in the 1920's the Silver Beach would be modern. It was clean (besides the yellow stains on the walls) but we hated it - thank god we only had to sleep there. The bar in the hotel is reasonable (try the Silver Beach No 1 cocktail). Watch out for the bar man girls. Oh yeah, don't try taking anyone back to the hotel you will get kicked out and fined!!! The pool just don't bother is disgusting, trust us. The beach is straight over the road from the hotel which is great cos u can crawl there from the night before. To find the bars walk out the hotel and turn right you will come to some family bars but keep walking otherwise you will be too drunk to make it to all the action on Bar Street. I love that street my favourites were Liquid and Toxic bars. The 2 main clubs are Status (the better of the 2 in my opinion) and Starlight (still a good night) but try Downtown for pure Cheese. Go on the bar crawl to Kos Town brilliant night out and this is the place to try the fishbowls we had trouble standing after ours. When you stagger home from the club head to the Tasty Corner to kill those beer munchies. Kardamena is the place to go if you after lazy days and party nights!!! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Silver Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: Freestyle - September 2004 Opinion submitted in Sept 2004 by : Sara - London (21 and 22) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Average My/Our Holiday Review: My friend and I had a fantastic holiday. It was the best we've been on. The people here are so friendly and the atmosphere is great. The beaches are clean and right the bars. You've got 2 or 3 to choose from, one where there are water sports and Mcdonalds and the others are quieter but just as good. All the bars and clubs are within walking distance. The furthestclub is starlight but Status is the better of the two. All the bars are great, in everyone there giving away shots and some even champagne (Bernies). The best restaurant is Amazon. 15 euros for a 3 course meal and all the booze you can drink, including fish bowls. Those will get you really drunk. If you go there and laeve at 12 you won't need to spend any more for the rest of the night as you will aready be rat arsd. Overall this resort has everything you need. Our rep Kerry was great. She was really friendly and treated us like friends. I would recommend freestyle to anyone who wants to party but also do your own thing. The silver beach hotel was ok. It was very basic (there wasn't even a kettle in the rooms)but it is what you would find in all greek hotels. the staff ther were friendly especially Alex the barman. Watch out for him girls he can be too friendly ha. We made so many new friends and had such a BRILLIANT TIME we would go back any time. We're already arranging next years. If you only manage one holiday go to Kardamena its FANTASTIC. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Silver Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date:* Freestyle - August 2004 Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : Wolves Girls - 6 x 18 Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Good My/Our Holiday Review: Hotel - Ok, the rooms are basic but they are clean and hae everything you need. There is a bar in the hotel where everyone staying there gets to know each other and you are served very cheap drinks by the lovely Alex the barman. The beach is just accross the road from the hotel (not far too stumble after a night out) Nightlife - The nightlife is really good here, it is not as liveley as other places we have been - such as malia - but there is still alot to keep you goin. Status is the best club, Sugar (which is near to the hotel) is ok but only really late - it is so dead untill about 2 or 3. I didnt really like starlight (dont know why - everyone else did) and that is the other main club. They are open till 4 in the week and 6 at the weekend. The two bars that we really liked was Bar 1960 in the main square (about 5 min from hotel) and the Hollywood Bar (about 2 0r 3 mins) both playing really good music and had a good atmosphere. Food - There is the famous tasty corner about 2 seconds from the hotel, where they would satisfy and hunger with a keebab, pizza, burger etc..... There is also two or three really good resturants right on the beach front that do brill breakfasts (we never saw it at the hotel as the take it away at 10) The Moonshire is really nice to eat at in the night, but we didnt really have any bad meals - everything we had was really nice and cheap. For the smokers reading this - Try LEADER fags, they come in blue or red boxes, the red are more like embassy number 1 and the blue are lighter, these are 1euro for 20 or 10 euros for 200 - about 70p per 20box. and you cant really tell much difference. Overall this is prob the best hol we have had, mainley because of the people, everyone is so friendly and there is a really nice atmospher about the place. Have a great holiday - i am sure we will be coming back again soon. :-) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Skoufezis Studio Apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: Argo Holidays May 2004 Opinion submitted in June 2004 by : Jimmy Bruen- Liverpool-party of 10-50`s Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: Yani the owner of these apartments was mine host,he made our holiday all 10 of us.The apartments are set back just away from the hustle and bustle,nice and quiet. The apartments were cleaned on a daily basis,and are very roomy. There is no pool here but you can use the pool in the opposite apartments no problems.In fact you are welcome in any of the swimming pools in Kardamena. The resort is very nice,plenty of things to do for all ages. The only downfall of the holiday is going home.i.e. the airport is so small it cant cope with the volume of people using it.you will queue for hours trying to check in......a nightmare --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sovereign Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: Libra- 25th Oct 06 Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : Hayley + Guy - Kent (19, 20) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: What a great holiday! We've just got back from a week at this hotel and cannot fault it. The hotel is located right on the beach, about 2mins walk through the gardens. They have their own private beach with canoes and pedalos. I'm vegetarian and found the food acceptable. I'm always worried I wont eat much but there is always a selection. For dinner I would normally have pasta and chips- however the salads and deserts make up for that. They also have fish and meat dishes and weird foods like octopus! Breakfast is good with toast, egg, beans etc and jams, pastries, coffee and tea. Lunch is always similar to dinner. I wish they would do pizza without meat on and soups without chicken broth. We went out to eat- The Blue Note is fantastic. It looks so quaint, but the food is quality. Love the mexican menu. They also do fish and meat dishes, greek and italian. Worth a visit, located on the beach front near the harbour in kardemena. For drinks, the Calypso cocktail bar is good. Any cocktail for 3euros, bargain! There are also a few clubs that are worth a look such as Down town and Sugar. We hired a buggy for a day (which are very popular). We travelled all around the Island visiting the castle which is visible from the hotel, very nice. We also went the Thermes where there are hot springs, this is a rockpool in the sea which is heated by the nearby volcano- very interesting. The sights we saw were gr8 but I would not recomend a buggy. They are uncomfortable, noisy and u get bugs in ur face. Much better to go by car! I would recommend to anyone to visit Kos. It is so friendly. I have read on these reviews that it is aimed very much at Italians. I did not experience this. In fact usually I, as an English feel very inferior to Germans, whereas in this hotels the tables were turned as there were many English. We both really enjoyed ourselves on this holiday and would return. The hotel is suitable for all people. When we went there were elderly couples, young families, older families, young couples- all people. The hotel is of a very high standard- If the food was of more variety then it would deserve a 5. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sovereign Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date:* First Choice - Jul/Aug 2006 Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Allyson - Dunstable ( 46,41,17,15) Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: We have just come back from Kos, after spending two weeks at the Sovereign Beach Hotel, did feel a bit nervous after reading some of the reviews, but am thrilled to say we had a lovely holiday and the hotel was far better than we expected. Very nice decor and layout, lovely pool with jaccuzzi and backs straight onto the beach, which has sunbeds just for hotel guests, didn't get too crowded and the free use of the canoes and pedaloes were ideal for our kids who had a great time on them. The food is fine, it isn't restaurant standard but there was always something we all liked and we definitly did not need to use the snack bar at all. The entertainment made the holiday, there were the nicest group of entertainers who managed to convey everything in Italien and English so everyone understood and had a great time. We felt that we did not need to leave the hotel at all, and had to force ourselves to see something of the island.I wouldn't bother going for the day to Turkey, we didn't really like it, all you see are the shops and are extremely hassled to buy, not at all like Kos where they are very laid back. Kardamena is a very tourist town therefore lots of little shops. good for an afternoons browsing and souvenir buying. All in all a great holiday. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sovereign Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: First Choice - July 19th til 3 Aug 06 Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Dawn Smith - Bolton (36, 14 , 8 ) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: We arrived at 2 am (greek time) and had a warm welcome. The room was spacious and kept very clean at all times. The food was always edible, although very repetative, mainly consisting of pizza, pasta, rice and chips. The desserts were very nice. A few more Greek dishes would have been better rather than mainly Italian!! The Hotel was always clean and the staff always helpful, friendly and polite. Bit of a problem with the pool water - any clothing that went in it came out with a green tinge to it that unfortunatly since arriving home has not washed out - there for lots of swim wear / tshirts have been ruined. Also me and both children ended up with an allergic reaction and in the two weeks there lots ended up with rashes and two children got ear infections ending in having to go to local hospital and on strong antibiotics....just coinsidance??? The Animation staff were very friendly and did lots of things - water vally ball , darts , water gymnastics ect, but i do feel in my opinion that they did far more with the Italian guest then they did with my children. The disco of an evening had mini dances where there was 2 english songs sung with actions and the rest was in Italian- Greek i could have understood as thats where we was but i did not go to Greece to do everything Italian !!! We was at the same Hotel 3 years ago and was very pleased then - hence the return, but this time we was a touch dissapointed with the way that it was geared more towards the Italians (nothing against Italians) but i did go to Greece not Italy and was not expecting to have an Italian night!! Me and my children did have a good holiday, the hotel was very clean, spacious and friendly, but we would not choose to go back to this resort again unless it became a touch more GREEK and much less geared for the Italians. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sovereign Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: Sunstar Leisure - July 2006 Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Ant Hogan - Liverpool (9 x 18 year olds, 3 x 17 year olds) Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: Do not read this unless you're about 18 and are going on holiday with you're mates! Places To See: I'm not sure really, seeing as we didn't really leave the hotel during the day, except to go to the beach and other hotels once or twice to see friends. The beach is over the road from the hotel and has quite a few sun loungers and free watersports facilities, which a couple of the lads enjoyed. Be careful paddling in the sea, thoug; the pebbles are like knives, so wear flip flops! Beaches: See above. Good Eating Places: We only went out to eat once, which is surprising as the hotel food is inexplicably bad; expect to eat the same thing for lunch and dinner (hard pasta, bland chips, 'pizza' etc.) and beware of the milk at breakfast. Anyway, we went to a nice restaurant on the front on our last night. I can't remember the name, but I assume they're all good, so check one out before you come home. Bars And Clubs: These are the main reasons we didn't leave the hotel during the day; a good night on the ps leaves you knackered and we did it every night. We'd start in the hotel, drinking the crp beer and rocket-fuel spirits. A vodka and coke (pr whatever you ask for) is more like a glass of vodka and a shot of coke, so if you're looking to get wasted, you're laughing. We'd then leave the hotel at about 11pm (the bars and clubs don't fill up until late on) and head to the Memories bar, Stone Roses bar, this other indie music bar (sells good cocktails) before going to Mad (one of the best clubs in the world, if you like the music) and maybe Status (a typical nightclub). Some bars and clubs are expensive, so get as much as you can out of the promotions on the street. Anyway,it was the best holiday we've ever had, so definately go. Enjoy. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sovereign Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: Sun Star Leisure - June 2006 Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Cindy Middleton - Doncaster (32) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Opinion: Stayed at The Sovereign Beach 10th - 20th June. The Hotel was beyond my expectations. The room was basic but clean but the hotel itself was beautiful and exceptionally clean and friendly. It was my first time in an all inclusive hotel and I was a bit apprehensive about litter and uneaten food being left about but it was spotless! your glass was taken from you as soon as you had put it down around the pool. The food was ok, i must admit, I am a fussy eater so maybe not the best person to give a review but I managed to find something to eat every day - my husband loved the deserts! The resterant Manager was extremly friendly and asked if we enjoyed our meal every day and if not what would we like - they was very interested in your opinion which I thought was nice. The entertainment staff were very accommodating and even lined up outside the resterant to greet you for dinner, which I thought was a lovely touch. Kardemena is fantastic there is lively areas and quieter areas but all bars are lovely, even on bar street where you may expect it to be a bit rough, it wasn't! All in all had a fantastic holiday, I found KOS to be a very beautiful island - would reccommend to anyone! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sovereign Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: first choice - june 2006 Opinion submitted in July 2006 by : amanda - 38 17 14 12 Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Poor My/Our Holiday Review: if you are an italian family with children under 5 you will be fine, if you are british - forget it! on arrival you are given all inclusive armbands,blue for british,orange for italians,you soon realise orange means priority! this involves waiting for everything,bar,food etc.the food was poor,pasta,pizza,fish,& a variety of meat,every lunch & dinner, the same food. the rooms have 2 beds which is fine for two people,get more than 2 in a room and your on pull out camp beds,my 14year old was not impressed the entertainment is fine if you are under 7, the pool area was full of ants..ants everywhere you could see them at night marching everywhere!! our holiday rep had complaint after complaint about the hotel.it is no way a four star. the staff as with all the greek hotels work very hard & the hotel is clean, but it is outweighed by all the other problems,kardamena is about a 20 minute walk from the hotel,the road is a single track road,which at times can be quite dangerous,with loads of quad bikes,bikes & cars going fast. kardamena is a lovely town with loads of nice shops,designer clothes,sunglasses,shoes etc.good shopping!! & loads of nightlife if your under 25! you can get the local bus to kos town which cost about 2 euro,and is well worth a trip. overall, loved the resort & island, but the hotel spoilt the holiday --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sovereign Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: travel republic june 06 Opinion submitted in July 2006 by : baker 42,41,16 Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Average My/Our Holiday Review: Was abit worried before we went as we had read so many bad reviews about this hotel. It was not as bad as we thought it would be , however this hotel really only caters for italians. we were told that it had recently been taken over and the new owner wanted to keep it exclusivly for the italians! All the evening entertainment was in italian which seemed quite good if the laughter from the italians was anything to go by but we couldn't understand a word! The food was not up to much the first few days and we were told by other guests that the chef had walked out, it did get better though and was quite nice by the time we left. The rooms were quite big and clean but we were put off by the drain in the bathroom which gave off a terrible smell every so ofton. The pool area was nice and the staff were friendly especially the bar staff in the main bar. The only other moan was that there was a group of 20 English students at the hotel who were the loudest bunch of yobs we have ever meet.They caused havoc at the pool drinking all day and by the evening were out of control.We were ashamed to be English and can see why we English have a bad reputation abroad. We wouldn't go back to this hotel again but the actual resort of Kos is quite nice especially the harbour where we found loads of nice restaurants. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sovereign Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: First Choice - May 2006 Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : Loads of us, 41,38,37,37,36,35,11,11,11,9,7,7 & 4 Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Poor My/Our Holiday Review: Oh well where do I start?? My sister recomended this hotel to us as she had had a fantastic holiday here 4 years ago. First impressions were good... The hotel was clean, rooms were clean and quite big. We hot footed it down to the pool which was lovely and clean, plenty of sunbeds etc. When we went for lunch half of the resturant was reserved for Italians, ok seems strange, but hey ho. As we were queuing (we did alot of this) the italians just pushed in front!! At one point I thought there was going to be a fight. When we finally reached the food it was appaling, everything was on a bed of cabbage/lettuce?? There was pasta, pizza, veg of some description, fish and a meat dish, nothing exciting, but it was edible. At least I thought it would be until I realised you had more or less the same thing for lunch and diner every day for 2 weeks. We did have some variation, but not alot. There was NO kids menu at all. We had to complain to the manager to even get things like chicken nuggets (our kids WILL eat "real" food if its decent, but not a chance here) Very disapointed we headed to the bar (you can get more than 2 drinks at a time if you make friends with Kostas!!)The "all inclusive" was limited to about 6 spirits, you had to pay for coctails, even though they were made with local spirits!! YOU EVEN HAD TO PAY FOR BOTTLED WATER!! IN ALL INCLUSIVE!! WHATS ALL THAT ABOUT?? The entertainment was dire.... All geared up towards the Italians, ALL non Italian were as good as told NOT to bother showing up as they would not translate!! Authur did ok with the kids mini disco, but that was for half an hour at 9pm, if we did get other "entertainment" it was either very dull, or very sugestive which is no good when we had 7 kids in our party. Luckily as there were that many of us we could make our own entertainment. After reading a review on here we hired ZEUS which is a yacht you can charter for the day, Andy and Sharon are fab, and take you wherever you want to go, we went twice just to get out of the hotel!! We also found a resturant in Kardamana (15 min walk) called AMAZON (the one in the town centre not on the harbour) This has an all inclusive menu, 5 euros for kids and 20 euros for adults, 3 course meal (delicious greek food) and drinks all night INCLUDING COCKTAILS!! I know you shouldnt have to pay for food, but believe me you will want to! There were SO many people complaining about this hotel it was untrue. We have been all inclusive before and have NEVER had such appaling food/entertainment before, its a shame as the hotel is lovely. We ended up spending a fortune on eating out....... Tarek in the pool bar was lovely, he also ran the snack bar at night and used to smuggle me out chocolate marble cake on days where the food was particularly bad. First choice has gone down from 50 to 20 rooms here and I think that they are trying to weadle out the english and use this as a mainly italian place, its not even in next years brochure which has to tell you something!! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sovereign Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays Direct) Thompson - October 2005 Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : Tim, Jayne and Sarah - Lincoln ( 38, 28, 16 ) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: The journey time from the Airport is approximately 15 minutes, excellent especially when arriving at night. The hotel is large incorporated in gardens ( watch the pollen from the flowers though, when windy marks your clothes ). Rooms are spacious and could easily accomodate 5 sharing. The beach is just a stones throw away with free sunbeds and pedlo/canoes to use whenever, also free. The food is very good with a selection of meats most nights, always rice or pasta to go with it. If your a chip lover you'll be fine, as choice off potatoes are a bit sparce. Soups are wonderful and with the fresh bread you can always find a meal. Snacks are not too good though so fill up at lunch/dinner/tea. Breakfast is awful but a 15 minute walk in to Kardemena will get you the full English for just 3.5 euros. The Entertainment is not too good at evenings but Arthur trys his best with the props given and gets you to join in. Angel and George are also 2 people who make your holiday complete. Kardemena is just a walk along the beach or a 5 Euro taxi drive with more beaches, suberb eating houses and pubs. The people are lovely and friendly. We will be going back definately and would even return to Soveign beach. I would however prepare myself more for the journey home, the Kos airport is a nightmare so be warned and take at least 50 pounds extra as you will be charged for any excess baggage and you will be given no choice. The airport staff are a far cry from the resort staff so don t expect friendly faces here - you ve been warned !! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sovereign Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Libra Discounts) Libra sep 2005 Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : emma (19) & andy (23) coatbridge scotland Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Opinion: The hotel was lovely, rooms were spacious and cleaned every day. We had a great view of the pool and the beach behind it. There was always sunbeds avaliable at the pool at all times. Weather was great, was hot everyday. (we were worried it wouldn't be as good as it was september but we returned with excellent tans!) The food was lovely, could't understand why it had been given so many bad reviews! I am a fussy eater but I always found something I enjoyed at breakfast, lunch and dinner. The food was always fresh and there was always plenty of it. Entertainment was brilliant, the animation team put on a different show every night, we took part in the grease show, had the best laugh that night!! There is a free mini bus which runs 3 times a day into kardamena town or it is a 5 minute walk along the beach front. The beach was nice, pedalos free, defo reccomend paradise beach, gorgeous! We went to the waterpark, Turkey, 3 bay cruise (which includes paradise/bubble beach) and the Greek night, all of which we booked through Harriet Travel in Kardamena for a great price. We also cashed in all our travel cheques there. The nightlife was good loads of places to choose from, cocktails were cheap in most bars. Overall we thought everthing about this holiday was excellent and would defo return to this hotel. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sovereign Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: KwikTravel - August 2005 Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : Nicki Jayo - (40, 36, 13, 9) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Good My/Our Holiday Review: Lovely hotel, very helpful and hardworking staff. Food is lovely and plenty of it. Pool area is lovely too,and the little beach is sandy and very safe for children. The watersports are highly recommended. They gave us free speedboat rides as we did so much!! The Entertainment staff work so hard, Artor, Anna and Angela were brilliant. The rooms are small but you only sleep there, and were cleaned every day. We walked to town, about 10 minutes along the beach, it was okay, but nothing special. Would definately go again. Its not 4 star in London standards, but hey, you're in Greece, and we would definately go again, in fact we wouldnt have come home if we could have swung it. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sovereign Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: Eclipse - August 2005 Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : Linda Fox - Bracknell (43, 38, 9, 7) Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Good My/Our Holiday Review: The hotel was reasonably clean and the food ok. There was always something you could eat even if it wasn't that Greek! The beach with the hotel was ok, although the sun loungers were plastic with no cushions, very uncomfortable after a couple of hours. The entertainment let the hotel down quite a bit, although Artu ad Anna tried hard they made the shows too long and it became boring! Kids clubs were quite good and the first choice kids reps were very friendly and very good. Big downfall was the pool, my husband and quite a few others while we were there had ear infections and throat infections. Visits to the doctors and antibiotics otherwise he wouldn't of been able to fly home. The smells that came out of the snack bar by the entertainment area were like a sewer, and put you off having anything from there. Overall we had a good holiday, helped along by the friends we made and people we met over there. If you want a full day at the beach, go down to the main beach in Kardamena, either a 15 minute walk or a 5 euro taxi ride, well worth it!! They also need to get new plastic cups or an alternative round by the pool. They were pretty disgusting. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sovereign Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice August 2005 Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : 3 Families, 34 to 41, 3,5,9,12 Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: The hotel was as we expected for a Greek all inclusive, rooms were great, clean and airy and the hotel is very spacious Only comment would be - far too busy for us in August - we had to queue for lunch, dinner & the bar which was most annoying Sunbeds -need to be up with the larks to get a sunbed !! On the upside * FOOD - restaurant was great, after queing for table, the restaurant manager was always very helpful - always great choice for lunch & dinner - anyone complaining are just fussy eaters who wants english food! BAR - drinks ok - no choice of cocktails and all in plastic glasses - big issue with getting drinks - you can only get 2 at a time - problem if you are a family of 2 or more as you have to keep queing to get a drink KIDS CLUB - this was also very busy, but great times and activities for kids, movie club Mon to Wed night was great 9-10.30pm TRIPS - I have to recommend the private boat charter - ZEUS - 300 euros - (£210) but well worth it - we were 3 families so great value - you get 10 sunbeds, shaded area, and your own 2 skippers that take you where ever you want to do - cook you a bbq on the boat, so peaceful and safe for kids - I would never go on a big sardine squashed boat trip again !!! KARDEMENA - 10 minute walk into the town centre - not ideal for kids really very busy - we did find though great restaurant ALL INCLUSIVE at 15 euros all food/drink and 5 euros for kids with a bouncy castle (i cannot remeber name of it but if your walkng in from hotel its on the right hand side straight after all the sports/bars Overall, I would return but not in main school holidays --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sovereign Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: Sunstar leisure August 2005 Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : J Secker - west midds (38,37,9,7) Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: We have just returned from a wonderful two week holiday at Sovereign beach hotel. Some of the reviews here had left us concerned that maybe we had booked a holiday from hell, but all fears were put to rest when we arrived. Our hotel room was clean and adequately sized for a family of four. The bed linnen and towels were changed daily and the room cleaned six day a week. The pool area was a little crowded, but we were there for the busiest two weeks of the year so we had to expect this. there were planty of sun beds but on the occasional days that the pools area became to crowded we moved to the beach which always had brolleys and sunbeds available. the beach is a little shingle and rock beach with a jetty for pedlows and other water sport facilities. The best part of the holiday for my children was the first choice kids club. We travelled with Sun Star so paid 43? for our children to join (best 43? ever spent). These reps worked really hard (and very professionally) to entertain the children. My youngest daughter attended different activities for up to six hours on some days with the evening pyjama parties being a big hit. She loved kids club and decided that this holiday is the best she has ever had. The food on the whole was ok. We always found food to eat and enjoy. My children will eat what we eat and were not interested in the chips etc anyhow. they often tried the greek traditional dishes which were hot and very tasty. Our only concern about the resteraunt was that some parents allowed their children to touch and handle food which they then did not put on their plates! We had a wonderful family holiday because we went with very few expectations. i think these all inclusive type holidays are what you are prepared to make of them. We had fun beach walks up to kardemena. It does take about half an hour but we enjoyed the excercise. a day trip to turkey is also a must. be sure to take planty of pounds sterling as you can get better shopping deals with english currency. i would recommend this holiday to anyone who is perpared to give the greek food and way of life a go. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sovereign Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - August 2005 Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : Vina, Rob, Ben, Emma (38, 38, 12, 10) Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: Have just returned from a brilliant time at the Sovereign Beach. Was really worried when i read some of the reviews on this site but really had nothing to worry about. Food was great, rooms basic but clean, staff helpful and friendly. Entertainment fantastic considering there are only 3 people organising everything. Only criticism is that Angel needs help at the Pool Bar. He does a great job and is friendly and lovely to the children but it is an impossible job for one person to do properly. We would highly recommend this Hotel. It has something for everybody and kids are well catered for. Staff at the Watersports on the Beach are really helpful and couldn't do enough for us. We would definately visit again. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sovereign Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: Sunstar - August 2005 Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : Lorraine - (44,43,43,38,19,18,16,16,11,10,7) Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Good My/Our Holiday Review: We booked this as a last minute deal and as there were so many of us the choices were limited. After booking we read the reviews on this site and were not looking forward to it. However, we were pleasantly surprised on our arrival. We arrived at 6 am after a 2 hour delay and the night receptionist was very pleasant and helpful. The rooms are spacious and clean, sheets and towels changed every day. We all had ground floor rooms so are unable to comment about the pool toilets as it was easy to go back to our room. The food was some of the better that I have had on AI holidays, but, it does get repetitive, however, there was always lots of choice. The entertainment staff were very good, only 2 of them and they worked very hard to ensure that there is always something to do. The one big critism is the cloudyness of of the water in the pool. You cannot see the bottom in places. Overall, a good time was had by all and this hotel is nothing like some of the descriptions that have been on here. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sovereign Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: Independent - July/Aug 2005 Opinion submitted in Aug 2005 by : M & S (50 and 40) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: Clean, friendly, everything you could wish for in a Hotel. Excellent service from Kayt, Manos and Resturant Manager - infact everyone so helpful and efficient - felt very spoilt. Food excellent always well presented and plentiful. Rooms clean and spacious. Wondeful views. Beach lovely plenty of umbrellas to shade from sun and clear sea to cool off in. Nothing is too much trouble for the staff of this Hotel - it is a real treat. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sovereign Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: fist chioce july 2005 Opinion submitted in Aug 2005 by : phil crawford - stoke (52,52,12): Resort Rating: Average Accommodation Rating: Good My/Our Holiday Review: Overall this holiday was ok.We were their for 14 days,although we had had enough after 10 as it was so hot. Next time we w ould go earlier or later than this. the hotel itself is good.all of the staff from cleaners to managers work hard and most were quite friendly and helpfull.Our room was basic but clean and comfortable,with linen and towels changed frequently.We had a nice sea view. The food was good and plenty of it for adults.but the childrens selection was lacking.some thought their was not enough choice anyway especially at braekfast when the range did include onions and small hot dog style sausages.I enjoyed most things and i dont expect the same things as in England. The snack bar was lacking however with pizza,chips, dried up baps and cake left uncovered.Still i think the flies enjoyed that as well. I got sick of Lowenbrau lager and the spirits did seem to lack a certain amount of power.I longed for a glass of something better but as this was all inclusive we were reluctant (and too tight)to go out and pay for anything else. the entertainment was a bit of a joke. the "animation" staff worked hard and put in long hours,but they must have had a budget of next to nothing to work with,so we could not blame them particularly.some live music ie a greek folk band and dancing would have been fun instead of a silly bingo game which went on for ages with abismal prises. Kardemena itself is 15 to 20 minuits walk away.Its great for the 18 to 30 set.For us it was a noisy concrete block which has been dumped on what was a fishing village with shops full of tourist tack.The beach near thr hotel was quiet and peacfull and the sea was lovely and clear and refreshing. if we went to Kos again we would go to Kos town which is altogether more interesting, or Kefalos. The island tour was great and the guide, Costas, very informative and clearly passionate about his native island, indeed the rest of the island was lovely. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sovereign Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - July 2005 Opinion submitted in Aug 2005 by : Ian, Tracey, Sophie & Laura (34,35,10,6) Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: We have just returned from a two week all inclusive holiday at the soverign beach hotel located nr Kardemena in Kos. The hotel is spaciuos and tidy and is situated about 10 minutes walk from Kardemena. One word of warning do not change your Euro travellers cheques at the hotel as they charge you a 6% handling fee, in Kardemena the fee in every bureau du change is 2%. The rooms are basic but cleaned regulary. The air conditioning although working did not make the room feel cold also the view from our balcony although we asked for a pool view was of 2 cows in a field. We found as did many others that the First choice reps were not that helpful or knowledgeable of the island. Don't bother going to the welcome meeting as none of the trips on offer are explained in detail. We did however go on the Greek night (not for kids) and the water park nr Kos town (very enjoyable for all) Although i found the relationship between first choice reps and adults poor i can't fault the effort they put in at the kids clubs. My daughter attended various sessions and enjoyed herself each time. The food is what i expected plentiful, with a wide choice but it does get very predictable after 2 weeks. You have just got to remember that you are in a Greek island and not Yarmouth. The snacks of chips, pizza, rolls etc is adequate for all throughout the day. The pool area is large with plenty of sunbeds. The pool itself was very clean. Although this is an all inclusive hotel i found it very frustrating that you are only allowed 2 drinks per person at a time from the bar, this ment queing up twice for a round of drinks. The evening started with a 30 minute kids disco which seemed a chore for the first choice reps. This was then followed by the hotels entertainers, these 3 people Artur, Anna and Eileen did a tremendous job with none or very little support/help from the hotel. Artur the main entertainer had actually purchased all the costumes, prizes etc and had even built the stage area. Their entertainment started off each evening with bingo this did become very predictable but entertaining and the prizes were good, t-shirt, sparkling wine, greek vase, animation cd + either a free go at paragliding or gokarting. The entertainment after this was good and varied, you just couldn't fault their commitment to entertain the public with very limited resources from the hotel. We went to Kardemena about 10 minutes walk along the seafront on numerous occasions the walk is pleasent but the beach area along the route is very littered with bottles, rubbish etc this i found to be a common problem throughout the island. Kardemena itself is very lively with loud music and young English people all looking for a good time it reminded me of San Antonino Ibiza. The bars are quite expensive so take plenty of money! On a couple of occasions we visited a chinese restaurant called the Fu King Gou this iwas located on the seafront in Kardemena and i highly recommend you visit it. If you don't like chinese food there is also a McDonalds their. Overall the hotel is clean and tidy but in my opinion no way 4 star, my family and i did enjoy our 2 week holiday but we will not be rushing back. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sovereign Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: Sunstar Leisure - July 2005 Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : Tracey Price - South Wales (34,26) Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: After reading the reviews on this hotel, I was dreading going on this holiday. I even called the travel agent 2 weeks before to see if there was alternative accommodation available but in the end decided to take a chance as we had such a good price for AI. Had a wonderful holiday. the pool was lovely and clean and sunbeds always available. Hotel staff were good (some more friendly than others but you get that everywhere, even in Britain). The food was good and yes, there was pasta everyday but also meat, veg, chips, salad and very tasty desserts. I certainly put on a few pounds and never went hungry. Rooms were cleaned daily (except Sundays) and had clean sheets and towels every day. What more do you want! Also air con worked and was NOT noisy! Kos itself was fab. I would definately recommend car hire to get out and about. The water sports at Paradise beach are great fun. Went into Kardamena town in the night which is very lively but great fun if your young or young at heart. Chille Peppers bar was my favourite and Starlights nightclub was great. Kos Town was lovely and went shopping there at 11pm at night and then sat on the harbour with a drink. Shape water park is also good fun. Go on a Tuesday, as everybody goes to Turkey for the day for the markets so no queuing for slides. Tigaki beach on the north of the island was the best for warm water. It was like swimming in a warm bath. Paradise beach is the best for sands and water sports but the sea is much cooler although you do see some beautiful fish. I would definately go back to Kos,although i would stay on the other side of the island but thats not because Sovereign Beach Hotel is bad. Its not the best 4 star I've stayed in but its Greece and Greece is more basic than Spain and other places. I would say to everyone doubting this hotel to go and have fun because my partner and i certainly did. The only bad thing i can say, is that we had to come home!!!! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sovereign Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice -July 2005 Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : mark47,bev,37,twins,11 Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: Hi , clean hotel, laundry changed daily,grounds well maintained , pool great,food very good atleast four choices hot then great salad bar,trade name drinks ,local wine fine lowenbeau beer etc,kids ice cream scoops six flavours fine ,beach stone throw away fine, only negatives air conditioning in our room poor and bars close 11pm --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sovereign Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - July 2005 Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : clare grauman portsmouth 36,32,12,5 Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Good My/Our Holiday Review: Where do I start we went ot the sovereighn beach hotel July 2005 the hotel stats it is 4 star more like 3 the food for a all inclusive was alot better than i thought lots of choice even for my 5 year old. The entertainment was excellent something to do everyday and the kids will never be bored the kids clubs are excellent my 5 year old has never had so much fun in her life and it gives you a break to relax and soak up the sun. The snack bar however is not up to much and smells of sewage which is rank but dont let that put you off because as I said the buffet food is lovely. The pool is clean although cloudy. The staff are very friendly and will do all they can to make your holiday a good one. Highly recommended if you have kids you won't see them GREAT!!!! My thanks to Faye for teaching Saskia to swim and to all the staff especially kids club for making this a holiday to remember. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sovereign Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) JMC June 05 Opinion submitted in Aug 2005 by : Alex Stuart (40, 35, 12, 10 Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Average My/Our Holiday Review: We, checked out this site well before our due holiday date and were amazed at the mixed bag of comments written. We felt the four star rating for the hotel was a bit of a joke, when several of the guests commented on this to the Reps they were told that the rating was a Greek four Star (Don't recall seeing that mentioned in any brochure). The Bar staff (Who you can't fault) were kept very busy as the bars were under manned and queueing was the norm. Travelling in a party of four it was a bit difficult to get drinks for the family when the bar staff would only give you two drinks per person (wife looking after the kids playing in the swimming pool as there was no Life guard)or watching the "evenings entertainment". Which to be fair considering the limited resources (Otto and His daily dwindling crew) did very well, some of the dance routines were brilliant and audience participation was good. Only whinge here on a change over night usually Wednesday there was no entertainment it was the Teams night off, and the Locally "Burnt" Mini Disco CDs (12-15 Euros)the team were getting the kids to hassle mom and dad to buy (Beware). The Food was nothing worth writing home about but I have seen worse on other all inclusive Holidays.The rooms were a bit tight for Four, so we spent all day cooking by the Pool. On speaking to other holiday makers(who were quereing prices etc. My wife and I decided not to say too much as there were other families there for the same duration who had paid a third more than us (you can't beat the internet in this instance) Watch the car hire or Day trips to Bodrum. we found going through the Rep would have cost 30-40% more.Try the Pool Dive and Scuba Dive Loved it and well worth the money!! Liked Kos But Must have been round the Island Three Times. Although we wouldn't go again we would say Please be open minded re this holiday, really we had a gas. Hope you have a good one. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sovereign Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: Sunstar Leisure - June 2005 Opinion submitted in Aug 2005 by : Jenna Lund - North Yorkshire (22, 28) Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Below Average My/Our Holiday Review: On arrival to Soverign Beach we were impressed by overall apperance of the hotel. Rooms were clean and tidy and the staff extremely polite and helpful. The pool was a good size and the view from our room amazing. Right, enough of the nice stuff. The food was really bad (and i'll eat almost anything!) and covered in grease. The glasses and cutlery were filthy and the dining room like something out of a boarding school. The poolside was filthy with broken glass,litter and fag ends accumulating in the corners over the week. The toilets were rank and the poolside snacks, er anyone for flies? As for the entertainment, we were dissapointed by the choice and often promised but not delivered entertainment. Equally we could not believe that they considered sxual games suitable for the children that were present, or that showing a fat local man walking on 'broken glass' a good example for them either. I would definately reccomend this hotel if you like swimming in muck, eating rubbish and being entertained people who clearly don't want to be there and don't know the meaning of 'don't try this at home.' Any takers? Thought not. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sovereign Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date:* (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - June 2005 Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : Pete, Lynn and 4 kids Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Poor My/Our Holiday Review: This hotel was really poor for a 4 star rating. First impressions were good - large reception, nice rooms, plenty of room for all 6 of us in joining rooms. Bathroom was rather tatty and old. Great views of the pool and the sea from all rooms I think. No fighting for beds in the early hours either. First Choice reps were excellent with our children, they thoroughly enjoyed the kids clubs. BUT: The staff were fairly miserable, the entertainment was awful, breakfasts were terrible, lunch not bad and evenings meals were ok, a bit of this and that, but nothing great. Kids corner was a disgrace. There should be snacks served all day in the bar - they consist of pizza and dried up chips. Vile! The toilets were filthy which there really is no excuse for. Will not be returing to this place. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sovereign Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice (online) - June 2005 Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : Darren Pegram - Bromley (34,39,4,1) Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Opinion: Our first visit to Kos was 10 years ago (pre-kids) when we stayed 'self catering' in Kos Town - we had a fantastic time. This year was our second visit in Kos and with a 4 year old and 15 month old in tow, our priorities had changed somewhat. Flights As good as you would expect from a major tour operator although it’s worth booking a kids meal for your child. This is not advertised clearly on the First Choice web site and appears to be something you need to add to your order after you have already booked – a bit bizarre if you ask me. Resort Kardamena is only a 15 minute transfer from the airport which is great if you are travelling with kids. The coach took us from the airport straight to the hotel – no messing around with various drop-offs. Kardamena is famous for it’s bars and nightlife and so is a big pull for groups of young partygoers. Luckily the Sovereign Beach is far enough away not to be affected by the busy ‘bar street’. Hotel The hotel is very spacious and always clean. The reception staff are always happy and helpful (Stathis and Leonidas are there during the day for money exchange, booking taxis and general assistance) and there are plenty of areas to sit and relax, both in and outside the building. Our room was very comfortable (plenty of space, even with a cot) and always clean – the hotel information claims the rooms are cleaned six times a week but we had ours cleaned every day! Our balcony looked over a neighbouring farm, but we still had a sea-view and sunshine well into the evening. Pool The pool area was of a good standard – large pool and small pool for the children. There were plenty of sun-beds, although for the first time ever I had to join in with sneaking down to the pool to reserve a couple of beds with a beach towel. It’s quite annoying when some sun-beds are reserved all day but not actually used. Pool water was a bit murky at times but then it was often full of sun-cream covered children. Beach Just across the road at the back of the hotel was the hotel beach – free sun-beds and use of pedelos. Other water sports were readily available at a cost. Dining Notis would welcome us to the restaurant with a smile and direct us to a free table. Dining room staff would try to ensure a quick removal of dirty plates. The food was as good as you should expect from a quality Greek hotel. All food was properly cooked with plenty of healthy options. Breakfast offered a small selection of cereal, plenty of bread, rolls, toast, croissants, various jams, chocolate spread, fruit, yoghurt and a selection of cooked items. The cooked items weren’t up to the standard of your local ‘greasy spoon’ café but all edible. Even the tea was OK. Coffee and orange juice was also available. Lunch and dinner both offered fresh bread and soup, and an array of salad items including tomato, cucumber, fetta cheese, olives and tzatziki. Cooked food varied every day – there was always a choice of three meats, fish and vegetables. Saturday seems to be ‘English day’ with roast beef and fish and chips, while other days included a selection of traditional Greek dishes; moussaka, cheese pies, BBQ souvlaki, meat balls and stuffed tomatoes etc. along with a pasta dish, various vegetables and a kids option (usually chicken nuggets or chicken wings) and chips. My 4 year old son chose food from the main section, preferring vegetables meat pie and rice over nuggets and chips. He actually put on weight over the two weeks we were there. There were always plenty of desert options. Beer (Lowenbrau), red and white wine and soft drinks (inc. branded coca cola, sprite etc.) were always available during lunch and dinner (I don’t think you can have a beer with your cornflakes!). Entertainment Artur and Anna are probably the hardest working holiday entertainers I have met. All day long, every day except Wednesday, various activities took place around the pool (quiz, water gym and water polo etc.). The evening kicked off with mini-disco (30 minutes of kids tunes and dance routines) headed up by the First Choice kid’s reps. This was a big hit with my 4 year old. Mini-disco was followed by bingo! This was very drawn out with quite tacky prizes (T-shirt, souvenir plate and bottle of 7% sparkling wine) which sort of made the whole thing quite amusing. Later on, Artur put on various shows and Karaoke etc. I’ve never been a big fan of hotel ‘entertainment’ but this guy is very amusing. Drinks and Snacks Yes, you can really drink lager and eat ice cream all day long!! Angelos will keep you served in the pool bar, while in the evening Elli will keep you fed and watered in the snack bar (a couple of times my 15 month old slept through dinner time so the option of pizza and chips was very useful). Holiday We had a most excellent and relaxing time. The ‘all inclusive’ meant we didn’t have to worry about finding a child-friendly restaurant to eat in every night, no carrying cash about to get drinks and unlimited ice cream and soft drinks for the kids. The reps were always around to help out if needed and were not too pushy with selling their trips (probably not good for their commission). My son went to Kids Club on a couple of occasions, which was quite relaxing for us, but he wasn’t too keen on going back. To break the monotony of the hotel, on a few occasions we visited the nearby Atlantic Taverna. The very friendly staff here offered good food (full breakfast quite spectacular if you need a proper fry-up) and have beach access and sun-beds for customers. On other occasions we took a 20 minute stroll into town – there is a McDonalds there! The only problem with the main town is the small amount of hassle you get from the English restaurant workers trying to get you to eat at their restaurant. Just smile and keep walking. We left Kardamena a couple of times to visit Paradise Beach in Kefalos - €25 taxi ride each way – well worth the visit. The Sovereign Beach is a great family hotel. If you are a group of young lads or lasses looking for a few nights on the town, then I suggest you get a cheap room above a bar in the main part of Kardamena. We would definitely return to Kos and have no problems at all returning to the Sovereign Beach Hotel. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sovereign Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - June 2005 Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : Nicole - Cheshire (32,31,9,3,2) Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Below Average My/Our Holiday Review: We have just come back from a very disappointing weeks stay at this hotel. I am extremely glad that we were not there for any longer. This is our 4th all inclusive. Last year we stayed at at a 3 star which was considerably better than the Sovereign. I have never been one to complain, but I plead to those thinking of booking this hotel, THINK AGAIN. Some of the staff are great, the restaurant manager, Angel by the pool and the reception staff, the rest are miserable, especially in the restaurant. The manager is useless and never did any of the things she said she would. Rooms are adequate, cleaned daily, but the air con is not great. For a 4 star the food is terrible, hardly any choice what so ever. I do not want to eat to English food, but hotdog sausages and onions and roast potatoes for breakfast is beyond me!!!! The kids corner only ever consisted of chips and nuggets, or hot dog style sausages. Salads were lovely how ever. There were plenty of tables, but you'd often find it hard to find one that was actually clean and set. The taverna next door is lovely and once you have tried it it will tempt you over and over. Great food and service, overlooking the sea with Greek music! Lush. Better than sitting in a school canteen environment. The one great thing about this place is that you do not have to be up at the crack of dawn to reserve sunbeds. There are plenty and plenty of room for them. People didn't start reserving then until about 8am onwards. The pool itself is of a good size but quite murky in my opinion. It was only cleaned properly once in a week. WE did see a guy throwing chemicals in at night though.The toilets were disgusting by the pool and the bar. They were cleaned once a day and kids were slipping in muck, it was vile! I reported this 3 times and the manager didn't give a damn. The bar by the pool only served soft drinks, beer and ice cream, so you had to walk back to the hotel to get anything else. This was where the snacks were served also. They were a waste of time. daytime snacks included chips, pizza and an occasional cheese roll. Snacks were supposed to be served in the evening too, but all there ever was, was left over chips which tasted like warm cardboard! The pool bar often ran out of water later in the day, again the management did nothing. The bar in the evening was very limited and the queues were a nightmare when you were only allowed 2 drinks per person. Entertainment wasn't great. In one week there was one professional show. Bingo would go on for an hour. This would cost 5 euro for 2 cards and the prizes were naff. The toilets used in the evening were, again, disgusting. Because the bins were so small to put your tissue down, people were throwing soiled tissue all over the floor. First choice were fine, a decent flight and meal. The First Choice kids club was great. Most disappointing hotel and everybody agreed whom I spoke with whilst on holiday there. Not one person said they would come back, which is a real shame as it has great potential, it is a good size with lovely gardens. This hotel should definitely be downgraded, it is well below average for a 4 star. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sovereign Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice june 2005 Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : Roy munro cleethorpes Resort Rating: Average Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: When we first got there we thought wow this is gonna be great a nice plush foyer and such, got to our rooms we had interconnecting with our teenage children rooms were great lovely and clean and spacious we got up in the morn to the most horrendous food on the planet every meal was utter filth even the tea was lukewarm nothing at all was what we would call a decent meal( unless ya likes wet soggy chips) the staff were miserable except angel at the snack bar the entertainment was non existent after the kids disco and the bingo prizes were crap for the money at three euros a ticket you could win a t-shirt if you were lucky the pool was murky and not very clean at all i would recommend that you give this hotel a wide berth,could not wait to get home if it was not for the great people we met the holiday would have been a total disaster --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sovereign Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - September 2004 Opinion submitted in Sept 2004 by : Wendy and Lee - 46 Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: Read reviews before we went and thought we;d have to eat out every night - wrong!! The food was fine - we didn't eat pasta once. The greek salads and dishes were gorgeus and the deserts. I think people don't try different dishes or give them a chance. If you want fish and chips go to Blackpool!. Staff were brilliant, rooms basic but clean. Hired a moped for the week for 50 euros and explored the island. Kos town and paradise beach were worth going to. Drove further down the beach away from the town where we had the beach to ourselves with two bars opposite one of which supplied us with watermelon free of charge when we bought a drink. Will definitely go back there - so relaxing. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sovereign Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: september 2004 Opinion submitted in Sept 2004 by : rob collicott [45.38] Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Below Average My/Our Holiday Review: well there is no way on this earth that this is a 4 star hotel,a basic 3 at the most.the food is as plain as it can be,rice,pasta,chicken etc very boring,the orange juice given at breakfast dinner etc is powered, everything is watered down,the drinks vodka,gin,bacardi etc taste like nothing youve tasted before,the only thing is they still get you drunk,the taste goes away after a few.we did have sunshine though thats the only good thing about this place, 4 star hotel,4 star my ...... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sovereign Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook - August 2004 Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : William Hearn - Newcastle (28) Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Average My/Our Holiday Review: Got a cheap deal from teletext and arrived at the sovereign beach hotel 11.30 on a Wednesday. All inclusive food and drink stops at 11, therefore make sure you've had something to eat if your arrival is after that time. One rather thoughtful item was a bottle of water was supplied by the hotel to us in our room. A small gesture but greatly appreciated. The hotel itself is very well run and maintained although its four star rating is not entirely desvered. My main gripe would be the buffet service food, the quality of which is no where near what I would class as 4 star. A fair assesment would be 1-2 star. Little variety and if such a meal was served by a waiter in a restaurant I would have demanded he take it back. Although standards of cleanliness through out the hotel and in the rooms was good the state of the toilets which are situated by the jacuzzi to the far end of the pool was disgraceful to say the least. Four star this isn't, late deal for a bit of sun and sand it is. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sovereign Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - August 2004 Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : Mike - Cumbria (44,37,11,6) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Good My/Our Holiday Review: We booked this holiday as a last minute and after reading the reviews on this site i was absolutely dreading it. I had visions of coming home starving and my children being ill from the dirty pool. I was pleasantly surprised. The hotel is absolutely great. I came home 91b heavier than when i went! The rooms were excellent, (basic but thats greece for you)cleaned every day, (bar sunday,) the air conditioning worked albeit a bit noisy but if you have a few drinks youll soon sleep. The food was more than adequate. It was hot and plentiful. The desserts were absolutely gorgeous. As long as you accept that you are going to a foreign country that differs from our standards you will enjoy yourself. If you want an english breakfast, english dinner and english evening meal then go to Brighton and freeze. We went out on a pedalo which was included in the price, great fun. The entertainments team did a great job. My kids joined in nearly everything from football, cricket, lilo racing in the pool, tennis etc. The pool is a good size but isnt very clear but is not filthy like some people suggested. The hotel is about a twenty minute walk from Kardemena which is along a quiet beach road. We got a taxi back which costs just 5 euros. Kardemena itself is great. Plenty of bars and restaraunts, dont play crazy golf though. It cost 16 euros for 4 and was useless. Overall if you want a good pool/beach based holiday in pleasant surroundings with plenty of sunshine then i would recommend the Sovereign beach hotel. Go and have a good time and relax. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sovereign Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: July 2004 Opinion submitted in Oct 2004 by : M$S 50,39 Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: We cannot understand all the poor reviews for this Hotel. Staf are fantastice doing a wonderful job. Food was better than last year. Rooms clean and fresh, air conditioning perfect, view stunning. Beach could have been cleaner but still alot better than most other resorts we have travelled to. We would return again and hope to do so very soon. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sovereign Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - July 2004 Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : Steve & Kathryn - Preston (36,35,11,6) Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Below Average My/Our Holiday Review: We have just arrived back from a 1 week holiday at this hotel (28th - 5th), thank god it was only 1 week!!! It is very unfortunate that some key elements are very poor quality, and as a result the whole hotel is let down. Lets start at the beginning; Resort and location of hotel is in a prime spot, probably one of the best in the area, excellant beach, sea views, close to but just far enough from main town of Kardamena (5 euro taxi). Accomadation: On entering the main reception area you get the impression of 4star quality, marble floors, leather seating, spacious etc, etc. However this is sadly lost on entry to your room. Basic you could live with and at times is expected, but clean towels and linen are a must!! Sea views from balcony are very nice. FOOD!!!!: This deserves it's own section because we need to highlight how poor this is. There is no way that you could call this 4 Star. A diet of pasta, in various forms, (in batter, in pies, in the salad, in balls and for every meal!! apart from the breakfast which was only just passable, which you had to make the most of because you new what was coming for lunch and dinner!!! Many people commented that it was like school dinners, including the blachmonge, jellies and false cream, and for those who have experianced it "Prison Food". It is unfortunate that having paid all inclusive you have to still go out into town for a good meal!! Reps: The entertainment team had loads of enthusiasm, that we do agree with, however this is the same old stuff that we have seen over the past 5 years or more, nothing new and very boring. The main First Choice reps were ok but not very proactive, above that they were ok and nothing really to complain about. Things to see: We went away with the idea to just relax by the pool and beach and do nothing, however we did go to Kos Town on a boat (Dimitrious) booked from Harriet Travel in Kardamena (36 euros for all), very worthwhile and enjoyable day out inc good meal!!!! All in all we would be very pushed to return to this hotel unless we had reports of big improvements in the Food and Cleanliness, however we would return to KOS. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sovereign Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - July 2004 Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : Andy & Lisa (31 & 36) Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: We booked a week at the Sovereign Beach as a last minute deal, we found the facilities at the hotel to be very good, in particular the swimming pool. The First Choice reps were very good and were always available. The entertainment team were also very good, although the enterainment was geared to people with children(both the day and evevning entertainment. The most disappointing part of the holiday was the hotel food which was not very inventive (spaghetti every lunch & tea). We did eat out for a few nights in Kardamena, but given we had got a good last minute deal this was not a problem, but had you paid full brochure price this would be annoying. All in all a good holiday and we would recommend the hotel to others, particularly those with kids. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sovereign Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - June 2004 Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : Colin (63,60,41,37,12,10,8) Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: Had a wonderful time at the Sovereign Beach. The food was good and the rooms were clean and spacious. The staff were always polite and helpful. The pool is a good size and there were always plenty of sunbeds to go around. The beach is02 sand and shingle and it made a nice change on a hot afternoon as there was a nice breeze. The courtesy bus into Kardamema is useful although it is only a 20 minute walk. The only thing that needs to improve is the entertainment. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sovereign Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: June 2004 Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : Andrea (29,28,27,27,25,24,22,19) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: Well what can i say this hotel is great. I really recommend it. The staff are very friendly and the rooms are very clean and spacious. It is about 5 euros taxi fare to the centre. But I recomend getting mopeds you will see much more of the island. Paradise beach is definitely one to visit if you hire transport, the journey is fantastic. On yer bike is a good place to hire mopeds/bicycles or quads. There are numourous bars and clubs in the centre. Status is one to visit later in the evening/morning. I will definitely be going back to this resort and this hotel. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sovereign Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - June 2004 Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : Karen, Paul, Tina, Sarah, Michelle & Gareth - South Wales (41, 40, 19, 19, 17, 7 Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: Came here a couple of years ago, and because of the lively nightlife in Kardamena Town we brought our eldest daughter and friend along. The hotel was clean and tidy. Staff were all very friendly and helpful (although the man in the pool bar could improve on his people's skills and learn to say more than 'please' and smile occasionally). Room was okay, had fridge and air conditioning that worked (Yippee!). First Choice Reps/Kiddies Reps worked hard to entertain guests. My little boy couldn't wait for the Kiddies Disco. Well done Jay, Erin and Donna! They tried to get guests involved but a lot seemed quite shy and ran away when asked to join in a couple of games/competitions/club dance. (Sorry we missed Grease - the rehearsals were good though). The quiz in the afternoon was excellent!!! A bit of fun for the family. Oliver, Swimming Instructor was on hand to teach kids to swim (at a price - but I found it money well spent) my son is very confident in the water now - Thanks Oliver. Meals were okay. We did decide to go into town to eat out. Yes we did go to McDonalds a couple of times, but we also visited the Indian Resturant (highly recommended if you like Indian food). Plenty of other resturants/pubs in town but choose to stay away from them - fed up of being badgered to eat/drink there when you walked past. A few of the bars show films/live sporting events. We were there when Greece beat France - great atmosphere. There is a bus that takes you into town, but this only ran at 9:00 in the morning, 12:00 noon and 9:00 at night. This could have run more regularly. However, it was nice to have a stroll into town in the evening. A couple of nice bars along the way. Overall, we had a fantastic time and made lots of new friends. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sovereign Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - June 2004 Opinion submitted in June 2004 by : Simon,Sheila and Lauren age 9 Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Poor My/Our Holiday Review: We arrived back on 24.06.04 from Sovereign Beach Hotel in Kardemena. This is defintely one hotel that we shall never go back to for lots of different reasons. First and foremost was the food, breakfast consisted of hotdog sausages and no bacon, bullet beans and either underdone or burnt toast,fried eggs looked very undercooked. Lunch was either salad selection or a couple of hot dishes, and dinner was largely the same as lunch. Spaghetti every single day gets a bit boring after a while, and do they really expect the kids to want chips every single day, my daughter has lost weight whilst being on holiday. To sum up, the food selection was dreadful, the snacks that you could get during the day were cheese toasties, burger(but a spicy burger) hot dogs and pizza, which somtimes was the same as the lunch and dinner time. The pool area was good, lots of sunbeds and very clean. My daughter says the childrens reps were very friendly. But my impression was the entertainment was poor, and Nichola the main rep. was very surly. The entertainment area was in a lovely setting,a ampthi theatre, but they had a poor excuse for a stage, huge potential here, but poorly used. Hotel cleaniness was o.k. bedrooms could have been kept a lot cleaner. George, in the main bar was the best person in the hotel, always smiling and very polite, unlike Stathios, on reception, he needs to learn about people skills, he was the rudest person there.Lady in shop was lovely, snack bar people also friendly, George in pool bar, bit grumpy. Air conditioning was not on until the 15th so we didnt sleep very well the first week, 2nd week it was on for four days and then broke down, this happened several times, despite complaints to reception, they seemed to have the attitude of, it will be ok tomorrow, they couldnt care less. In the evening time, in the main bar, it was hardly on, so got quite unbearable at times. In addition to this the tv picture was dreadful, we had to go to the main resort to watch the england matches.Felt this was done on purpose, because towards the end of our second week, the picture suddenly became watchable. The location was good, mountains in the background, next to the sea, 20 mins walk into Kardenmena or 5 euros in a taxi. This is the nearest resort, would recommend Artemis Bar, very friendly greek man, we watched the england matches there, great service and good beer, ice cold carling and huge selection of cocktails. To sum up, we feel the hotel has huge potential, but needs some experienced people in charge to make it work. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sovereign Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Panorama Discounts) Panorama-June2004 Opinion submitted in June 2004 by : Mr and Mrs Pilkington Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: We went to the Sovereign beach on a all inclusive holiday and when we arrived we found the staff were very helpful and the hotel was very clean.The meals at this hotel were very good and there was a wide range of choice for the children as well.Snack bar was ok but George in the pool bar didnt understand you very well.The bar staff were great especially George (this is a different one to the pool).First few nights were too hot to sleep until they put the air conditioning on i would recommend that you dont book room 324 as it is above the main bar and it can get noisy when they are sitting outside or in the theatre end you wouldnt get any sleep if you didnt keep your door closed which can be hard when its hot.There is a internet cafe to keep you amused.The hotel is situated in a quiet location and the entertainment staff were good. I would recommend this hotel to anyone. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sovereign Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - June 2004 Opinion submitted in June 2004 by : Michelle (33), Viv (36), Kim(15), Maz(15) and Nathan (1.5) Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Good My/Our Holiday Review: We have just come back from a week at the Svoereign Beach All inclusive hotel. The hotel is very impressive upon arrival, marble floors, nice leather settees in reception, all areas very clean and tidy. All the staff worked very hard, especialy teh maids and the waitresses. The rooms were spacious and could easily accomodate 5 people although we had 2 rooms for our party. The bathrooms had shower and bath. The surroundings were lovely, beach views, you can see right across to Turkey and Rhodes. It is 10 minutes walk from the town which can be abit unconvenient but the distance is a relief to escape the noise of all the clubs and bars. You tend to get approached alot by toutes trying to drag you in and they do not care about underage drinking at all, the too 15 year olds seem to be targets for them. The only down side to the resort is the food. It is very very repetitive both at mid day and evening. There was plenty of it and they never ran out but by the end of the week we were dying for a jacket potato or anything that was not covered in salt. Cateering for toddlers comprised of pasta, pasta and more pasta or chips. Watersports were fab and Laura and Karl who worked there really made our holiday as they were lovely and we were sad to leave them. Would recommend using the beach and not the pool as it is abit murky and the sea is lovely and warm and clear, great for snorkelling. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sovereign Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice 2004 Opinion submitted in Oct 2004 by : S Harris Norfolk. 34,32,9,7 Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: This review is for anyone who after reading this site is worried as i was before going to this hotel.The hotel is very impressive when you arrive,we were greeted by friendly staff and went straight to our room. The room was basic but the beds were clean and the showers hot.Not the biggest of rooms for four people but we didnt intend to spend much time in it.The room was cleaned every day and ther were no problems. The food in the resturant was good,yes it was a bit repetative but if you are willing to try different things you will eat well.Even the fusssiest of seven year olds managed to find something she liked though it may only have been hotdogs and pizza she still managed to have fresh fruit every day.The breakfast is the best so don't miss it. The pool is very large and it is refreashing but welcome on a hot day. The children loved the pool it was never crowded and there was never a fight for a sunbed.We hired a car from the hotel and went to parridise beach a must if you like great beaches.It was easy to find and signposted all the way.If you go on the water park trip be aware that it is a very small park with limited slides although it kept my two girls entertained all day. To sum up this is a great family holiday the kids are well entertained at night and relaxed durring the day. We all loved it and would go back again.So if your booked to go there don't worry. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sovereign Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: Imperial Travel (late deal) - 2004 Opinion submitted in Sept 2004 by : M.Green (30,30) Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Average My/Our Holiday Review: After reading some of the reviews for this hotel we still booked the holiday because we got such a good deal. Less than £ 450 each for 2 weeks all inclusive can t be bad. After arriving in Kos we had to make our own way to hotel, it only costs 15euros (about £10). When you arrive at the hotel all looks good 4 star o.k. The room was quite spacius for the 2 of us but if 4 people were in it, it would be decidedly cramped. I will say the bathroom didn t seem to be the cleanest though & didn t seem to get cleaned very well for the rest of our stay.The floor was not cleaned at all in the first week until we complained but was, regularly after that. The pool area was o.k. perhaps not 4 star but the pool & surrounding area was kept clean & the pool was clear, if a bit cold. The food isn t the best but if you had to, you could get by, most days, but we went out 9 of the 14 days. Kardemena is a nice resort although it has not got a very big beach. Its only a 15 minute walk from hotel but they do have a curtacy bus in & out 3 times a day & a taxi is only 5euros.The drink prices vary from 1.50euros for a beer to 4euros depending where you go.Ther is plenty of night life but you can have the madness in a couple of streets but the rest of the resort is pretty relaxed. All the restaurants we went to were good and relly very cheap (2 starters,2 mains,4 drinks aprox 25-35 euros). Car and morcycle hire is very cheap just check the insurances first we got a car through manos car hire who seemed to have the best insurance & 3 days hire was only 120euros. Zia in the mountains is lovely and a great place to see the sun set as you can see a lot of the island. Kos town is pretty with lots of archealogical sites & plenty of nice shops & restaurants. If you can be bothered you can find some lovely sandy beaches around the island you just have to look. We had a really good holiday on Kos and if you can get a good deal the Sovereign Beach is not a bad base to do it from although we would nt have been happy if we had paid full price! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sovereign Beach Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: Med Hotels - Date Not Specified Opinion submitted in June 2004 by : Tony Belmont - Sunderland (52,48,59,56)): Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Good My/Our Holiday Review: I was asked by the management to give a comprehensive critique of this hotel, so here goes. We arrived at the hotel around midnight after a very good flight with Thomas Cook. We left Newcastle early and arrived early. Great start. We were quickly checked in at the hotel and shown to our room which was clean. Bt it was immediately clear we were not in a four star hotel. But to be fair it was a GOOD three star. We were in need of a drink after a tiring journey. We were booked on an all-inclusive basis but the "free drinks" ended at 11pm. Not to worry, we don't mind buying one round. Four halves of beer, (there are no pints at this hotel) should have cost between four and six euros at local prices. We were charged TEN EUROS! Not a good start! Being very security conscious I always rent a room safe. There was one in the room so I paid the 20 euros charge and waited for the man to come and unlock it. Four requests and TWELVE hours later it was unlocked and I could safely store my valuables passports cash etc etc. However, the sun was shining the view from out room was spectacular and we had a full week of our holiday ahead of us. What's been happening around the world overnight? There's a satellite TV in our room so let's find out. The good news there are four channels available - the bad news they're either Greek or German. A hotel full of Brits and no English TV. We don't need TV, we're on holiday for God's sake. Let's don our beach togs and head down to the pool for a dip. The pool was ice cold and I mean ice cold and the pool area was in need to a clean - spilled ice cream left to bake in the sun on the pool surround doesn't create a great impression. The local drink was free but why do barmen abroad think they're doing you a favour by pouring twice as much spirit as is necessary into your drink, leaving hardly any room for the mixer and rendering the whole concoction undrinkable. The redeeming feature of this hotel is the friendliness of the staff and the food in the main restaurant. Remember your in Greece so there is a fair chance that at least some of the grub will be of the Greek variety. There's nothing more embarrassing than British Holidaymakers, in a foreign country complaining that there's no bacon and eggs, and tea and toast and maramalade for breakfast. Or Sausage and chips for lunch. The food at the Sovereign Beach was fresh and well presented, reflecting the local cuisine. If you don't like "foreign muck" then don't go abroad! On the entertainment front, the kids were well looked after during the day but the evening entertainment left much to be desired. But there's a massive variety of bars and restaurants to suit all tastes in Kardamena, just a five euro taxi ride away. And who wants to spend the entire holiday in the same hotel. Note to the hotel managers: if you want to keep your guests in the hotel, buying drinks after 11pm, DROP the bar prices and RAISE the standard of entertainment. Also the general level of cleanliness needs to be addressed. Toilets need to be checked and cleaned regularly, they're not! It is unforgivable for a public toilet in a hotel to run out of loo paper. It happened on several occasions during our week long stay. All in all for the price we paid, it was a last minute deal, we got very good value for money. I have stayed in a lot worse hotels around the world than this one. I have been hyper critical in this reveiew but you did ask! To finish on a high note, bearing in mind what I have said, the hotel and the resort are to be recommended. The holiday ended well - we left KOS early and arrived back in Newcastle more than half an hour AHEAD of schedule. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stamatia Studios - Kardamena Operator and Date: Libra - July 2007 Opinion submitted in July 2007 by : A Campbell - Glasgow (22,21) Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Good My/Our Holiday Review: The stamatia studios is perfect if you are looking for a quiet peaceful holiday. Its not right in the resort centre but just a short walk away. It is situated in a street of Greek residents so its pretty quiet about there. The room I stayed in was really hot at all times of the day, we hired a fan off of the apartment owners for 10 euros which was the cheapest anywhere I had seen. The room was clean, beds were made everyday bins were emptied also. The only thing i didn't enjoy was the toilet, the ground floor toilets didn't have windows or any kind of ventilation so it got pretty hot and smelly in there, other than that it was your usual greek toilet with the shower that you need to hold yourself! It had a single ring hob to cook food on we ate out everynight so never touched it once also had a fridge cutlery and plates. Kardamena was very lively. Bar street was excellent we used to just sit in the bar across from vibe an just watch ppl dancin up and down the street a really enjoyable atmosphere! One restaurant i recommend for breakfast is Fat olives down at the beach front nice food and staff very friendly and is what i'll always remember when i look back on this holiday! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stergia 1 apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook-Jun 2006 Opinion submitted in July 2006 by : Steve Mayland (20) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Average My/Our Holiday Review: Transfer from the airport was quick and to the point,it was an 18-30 holiday,as we checked into our rooms our rep came up to chat about activites going on in the week,we all took around £300 with us and the acivites wernt exactly cheap but we booked two of them,if you get the chance to go on a booze cruise do it,its totally worth it. the apartments were very standard and the beds looked like they were put together with matchsticks and superglue and were not comfy,we stayed a week and our sheets were changed once,the short walk to the pool didnt bother one little bit,stergia is a family run resort and they really are a nice bunch of people and the food and drinks round the pool were great,the resort itself is very clean as was the pool and pool area,i had a great holiday and would go back there but this time i would just ask for new sheets and take an iron...and mabye a blow up bed... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stergia 1 apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Direct Holidays) Direct Holidays - sept 2005 Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : lynda spencer, simon, kayleigh, brandon skipton (32, 34, 14, 3 months) Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Good My/Our Holiday Review: After saying in a previous review that we would never come to these apartments again, here we are.It wasnt as bad as i remember it being, apartments werent spotlessly clean but bins were emptied every day so an improvement there.Still no toilet rolls though. The owner is very nice and quickly brought me over a cot when i found there wasnt one in the room.Word of warning though when the windy weather sets in dont use the blankets on the top of the cupboards as they are full of fleas as my 3 month old baby found out unfortunatly.(we had folded one up under his mattress to make it a bit more spongy.) The resort was busy still at the end of september and everything was still open.I recommend going to ariadnis for a full english for only 3.5 euros - delicious.Unfortunatly El Tels one of our favourite film bars had shut down and changed into another bar which was disapointing and we couldnt find anywhere else showing films.The usual friends bars were on bar street but couldnt walk down there at night with a baby as the music blaring out of all the different bars was deafening.Eating out at night there were lots of lovely places to go but we found the cheapest were Tonys cuisine corner,Ariadnis and Synteknos which all had gorgeous food. Hire a car when you get there but not off the reps, we got one from Luka's car hire and he was the cheapest and best and we go back to him every time.It cost us only 100 euros for 4 days which was good.Thermos hot springs is definatly worth a visit to sit in the healing rock pool as is Paradise beach and the Asklepion for some ancient history.We finished every day off at Pegasus cocktail bar where the staff were very friendly and made us feel very welcome especially Phillipos.We spent a day in Kefalos which was very nice and cheap and think we may stay there next time we come over. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stergia 1 apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Manos Discounts) Manos 2005 Opinion submitted in June 2005 by : beverley tomlinson - newcastle (43,42,42.36) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Below Average My/Our Holiday Review: this was our 7th visit to kardamena but our 1st stay in these apartments, after being allocated a basment room we comlpained that we had asked for no basement rooms and the rep reluctantly moved us to the top floor! which had wonderful views . the accommodation was very basic and not very clean, the bed linen and towels were replaced only once in two weeks, the room was "cleaned" and i use this word carefully very three or four days, but as we absolutally love kardamena we quickley made our way to visit the many friends we have made over the years, We were quite suprised to see many of the restaurants had changed or closed down, due to the lack of visiters last year. There are lots and lots of good restaurants to try like Aramis , Kostas, Bluenote , Nemos on the harbour was excellent but avoid the new 24hour chineese restaurant Fu King Good! sadley didnt live up to its name. You must try Sizzlers on the beach front at the end of the resort, the food is great and the staff have become good mates, they have sunbeds outside for you to use before or after your food and are free . I must mention the Pussycat bar with its wonderful waitress Jenny, shes absolutaly wonderful and makes you very welcome, Rumours bar around the corner has the best Kareoke dj called Liam we had many a good night in there, opposite is the two Jonnys bar which has a show on twice a week and cheap buy one get one free on non shownights , Yanni the mad greek is great. This year we booked a private Boat Trip and had an amazing day, The Boat is docked in the harbour (Zeus ) and is owned by an english guy who takes you anywhere you want to go and cookes a BBq on the boat for your lunch,it was so good we did it again the 2nd week!and went in the opposite direction towards Kos town and stopped at the Theros springs, it was brilliant , swimming in the sea which was as hot as a bubble bath a really excelent feeling. as you can tell we love kardamena and plan to move here eventually, the only sad thing about the resort is that the tour operators are turning it into another Kavos or Falaraki and spoiling things for anyone over 25, but they will have try a lot harder to stop us die hard Kardamena fans. Enjoy your holiday but try to stay somewhere else. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stergia 1 apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Direct Holidays) Direct Holidays August 2004 Opinion submitted in Sept 2004 by : Peter,sue and adam (45.47.12) Liverpool Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Poor My/Our Holiday Review: This was probably the worst accommadation we have ever stayed in. The apartment claimed to sleep 4 people- provided you were all midgets!! the beds had seen better days and the linen was old and stained. Linen and towels were only changed once in the fortnight. It took a minimum of 25 mins to boil enough water to make 2 cups of tea. Stergia II 's pool resembled a milky soup; didn't look like it had been cleaned. Better to walk 10 minutes further on to the Splash pool and bar which was both clean and inviting. We really enjoyed our stay which was marred only by the dirty uncared for state of our accommodation --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stergia II Apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Direct Holidays) Direct Holidays - July 2005 Opinion submitted in Aug 2005 by : Watson Davis 37,34,15,10,9 Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Average My/Our Holiday Review: The stergia 2 was clean but basic.ok for a base but not well enough equipt to cook anything.Take plenty of towels and a toilet roll as none supplied .The family are nice enough and helpful.Their tuesday night bbq was good food but not so good entertainment.The bar and pool were excellent with plenty of sun loungers.It was only a 3 min walk to the seafront shops and reasturants.The amazon all inclusive reasturant was excellent value and good food . There is a lovely little beach at the end of the road to your left again very easy to get a lounger.Lovely place but the stergia is only for those whom dont expect to much for there money. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stergia II Apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Direct Holidays) Direct Holidays - july 2005 Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : Gaz + Key (24, 21) Leicester. Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Good My/Our Holiday Review: This family run hotel is pretty much what you'd expect in greece,nice rooms with just enough to get by with if you intend to cater for yourselves. the staff here are very friendly, especially stella. the pool area is very clean with loads of free sun beds und umbrellas. the hotel is also close to the action in kardamena (not so close that you can hear the music mind). the resort itself is great, very laid back. our favourite bars were the 'stone roses' and 'point one'. if you only visit one bar here though make sure its the stone roses. it plays quality indie/rock and the staff there are great. the only drawback to the resort is that the music is plugged at 12, unless the bars are soundproofed, which very few are. therefore most nights after 12 we went to see neil and 'free shots at the bar' jay at point one for a singalong and a few games. overall kardamena is a great place and we shall be beck within a few years! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stergia II Apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Direct Holidays) Direct Holidays - August 2004 Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : M, L, H & E - Durham ( 38,35,8,3) Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Poor My/Our Holiday Review: Apartment Location Conveniently located away from the noise of the bars, but within easy walking distance of the nightlife and the beach. The walk from the apartments to the main square however is on a poorly lit main road, with no pedestrian pavements, so you need to be careful. Avoid the main road and walk to the square via the sea/harbour front - especially if you are with children. Apartment The Apartments are small, the furnishings dated, and the cooking facilities only JUST adequate for boiling water - bring your own kettle if you fancy a quick cuppa. Some of the utensils and crockery provided are stained and don't look like they are cleaned after the previous occupants. Cleanliness as a whole is lacking in these apartments - on arrival, the room looks tidy, but there is film of sandy grit throughout, and ants on the kitchen workbench. Kitchen and toilet bins are only emptied every third day, and the room is only actually cleaned once - on your sixth day. You will get one change of bed sheets and one change of towels if you stay for a fortnight. The sheets are thin and worn, and the towels are like emery boards. Further, they only provide 3 towels for a party of 4, and only one roll of toilet paper will be provided for your fortnights stay. The shower is a basic hand held one, and the hot water does not last very long, so be quick. Facilities There is one main pool, one paddling pool, and one "Jacuzzi", and plenty of sunbeds, so there is no need to be up at dawn sticking your towels out. The sunbeds do not appear to be washed down though, and the Jacuzzi was never on. The pool is "cleaned" every day, but be warned, ear infections were rife the time we were there, and you cannot clearly see the bottom of the pool from the pool side. The advertised satellite TV is non existent, and whilst they will try and flog you the "Greek night", best advice is to keep your e15 and get a decent meal elsewhere. You can get a decent meal for 2 for the same price in the resort, and the entertainment is merely two of the women owners dancing to a tape in ordinary clothes. Fans and safety deposit boxes are available - for e44 per fortnight. There are several facilities elsewhere in the resort that offer free safety deposit boxes and much cheaper rentals, and even purchase of fans. Mosquitoes are rife, particularly in the vicinity of the apartments since it is surrounded by open land. Bring a couple of plug in repellents, and keep your doors and windows shut. Resort It is quite a small resort, but very lively. There are ample restaurants to choose from with varying degrees of quality, as well as many bars and several cocktail bars. Top two restaurants in our opinion are the Blue Note (harbour front) and the Koyros ( beach front). Both offer quality food and at a very reasonable price. Camelot was reputed to be the number one restaurant, but whilst the prices are reasonable, the quality of the food and service did not live up to expectation. The focal point is in the main square (which is very small), but the bars are pricey there, as well as along Bar Street. Best bar for the family was the Hotel Rio bar opposite Louis Supermarket, where the drinks are reasonably priced and the service is fast and friendly. There are beaches either side of the harbour, but both are quite small. Two sunbeds and an umbrella will cost you ?7 per day. Both of the main beaches have numerous eating places for your lunch. Ask nicely and they will let you use their toilet facilities. There are several duty paid shops where prices for cigarettes and spirits are much cheaper than the service you may be offered on the plane. Whilst the prices are pretty much the same in all these shops, some charge up to 3% commission for credit card purchases, whilst some offer 5% discount if you pay in sterling. As of August 2004, the HM Customs & Excise allowance for duty paid cigarettes was 3200, so shop around, as bulk buys in some shops attracted additional incentives. ( free bags or bottles of spirits). --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stergia II Apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: Direct hols july 04 Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : 46 41 12 9 4 Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Below Average My/Our Holiday Review: Front of apartments very good, clean pool,etc unfortunately not extended to apartments themselves,1 change of towels and sheets in 2 weeks for a family of 4,no kettle, toaster,not even a tin opener absolutely no chance of self catering and buy your own toilet roll only half a roll provided for a fortnight! don't take too many clothes 1 shared wardrobe,apartments far too small ok for 2 people. on the plus side, kardemena ,great place, you must find Jakes, the best place to eat, delicious huge servings English food,and if the show is on in the 2 Johnnies bar don't miss it ,excellent laugh. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stergia II Apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Direct Holidays) Direct Holidays (My Travel) - July 2004 Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : Vanessa and James - both 20 Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: We were the first to be dropped off once we'd left the airport which was a bit worrying because everyone is looking out the window eyeing up everyone elses accomodation and being dropped off first is never the best! Quite cheesed off when we got to the apartments as there wasn't even a rep to sort us out! But the owner could not have been nicer. She was an absolute diamond. Always chatty to us, asking if we were ok etc etc They put on a Greek night for us which was blinding. I even got up and had a bit of a dance myself (well, if you can call being swung round and round in circles by the man of the family dancing then i suppose it was!!) We thought the rooms were excellent! Perfect size as there were only 2 of us. The view was astounding. Did not look over the pool which i prefered, we had a perfect view of the sun rising and sun setting. Managed to get up i think once to see it rise!! The bathroom was fine, i've experienced the whole loo paper in the bin thing before so i wasn't too bothered. The rooms were cleaned every day. Didn't get a change of towels, but then again as i'd thought, the only thing you use them for is to mop up the water from the shower with no curtain!! We both came prepared and brought our own anyway. And when do you ever get a towel in any hotel anywhere that is big enough to dry more than one leg anyway!! We walked down to the beach one day but found it a little too small and crowded and plus our apartments had free sunbeds etc round the pool anyway so we tended to stay there most days. Eating out; We had a favourite which was opposite a place called Amazon, but what it was called i cannot remember! Went there twice as they were friendly. None of the eating places were expensive at all. Very reasonable. Nightlife; Wicked! So many to choose from. Bar Street was the main drinks bit and there were special offers on every single night. Shots with this, shots with that! God it makes me cringe when i think of some of the stuff we drunk! Only thing we found very strange was that the music in the bars go off at midnight! No later. Apparantly it is the law out there. 2 main clubs in Kardamena; Status and Starlight. Went to Status on our last night as we got in for free because the people we were with managed to sweet talk the manager! Went on a Bar crawl in Kos town one night. Is worth going there because the 2 places are so different! Kos Town is more Cosmopolitan, Kardamena is sooooo laid back! All in all was a fantastic week. Will definitely go back. 2 girls who were in the room next door have been going to Kardamena for the last 14 years so cannot be all that bad! I will definitely be going back. The only we both found which was not a problem as such, but would have been nicer, is that if we go again we will go in a crowd because as much as we had a laugh there are so many groups of all male and all female that being in a couple makes you feel like you have a neon sign over your head!! Girlie holiday next time me thinks! I think some people expect a little too much when it comes to cheap holidays. Ours was a right ole bargain and it was fantastic! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summer Palace - Mitis Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: August 2007 Opinion submitted in August 2007 by : J Wood 43,41 ,4,13month,63,63,73,69 Resort Rating: Poor Accommodation Rating: Below Average My/Our Holiday Review: Extremely disapointing! We were a family group with 2 young children, parents and in laws. First impressions fairly good. Room average slight damp on walls in bathroom and smell of sewage. Curtains hanging of the rails but we had a sea view and the views are lovely! Cleaned daily and fresh towels - spacious. Very noisy in the evening from the main lounge/reception area and corridor with suitcases rolling past and noise from lounge with main doors open (few quite bad sleepless nights). Meals quite good (no tummy upsets) reasonable selection. Downside always a rush at mealtime not relaxing (more like tesco in the rush hour). Waiters rushed off their feet needless to say drinks ect would take a while. Drinks are all warm not chilled (wine and beer just about drinkable, but anything would pass when the weathers hot). Only eating area really is the main restaurant and accompanying terrace. Other choice would be the pizza caf next to the pool (not that great)and needed to book! Variety for places to eat extremly poor. Evenings, do not expect entertainment because there is none at the Summer Palace, the entertainment is all based at the amputheatre at the Narida Resort next door which is a fair walk and up hill. Access very very bad! Not child friendly with buggies or the elderly! steps everywhere from the reception to the pool over 77 steps and over 90 plus a hill too the beach. Dont let the lift fool you, it constantly breaks down and when reported there is no rush to fix it! When the weather is so hot (not complaining) it is no fun carrying a buggy up from the beach/pool. Sun beds (dont make me laugh!) WAR breaks out daily for the fight for beds (ridiculous). To be assured a sun bed (it was no holiday up at 7.30am )to put out towels. The beds were not comfortable and very sub standard with crude/sharp edges on a lot of them a bad cut for an adult never mind toddlers. The only person assured of a sun bed was the manager for his family and guests! as his are tied to an umberella, and if you try to move one the bar staff are sent to man the post! which leaves the bar queue longer than normal. The other hazard and worry was the lighting in the pool which was constantly coming away from the wall! The bar at the beach and poolside close at 5.30pm the only place then for drinks is the main bar at reception and again its the big Queue. Evenings, if your not out from the dining area early enough there are no places to sit on the terrace outside, and the main reception is usally hot and a bit uncomfortable. There is another bar downstairs but frankly your sitting on 5* plastic furniture! not great at all. Dont let all inclusive fool you? throughout the day other than usual meal times, the only food on offer were cling film wrapped cheese and ham balm cakes, slices of cake and hot dogs - oh and ice cream - again not what you would call 5. Hotel location is basically in the middle of no where, only hotel shop and mini market. Alternatively you can use The Family Village or Narida (at a charge - even though Summer Palace is all inc you have to pay for drinks in the other hotels or pay extra for a wrist band -daily). Bus or taxi a must for getting out! Needless to say we spent a lot more money getting out and about, for a bit of peace, a cool beer and a decent sun bed! Kardemena and Kos very nice but staying at Summer Palace unless you hire a car you wont see to much of it! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summer Palace - Mitis Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date:* Holidays 4 You - 2007 Opinion submitted in August 2007 by : John & Val 63-63 Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Average My/Our Holiday Review: Food is good,but if you go in at certain times you will have to que and wait for a table.Not enough tables and chairs on the terrace,where it would have been nice to sit after dinner, there is a lack of places to sit in comfort unless you sit in the reception area, where there is no air conditioning. Sunbeds its a laugh or cry situation.there are abouy forty sunbeds around the pool,always taken,the same with the beach area especially as some of the man made beach was washed away at the beginning of the season.The sunbeds that were available are in very poor condition the net covering them was tearing away from the frames,a bit daunting for those of us who may be a little well rounded,and not very comfy for those with less padding.the usual towels on the sunbed routine applied,first up first served,or it might be more correct to say last up. there was one new take on the sunbed routine I think its safe to call it ,Management comes first and ignore the paying customers.[ Or words to this effect] applied to the beach area four sunbeds tied to a sun umbrella,people going over and starting to untie the sunbeds as they are the only ones left,but the guardian of the sunbeds descended, disguised as one of the bar staff this repeat performence continued until a couple from the Czech Republic held their ground,sat on them and refused to move despite pleas from the main bar man that he would lose his job,as they were for the managers family,and some story about it being against the law to untie anything [what?]maybe we should have tied the manager up.Eventually a compromise was reached and he was allowed the two sunbeds.That was the best entertainment at the Summer Palace. While we are on the subject of entertainment it is very poor the amphitheatre consists of rows of fold up chairs no tables to put a drink on,or you can go along to see a film right at the opposite end of the complex and steep drinks also expensive, the quality of the film ,sound inaudible,and very poor quality visualy with the odd silhouette walking across the screen.Once was enough. Access to other parts of the complex are steep and a very difficult walk from the beach and swimming pool as th e lift does break down for long periods. The staff are friendly but over worked there is an obvious shortage,the whole atmosphere is one of hustle and bustle and not condusive to that of a pleasant relaxed holiday. Kos itself is a pretty island with plenty to see and do and great boat trips,this was our fourth time there,we prefer self catering, lots of good places to eat. and lovely atmosphere walking out at night, and a better opportunity to get to know the people,if this had been our first visit to Kos it would have been our last,dont miss the chance of exploring the local buses are great,just watch for the times as they have a long space between the times in the afternoon.Mount Zia a must sunset stunning, take a boat trip to the volcano,Tingaki beach very good ,but Kardemena offers a quick escape during the day . [NOT 5 STAR MORE 3] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summer Palace - Mitis Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook - august 2006 Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : keith gosling - 63 and denise gosling - 51 Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Below Average My/Our Holiday Review: we visited this hotel at the same time last year to get married and it was excellent, however this time round we found that the standards of cleanliness left more than a little to be desired and customer safety was virtually ignored. i think that due to the change in management here that staff morale was extremely low and the attitude towards (dare i say)people from the u.k. was one of we have your money but we don't particularly want YOU. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summer Palace - Mitis Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: Sunstar Leisure - Jul 2006 Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : St Helens (35, 46) Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: The Hotel overall was very good, in my opinion i would say more of a four star hotel than five, but all the same very good, (you get what you pay for)! The food was very good and varied although mostly the same every day, but having been all inclusive before i would say this is normal practise. The drinks were very good and lots of choice. The only problem is the amount of steps, this did not bother me, but anyone with walking difficulties would find this a problem. The views over the sea are spectcular. All in all a good holiday and would definatly recommend. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summer Palace - Mitis Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: sunstar leisure - september 2005 Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : S & D Sheffield(49, 48) Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: Just arrived back after 2 glorious weeks in kos.The weather has been wall to wall sunshine.The hotel is in a fantastic location with views across the bay from the restaurant and terrace and also most of the bedrooms.However if you are allocated a bedroom at the rear of the complex it will help if you are a mountain goat - but the views are worth the climb. The bedrooms are very spacious as is the entire hotel. It is spotlessly clean and the staff are very friendly and helpfull. we had no problems with drinks, they were all branded names and not watered down as mentioned in previous reviews.There is a lift down to the main pool and beach which works 99% of the time but if it doesn't it is a heck of climb back up. The only down side to this holiday was the food - it is edible but that is about all I can say. If you were to rate this hotel on the food it is at best a 2 star. No one was ill but that was probably because no one ate much in the hotel.This was definately the worst food we have had in 25 years of hotel holidays and based on this we will not be returning to the Summer Palace which is a shame because it is a lovely hotel in a beautiful location. If you have already booked I am sure you will have a lovely time just be prepared to go into town for a few meals which can be as cheap or as costly as you wish. There are many bars and restaurants so it isnt a problem. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summer Palace - Mitis Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: Sunstar Leisure Ltd - June 2005 Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : Amelia & Matthew - Kent (24 & 27) Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Good My/Our Holiday Review: Myself and my partner booked the Summer Palace as a last minute deal, wanting a week of sun and relaxation. Having then read several reviews on this site, I became concerned that we were destined to a holiday from hell. Our flight out was delayed by a couple of hours (- Alexandair possibly the scariest experience I've had in a plane, and wont be flying with them again!), resulting in us not arriving at the Summer Palace until almost 6am.Despite the early hour of the morning we were shown to our room by a friendly porter, who continued to chat with us throughout our stay. The rooms are clean, and spacious with all of the expected amenities. Unfortunately, our mini bar didn't keep things cold, and we did have to request a couple of times that they rectify this. The only cloud of the holiday was that we were placed in room 212, which had spectacular views of the bay, but was directly next to the noisy lift shaft - after 2 nights with no sleep we had to complain until they agreed to move our room on the next day. The reception staff were unhelpful and rude, and required considerable coercion before they would move us!! Having said that, the rest of the staff were great - as long as you queued at the bars rather than adopting the more traditional british 'throng'!!! The food was of a decent standard, and there was enough of it, and the drinks were plentiful. I think that the major reasons that people have complained in the past is the lack of understanding of Greek standards - a 5* in Greece is not the same as a 5* in the Caribbean! Also, listening to the way that some of the tourists speak to the staff at the hotel, it is not a surprise that they dont receive a good reception - we found that if you are friendly and polite, you get a great response! Finally, if you're going into Kardamena, eat at Nemos - fantastic food, great staff and dirt cheap! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summer Palace - Mitis Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Airtours Direct) Airtours - June 2005 Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : Claire Cook - Durham (25, 35) Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: Myself and my partner have just returned from a two week holiday at the Summer Palace Hotel, part of the Mitsis Group of hotels. We arrived at 2pm and were delighted with the reception area and the organisation of the staff. We were offered assistance with our bags but politely refused but in hindsight we should have as we got lost looking for our room! In the scorching heat carrying a heavy suitcase up and down stairs is a little exhausting! We had asked for a room with a sea view at the time of booking and were told no guarantees could be made but we were delighted when we arrived at our room to find one of the most romantic and spectacular views over the aegean sea. We could not have asked for a better room as it was right next to the pool (and of course the pool bar!) and was only a small walk to the beach. I did, however, feel sorry for those families/couples/individuals who were located right at the top of the hill as it would have been some trek to the beach. The food was ok, although not brilliant and was slightly repetitive. I had no trouble finding things I liked to eat (salads were fantastic) but my partner is quite fussy with food and had to eat the same thing for nearly the whole fortnight. I was a little disappointed with the choice of 'all inclusive' food at times other than meal times with the only thing on offer being cheese and ham or ham and cheese rolls or little pastries. I have to say the staff were brilliant particularly the animation team who tried really hard to get people involved and the main bar team at night who always made you feel like a special guest. The beach bar team were also equally friendly and helped you to really have a relaxing and happy time. Talking of the beach, it is painful on the feet to begin with but your tootsies soon get used to it and the water is lovely and cooling on those long hot days. We were able to feed the fish in the sea as they come right up the shore practically. Maid service excellent - fresh towels and service every day and constant cleaning and polishing of the main hotel. Could not believe how clean it was! Italian restaurant great - pizza is fabulous. We had a wonderful time and a well deserved break. We also met lots of great people of all nationalities. Mostly British but also Dutch, Serbian and Albanian not to forget Czech! The trips are good - we really enjoyed Turkey by night and the boat trip. The highlight of the holiday of course was the fact we got engaged and the photographer who covers the hotel went out his way to make sure our photos were fantastic. Our only negative comments would be that the lift was constantly out of order (daily) so if you do have walking difficulties/have arthritis etc it would be quite difficult to attempt the many stairs of the hotel. I was glad of the excercise to be honest with all the over-indulgence. The other comments of a less positive nature would be that the resort is not that great and not much to see, (although try Mojo's wine bar as they have organic wine that will be selling in Waitrose for £25 a bottle in Sep), we had a leak with our air-conditioning which ruined a new bag and the hotel were uninterested in paying compensation and the beer! My partner was sick of drinking Lowenbrau by the end of the holiday although they are many branded drinks. We enjoyed Kos immensely but are planning to return to Kos Town next year for a week as there seems more historic places to visit and more cosmopolitan nightlife than the cheesy bars and nightclubs catering for the younger age group of Kardamena. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summer Palace - Mitis Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: Sun Star -June 2005 Opinion submitted in June 2005 by : Victoria Gilbert and Richard Gilbert 29,33 Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: This has been the most relaxing holiday I have ever taken. The Hotel Staff, the accodation and the other guests make you feel very relaxed. The staff can not do enough to please you, if you talk and joke with them they will make you feel very welcome. Entertainment is not brilliant at night but you can always make your own. Talk to other guests or even the hotel saff and your night will become very entertaining. When you pack your suitcase make sure you remember to pack some clothes that are a little slack on you. We will warn you, you will need them by the end of the holiday. I'm a fussy eater but I always found something to eat and enjoyed it. If you have read the brochures you would have seen there are steps and hills around the hotel, but they help the hotel to have such wonderful views. Enjoy your holiday at the Summer Palace and just relax by one of the eight pools or by the beach. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summer Palace - Mitis Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Airtours Direct) Airtours june 2005 Opinion submitted in June 2005 by : Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: hotel cracking,but a fair distance from main town,entertainment not that good in hotel though,would recommend getting free bus into town then taxi home(only 7 euros) loads of good places to eat at night and during the day,especially hooties pete and annmarie make you feel so welcome,at night go to georges bar just down from krismaris hotel(just don't start drinking shots with him)then there's billys bar (what a night, enough said)out of billys bar across the road and into his takeaway shop after a night on the sauce. Superb holiday apart from staying a 40 min walk away from the town --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summer Palace - Mitis Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: Sunstar-May2005 Opinion submitted in June 2005 by : Alex Kennedy-(32,29) Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: The Summer Palace Hotel is a wonderful hotel,the food and drink is fantastic.But you are bored out of your mind at night. There is simply nothing to do. You can if you like walk a couple of miles to Kardamena if you want. This has to be seen to be believed. The last time i saw people like this i was playing a computer game with Zombies in it. The tourists that walk about look as if they have escaped from an experimentation unit. On five minutes of walking into Kardamena i seen a young couple fighting with each other to the extent they were both bleeding, 1 guy then dunted past me in the street. He had a tatoo of a scorpion on his forehead.I have seen rough people before but this place is a zoo. I feel i must warn you of the staff in the Summer Palace they are terrible,rude,ignorant,creepy.Anything you ask for at reception the answer is always No.The atmosphere between the Germans and the English was terrible you could cut it with a knife. If you have your room in a mostly German tourist part of the hotel, forget it they will make you very uncomfortable if you are British. Our holiday was ruined by the childish aggresive behavior between the English and the Germans they are as bad as each other. Before i forget the hotel charges you £13 a week for a safe non refundable. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summer Palace - Mitis Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: Independant - May 2005 Opinion submitted in May 2005 by : Lou and partner (30 & 33) Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: The hotel has had some bad reports in the past but we were really, really pleased! Myself and my partner went for 2 weeks at the beginning of May and we throughly enjoyed ourselves! Weather - brilliant - endless sunshine! Resort - ok what we saw - didnt venture out much! Kardemena was ok some good shops but not that much to see there! Hotel Food was ok, as a vegetarian I did struggle for snacks in the day, however at breakfast I packed up my own sandwiches and they foil wrapped them or you could order a picnic for the day. The Italiant restuarant was really nice and this is really useful if sunbathing by the pool if you dont want to move very far for your lunch! Room was fantastic! The bath was huge and shower was great, very powerful! The hairdryer was useful that is in the bathroom. Rooms are very spacious with lots of storage space. We were luckily in 202 which was literally a few doors from reception so close to bar! Mini bar in room was restocked every other day (Mitsis website does state every day!). Staff - mostly friendly and polite with the exception of a few people (mainly those who didnt have good english!) Pool & Beach - Beach hurt your feet (ouch!) due to shingles but sea was lovely to swim in! Pool was fantastic, lots of sunbeds not many probs getting a good spot. Free bus - this was good, useful to pop into Kardemena for bits and bobs of shopping and also nice to pop out before evening meal. Entertainment - Bingo every night, different shows (didnt watch many) the team did a good effort with Grease! Daytime activities they try to encourage you to take part, can win Bingo tickets!! They all worked long hours with one day off but good effort! Overall, we didnt want to move much because we were happy round the pool and near the drinks! The only thing we would grumble about was the Greek Strikes! Our flight home was affected, delayed by nearly 4 hours and a lot of holiday makers at the airport said they wouldnt return to Greece because of the problems! I agree with comments about it not being a 5 star but I definately think due to its location and the facilities that its good value for money and we definately had a really enjoyable holiday! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summer Palace Hotel / Family Village - Kardamena Operator and Date: sunstar may 2005 Opinion submitted in May 2005 by : doug white hartlepool (41,55) Resort Rating: Average Accommodation Rating: Average My/Our Holiday Review: Booked for family village, on arrival found out that the hotel was no way near ready but had been upgraded to 5* summer palace. Would say its a good 3* Totally centered on the germans / dutch and belgians staff friendly enough and struggled at times with english but could all speak german and dutch. Kids disco different british kids out of their depth but at least know birdy song /agadoo and hokey pokey in greek. Rooms with ocean view are beautifull Food is very repetative the same was on every day only with different sauces, ie meatballs fish pasta. not really catered for kids apart from grill where they had a chef doing kebabs ish with chips now and again. Please dont listen to what the reps tell you at the meetings we were not told the truth once all week. even when the flight home was cancelled and they decided who to put on the one flight to manchester via gatwick as you can imaginefun and games were had until they finally relented and allowed us to swap with people who didnt mind staying the extra day but there again that is the only thing sunstar are real proffesionals at getting you to youe destination and then worrying about getting you home later. it took us 10 hours to get home yesterday 7/5/2005. they finally got a alexandair (greek) plane and from kos to manchester via vienna ang gatwick all they gave us was a soft drink twice and a SMALL breakfast. Would go back to island but kos town but would rather walk than go with sunstar have fun. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summer Palace Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: Sunstar leisure - April 2005 Opinion submitted in May 2005 by : Geoff Tucker 60, 53 Resort Rating: Average Accommodation Rating: Poor My/Our Holiday Review: The flights and transfers were trouble free but arriving at the hotel at 2 am we were faced with large queues to check in.. The porter showing us to our rooms got lost and we wandered around the hotel finally finding our room about 4 am. A 5 star hotel raises expectations on food, comfort and standards of service. The summer palace fails miserably on all counts. Those with walking difficulties should be aware that there are many steps at different levels of the hotel as all the rooms are very spread out on these levels. There are no lifts to take you up and down to the different levels. The food is poor quality and quantity with long queues at peak times for service at the grill. The food at the buffet is not covered and visited by flies and sparrows. There were frequent shortages of bread, plates and eggs etc. The variety of food was very poor, the same foods being served at several mealtimes, and if you had children with you, there was very limited choice. The furniture in reception was torn and tatty and the area smelled strongly of chlorine from the indoor pool. This was the only comfortable area to have a drink but understaffing resulted in waits of up to 30 min for a drink. People started ordering double quantities but a notice appeared on the bar restricting customers to two drinks. The Italian restaurant could not produce a small salad within 30 min and the staff were reduced to asking the guests what they had ordered as their system had failed. If you are a smoker the hotel imposes a 5% surcharge on credit card purchases of tobacco, some of the shops in Kardamena impose a 2% surcharge , beware. Kardamena appeared small but pleasant and was just opening up for the season. Our flight was cancelled with a delay of 22 hours, resulting in a riot with the sunstar leisure reps unable to cope. We were given assurances from the reps that we could keep our rooms on at no extra charge and details would be confirmed by reception at 10 am the next day. At 10 am Sunday we were told by reception we had to pay 40 euros to keep our rooms. This was greeted by another near riot. Sunstar leisure took another hour to confirm to the hotel that they would pay the bill. At 2 am the bus turned up for the airport transfer to pick up passengers for manchester but despite phone calls from the driver no reps turned up . The Gatwick passengers poured on to the bus and the driver left for the airport leaving some behind. There was no reps at the airport, we had been abandoned by sunstar leisure. This was a holiday from hell. We paid the money and expected better. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summer Palace Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: sunstar - 2005 Opinion submitted in Aug 2005 by : lee webb - Middlesex Resort Rating: Poor Accommodation Rating: Poor My/Our Holiday Review: Definetley not a 5* rating hotel more like 3.Staff were rude, not helpful, and couldn't careless. Food was awful, there were flies over everything. Main pool dirty. there were not enough sun beds or umbrellas. day time snacks sat on the bar from 10am until 6pm not re-frigerated. drinks were awful and glasses were dirty. lots of guests were unwell with tummy upsets etc. reps were useless. would not go there again if i was paid!! Don't fly with alexander airline as we had a three day delay. this hotel is advertising a 5 luxury hotel when it is clearly not!! Not recommended. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summer Palace Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: Sunstar Leisure - 2004 / 2005 Opinion submitted in June 2005 by : Tanya (22,22,22,23) Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Good My/Our Holiday Review: I stayed at the summer palace with my partner, and two of our friends. First impression were very good, apart from it did look out the way. We were shown to our room which were very spacious and very clean, and was impressed with the minibar which was sticked daily. We had a problem on our first day, the toilet smelt of really bad sewage, and we reported this on a number of occassions in which in fairness they did come and try to sort the problem out but it was never resolved. We had a pool right outside our room and was used bu us our friends and a couple of other people which was great. The hotel is situated on a steep hill, and is about a 5-10 min drive in a taxi to the town. A couple of the bar staff were very rude, and when you asked him for drinks he huffed and puffed as if you were not entitled to these. Alot of flies were flying around and on the cocktail jugs, in which we stayed well clear off. The food we had no complaints over, apart from breakfast, that was a bit on the downside. Alot of deserts to choose from. Entertainment was pretty poor, and we always ventured into the town around 11.00. ALl in all the hotel is very clean, and i have no complaints about it apart from the smelly toilets. I wouldnt say it was a 5* plus, more of a 3* plus. We also hired the quads out for the day from the hotel which were brilliant, definately reccomended!!!! If you go to summer palace, do not be worried, it is a clean hotel with pools dottoed about over the hotel which are used byt the rooms nearest to it. The only thing that lets this hotel down is the entertainment, the steep hills and the bar staff and the flies that attack the cocktail jugs. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summer Palace Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Olympic Direct) Olympic - October 2004 Opinion submitted in Oct 2004 by : 25 & 26 Resort Rating: Average Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: My girlfriend and I have just come back from a great two weeks at the Summer Palace. However reading some of these reviews we were dreading it. Well I can honestly say we found the hotel clean, friendly and the food good. I do agree that it is certainly not a UK 5 star, however for Greece it was a high standard. Admittedly as others have commented the food does get repetitive after two weeks, however saying that try the Chinese at the Norida next door, was a pleasant change, the Italian is also nice. The drinks are good with some branded sprits however the cocktails were not good. The views from the hotel are lovely and if you get a room with a sea view, it's even better. The rooms are nice (twin single beds joined together though!) air con mini bar etc. Beware, if like us, you like late nights, the cleaners usually bang on the door around half ten AM, make sure you get a do not disturb sign from reception. I must make a special mention for the reception staff, there under great pressure but are always friendly epically if you get to know them, we will miss them. Taxis are about a fiver to Kardemena, there is a regular bus that costs next to nothing and the hotel run a free bus. This brings me on to my next point the resort. Kardemena is naff, unless your 16 and away from home for the first time. We did go down a few times as there is nothing to do at the hotel of an evening. There is a club called Sugar that's OK, if you find some fun people to go with. Like others have commented the place is Blackpool in the sun. Our advise is go to Kos town, it's a great place with good bars and the old town is lovely. Also go on trips etc, there cheap and good value. Bodrum in Turkey is twenty minutes from Kos and is great. Loads of shops and lots to see. I would not go to Kos in peak season; the end of the season is more relaxed the beaches less packed. Also the airport was rammed when we left so I can't imagine how bad it would be in July! Anyway the summer palace will remain in our minds in a positive way, and remember a holiday is only as good as you make it! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summer Palace Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: Sunstar Leisure - August 2004 Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : Tracy Frost (34, 40, 8, 6) Resort Rating: No rating Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: Had I read some of the reports on "Holidays Uncovered" prior to booking the Summer Palace Hotel I may have thought twice about making the reservation. However, we have just returned from a fabulous two-week holiday, and I find it difficult to believe that the other reports are based on the same place! I agree that it is a different (although not necessarily inferior) standard than you would expect from a hotel in this country, but this is Greece, and I was not expecting the Ritz! The hotel bedrooms and all public areas were immaculate - there was a constant presence of maids cleaning and polishing. The food was excellent - freshly-cooked and attractively presented. Again, not Michelin star-rated but, when you break down the cost per meal, it is excellent value. I existed, through choice, mainly on Greek salads, but my husband sampled 14 different dinners throughout the course of our holiday. I was pleased that there wasn't the usual kids' menu of chicken nuggets, fish fingers etc, as my children got to try new and different foods. As for the hills and steps - to be quite honest, with our over-indulgence of food and drink, I was glad of a little exercise. It was not excessive, and brochures/web sites do warn that it is unsuitable for those with walking difficulties. We were a little disappointed with the main hotel bar - unfriendly staff and the cocktails were not very inspiring. However, a special mention must be given to Diana's bar, situated by one of the smaller pools. The drinks and service here were fantastic - anybody visiting this hotel must try one of her "Summer Palace Special" cocktails! The resort of Kardamena was a little disappointing (Blackpool with sun!) but this did not mar our stay, as the hotel was fantastic, and we hired a car for 3 days to see the rest of the island. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summer Palace Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: Media Travel July 2004 Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : Al & Maggie Prior 50, 47 Resort Rating: Average Accommodation Rating: Poor My/Our Holiday Review: Just returned from 1 week at Summer Palace. We have stayed at many 4 & 5 star hotels around the globe and this just doesnt deserve anything above a 3 The room we had allocated at 12.30 am was right over the reception area, coaches pulling in three times a night and the receptionist assured us it would only happen for the one night diesel fumes came into the room and the reception couldnt give a dam. This happend every night until 4.00am We ate in the restaurant one night out of the week flies running about my food and on the table etc are not my idea of a 5 star hotel. Chicken was off the menu due to a outbreak earlir of a serious food posioning outbreak so I was told.No sight of any tradional Greek food, lots of pasta for Italian guests Germany won this one hands down. ENTERTAINMENT OF SWOTTING THE FLIES FROM THE MARMALADE IS ONE OF THE ADULT GAMES YOU CAN PLAY AT BREAKFAST My husband booked this for our wedding anniversary and the Italian Restaurant until we found out the menu consisted of no starters pasta or pizza sweets choice of ice cream. We hoped that this would not be a find the bed on the beach without the towels on type of holiday but yes there they were at 6am gathering everyones towel that they were with and keeping the beds occuppied for the towels all the day. Reps at the hotel were not in the least bit interested and that went for all the reps I didnt even bother approaching one. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summer Palace Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: silke june 04 Opinion submitted in Jan 2005 by : Silke Erba (48,36,6,1) Resort Rating: Poor Accommodation Rating: Average My/Our Holiday Review: We planed to spend one week vacation at the Summer Palace, but ended up in the hospital first in Kos and then in Athens, afterwards here in Italy, due to a Meningoencefalitis of my daughter Alice, who was 16 months old last summer. She is still not ok after several months. The assistance we had from the hotel was unexisting. 7 people of our group of 9 felt ill with vomiting and dearea - We would need to get in touch with other guests who have been there during June and July 2004 - Your reply would be appreciated. Thanks. Silke --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summer Palace Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: Sunshine Holidays June 2004 Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : Tony Aubrey Rwading 45 43 8 Resort Rating: Poor Accommodation Rating: Poor My/Our Holiday Review: Hygiene in this Hotel is very suspect. When I arrived there was a smell of sewerage in the room which was full of flies. Excrement was overflowing in the bathroom. Overworked staff in reception unhelpful as were the Sunshine Holiday staff themselves. Manager did not know what he was doing. When arranging alternative accommodation the next day 2 other parties were in reception complaining about the smell in other parts of the building. Huge amount of stairs and no plan to follow to initially get to the room. I am so stressed after this holiday i need another one. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summer Palace Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Airtours Direct) Airtours - June 2004 Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : Dave Nichol - Newcastle (47,47) Resort Rating: Average Accommodation Rating: Poor My/Our Holiday Opinion: Just returned from 1 week at Summer Palace & reports that all is well are sadly misguided. Both myself & my partner were struck down with stomach bug & we were the rule rather than the exception. Clearly serious health problems are yet to be addressed. Perhaps my complaint of flies on open buffet food may be heeded. Hotel describes itself as 5 star as do some brochures, but even Airtour 4 star is being kind. Our room was standard but with only hand held shower. Cost cutting or bad management could be reason for dud light bulbs in corridors & stairs not being properly replaced. Noise was occasional problem due to long tiled corridors which seemed to amplify noise & tiled rooms with movable furniture never seem to mix quietly! Overall we found the hotel disappointing - a view held by many other guests.It is clean & bright with superb views but it was felt that the management were not maintaining standards in the restaurant where we found the choice limited especially when avoiding food from the cold buffet, in entertainment which did not get much better than karaoke, & in general maintenance. The staff were cheerful & helpful in the main, but 2 restaurant managers who stood at the door like night club bouncers rarely spoke & never smiled. No smiling Maitre D on top of his job here I'm afraid. Sorry to be so negative but after a 7 day break which saw 4 lost to illness I can recommend very little of my holiday. Even the airport holds bad memories - 1 hour wait for baggage on arrival & 90 minute queue outside to get into the airport departure building. Needless to say I shall not be returning - other Med. destinations do sun holidays far better. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summer Palace Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Airtours Direct) Airtours - May 2004 Opinion submitted in June 2004 by : Ian Dobison - Seghill ( 47,45,21) Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: This is an initial report, offered the day after our return...a more detailed one will follow within a week..... I want to say that all previous reports going back to last Summer (2003) should be disregarded quitesimply because this property has a new manager, and it has gone to ALL INCUSIVE, There may be some coverage regarding tummy upsets this month, this is NOT at all the hotel's fault, it is the direct result of an airborne virus brought in by the Italian's staying there, and quite honestly any talk that it is the food, the water or anything related are RUBBISH. Airtours had all these facilities checked in late May 2004 and all were clear!! Rooms were spotless, the restaraunt equally so, the food was well presented, altohugh the choice could have been a bit more wide ranging. The Italian Restaraunt down on the pool terrace is starting a new menu on the 5th June, and it looks excellent. Yes, the hotel is a little way out of Kardamena, but those people moaning about not being able to use the courtesy bus, must never have heard of taxis, or, they are just plain tight!! Try this property- it's in a smashing spot, the staff are excellent, and it will improve as the season wears on...... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summer Palace Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: trust & sunstar - 2004 Opinion submitted in Oct 2004 by : 42,45 Resort Rating: Average Accommodation Rating: Average My/Our Holiday Review: will we have stayed in the summer palace for one week , this was long enough. this is not a 5 star hotel. the hotel is at the top of a very big hill and there are lots and lots of steps. there was 50 steps to our room from the closest pool, their is a lift but it only stops were it wants to and when it wants to , after been stuck in it for 10mins one day we gave it a miss and just walked. the beach is not for children its very small pebbles painful on the feet also hard to walk on as you just seem to sink in it. the sea is very blue and the fish are very easy to see, but it become very deep after a few feet in. this no good for non swimmers and small children. the pool bar give you any drink you want in a plastic cup (small) so if you want a beer you get half a mouth full, we didnt think much of the bar staff, didnt seem to want to give you a drink. the food was good , full b/fast and lunch seemed to be the same as dinner and most days was the same food, the rooms were very clean and had a small fridge , but this hotel is very noisy all the time . this hotel is a sister hotel to the norida beach and thats were all the entertainment is , and thats a good walk in the dark along the beach, you can only get drinks there on the nights that the entertainment is on . the weather was good but we wouldnt go to this hotel again . --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sun Beach - Kardamena Operator and Date: Libra Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : Mark , 20 , Vicky , 20 Resort Rating: Average Accommodation Rating: Average My/Our Holiday Review: We booked sun beach lasy year and were looking forward to it. When we arrived it was late at night and we were taken down a dark dingy street. VERY SCAREY We payed extra money for a bedroom instead of a studio. not worth the money, it was just more roomspace for dirt to collect in. it shares the pool area with the Valinakis apts. which you either have to cross the roasting sand to get to, or walk by a busy main road. They also share a reception. it did not say anything about safety boxes in the broshure but you have full access to next doors. it also does not say anything about air con, as there is none. but you can buy a fan for 17euros. THE ROOM the room in the sun beach was very basic, and i would reccomend buying somthing to keep the mosquitos out. there was bug splats all over the wall, the bed was broken and there was a crack in the window which they tried to cover up with 'rent a car' stickers. at the end of the holiday they even had the cheek to deliver a sheet of paper which gives a list of prices for items which you break. but they were alredy broken when we got there. THE FOOD all of the restaurants are within walking distance and so are the bars. the food is excellant. Particularly Avli, which is difficult to find but well worth asking somebody. The are countless numbers of people offering henna tatoos, i would not recommend it. i got one and got an infection from it and spent a week in hospital, so please stay clear. I think this would be a great holiday for groups of younger people. but for couples i wouldnt recommend. at the pool it is full of young groups of guys who took over the pool. the pubs also put the music off at 12oclock, although it stays open untill the last customer leaves. but is very boring and would not reccomend it --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunflower Apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Kosmar Discounts) Kosmar August 2005 Opinion submitted in Aug 2005 by : 22, 22, 22 Kim, Marianne and Emma Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: We thought that the apartments looked very nice on the outside, but not that great inside We did grow 2 love the place tho as we made it our own One word of warning-u will b situated on a main road so lots of noise, as the nite gets later, the more noise from people, mopeds, quads, the train that runs thru kardamena etc We got used 2 it after a few nites and we never really got in til after 6am most mornings anyway!! Kardamena is very lively we all had a great time, beach is lovely Dont go 2 the 1 closest 2 the apartments tho, its tiny and we didnt find the main beach til later on in the week which is well nice Do not eat at the El Greco we had 2 wait 45 mins just 4 a baguette obviously they 4got about us!!! Def recommend Nemo's 2 eat along the harbour Its very relaxed during the day, but totally different at nite Head down 2 bar Street this is where all the action is Wicked bars, abit more expensive than Kardamena strip but worth it!! The main square is brill, where ul find Stone n Roses, Jam, Bar 1960, Chilli Peppers, Toxic, Crackers, Liquid, just 2 name a few!! Pr's arent as bad as they are in malia they actually take no 4 an answer!! Our fave club was Status it plays all kinda music think it was 2 euros 2 get in and open til 4.30am Other good clubs are Mad, Down Town 4 cheese, Starlight Only bad thing about the place is that music stops at 12!! We were told that this happens all thru greece but it didnt in malia The bars dont shut tho dont think i actually saw 1 shut!! There are lots of kids tryin 2 sell stuff that wont leave u alone tryin 2 swap there stuff 4 urs, one tried 2 pinch my mates head scarf I would recommend Kardamena 2 any1, perhaps not families as its very commercialised loadsa people gettin pissed and havin a good time in the evening, ok 4 families during the day tho If u go 2 kardamena thru kosmar they are very good reps apart from the fact that we got delayed 24hrs on the way there!! We flew with air scandic who r reknown 4 this so do not fly with this airline!! We got put up in a hotel n stuff but no one would tell us why we were delayed and everyone we did ask the book just got passed along basically Kosmar reps over in kos are brill, the ones here arent, very unhelpful We wouldnt have minded if we were given a reason!! This airline also had delays 4 all over greece, turkey and portugal u have been warned!! Enough of the moaning, it was a brill holiday and only 1 hour dealy on the way back I will def b back 2 kardamena in the future Every1 is so friendly cant do enough 4 u Hav a brill time!!!! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunflower Apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Kosmar Discounts) Kosmar - June 2005 Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : Surrey - (30, 27) Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: We found the Sunflower Studios were in a good location. They were clean and although there is some noise from the basket ball court next door it's not unbearable. The apartments are a five minute walk from the small beach in town which is nice and a 10 minute walk to the main beach which is busier on the other side of the harbour. Lots of bars & good restaurants locally and about 5/10 minute walk to main bar street. Nightlife was excellent, only downside was that all the bars turn their music off at Midnight, everyone mills around for a while and then heads off to the clubs - which you can usually get free passes for on bar street. Very enjoyable holiday. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunflower Apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Kosmar Discounts) Kosmar June 2005 Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : Linda Phill 43,42 Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Average My/Our Holiday Review: The resort had doubled in size since the last time we were there and there were a lot of twenty somethings there so we did feel a little old but we were not the oldest by any stretch of the imagination. The apartments were adequate we had a four bedded one but I would not have liked to squash a family in there especially as one of the beds was in the kitchen area. The surrounding area was failrly quiet although if it got too hot during the night then the sound of motorbikes was quite loud. The bars all competed for your custom - the beers were cheap- but eventually this constant harassing to get you in the bars did get to you. We had excellent meals without hardly cause for complaint. The weather was fantastic not too hot at that time of year and we did not need air conditioning. Our balcony was big and there was also a communal roof balcony which was great to catch the rays. Overall we had a good holiday I don't think we would go back however as I think it is becoming too young of a resort. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunflower Apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Kosmar Discounts) Kosmar - Oct 2004 Opinion submitted in Feb 2005 by : Rachelle - Glasgow (37,36,7) Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Good My/Our Holiday Review: we stayed at the Sunflower in Oct 2004, (school hol time in Glasgow). We arrived at 5.00am which was tiring to say the least, and our first impression was what we expected, a fairly basic whitewashed Greek apartment block ! The apartment itself was fairly basic but ample, wouldnt have liked to spend 2 weeks there though !! The shower like all Greek type places was an experience and a half....not a nice thought when you are lying on the golden sand in the midday sun trying to forget about that nice shower you are NOT going to have....you must realise that you will be going back on the plane with last weeks sand still stuck in all your crevices !! Anyway, Karda is a great resort off season when you are travelling with children, the beach, the restaurants, the shops, there's even a great big swingpark adjacent to the beach which will keep them occupied for a while. The temperature in October averages around 26 degrees so its a nice 'cheapish' break at that time of the year.... All in all apart from not being washed properly, a very enjoyable stay was had by all. ps Met a lovely Geordie couple who stayed in the apartment next door...."Are you still breaking plastic chairs for a living Malk?". Malk had an accident with one of the patio chairs !! and because the owner of the apartment lived on the ground floor he had to sneak past her every day !! Be warned she is extremely nosey, which isnt a bad thing in a way....just dont try and bring any friends home...... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunnyview Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: July 2007 Opinion submitted in July 2007 by : Fiona Wilkins age 29 Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Below Average My/Our Holiday Review: I went to the Sunnyview with my friend Jo aged 28 for a girlie party holiday. We arrived at the Sunny View apartments late at night and were greeted by the owner and the family, who appeared friendly. We did laugh at the charges we had to pay before even seeing our room. We had to pay for air con etc. We joked that it was like Faulty Towers ie lots of extra charges. We arrived to our room which was extremly basic, very limited space to hang clothes and some of the draws did not open!! the bathroom was filthy!!! not sure when it was last cleaned and the shower was like a hose pipe!!! The breakfast is served between 7.30 and 9.30am (very early!!) and its consists of bread rolls and Jam, tea and coffee. You can pay for cooked breakfast from their menu. If you don't choose to eat in the hotel the owner gets very annoyed. From the moment you arrive at the hotel you are pressured into attending their Bar B Q!!!!!! all the guests commented on the fact that you are asked every five minutes to purchase tickets to the bar B Q. I paid for a ticket however i was ill so i did not make the event. As in the brochure it stated the hotel is for young people, it was not surprising that the younger ones including me at 29! arrived back to the hotel in the early hours making a little bit of noise!! however on two seperate nights the Owner phoned our room as we had about 4 people on the balcony having a laugh. We were spoken to like young girls at boarding school. We felt very much as if we were naughty school girls at boarding school whenever the owner and his family spoke to us. after we were told off we had a few early nights and no longer made any noise. It did not stop the owner telling us that we had to be quiet one particular evening as he had important guests who holiday at the Sunny View every year so we had to be quiet!!! When leaving the Sunny view the owner asked us to tick excellent on each box of the questionnaire so he gets a full page in the Thomson Holidays book next year. i didn't do that! On the plus side, the Sunny view has a lovely pool and loads of sunbeds, no need to get up early to reserve them. Then nightlife is good, lots of deals on drinks although the music is turned off at midnight then most people go on to the nightclubs. Some lovely places to eat the Nemo restaurant by the harbour is good and the Alexander next door. I would go back to Kos pretty island just not the Sunny View --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunnyview Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays Direct) Thomson Holidays - Sept 2006 Opinion submitted in May 2007 by : Debbie & Mark Swindon 41, 40 Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Opinion: We had a fantastic time there. George,Katrina and family really look after you throughout the holiday. The rooms were lovely and cleaned regular and the pool was kept spotless. BBQ nite with the family was very good value for money once a week (make sure you book when you get there, very popular) Any trips around the Island(s) or over to Turkey, shop around to get the best deal. The resturants in Kardamena are very reasonably priced and plenty so could eat at different places each nite! Or you can eat at Sunny View, George and Katrina will look after you. Francis is a great laugh and a Liverpool fan(atic)and keeps the Samubaco and oozo flowing. We are going back to Sunny View in Sept 2007 again to meet up with friends made and would recomend this hotel to everyone Debbie & Mark --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunnyview Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays Direct) Thomson Holidays skytours - 2006 Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : andy, jim ,mark, nick, kez ,vic ,kay all age 20 hinckley leicestershire Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Good My/Our Holiday Review: this holidey was one of the best the whole group have been on THE HOTEL is perty basic could have done with a fridge in the rooms the pool is realy good to cool off and have a game of vollyball the hotel is out the way abit but one side is mountins and on the other is the sea its around 1 and half miles to the centre of kardamena {5euros ina taxie} takes around 45minuits to walk back but its ok when u are drunk THE BBQ its very nice and you do get seconds and thirds only 12euros the karaoke is good fun as well francis likes everyone to get up and do a song THE CENTER OF KARDAMENA most of the resturants are very good nemos is one of the best there are many bars with all the pr girls and lads trying to drag u in for free shots the best bar we went in was POISON say hi to chris little bould chap hes great u ask for a song he will get it on for u the only down fall is the music in the bars go off at 12am and the night clubs are pretty dear to get in to on certain nights one last comment thanx to francis for keeping the bar open till 7am on the first night and the last night watching the sun come up over the mountins it was great over all great holiday would go back --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunnyview Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays Direct) Thomson Holidays sept 2005 Opinion submitted in May 2006 by : michael and louise age 26 and 31 Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Poor My/Our Holiday Review: friends joined us the second week and we stayed in their appartment. only went back for our clothes on the last day before flying home. wont be going back to sunnyview hotel. the taylors. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunnyview Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays Direct) Thomson Holidays august05 Opinion submitted in Aug 2005 by : andy/gaynor james (30,36) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: felt we had to write a reveiw on this site ,as after reading some of the reviews we were a little apprehensive feeling that we would get hounded by George and his family. This could not be further than the truth in our opinion, admittedly george does like to get you to go to his bbq and karaoke but we had a fantastic night, the food was great, you even got to have seconds. the whole night was thoroughly entertaining, due to the fact that over 60 people attended and everyone mixed together, happy hour was extended and the night ended about 2am. Francis was a true star, he went out of his way to accommodate, to the point he kept the bar open til gone 6am on the morning we landed so we could have some refreshments. Sunny view is in a ideal location, as in you are not far away from the bars and clubs, (it's 1 euro on a bus and 5 euro for taxi)but far enough so you can relax away from the hustle and bustle. Places we reccommend are, teo's,Amazon (15 euro for 3 course meal and as much drink til midnight), mario's for a drink called liquid cocaine very potent but nice. pegasus for a nice quiet cocktail. Altogether a thoroughly fantastic place, made some good friends had some great nights out as a group.finally george and family made it a holiday to remember and would have no hesitation in recomending sunny view and kardamena to anyone as there is something for all --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunnyview Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - may2005 Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : Phil Simpson - Wolverhampton {49,48,40} Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: We really enjoyed our stay at Sunnyview with George Katerina,Francis and family making our stay a brilliant one.The complex is very nice with exceptional views from our balcony.We had a great night at the BBQ and a superb karoke especially with a great set of youngsters Dave,Paula,Leon and Craig and his brother making things tick.The food here is also good. Kardamena is a lovely little town with good bars and some very good restaurants.Also take a trip to Paradise beach it is beautiful and only about 15 kilometres from Kardamena.On a final note we thought how friendly the Greek people were.If you love football like i do Francis at Sunnyview is your man.Even more now since his favourite English team Liverpool won the European cup. Finally just like to say we will definitely return to Sunnyview as soon as we can. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunnyview Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays Direct) Thomson Holidays - 2005 Opinion submitted in Dec 2005 by : paul davies merseyside 36 carol davies 34 Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Poor My/Our Holiday Review: the sunny view hotel kardamena. bed sheets uncleaned just folded up. the mosquito net across the door had a whole big enough to let a tiger through. pig farm 120 yards away flies everywhere. manager didnt care about the free inclusive breakfast people and leaves their breakfast uncovered with hundreds of flies over the continental rolls and coffee and tea cups. filthy hotel. only people who buy full breakfast get treated with a smile. constantly harassed to drink and eat at this money grabbers bar. telephoned us at midnight in our rooms to ask why we were not at his bar and to try to make us pay over £35 for his barbecue. harassing people who go out on the bus to the town centre to eat and drink and asking them why not eat at his hotel. as we were getting the coach home my wife was upset and as we pulled into the airport she told me that he said'give me a good report you ! i want a big page in the Thomson Holidays brochure next year. apparently he had Thomson Holidays reps coming to see him.. paul and carol davies, merseyside, england. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunnyview Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays Direct) Thomson Holidays s - 2005 Opinion submitted in Nov 2005 by : trev and irene derbyshire Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Poor My/Our Holiday Review: Stayed at sunny view for the first time but we have stayed at kardamena 15 times over the previous years, on our arrival for our two week stay, the reception and pool looked pleasant and clean, on entering our room which was very basic we was disgusted at the state of the sheets pillows and the towels we have put better sheets down for decorating these was dreadfull we took of the pillowcases and the pillows was badly stained and the bath and hand towels was dingy and stained whilst we was there these was only changed once a week we thought that this was poor as Thomson Holidays s had rated the sunny view a gold medal holiday. We booked for both barbeques wich we did enjoy,how-ever at the start of our second week we was singled out by one of the owners sons for not spending our money eating and drinking there this caused a bad atmosphere for the rest of our holiday we had put in a complaint to our rep and was ready to move to other accommodation this had spoilt our holiday as we was with friends it had a knock on effect to them we will not be staying there again. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunnyview Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays Direct) Thomson Holidays -oct 2004 Opinion submitted in Oct 2004 by : ian(38)janice(42)-weston-s-mare Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Average My/Our Holiday Review: sunny view is ok as a base,it is family run.the man in charge seems ok to start but as soon as you see him he trys to get you to go to his bar-b-que on tues nights he makes it quite difficult for you to say no.the bar-b-que is ok but expensive at 12 euros up to what you can get in the resort. the main resort which is 1.5 miles from the hotel is exellent with plenty of choice of bars ,restaurants and shops.if you go their like we did in oct it was nice and quiet but in the summer it would be full of 18-25s.the drink prices is cheap except back at the hotel where most thinks was double the price than in the main resort also this hotel is the only hotel i know on a beach holiday in europe that measures your spirit into the glass.the swimming pool in the hotel is good with plenty of sun beds. overall i would go back to the resort,but not the same hotel. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunnyview Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays Direct) Thomson Holidays - Sept 2004 Opinion submitted in Oct 2004 by : Helen & Carla (23,24) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Opinion: Kardemena has something for everyone whether you are wanting a quiet relaxing holiday or a fun packed boozy couple of weeks! The hotel was situated perfectly - about 5mins in a taxi to the main resort so you can actually get some sleep when you want too! Very basic accomodation but the warm, friendliness of the family make it feel like a 5! The fresh water pool was gorgeous with great views - Carla, Marta and Asif you know what I mean! Absolutely hundreds of bars/restaurants and clubs and we never had a bad meal - would deffo recommend the Amazon restaurant, 15e for 3 courses and all that you can drink!! Best club was Status, always busy. Weather was fantastic even in September with a breeze so its not too hot. Would also recommend hiring a car for a day to tour the island, therma springs is a must see - the springs have 'healing powers'! We also went to Turkey for some quality genuine, fakes! which was great..take british money as you can bargain more with it then with euros. The volcano trip was also a great experience - deffo book in the town its much cheaper. If we return to Kos we will would deffo stay with George and his family again. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunnyview Apartments - Kardamena Operator and Date:* July 2004 Opinion submitted in May 2005 by : Four Girls from Essex all 24 Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: Sunnyview is a small family run hotel/apartments just on the edge of Kardamena main town, it's about 1.5 miles away and easily accessible by taxi e5 or bus 90 cents. As it's on a straight road all the way down it literally takes minutes to get there. The four of us went back in July and we had a brilliant time. The apartments are spotlessly clean and the swimming pool and surrounding areas are fantastic. The loungers are free (e1 for a mattress) and there's plently of them. The pool has great views of the mountains and there's also a little children's pool. All the rooms are small but clean with twin beds and have a decent bathroom with a shower cubicle and curtain. The first room we were shown was a bit dark and not on ground level so we asked to be moved and there was no problem getting another room. Our next room was fine, bright and airy with patio doors leading onto a balcony which overlooks a field. George and his family who run the apartments are really nice and friendly and will help you out with anything you need. We did go to the BBQ which was a bit expensive but the food was nice and the karaoke was amusing. Kardamena itself is brilliant, hundreds of bars and loads of really nice restaurants that run along the sea front. The bars tend to close early-ish but there are 4/5 big clubs in the area which due to the bars closing early are guaranteed to be packed. The weather was amazing and we hired a jeep for next to nothing and went into Kos Town which is worth a visit. The beaches in Kardamena are quite nice, we went to Bubble Beach and one other that I can't remember the name of but as the pool was so nice we stayed there most of the time. Food at the apartments is plain but really nice, didn't get up for the free breakfast but had breakfast from the normal menu which was good. All in all we had a fantastic holiday; so much so that we have already booked to stay with George and his family again in June. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunnyview Hotel - Kardamena Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays Direct) Thomson Holidays - July 2004 Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : Krissy, Kelly, Louise and Helen (18) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: When we arrived at Kardamena we were the last to be dropped off. It seemed like

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