Smy Kos Beach & Splash

“A great family holiday”

We stayed at Smy Kos for nine nights with our six-year old daughter and loved it. We arrived in the evening and immediately the reception staff told us that check-in could wait and we should leave our bags and go for dinner before the restaurant closed. A nice little touch and an example of the e… more

We stayed at Smy Kos for nine nights with our six-year old daughter and loved it. We arrived in the evening and immediately the reception staff told us that check-in could wait and we should leave our bags and go for dinner before the restaurant closed. A nice little touch and an example of the excellent customer service we received from staff throughout. The hotel itself was extremely clean and very well laid out. There always seemed to be a small army of staff quietly yet efficiently buzzing around behind the scenes, from housekeepers and catering team to bar staff and even one man decoratively cutting the hedges. Our room was lovely and was located right outside the great little splash park which our daughter absolutely loved. There’s the main pool with attentive lifeguards (the comments we’d seen previously wasn’t our experience), then there’s the infinity pool down by the beach. There are plenty of sunbeds throughout both pools, although getting in early to reserve your spot with your towels is recommended. On a totally unrelated note…it’s an international hotel, so you will hear your fair share of German, Polish, French and other nationalities during your stay, as well as English of course. Food was excellent throughout, lots of variety in the main restaurant and we also enjoyed the snack bar by the beach. As others have stated, the homemade pizza is simply fantastic - well worth a short wait for a slice or two and you’ll definitely want more. The animation team was excellent. Our daughter went to the kids club on a few occasions and enjoyed herself (and made holiday friends…an important achievement for an outgoing six-year old!). The mini disco was superb and a special shoutout here to Veronica and Megan for their endless enthusiasm and dancing. And while we didn’t go to the evening shows, we heard them (they finish by 10:30) and most seemed excellent entertainment with some superb singing. The on-site shop was very, very good, a proper Aladdin’s cave supplying anything and everything you could possibly need, including snacks, drinks, gifts and pool accessories. The only tiny negative, as others have mentioned, is the pool did seem to cause a few cuts and grazes here and there. The steps into the pool seemed particularly slippy and we noticed a few plasters being applied here and there. Oh and take bug spray (plenty in the shop too) but even that may not prevent a “welcome to Greece” from a mosquito or two. Top tip: We hired a car for the day from the on-site car rental desk. We were able to see the peacocks in Plaka Forest, visit Agios Stefanos beach with crystal clear water and also drive into Kos town where we went on a boat trip and our daughter got her hair braided. This car hire essentially worked out the same as two return taxis to Kos town, which given we explored some of the rest of the island we thought was extremely reasonable. It’s a great island to drive around. Top tip #2 - if you fancy something a bit different then visit Namaste restaurant by the beach. Obviously you have to pay separately for this as it’s not part of the resort, but we found this a great place to enjoy our final lunch, with some stunning views. All in all, it was an excellent stay. and we’d highly recommend others to visit here.

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