Ikos Olivia - All Inclusive

“Swim lessons at Ikos Olivia”

We had our 11 month old son and 3 year old daughter in swim lessons at Ikos Olivia. Despina and Effie were incredible swim instructors. My daughter is very cautious and did not initially want to participate but Effie made it really fun for her and eased her into the experience which ended up being … more

We had our 11 month old son and 3 year old daughter in swim lessons at Ikos Olivia. Despina and Effie were incredible swim instructors. My daughter is very cautious and did not initially want to participate but Effie made it really fun for her and eased her into the experience which ended up being her favorite activity during our stay.

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“A Last-Minute Trip Back to Ikos Olivia”

Our very last-minute trip to Ikos Olivia Sometimes you just need to go with your heart… and that’s exactly what we did this time. We booked and arrived at Ikos Olivia in less than 24 hours. We genuinely couldn’t have made it happen without Athina. She was amazing and made everything feel so easy.… more

Our very last-minute trip to Ikos Olivia Sometimes you just need to go with your heart… and that’s exactly what we did this time. We booked and arrived at Ikos Olivia in less than 24 hours. We genuinely couldn’t have made it happen without Athina. She was amazing and made everything feel so easy. Knowing we were coming back to our happy place made the decision even easier. From the moment we arrived, it felt like we’d never been away. There’s something about Olivia that is very hard to explain unless you’ve experienced it. The whole resort has such a lovely atmosphere, the team are incredibly welcoming and somehow everything just runs like clockwork. There are, of course, a few people who deserve a special mention… Athina and Nikki – always there with a smile and somehow always one step ahead. Thank you for looking after us so well. Nickolas – thank you for always going above and beyond. You couldn’t have done any more for us during this stay. It’s those little things that make such a difference. Thanos, Petros, Antonia, Aggelos & Nikos at the Deluxe Pool – another brilliant few days with you all. You’ve become such a familiar and important part of our Olivia visits. Vicky – our wine tasting was as wonderful as ever. This time it was even more special because you made our friends, who were visiting for the first time, feel so welcome. Vasilis – it’s always lovely to see you and you have such a way of making us feel genuinely welcome. Vicky, Effie & Agapi at The Garden – thank you for the lovely evenings and the warm welcome, as always. Kristina at Ouzo – thank you for making our visit so enjoyable. Nickolas, Christos, Alberto & Eva at Fresco – another lovely evening and fantastic service. You all made us feel so well looked after. Leon & Lyubov at Flavours – thank you for the lovely welcome and for always making breakfast enjoyable. The Heroes Kids Club team – a huge thank you for everything you do for our son. You are absolutely amazing with him and genuinely go above and beyond every time. Knowing he is so happy, settled and looked after means so much to us and makes it possible for us to properly relax and enjoy our time too. And Robert at Provence – thank you for looking after us and adding to another memorable stay. We could honestly keep going with names because there are so many people behind what makes this place so special. This was a completely spontaneous trip, but it reminded us exactly why we keep coming back. We’re already counting down to the end of September when we’ll be returning with our friends. We absolutely cannot wait to show them why Olivia is so special to us. Until next time, Ikos Olivia… thank you for another few days in our happy place.

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“Wonderful family resort”

We had a very enjoyable stay at Ikos Olivia. It is a beautiful and spacious resort, with lovely gardens, very good food and wine, and a wonderful team. Despite its size, it rarely feels crowded, which we really appreciated. Ikos Olivia does an excellent job with children. Everything feels genuinel… more

We had a very enjoyable stay at Ikos Olivia. It is a beautiful and spacious resort, with lovely gardens, very good food and wine, and a wonderful team. Despite its size, it rarely feels crowded, which we really appreciated. Ikos Olivia does an excellent job with children. Everything feels genuinely designed to make family holidays easy and enjoyable: the Kids Club is great, the facilities are very well thought out, and even small details – such as children’s meals arriving very quickly at restaurants – make a real difference. One of the absolute highlights of our stay was Despina at the Swimming Camp. She is an extraordinary swimming teacher: patient, attentive, structured, encouraging and incredibly effective. Our four-year-old was not necessarily the easiest student every day, but she adapted to him beautifully, made him feel safe and achieved remarkable progress with him in just one week. As parents, we felt completely confident leaving him with her. We met so many warm and attentive people throughout the resort. The service felt genuinely friendly and personal, and the attention to small details made a real difference to our stay. Overall, Ikos Olivia is a wonderful place for a family holiday, combining a beautiful setting, excellent food and facilities, and above all some truly outstanding people. We would happily return.

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“Beautiful resort, but disappointing service”

We booked Ikos Olivia with very high expectations, largely because of the excellent reviews. We had originally planned our usual holiday at Waldorf Astoria Maldives, but had to cancel because of the situation in the Middle East. With that in mind, we were hoping Ikos Olivia would provide a similar … more

We booked Ikos Olivia with very high expectations, largely because of the excellent reviews. We had originally planned our usual holiday at Waldorf Astoria Maldives, but had to cancel because of the situation in the Middle East. With that in mind, we were hoping Ikos Olivia would provide a similar level of service and attention to detail. Unfortunately, from a service perspective, it fell well short of what we expected. The positives first: the resort itself is very clean and the grounds are immaculate. The greenery is incredibly lush and clearly very well maintained. The gardeners do an excellent job, and the overall appearance of the resort is beautiful. Of the restaurants we visited, Anaya was by far our favourite. Unfortunately, we found Fresco, Provence, Ouzo and the Flavors buffet disappointing. The food felt fairly ordinary and more like what you would expect from a standard restaurant rather than what we anticipated from a premium all-inclusive resort. The taste was generally just OK rather than exceptional. At Ouzo, for example, the sea bass we were served was full of bones, which was particularly disappointing. The biggest issue for us, however, was the service and lack of attention to detail. We were Deluxe Collection members and had specifically paid a premium for the additional benefits, including butler service. Despite this, we only saw our butler twice during the entire stay. For the price we paid, we expected a much more attentive and personalised level of service. The basic housekeeping touches were also inconsistent. The minibar and coffee capsules were not restocked reliably, and on several occasions we had to call reception because this had been missed. These may seem like small things, but when you're paying a premium for a luxury experience, you shouldn't have to repeatedly request basic amenities to be replenished. The room safe was another recurring problem. It broke on three separate occasions, requiring us to call someone out to fix it each time. In my opinion, after the second or certainly third failure, the safe should simply have been replaced rather than continuing to repair it. Again, it's the lack of attention to detail and inconvenience that was disappointing. Our arrival was particularly disappointing. We arrived just after midnight, tired after travelling, and naturally just wanted to get to our room. Instead, we were left sitting in the lobby for over an hour because, we were told, there was a shortage of staff. This was a terrible first impression and unfortunately set the tone for the rest of the holiday. Our departure was equally underwhelming. After spending a significant amount of money on the holiday, we weren't even greeted or given any meaningful farewell when we left the resort. Those small touches matter, particularly at a resort positioning itself at the luxury end of the market. The location was also a disappointment. While the resort itself is beautiful, the surrounding area is not. Once you leave the grounds, the contrast is quite stark, with run-down and derelict-looking buildings surrounding the property. This isn't something you can blame the resort for, but it's worth being aware of when choosing the hotel. We stayed as a family of three,myself, my wife and our 15-year-old son and we were genuinely looking forward to the holiday. Perhaps our expectations were simply too high after our previous experiences at luxury resorts, but based on the reviews and the premium we paid for the Deluxe Collection, we expected a considerably higher level of service. Overall, Ikos Olivia is a beautiful, exceptionally clean resort with stunning grounds, and the gardeners deserve particular praise. Anaya was also excellent. However, for us, the food at most of the other restaurants and, more importantly, the inconsistent level of service did not match what we expected from a premium resort. Beautiful grounds, but unfortunately the service, attention to detail and overall experience did not live up to the expectations created by the reviews or the price we paid.

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