Kos it’s been a while!
The holiday that I had been waiting for over 2 years, me and my family booked a special trip to the Ikos Aria in Kos for my 30th and my mums 60th. We had to postpone the trip due to Covid and with working throughout the pandemic looking after people’s holiday postponing and cancelling holidays I was so ready for this trip. WOW what a trip it was, Ikos didn’t disappoint once again.
Firstly, I was a little nervous travelling in Covid times, I have to say from the moment we arrived at the airport the whole experience was amazing. Very well organised everyone just had to show their forms including test results at check in and then all went smooth. We flew with British airways who were great, on the plane we had to wear masks and pre order drinks and food.
On arrival into Crete everything went smoothly, and we got into our private transfer that took us to the beautiful Ikos Aria, when we arrived, we had a lovely warm welcome that’s when I knew that our holiday had started. The moment I walked into the entrance of the hotel we were taken to the lovely sofas to relax with our welcome drinks, Karina head of guest relations made sure we knew everything we needed to know before we set off on our way.
All I can say is one of the best if not the best five star all-inclusive premium in Europe and here’s why…
We were taken to our first rooms of the holiday which was the Superior Seaview Rooms which were lovely, spacious and modern. The all inclusive really does mean all inclusive, in the rooms you have unlimited mini bar included, 24 hour room service and you can even ring room service to make sure your favourite tipple is in the room on your return after your day in the sun. it’s the personal touches that make the Ikos special, they have a watts app service so you can message instead of going back to the room whilst laying by the poolside of beach.
We had to pre book at least 3 of the dinners before we arrived to ensure we got our time slots and the rest once we arrived, the Ikos had all a la carte dining with the option of dining in the buffet restaurant too. Our favourite was the two Greek restaurants Ouzo and Kos, I loved the Ouzo restaurant as it had the beautiful view of the sea and church on the island spectacular. The restaurants have a choice of over 300 wines to choose from I would highly recommend the wine tasting I also did this and really enjoyed it. I travelled with my 5-year-old and the Ikos catered so well, in the restaurants they made sure they had kids menus and can always tailor the meal to the child’s needs, kids cups, cutlery, drinks very well catered to little ones. They even have a infant menu including puree food as well as room service including milk for the babies/toddlers. Nothing was too much trouble and that’s how I felt, the aria still kept its 5-star service throughout for all ages but still catering so well to children that it makes you feel so comfortable and relaxed. It was a great selection of cuisine which I love at Ikos Spanish, French, Greek, Italian really catering to all food types. They have a great splash pad for the little ones and an ice cream parlour which the kids love. The kids club is also fantastic very professional and has ofsted, my daughter went there for one morning and had a great time. Around the pool you also have waiter service for food and drinks which is superb, some days we didn’t want to go in the restaurants for lunch so it was really nice be round the pool to have snacks. Drinks service also available on the beach.
We were lucky a few days in to be upgraded the deluxe junior suite pool view villas, so we really did experience the extras you get with upgrading to the deluxe section. The rooms were lovely bigger, much bigger bathroom which included a bathtub and shower so ideal if there is a few of you trying to get ready for dinner as a family of 3 like us. We had the private garden too so great extra space if you have little ones perfect for getting them out the shade too playing while keeping an eye on them. Perfect for a family with young children that have afternoon naps, and the parents want to sit on the balcony and enjoy a drink, food and some sun. You get an upgraded food menu, drinks menu and private concierge which can take care of everything for you. There are a few other extras too but the main one that stands out is the exclusive pool area you have access too as well as beach area, so it feels a little bit more VIP. I must point out the service is the same throughout the resort no matter what room type you are booked into, the Ikos make sure that this service is consistent throughout which is what I love.
The hotel was very clean and looked after, especially travelling now there was protocols in place to make your stay safe but still enjoyable. Masks didn’t have to be worn throughout the resort, however at the buffet you had to wear gloves and there was always sanitise stations in place. The staff were so friendly and welcoming always willing to help you in anyway and make sure your stay was enjoyable, the bar man even made up a special cocktail for me.
I hope this has given you an insight into my stay, I have also stayed at the Ikos Dassia and can honestly say they were both amazing and I enjoyed my time at both. If you are thinking of staying at an Ikos resort whether you are a couple, family, friends it’s a must they cater to everyone!
