Ikos Aria

No notes, only praise! We had an incredible week in Ikos Aria with our 9 month old. The surroundings, service and food were second to none. We are already planning our next trip back!

Our second visit to this hotel was just as good as our first. It's hard to fault; the location and buildings/design/decor are fabulous, the staff are super friendly, polite and helpful and the food and drinks are very high quality. The biggest dilemma at the time of year we visited (the last week of October - we were literally their last visitors of the season) was which Ikos to visit, based on likely weather. Aria scores well because Kos is relatively southerly vs some of the other Greek islands/mainland resorts and we experienced around 23-24 degrees in the daytime with only one afternoon of cloud.

This was our 4th visit to Aria and every visit has been wonderful. The staff work tirelessly, providing exceptional service and the grounds are as beautiful as ever. There are however some cutbacks and changes which may not concern new guests but returners will notice. Rooms are being recategorised by central management and resort room type maps are no longer being distributed. For us, arriving having booked and paid for a deluxe one bedroom sea view suite, it was disappointing to be allocated a previously non-deluxe one bedroom private garden/garden view suite. As a family of 3 adults and 2 children the room was too small. The GM was initially reluctant to help, shrugging off the booking confirmation and details given on the website (which state the rooms are 80m2 with sea view and balcony) as only a ‘guide’. We did eventually resolve the matter and moved to the correct room type but it got us off to a bad start (photos show our first sea view versus second). Things improved however and Deluxe Manager, Julia, ensured our holiday ran smoothly. I so wish it was another 5 star review but having booked 15 months in advance, it just didn’t sit well with us that rooms could be changed without any warning.

We arrived really late and received a lovely welcome and check in. It was so relaxed and it was nice to sit and relax after a busy day of travelling. Our room was a junior suite , private garden with a garden view and was situated behind the main pool bar. It was lovely and quiet and in the perfect spot for us as a family. I would have liked more space in the room as a family of 4 ( children 11&7 ) it felt a bit cramped. My daughter who will be 12 next year didn't want to sleep that close to her younger brother .... kids ! We loved all the pools ( non deluxe so didn't get to try that one ) but our favourite was the beach pool, we preferred the shallow access into this one. There was never any issue getting sunbeds together and if an extra bed was ever needed it was dealt with quickly. We spent most afternoons at the beach , my children loved being able to walk out into the sea via the sandbags. The QR ordering system was good and I'm definitely missing my afternoon cocktails on the beach. The evening cruise was so much fun ! Plenty of wine , ouzo and nibbles to go around. My 7 year old got to have a go at being the captain. We didn't manage to catch any of the mini discos as they were on a bit too early for us. The entertainment is very low key , we usually headed to the lagoon bar for a few games of uno and enjoyed the live music there. Our favourite restaurants were KOS and Anaya , Ouzo has the most beautiful view ! Almost every member of staff we passed would smile and greet you , the guys who drove the golf buggy's always made good conversation. I fear Ikos has spoilt any future holidays we will have as nothing will match up to it, we would love to return but it looks like the prices next year have increased significantly. Hopefully we'll make it back in the future!

This is a spacious resort, with well equipped rooms, plenty of restaurants and all the usual Ikos characteristics. The majority of the staff go above and beyond to offer excellent service, especially in Ouzo, Flavours and Fresco restaurants and the Beach pool bar area. There are a few areas that could be improved: Management could smile and engage with ALL guests at all times, saying hello should be a routine. There are very limited bar choices after 1800 hrs and even less choice for non smokers!