Kouros Palace

I'll focus on the positive first, the staff were all lovely and super helpful and the service we received from them could not be faulted. Unfortunately, I do not rate this as a 5* hotel and I was disappointed. The rooms felt somewhat dated and the bathrooms too, with the bath being quite marked and in need of renewal. The glazing on the bedroom door felt like a prison and made the room fully lit up every night from the hallway lights. My hope was that all would be saved by the food, but it was a very bog standard typical all inclusive buffet with very little variety each night. Perhaps I expect too much from a 5* all inclusive but I hoped to be able to have a nice glass of red at night but that wasn't to be the case. We thought we had stumbled across the lovely rooftop bar as per the pictures, only to be told the drinks were not included and were extra at this bar. Why would you do that?! The hotel is very much on the flight path from Kos airport, great for a short transfer time but can be a bit disturbing with planes going overhead all through the day. The A La Carte restaurant - main meal was nice, but the starter and dessert very much felt like it was taken from the buffet and drinks were all extra, but to be honest the red wine tasted just the same as the all inclusive red (i.e. not that nice!) It wasn't as expensive as many other 5* so I had hoped I had got a bargain but alas, you get what you pay for most of the time!

We are well travelled and expect value for money. We also know that a 5star rating in Greek hotels does not correspond to 5 star in UK or Spain for example, and having stayed in Kos and other Greek islands previously, we were well prepared for the expectations of a 5 star not to be delivered. However, we didn’t expect the hotel to fall so far short. First the good points: Rooms are a good size. The sunset from the hotel is stunning. Reception staff and bar staff very friendly, informative and helpful. Pools are great and we always managed to get a bed regardless of time of day. Hotel is clean. There is a shop right opposite. Our room was available early so we were able to check in 40 mins before time. Hotel grounds are nice and well looked after. The low rise elements of Greek accommodation is always favourable to high rise hotel blocks. We had three rooms, all next to one another. Now the not so good points: Check in was a bit chaotic. They ran out of iPads and so we had to use own mobiles to check in - not a massive issue, but it seemed as if the reception was unprepared for anymore than two guests checking in. There is a €15 per room per night tax. Unfair to blame the hotel for this as it is standard across the island, but agents could advertise this better as the hotel staff had to deal with many “surprised” guests. Having 3 rooms we found ourselves having to part with €315 before even getting into our room. All inclusive should be advertised as “semi inclusive”. Very limited drinks options, all cocktails pre made. Bar open until 1am but you have to pay for any drinks past 11pm. Drinks at the rooftop bar are not all inclusive. The air con in each of our three rooms was temperamental. Went on and off randomly and could never get that really cold ac that’s needed in 30+degree heat. The rooms are spacious but very worn out and in need of a good refurb. The beds were very hard and any ability to keep light out of the room by closing the curtains, was negated by the entrance door window of the rooms which had no curtain. The restaurant was chaotic at all times. This was the worst part of the hotel. No one to coordinate or show to table and so we often found 6 of us having to sit apart whilst 2 people took up tables laid for 6. It seems that they only lay the tables once and on three occasions in the evening we laid our own tables. Staff seemed to keep themselves busy with their backs to you. No concept of a waiting service….. remember this is a 5 star hotel. Eating inside is painful as there is no air con anywhere inside the hotel. One evening a guest was sick. The staff tended to this by handing her friend paper towels and a mop etc to clean it up. They were like rabbits in headlights. The food?? Where to start. If you like salt then this is the place for you. Most nights everything tasted of little more than salt. Pretty much the same options every night. The “name” of the soup rotated most nights but the flavour remained the same. Asparagus one night, became tomato the next night…. Both could have been called “salt soup”. We had some crunchy pasta one night, Chicken laced with bones, and any meat was generally laden with fat. When food ran out, it took an age to be replenished and on two occasions I had to ask, and wait for plates to be replenished. The specials that were on each night all ran out very quickly. In fact, it wasn’t until night 3 when we arrived for dinner a little before 8pm, that we even realised there was specials on. That night, fresh pizzas were cooked and were lovely. Food highlight of the week. However we only managed two small slices before they ran out and the station was cleaned and cleared away…. Anyone arriving after that time would have been oblivious to any fresh pizza having been made. The snacks throughout the day were small pre made pizza slices, salad rolls and small sausage rolls. Nothing to moan about, but nothing to write home about either. Snacks at the beach bar are much better than main hotel area. The hotel gym is also sub standard, with equipment that looked like it had been bought second hand in the 90s and never maintained. Some of the equipment just didn’t work and was a potential health and safety concern. The hotel location is quite remote. The beach front is ok, but a 10 minute walk from hotel reception to beach. Trying to get a taxi was an absolute nightmare, so unless you want to walk back and forth to the local small town (approx 2mile each way), then you’re stuck at the hotel. We booked taxis with over an hour advance notice and still waited for a further 45 mins for arrival. Getting a taxi from the town was impossible and so we had to walk back in the pitch dark one night….. we didn’t venture in again. I’ll end on a plus point…… we had limitless passes to the local lido when we checked in to the hotel. We went there on two occasion in the courtesy bus, and it gave light relief from the hotel…… even the food at the lido was of a better quality than the hotel and was great value for money. So, nothing in this hotel would even give a cursory glance to the alleged 5 star rating. Nothing would get past a 3 star rating and some aspects of the hotel wouldn’t even get to 3 star. (Pics of “tomato soup” and “lasagne”) Book with eyes wide open.

I have just spent 2 weeks at Kouros Palace and I need to write a few things. The place is amazing, the rooms are cleaned regularly. Great swimming pools, and a nice beach. We never had problems with finding free sunbeds. Me and my 3 friends got two rooms. Mine was perfect but two of my friends didn't like the room as it was to close to the pool for them. So it was changed the next morning without any problems. A big thank you to Jaro at the reception. It's not just the place that makes our holiday great. It's also the people working at the hotel. I want to thank Alexis, Toni, Giannis driving melexes. Thodoris- the bar manager, George and Yanis serving great Cardhu late in the evenings:-) And Billy - you are amazing.:-) The people working at the main bar are really great. A big thank you to Argiris serving drinks at the beach bar- always friendly and smiling. And Toni bringing drinks to the beach. A big thank you to Mr Dimitris who always welcomed us with Kalispera in the main restaurant where we had great meals. If I made mistakes in the names, I am sorry. I just tried to remember everybody. As for renting the car, there is a place just outside the hotel, but I suggest using kosadventures.com. They bring the car to the hotel and then pick it up. It is very easy and quick. In conclusion, the place and the people working there are really amazing and I highly recommend this place. I will be back there for sure. Once again thank you.

I’ll start by explaining I don’t write many reviews, if I do, it’s usually a positive experience and I’m sorry to say this has not been as positive as I’d of expected from a 5* rated hotel. I read a lot of reviews before booking this hotel, I hope this helps you. Arrival- collected at the airport in an air conditioned mini bus, the driver was lovely and friendly and there was no other drop offs. Nice service, booked through EasyJet holidays. Check In- Went smooth enough, refreshment drink, place to sit and the check in is mostly a self check in on an iPad. Reception explained all the open hours, gave us a map and answered any questions we had. We were taken in a buggy to our room. The room- We booked a family room, they look modern and fresh on the website, they’re not. They are in desperate need of updating and refurbishing. Furniture is tatty and well worn. It doesn’t normally bother me but it wasn’t a great look or at all expected for 5* The fridge is awful, rusted and not cleaned out. When we arrived there was half a jar of baby food still in it. Although it’s not advertised as a service, most 5* hotels I have stayed in provide water in the fridge at least, not here. The beds are solid, the worst I’ve ever slept on, the sheets are heavy duty but torn in some places. The light from the outside comes through the glass pane in the door all night with no way of blocking it out. The bathroom is a decent size but that’s the only good thing about it. When we arrived, the previous occupants ‘used toilet bag’ was left on the bathroom worktop. I understand this is human error and the bathroom was actually clean but it was disgusting to see. The towel rail was ‘placed’ on the wall, it fell off as soon as I touched it. The bathroom door is glass, frosted but glass and is right next to the bath/shower area so anyone within the room can see in. Our door often didnt shut, on the occasion it did, it would open again. Not ideal when the bathroom is in use. The shower curtain is useless, the bathroom was often flooded and we ended up using all our towels trying to dry it down. The balcony door area inside the room has electrical tape on the floor, I assume to ‘plug gaps’ because there was ants everywhere, daily! All over the floor and on the TV desk. We were up a flight of stairs, I’d hate to see how bad it was for those in ground floor rooms. The hotel need to do better with maintaining areas to prevent this happening. The aircon works great, this is the only positive for the room. The hotel grounds are beautiful and well maintained. The staff work hard to keep everywhere clean and tidy with a smile on their faces, always so polite and friendly. The main toilets in the lobby are downstairs, not the nicest place to go down at night and the lights are on sensors so it stays dark for a few seconds, not ideal. They are worn and old, be extremely careful, I got locked in the toilets twice. Each time it took a good 5 minutes to unlock the door, there’s no phone signal down there either to ask for external help. The hotel need to fix this, urgently. The pools are gorgeous, well cleaned and maintained. There’s a lot of reserving beds, if you’re up around 7:30-8 you should get a bed okay. The AI cocktails are mostly pre made, not very nice and are not the best value for money. The bar staff are friendly and helpful so if you ask for a specific drink they will sort it for you. Most pour generous servings of normal spirits but the odd one doesn’t. The entertainment team are lovely, they always have a smile and make an effort every day. They do yoga, aqua aerobics which always goes down well, darts and water polo. Unfortunately at night, the hotel plays the same music on repeat, there’s only so much Boney M and The Village People I can take! Mix it up, there’s millions of songs and genres out there. Music around the pool, be prepared to listen to the same old music plus all the music adverts because they don’t pay for a streaming service, you’ll also hear the games being played from the phones over the speakers. There’s no air con in the dining area or hotel lobby to watch entertainment. It gets packed and very hot. Often people end up on the sunbeds around the pool at night as there’s not enough tables and chairs. They have a stage area by the pool for entertainment, they don’t use it. Ampitheatre is lovely but only used for the kids entertainment. Theres no designated smoking areas and if there is, no one stuck to it. People were smoking in all areas. Food- the food is a decent variety, plenty of it and the salads are beautiful.. if you keep the flies away. There’s no covers for any of the food or desserts so there’s a lot of flies getting on the food. I get it can’t always be helped but prevention such as food covers would help. Self serve beer and wine on tap is a nice touch. The beach bar has wonderful gyros and kebabs, massive plus is they cover all the food this just shows it can be done and should be done in the main restaraunt. The rooftop meal was nice, be warned you pay for your drinks up there. Not sure why but it’s a silly rule and the cocktails really aren’t all that. The views are lovely for the gorgeous sunset and the breeze is welcome. The beach is lovely, nice and private area, the sea is gorgeous and clear and there’s plenty of sunbeds if you’re there early enough. Theres a volleyball net just by the beach bar. They could do with cleaning away all the broken furniture they have left dumped behind all the sun beds at the beach, it’s not a nice sight. The shop nearby has a bit of everything in it which is really good. Check out was smooth, they let us continue to use the facitilities until we were picked up, this was a nice touch. They also have a luggage room to store your cases which is handy. We are very much a holiday is what you make it kind of family but we paid a lot of money to stay here after seeing a lot of positive reviews. I’d rather give people an honest review of our experience and I appreciate I probably sound like a crank looking for all the negatives but I wish I could say better things about the whole experience, sadly it’s not to be. I hope the hotel pay attention to constructive reviews and do what’s necessary to improve and bring it back to 5*.