Palazzo Del Mare

“You want to relax & recharge? This is the place for you”

Our flight from Cardiff was uneventful and Kos airport was very efficient – we were on our way, in our private transfer, inside an hour after the wheels touched the ground. We opted for a private transfer as even though the hotel is only around 20mins away, it’s quicker and more efficient (and it... more

Our flight from Cardiff was uneventful and Kos airport was very efficient – we were on our way, in our private transfer, inside an hour after the wheels touched the ground. We opted for a private transfer as even though the hotel is only around 20mins away, it’s quicker and more efficient (and it starts the holiday off on a special note!). We used Kos4all.com and really recommend them, they were spot on - they are booked for our next trip in 2024. We spent a week here at the end of September and were fortunate with the weather – it was glorious. The hotel is minimalistic and impressively clean, all the staff were friendly and would greet us every day with a ‘Kalimera’. We opted for a swim-up room and this was perfect as they really did sit right on the side of a huge pool. The beauty of the swim-ups is that there is always a sunbed with your name on it. But here that was redundant; even mid-afternoon most of the beds around the pool were free (yes! honestly!) it made for one of the most relaxing holidays we’ve had in years and a major reason to return. The room The rooms are arranged in 2 story blocks with differing styles which makes the resort much less formal and stark. This has the upside that the some of the terraces/balconies are different sizes so, it would appear, that within a room category there are some generous rooms and some less so. The room was cleaned daily with fresh towels if you left them in the bath (as is the norm). The shower was over the bath with plenty of hot water, so you have both options which is a nice change. The only thing we found odd was the memory foam mattress – it had a hump down the middle which meant that we ended up rolling to the edge (!). We could/should have said something but really couldn’t be bothered – no biggie. If you get a room in the 500’s then you’ll have sun in the morning and shade in the afternoon (on your terrace), rooms in the 200’s get the sun right into the room all afternoon (we preferred the 500). TIP – There are two swim-ups with the same description, the only way to tell them apart is that the more expensive one says 2 -3 people and has a sofa-bed – if you booked one, make sure this is what you get on arrival! The grounds There were gardeners every day cutting, trimming and tidying the gardens and it showed, the place was really tidy. Every morning there were staff out washing, mopping and polishing everything. The only thing that let it down was the access roads on the outsides of the rooms. These were used by the electric golf buggies to move people and equipment around the hotel and as a result were dirty (probably from the tyres). If you walked from the beach to your room your feet would be black! TIP - Mosquitos (eek!) my wife did get bitten mercilessly so I would recommend taking some good repellent and maybe a plug-in for the room The beach It’s awesome. Miles of sand in each direction and great for an early morning walk. The sea was crystal clear and pleasantly warm (we would spend an hour or more mucking about in the water before we became noticeably cool). There’s a lot of quality sunbeds with fixed umbrellas in the hotel’s beach area, some of the mattresses looked a little tired. Strangely, it was here that there was some reservation of loungers and by mid-day most were taken. You will also find a spa massage area on the beach. There was always a member of staff available should you need them. The food We ate in the buffet restaurant for breakfast and dinner and tried the poolside café/bar twice for lunch. We didn’t get to try the a la carte restaurant (Culinarium) as we like to eat early and there was no availability. This is booked using the Tui Blue app. TIP - if you want to eat early here make sure you get on the app as soon as possible (before you arrive?). As has been commented here before some of the food in the buffet was a little cool but this can be attributed to the fact that the plates weren’t hot and it can be a walk from the servers back to your table. We always found something fab to eat, some was a little challenging, the Greek options were always delicious. Overall, the buffet selection was good, I wouldn’t want to face it for two weeks but there are other dining options (if you are quick or prepared for a short walk). Villi was there every evening to welcome us to the buffet and hand us on to someone to take us to our table – what a star she was; always a smile, a chat and a laugh. It’s a shame (for us) that she’s gone back to university in Thessaloniki. Of all the staff we met, outstanding for us was Irini. She was there every morning for breakfast and every evening for dinner, after a short while she knew our drinks and was always very attentive. We tried to use our extensive (not) command of Greek and she would always encourage and test our ability. Thank you Irini for making us so welcome. The coffee / ice cream place (Parola café) served great coffees and generous ice creams though this is at cost. The food and drink was surprisingly expensive, for example 1/3 litre of local beer €5 and a small glass of wine €9. For example: we (a group of 4) had a round of drinks with dinner and the odd coffee, ice cream or lunch and our bill at the end of the week was around 200 euro. TIP - Take a walk into Marmari (turn right outside the hotel along the beach road) it’s a pleasant 15min stroll to several bars, restaurants and supermarkets. We enjoyed our super relaxing week so much we have booked to return next summer. Need I say more?

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“Spacious Hotel”

Great holiday at Palazzo Del Mare. Our suite was very spacious with two balconies including a hot tub and was always very clean and tidy. The various swimming pools are huge and generoulsy equipped with sunbeds - we never had a problem finding somewhere to stretch out. Access to the beach is c... more

Great holiday at Palazzo Del Mare. Our suite was very spacious with two balconies including a hot tub and was always very clean and tidy. The various swimming pools are huge and generoulsy equipped with sunbeds - we never had a problem finding somewhere to stretch out. Access to the beach is close by, again with lots of sunbeds available. The experience would be enhaced if the sunbeds were all cushioned. We occasionally had to wait for seating in the dining room but this was totally acceptable as many diners chose to eat at the same time. The varied and plentiful food was served buffet style except for the Culinarium A La Carte restaurant which served a variety of tasty meals. Drinks were a little pricey but they are everywhere these days. The staff are a significant part of the hotel's appeal as they were all friendly and willing to chat from the senior managers to the man who meticulously cleaned the glass windows/partitions every day. Lots of guests had swim-up rooms adjacent to the pools which were very popular. Some rooms had their own private small pool which are likely to be more expensive. The TUI Blue app was extensively used to keep us posted about wine tasting, cocktail making and cooking demonstrations amongst many varied activities on offer. On occasion the bar manager would bring round melon slices to those seated by the pools which was very refreshing. There are groundsmen who worked tirelessly to maintain the extensive gardens which are very well presented with numerous palm trees to offer some shade from the hot sun. I can't name all the staff who we found welcoming and helpful as there were so many of them but they include Villy, Maximus, Irini, Amanda, Elton, Fation, the bar manager, the list goes on... I would struggle to find anything to complain about regarding this hotel and I expect that we will return at some stage in the future.

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“Great stay”

This was our fourth visit and this time we were going with friends. We were a touch concerned about the latest reviews. We hadn't been for a few years because of Covid restrictions. Why did we doubt it? A friendly welcome, impeccable service with a nice swim up room and very clean. The whole pla... more

This was our fourth visit and this time we were going with friends. We were a touch concerned about the latest reviews. We hadn't been for a few years because of Covid restrictions. Why did we doubt it? A friendly welcome, impeccable service with a nice swim up room and very clean. The whole place was spotless. All, and I mean all of the people that worked there were very friendly, welcoming and helpful and went out of their way to make our stay unforgettable.,,,.again. Food and selection of food was good and the waiters and waitresses especially Irini and Mohammed were very friendly and professional. Villi also deserves a special mention. I don't understand the negative reviews. I can only think that some people want to put others off in the hope they can easily book the holiday again. We will book again next year this time for two weeks.

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