I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: there is no feeling quite like landing in the airport and finding yourself at the designated ikos desk, knowing exactly what’s in front of you for the next two weeks.
Private transfer complete, guest services at ikos Olivia were waiting for us at reception with two glasses of champagne – and apple juice and cookies for Molly – ready for us to complete the check-in process. Due to our early flight, our room was not yet ready, but a table at Provence had been set aside for us to enjoy some lunch, and we were advised that they would send us a message as soon as our luggage was in our room.
All rooms throughout the resort have been newly renovated for the 2025 season, and they are stunning: think neutral and understated, without any compromise on the comfort. Rooms are spacious, with plenty of storage, and the beds are super comfy, and big enough for any kiddies who like to jump in during the middle of the night!
We were staying in a Superior Double Room with Balcony, overlooking the front of the Hotel. It was extremely spacious, and absolutely perfect for us! With ikos, every room – from the entry levels to the Deluxe Suites – are very well considered and thought out, ensuring that every guest is catered for, irrespective of their age. Molly received a bottle of ‘Champagnino’ on arrival, to accompany our welcome bottle of Cava and fresh fruit in the room: a perfect example in the long list of personal touches that ikos have thought of, and which continue to be evident throughout your stay, to make all members of the family feel welcome and included.
Olivia is one of the chain’s smaller resorts, but still an impressive size at twenty acres. It’s primarily flat, making it extremely popular with young families who are reliant on prams and buggies. There are also scooters and trikes available for hire from the sports centre – free of charge – as well as bicycles for every age.
The Sports Center is also home to tennis courts, a beach volleyball court, and a football pitch. Tennis camps for kids, and coaching for adults, are available – at an extra cost – as well as the now well-renowned ‘Football Escapes’ giving kiddies the opportunity to join a Football Camp and enjoy training led by some of football’s biggest names and ex-Premiership players. Again, this is a paid activity, but it is extremely popular and has to be booked in advance.
We spent most of our days at the family pool, which is also home to the baby pool and the newly-installed splash pad, which was very popular with the younger guests! There is a bar here also, with regular sun bed service, and daily offerings of fresh fruit and ice cream, alongside a snack menu. Given that the deluxe pool is, as the name would suggest, solely for use of deluxe guests, there is only one other pool area, located by the main building. This pool was much quieter, and did have a small designated ‘Adults Only’ area, but this was the only real area of the hotel offering this, aside from a small section at the beach. With that being said, the hotel makes no attempt to deny that their target demographic is young families – I have never seen so many highchairs in my life! – and, for this reason, I would probably recommend childless couples to venture to another ikos Resort if they do not wish to be surrounded by prams and toddlers.
The Blue Flag beach at Olivia – as you’d expect in Greece – is stunning: a lovely 450 metre stretch, with plenty of sunbeds, as well as regular sunbed service for those lazy afternoons in the sun. Staff also frequented here on a regular basis with offerings of fresh fruit salads or homemade ice cream. Pedalos and kayaks are also available for daily use, free of charge – another extremely popular activity for families.
When travelling with a six year old, one of our non-negotiable requirements is an attractive Kids’ Club offering. Molly is extremely sociable, and loves popping along with new friends to take part in whatever is on offer. ‘Heroes Club’ is available from age 4-12 and has two sessions per day, with a wide variety of activities available: there is everything, from arts & crafts and water fights, to learning about Greek culture and food. There is also a Mini Club, for those under the age of 4 – which is payable – and a Teen Club, where they organise team sports and more age-appropriate activities. Ikos allow parents to book one session per day, in advance, with the understanding that if there is space, children can join in on both: this was unfortunately not always the case, which did become frustrating for parents, despite there being spaces available, and it was an issue which we raised with Management, and which they did rectify.
New for the 2025 Season, Supper Club was a big hit with children…and parents! Kiddies are invited to Flavors at 7pm to enjoy the Buffet with their friends, before heading back to the Heroes Club, where there are activities to keep them busy and entertained until 10pm. Some themes throughout our stay were a Silent Disco, Movie Night and ikos-Fest: Coachella for under-12’s. With the kids fed and happily occupied, this allows parents to enjoy a child-free dinner, and a night off from the dreaded clock-watch, to ensure we make it to Mini Disco: if you know, you know! This is payable activity, at 30 Euros, cheaper than a babysitter, and great value for money, in my opinion.
If you’ve ever been to an ikos Hotel, you’ll know I am not exaggerating when I say that the food on offer is some of the best I’ve ever tasted. Olivia has 5 restaurants onsite:-
- Flavors, the Hotel’s buffet, is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and the only restaurant which does not require an evening reservation – a beautiful setting but, with so many babies and toddlers in the hotel, it can get noisy!
- Provence is also open for all three mealtimes, with a reservation required in the evening. We ate here almost every lunchtime – the food was incredible, with fab service to allow you to enjoy a long, lazy lunch, in or out of the sun.
- Ouzo served up the most amazing Greek food and, like Provence, was also open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This was our breakfast spot of choice for the two weeks, and is situated right on the beach.
- Fresco, the Hotel’s Italian, was only open for dinner, meaning it was very popular, and wait times were much longer here: a challenge when you’re against the clock for Mini Disco. All food, as with the other restaurants, was exceptional, but the extended waiting time did, unfortunately, put a dampener on our dining experiences here.
- Anaya – wow! This is our favourite ikos restaurant, across all of the resorts – and the one that we always ensure we get multiple reservations at: the menu is incredible, with us often ordering a lot more than is required or should be socially acceptable – hands down, some of the best Asian food we have ever tasted. Again, this is only open for dinner, so get in fast!
It would be completely remiss of me not to mention Potami, one of the beachfront bars: located close to restaurants, open all day, and the ultimate spot for morning coffees, afternoon cocktails, and sundowners with a view. There was live music at lunchtime and in the evenings, and the hotel’s weekly White Party is also held here – this was our favourite spot to watch the world go by, or relax with a book while Molly was busy at Club.
There is an option to eat at a local restaurant, as part of your package, in the hotel’s ‘Dine Out’ scheme: allowing guests the opportunity to experience an authentic dinner experience, in a local setting. I heard fantastic reviews from other guests of one of the nearby offerings, but we couldn’t seem to pull ourselves away from the restaurants within the hotel, even for the evening. Equally, the unprecedented heat and humidity levels didn’t leave us feeling over-enthused about leaving!
All guests of ikos – across all resorts – are also invited to make use of one of the totel’s Teslas for the day. We used this opportunity to visit the other local ikos – Oceania: another beautiful hotel and the first of the ikos Resorts, but we personally preferred Olivia, and felt it more suitable for our requirements, especially with a young child.
Unfortunately, we did notice a decline in the children’ evening entertainment this year, and this would appear to be consistent with feedback from other ikos hotels this season. It does appear to be a cost-cutting exercise, and it felt less of an interactive Mini Disco – the highlight of the day, for many! – and more of a ‘show’, which a lot of the younger children did not have the attention span for. Could this perhaps be in an attempt to encourage more people to make the most of the paid ‘Supper Club’ offering? Perhaps, but that unfortunately leaves the under 4’s no longer catered for, a huge demographic within this Hotel in particular.
All in all, ikos Olivia is an absolutely beauty of a hotel – set in the most stunning surroundings, and with fantastic service. I would have absolutely no reservations in returning; I would, however, recommend the hotel to families with younger children, and would, instead, suggest some of the other resorts to childless couples or families with older kiddies.
This review was written by Hannah Wilson in September 2025. Hannah is an Independent Travel Agent and Online Travel Business Owner who loves travelling with her husband and daughter Molly.
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