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ikos olivia vs ikos oceania

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With a focus on fine dining, the hotels Infinite Lifestyle all-inclusive concept comes into its own across the four. Also one evening in the Italian at the Oceania in 2015, a guest at a nearby table knocked over their wine pedestal, smashing a bottle of red wine with the resulting explosion showering my wife and staining her lovely new summer dress. The weather was 35 degrees every day and no rain. The Ikos Oceania is set on the side of a slope/hill and the accommodation consists of five 3 storey buildings (one being the Deluxe accommodation) with about 20/25 rooms on each floor. Their is a main pool here and a kids pool. Very calm shallow clear water, nice breeze, very well kept even the sand is sieved for stones daily! If this continues to increase the change in clientele could disrupt the peace and change the atmosphere of the resort. It had a lovely colourful dcor that set it apart from the white or beige of some of the other restaurants.

With a focus on fine dining, the hotels Infinite Lifestyle all-inclusive concept comes into its own across the four la carte restaurants, which all offermenus designed by Michelin-starred chefs, stylish dining rooms and slick service. Service on all occasions was first rate. As at the Oceania, the pool bar was open on a number of nights for events. The a la carte restaurants can be booked from 7-9:30pm. I probably wouldn't choose this place without kids because there are so many of them running around. Never had a problem at either hotel getting a sun lounger by the beach, but at the Olivia at peak times (school holidays) I would recommend getting down there earlier in the morning to be certain. French:Oceania This was the ground floor of a small 2 storey building, the First Floor of which was the Asian restaurant. ARRIVAL:Arrivals at Thessaloniki was straightforward on both occasions. There are many fantastic reviews about both these hotels, so rather than just add more of the same I thought I would do a comparison of the two as we have been to both now on successive summer holidays in 2015 and 2016. My wife and I and out 17 year old daughter stayed at the Ikos Oceania from 29th June to 13th July 2015. Anaya, meanwhile, has an imaginative Asian-inspired menu and has the most atmospheric dining room, with moody slate-grey and burnt-orange colours, low lighting and banquette seating. No delays. He even sought us out the following day to make sure everything was alright and to ensure we got the dress cleaned.More. It was like a little boutique hotel. In 2016 we were the third stop after just over an hour as the Olivia is about another 15/20 minutes further down the coast. To be honest there was nothing really that inspiring. With daily football, table tennis, a kids club and babysitters on tap, you'll suddenly find the rare opportunity to read again, or to simply lay in the sun and do nothing (oh, and if you dont have little ones in tow, you can escape the bedlam by heading to the beautifully scenic and peaceful adults-only pool). Taking the practical benefits of the all-inclusive (lets face it, it IS great for families who have the freedom and relief of knowing that those extra drinks and ice-creams have already been paid for) and marrying its offering with all the elements of a luxury holiday (fine dining being a real focus), the group is making huge strides in sewing up the top-end of this market. There is less of it at the Olivia and more easily navigated. Review tags are currently only available for English language reviews. Consequently its a more compact site. To further tempt you, theres Chicken Saltimbocca and Parmesan Risotto Arancini and Beef Tenderloing with Saffron Potato. A few mentions:-Violeta - for looking after us so well around the pool during the day (boy - she works hard ! It has a large 3-spoke main building, but the rest of the accommodation (including the deluxe) is made up of different styles of bungalows (some double, some 1/2 bedroom suites, some with pools, many actually not a bungalow but a maisonette) spread throughout the grounds.

For 2016 we had booked an upgrade directly with the hotel from a room in the main building to a double-bungalow in the grounds (paid for extra on checkout). My wife and I (only) stayed at the Ikos Olivia from 20th June till 4th July 2016. and less-than-average buffet meals galore. No delays. On both holidays we took watershoes and made good use of them, if only to avoid burning our feet on the very hot sand! At both hotels service at poolside and on the beach is an excellent arrangement whereby the staff go along the row with an ePad and order your drinks and food (yes, they deliver food to your sun lounger! There was one dine out option at the Oceania in 2015 (free 5 min shuttle bus into Nea Moudania) and two at the Olivia in 2016 within walking distance from the hotel. The obligatory glass of sparkling wine was provided while we awaited the golf-buggy transfer to our accommodation. It has four restaurants, three pools, spa, private beach and various other amenities like tennis courts, bikes. The Wine list is excellent, different at each restaurant and tailored to the menu. It started in 2015, when Ikos first made waves in the hotel industry when it opened its boutique offering Ikos Olivia in Halkidiki, Greece. There was also a security risk with providing written details of your credit card.Mini-bar: Last year the mini-bar including Nespresso capsules were replenished daily. We used our Tesco vouchers to get Meet & Greet parking, which isnt actually meet and greet but the car park is a stones through from Departures. ), Dining - such as at Fusco - is a real highlight. They also flatly refused to book the speciality restaurants and would simply turn up on spec demanding a table. It's totally all inclusive - free food and drink everywhere and its branded spirits, not local, good wine lists and nice fresh juices, milkshakes, whatever you want. What we found as a couple was that as most of the other guests were families, I'd say 80% were for our stay it meant that we tended to book our dinners late, as families obviously eat early. The a la carte menu offered during the day at Provence was a massive hit. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu.

The room was great - we had a two bedroom bungalow with see view - an amazing view. You also get a beach buddy attending to you here, as you do round the pool. You can book it 24 hours before due check-out and is subject to availability. The staff are so attentive and must walk miles every day around the pools, beach, restaurants etc serving you so you don't have to move or stop what you are doing. ).At the Olivia in 2016 it was a similar arrangement except that you didnt need to go anywhere; you just phoned the Restaurant Booking extension from your room after 8am. Can we hard to get loungers so go early. The Asian was only open as an a-la-carte restaurant in the evening and we went there a few times. Its perhaps no surprise then that the Olivia is a tadge more expensive than the Oceania.ROOM:At the Oceania in 2015 we had a junior suite (for 3) located on the second floor in the block nearest the beach, so we had excellent ocean views. "Would the service and food be as good last year?" I should mention there is coral at both beaches.

We don't and the kids didn't bother us like they did other people we spoke to. We went for a week in June with two kids almost 4 and almost 1. Starters here are the star of the show, with a choice of Spicy Tom Yum Soup, Gyoza, Tuna Poki Salad and Deep Fried Chiu Yim Squid making it difficult to select just one dish to kick-start your meal (youll want it all). The room was clean, spacious, good air conditioning, with three TVs, two bathrooms, living room and two balconies. It was nice. TRAVEL DETAILS:My wife and I and out 17 year old daughter stayed at the Ikos Oceania from 29th June to 13th July 2015. We had a couple of glasses of wine and ate some nice snack food (all in the price) while sitting on some comfy seats. Sun if you wanted it, shade if you didnt. No delays. On both occasions there were just a small handful of people staying at the hotel from the flight, so no mass queues as we have experienced at other hotels. The food served at all of the restaurants, even Flavours, was super fresh and delicious. ), which is then transmitted by wi-fi back to the bar where someone prepares them and then delivers them to you within 5 minutes (longer for food of course). Transfer back to the airport was accompanied by a Thomson-Frst Choice rep in 2015 from the Oceania, but was unaccompanied (i.e.

There is also an adult area here. What they do put on though is of good quality and far better than your standard Caribbean affair. When we wanted to be poolside we headed for the lagoon pool and it was excellent. Basically if you dont look at the programme and go to the location at the appointed time, you wouldnt even know it was on. Some lovely menu choices with excellent wines to accompany, we had an excellent meal on every visit.

Again, selection, quality and service excellent all round at both. The pool by the beach was packed - we started to go to the one by the main building as I wanted to help my son practice swimming - much quieter yet only two mins walk apart. no rep) in 2016 from the Olivia, although a rep met us off the coach on arrival. We couldnt book in anywhere that first night, but managed to book the rest of the entire 14 night stay in one go (no getting up early every day to queue! In the end we decided to go back to the bungalow and set-up outside in our little garden for the rest of the day. Meanwhile, making sure that every culinary whim is catered for, and for those times whenyou just want to stay put, theres even 24-hour room service also included. There's no scrum for sun-loungers, service is top-notch and attention to detail is second-to-none it is all this combined that sets it far apart from the usual all-inclusive. Our room was wonderful and cleaned to the highest level every day. The theatre at the Olivia is an outdoor arena in the far north-west corner of the resort by the sports facility. Entertainment was extremely well organised and we particularly enjoyed the new addition of the beach party at Helios Bar.There was no upgrade offered this year but we stayed in a panoramic junior suite which was incredibly spacious and had lovely views with a large balcony.All of the staff at Ikos Olivia work incredibly hard and I wish I could thank them all individually. As its short-haul there is no meal and they offer you paid-for snacks and drinks. On both occasions we flew on a Monday afternoon flight from East Midlands, with a Monday evening return flight.OUTBOUND TRIP:All went smoothly on both occasions. On both occasions we booked with Thompson-First Choice (Thompson site in 2015 and First Choice site in 2016 as that was the only one with Ikos Olivia). more. I guess the shame is that the swim up bar in the other pool is where all the kids are and it might have been nice to chill here and enjoy a G&T. We spoke to a number of people who did this and it was no problem.Main Buffet restaurant: Oceania This was located inside the main building, with some tables (adults only) having window views over the ocean. Excellent free wi-fi signal in both rooms.I would highlight that we struggled a little with socket availability in the room at the Oceania in 2015. OUTBOUND TRIP: After the first 3 days you can ring reception and book the restaurants in the morning. Most of the kids were round the other pool. Blue sky thinking: the beach at Ikos Oceania.

Local Restaurant/Dine Out optionBoth hotels also offer a dine-out option at no extra charge, where you can eat at a local taverna. la carte restaurants, which all offermenus designed by Michelin-starred chefs, stylish dining rooms and slick service. Having been spoilt with our boutique hotel experience at the Oceania, we were a little disappointed with the location, or at least we were on our first evening visit as our table overlooked the door out from reception to the main pool! Opening out to a terrace area with views over the ocean this is just the place for an early-morning coffee before a dip in the infinity pool actually there are three infinity pools, so youll be spoilt for choice. After a few days if we werent on the beach we spent our time at this pool, so consequently we often ate breakfast and lunch there. A little stony but still nice. There are many fantastic reviews about both these hotels, so rather than just add more of the same I thought I would do a comparison of the two as we have been to both now on successive summer holidays in 2015 and 2016. My partner and I stayed at this wonderful hotel the second week of July.

There was a kids club although we didn't use it - it looked good though when we went for a look. All great - we liked the Asian one the best. For 2016 we had booked Champagne & Chocolates for the flight (it was our anniversary) but we had to ask the Hostess where they were and they had to go and get them for us. Excellent selection of cocktails, wine and spirits at both. However I would like to say a special thank you to the following: Thanos (tennis coach), Thanos (sports centre), Stefan & Elana (Provence), Georgios (Provence & Anaya) and Andrei (Main Pool/Teatro).Despite such an amazing holiday there is always room for further improvements and the following is my list of niggles which I hope will be reviewed by the resort's management:Check-in: The check-in service last year was much more personal and similar to the check in service at Porto Sani Resort. For relaxed meals, breakfasts and lunches, there is also Flavors a large, modern buffet restaurant with a constantly changing menu based around Mediterranean cuisine (and the best selection of patisserie this side of Paris). We had a number of very lovely meals there accompanied by some excellent wine. Across the globe, too often the concept has been about piling them high, and selling them cheap with non-branded drinks, group activities (shudder!) It just lacked a little atmosphere.Olivia Conversely, we loved the Italian here. Unfortunately (or not really) what we didnt know was that was had book in on Greek night, which was when all the tables and chairs from the Greek were brought out and placed on the poolside and Greek music and dancing took place. There is a small public road (country lane) separating the front of the hotel from the beach, which although not actually far feels quite a walk up the slope, especially if your accommodation is right up by the main building or you want to go to the buffet restaurant. They simply cannot do enough for you. BEACH:What can I say! FOOD/RESTAURANTS:Overview:If you are coming to either Ikos for the quality of the food and drink I can promise you that you will not be disappointed. We managed, but I did have to unplug the lamp to free up a socket for our use. You do not have to get up to save a subbed, you can grab loads of sunbeds round this pool at any time of the day. every attempt was made by the staff to make it right. I asked myself.Well the answer to that is a big fat absolutely YES and in fact overall the standard of service and the quality of the food was even better than last year!! At the Oceania in 2015 we were so hungry on arrival that even after the provided sandwich, we ordered in that night! My wife and I (only) stayed at the Ikos Olivia from 20th June till 4th July 2016. This is an excellent hotel with great facilities.

This year however, to be offered a cool towel and a welcome drink whilst asked to complete a form at the check-in desk really didn't work for me. I sorry to say but there was one set of guests at the Olivia in 2016 who were a problem Russians, although that problem was mainly directed at the staff. With a focus on freshly-caught fish and classic Greek recipes the standout dishes here include Shrimps Saganaki cooked with Limnio Wine, Baked Tomato and Estragon, Octopus cooked with Onions Confit and Fava, and the signature dish Lamb Kleftiko with Potato Puree, which is cooked for 48 hours and is the most popular dish in the whole resort (do NOTgo home without trying it. It was a great evening, but it did mean we missed out on having another special Greek a-la-carte meal (and we were too near the end of the holiday by then to change anything else). If you want to sleep round the pool and want peace and quiet use the pool near the main hotel. Good sense of humor too. Whilst waiting for the golf buggy we noticed other dining guests wearing beach flip flops and other shoes less casual than my husbands.. Fortunately the golf buggy never arrived. The beach is served by staff from the beach bar located next to the Greek on the watersports side, and also by staff working out of the main buffet restaurant (for that side of the beach). There was a large safe in the wardrobe (free), a good TV (not that we watched it), and really comfortable beds/mattresses with good quality pillows. They have free pedals and kayaks which were good fun with the kids. For 2016 we booked for the two of us to have access to the Escape Lounge (42 total). The food and wine were excellent, but overall it was our least favourite of all the restaurants across both hotels. 2022 Forbes Media LLC. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Overall, surroundings are design-orientatedand seductive and even when the hotel is full, it is one of the places where it never feels like it is. In 2015 at the Oceania we hired a car and the three of us did a tour round Sithonia (the middle of the three fingers of the Halkidiki peninsula). at the sports facility, etc). Like cruising, the all-inclusive hotel has long had a bit of an image problem. We will definitely look to return in the future!

One positive is that due to a local law in Greece, they have to supply bottled water at extremely competitive (cheap) prices. Follow this author to improve your content experience.

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ikos olivia vs ikos oceania