Mitsis Royal Mare

We came away from our holiday with mixed feelings about the resort. Whilst there are many positives, we won't be returning or recommending it to friends with toddlers either. This is mostly due to the poor air conditioning throughout the resort - in 35 degrees weather and nearly 70% humidity, you expect a 5* resort to have effective air conditioning in the main buildings and buffet restaurant. As for the room, the air-conditioning was much better but did seem to cut out/slow down/ramp up at will. I am surprised that no other review mentions how hot the main building is. The lifts are stifling and the reception area gave no relief from the heat outside. Our other disappointment was the battle for sunbeds, which again I'm surprised no other reviews mention. It wasn't until halfway through our stay that we realised people were reserving sunbeds on the way to breakfast (putting bags and towels down and coming back down after they'd eaten). Even though there are signs asking people not to do this, we didn't see anyone's possessions moved on or anyone from the hotel monitoring it. For several days we had to use the chairs by the pool bar to put our towels down somewhere so we could have a swim as both pools had no available sunbeds. Most days our best chance at getting 2/3 beds together was after 4pm. Next, we were not well-informed on how the a la carte restaurants worked at the resort. At other AI hotels we have stayed at, you get one meal per stay that you book on arrival. We only learned through reading another TA review that in fact you got one meal per restaurant per week and that due to their popularity you have to download the Mitsis app before your arrival to have a chance at getting a reservation at each of them. Our final disappointment was related to the food. (I will caveat this though by saying that the buffet food is fresh, varied and delicious). I have coeliac disease and was so disappointed to learn that I couldn't eat any ice cream in the buffet or the pool side ice cream/waffle bar (Allegria). Who doesn't want ice cream on holiday! You also can't eat any of the chips as they are fried in the same place as breaded items. I was asked to fill in a form at the restaurant on day 1 about my dietary requirements but I'm not sure what they did with the information on that form as no one approached me afterwards. Is it not possible to add GF to the food labels rather than to tour individuals with dietary requirements around the buffet over and over? I could see new people arriving asking the same questions to the chefs who are all extremely busy, I think food labelling would help everyone out! As would a small GF corner at breakfast with packaged GF bread/rolls/cakes etc, which I have seen work well at other hotels. Lastly, despite the wonderful pirate ship and kids pool, there didn't seem to be any other families with toddlers at the resort! It was a shame that our 2 year old had no one to mix with in the kids pool, though I guess it was also a privilege to have that facility entirely to ourselves whenever we used it! I would say most groups here were couples of all ages, couples with babies under 18m or families with much older children. I wouldn't recommend this hotel to anyone with toddlers for this reason. ... all that aside! The hotel has beautiful grounds and is really well looked after. As all the other reviews mention, the staff are really kind and lovely. The pool areas are clean and well-maintained. The evening entertainment is varied and enjoyable. The atmosphere is calm and relaxing. The drinks were delicious with lots of cocktails to choose from. If you can, get a room with a private shared pool - this will guarantee you sunbeds! Our review looks a bit lopsided (4* but a bit moany!), but when you are paying nearly 4k on a week's holiday, you have high expectations. 3s feels too mean, 4s too much... we lie somewhere in between. In hindsight, we should have addressed our concerns to hotel management, as another reviewer did here, during our stay. TLDR: beautiful resort for couples or families with older kids, make sure you book (all!) a la carte restaurants a couple of weeks before you arrive by downloading the hotel app and maybe swerve this hotel if you like really good air con!!

We travel every year and have stayed in many 4- and 5-star hotels across Europe and the USA. Without a doubt, the service at Mitsis Royal Mare is the best we have ever experienced. The resort itself is beautiful, with lush gardens, a peaceful atmosphere and stunning surroundings. Everywhere you look, the grounds are well maintained and create a truly relaxing holiday feeling. What made our stay unforgettable, however, was the incredible staff. Every single employee treated us with genuine warmth, kindness and professionalism. From the housekeeping team to the restaurant staff, everyone made us feel welcome and truly cared for. The restaurant service deserves special recognition. The team was attentive, friendly and always had a smile on their faces. They remembered our preferences, interacted wonderfully with our children and made every meal feel special. You could tell that they genuinely cared about their guests, and that made all the difference.

Of course, no hotel is perfect, and there are a few areas where we believe improvements could be made. Some of the rooms, particularly in the main building, feel quite dated. We were very grateful that we were able to move to one of the renovated rooms in the garden area, which was much more in line with what we had expected from our holiday. The main buffet restaurant was the biggest disappointment for us. Compared with the excellent à la carte restaurants, it lacks both atmosphere and variety. The seating area feels less inviting, and we expected a wider selection of food for a resort of this category. The beach is made up of small pebbles rather than sand, which wasn't our personal preference. However, the sea is wonderfully clean, crystal clear and very refreshing. The beach restaurant serves simple but tasty lunches, making it a lovely place to spend the afternoon. Despite these minor points, our overall experience was outstanding. The exceptional hospitality, genuine kindness and professionalism of every member of staff more than made up for them. We have stayed in many luxury hotels over the years, but we have never experienced service like this. It is the people who make Mitsis Royal Mare truly special, and they are the reason we would happily return.

I’ll be honest, our first impression wasn’t great.

The room wasn’t what we’d expected, especially the bathroom, which felt quite dated. The buffet also seemed to offer less choice than we’d experienced at similar hotels, and because so many of the pools are private, the resort initially felt quieter and less lively than we’d imagined.

We genuinely wondered whether we’d chosen the right hotel.

Thankfully, everything changed after we spoke with Anna from Guest Relations.

She listened, understood exactly why we were disappointed and took action immediately. She arranged a room move, explained the different restaurants around the resort and booked our first reservations. From that point onwards, the holiday just got better and better.

One thing we had worried about was finding somewhere to sit by the pool, especially with so many private pools. In reality, the hotel’s towel policy works really well. Reserved sunbeds that aren’t being used are cleared, and we never had any trouble finding somewhere comfortable, even in the shade.

The atmosphere of the resort turned out to be exactly what we were looking for. At first we thought it might be too quiet, but in reality it was a case of less is more. A calmer, more relaxed environment with no loud poolside entertainment or constant announcements. Just peace, space and time to unwind properly.

The restaurants are where this hotel really shines. Every one we visited was excellent and far better than we’d expected after our first day. The food was consistently good, with plenty of variety, and the staff managed that perfect balance of being attentive without hovering. After a couple of days they already knew our preferences, which made the whole experience feel much more personal.

A special thank you to Aphrodite at the brunch restaurant, who made us feel welcome every time we visited, to Manolis whose attention to detail is immaculate, and to Jonabelle, who somehow managed to get even my kids to look up from their phones, smile and laugh. All of them were always friendly, professional and genuinely happy to help.

The biggest thank you has to go to Anna. Good hotels are judged not by whether everything goes perfectly, but by how they respond when something isn’t right. Anna was outstanding. She recognised the issue, acted quickly, followed up throughout our stay and even surprised us with an invitation to the Thalasso Spa. It’s exactly the sort of guest service that turns a disappointed customer into one who wants to return.

We arrived feeling underwhelmed. We left having had a genuinely wonderful holiday.

The facilities are good, the restaurants are excellent, but it’s the people and the atmosphere that make this hotel special. Long after the suntan has faded, we’ll still remember how well we were looked after.