Grecotel Marine Palace and Aqua Park

Mixed holiday for us, we are a family of 4, I am a widow so was travelling on my own with my son 12 and two daughters 9 and 2 years old I found the Service fairly good Cocktail selection was nice and they tasted fairly fresh and authentic Didn’t try wine so can’t comment Kids loved the crepe bar near the top pool - be nice to have more topping options tho. I think they just had sugar jam or Nutella Family suite is a good size but lacks clothes storage and does not feel at all luxury, the decor is pretty dated. I liked having a washing machine and clothes horse tho, that’s a big plus for me with 3 kids- it was great to go back home with a suitcase of clean clothes and not run out of anything there too Beach is nice, sea was a lovely temperature and didn’t get deep too quickly so it was good for my youngest daughter It was a bit tricky getting all swim things, towels etc down to the beach on my own with the 3 kids, it would be nice to have an option of getting a buggy lift as we had in another Grecotel we have visited in the past In the morning we often arrived too late to get a sunbed but I just put the towels on the sand until some cleared which they usually did. In the afternoon there seemed to be more availability though we didn’t go many times as that’s when my baby would nap in the room I like that they don’t allow sunbeds to be reserved, I think that’s a great rule Games room was fun - my kids really enjoyed it and we spent more than I’d like to remember on tokens. Lots of pools and restaurants near the pools Aqua park is great with some fabulous rides. Fun for the older kids but unfortunately I found there was very little to do for younger kids. I have a two and a half year old and the water sprays on the smaller kids area are too agressive they scared her off the slides which she usually loves. The water is also pretty cold. That meant I couldn’t take the older kids as much as I’d like as the youngest would get fed up quickly. It would be nice to add a little area for small kids. Or even just turn the water sprays off on the bottom couple of slides. Nice to have the bouncy castle area my youngest daughter loved that and the little playground is also nice

One of my biggest issues with the hotel was that for my standards the food was really not up to scratch. I admit that generally I do strongly dislike buffet so maybe I’m a tough critic but I have experienced buffets that felt more inspiring and tasty, for example in Grecotel amirandes the buffet was good and felt luxury even for a buffet. At marina palace the Greek salad and Daxos were good and reliable but most of the other dishes I found tasteless and uninspiring. In the morning the Omelette bar is a good idea but always had a queue, maybe add a second person, also the pancake bar in the morning could have large queues a second person would be good Usually I love pastries but found the pain au chocolat and croissants there pretty unenjoyable I also usually love desserts but found them all boring with no flavour and cheap tasting So as I don’t like buffet usually when we go on holiday I pay extra to go to the à la cartes more times than is included. But here I didn’t find the à la cartes significantly better to make it worthwhile Bbq restaurant was a beautiful location but food was just ok, same as main buffet really in taste if you strip away the visible bbq and just less choice than the main buffet Greek restaurant was a little better, i did quite enjoy it there. Then I liked the eat out idea but they need to think it through more- we went to fanari and it defo did not feel like a 5 star meal. Very rustic. Maybe they are shooting for the- it’s no frills but good honest Greek food and I get that concept. But service was surly. Menu fairly limited and the food wasn’t very enjoyable. I had a gyros in the airport that I enjoyed much more than anything we ate there (it’s all Greek gyros in airport is recommended!) I feel like it rubs in and emphasises what their per head spend is in the hotel if that’s what they have brokered to offer their guests. Anyway, I was so disappointed and uninspired with the food we went out into panormos 3 evening meals that I paid for myself. I was fed up of eating tasteless food and didn’t want to risk the à la cartes or the other dine out captains table. We had lovely meals at dusk (twice) and kastro

Suggestions Would be nice to have some bottles of water available for the room only available in glasses is a pain if you have a big family and want to drink at night Maps in room and a proper map on the app

I didn’t use kids club, for me the hours were too limited, I think 2 hours in morning and 2 in afternoon. It’s hardly worth talking the kids into it and getting them settled before it’s time to go collect again. Also didn’t check out the baby club That being said from what I saw from mini disco the entertainers seem good. I do feel like kids discos are getting extremely manic though, I’m sure some of the songs my son used to dance to tend to years back were a bit more toddler friendly. Now it all seems to be high tempo very coordinated dance moves that the kids club staff look good doing but younger kids seem totally lost. In fact my youngest favourite song and one of the only ones she managed to properly join in was the train song. Maybe they can add some less frenetic songs in, I’m sure there are some even sleeping bunnies for example is a really fun one as the kids lie down but then they have that jumping but where they can blow off some steam without needing to know a fancy dance routine

Enjoyed the two shows we watched fire show and acrobatics

That’s my main feedback, hope it might be helpful to someone. It’s tricky as I see reviews here from people who loved aspects I thought were poor, maybe I’m just fussy!

I will say that I do feel like the hotel has a nice heart. Despite its shortcomings I left feeling quite affectionate towards it

I don’t know if I’d go to Grecotel again tho, it’s our third and I feel like their brand is too inconsistent. Grecotel amirandes was the only one I really felt was luxury, the other two including this one seemed to be shooting for luxury but not getting there

Maybe it’s a Greece thing too? Costs are higher there so you get less for your money? I’m comparing to five star hotels I’ve visited in Cape Verde, Egypt and turkey and I don’t feel like Grecotel manage to compete equally. They fall a little short

It’s a pretty big area, nicely taken care of. Good rooms, nice pools, good drinks and perfect service especially by Eleni. The children are taken good care of, supervised sports activities. Would absolutely come back, perfect for families

I liked everythink . It was the second time here. Emanoil , and all the team are very profesional !