Labranda Marine Aquapark Resort

3 stars at most – you really do get what you pay for.

We’ve just returned from White Olive Marine Aquapark in Kos. We knew this was a cheap holiday and weren’t expecting luxury, but I certainly wouldn’t describe this as a 4-star resort. In my opinion, it’s 3-star at best.

There are some positives: the pools are good, the rooms are comfortable, and the à la carte restaurant was genuinely very good. The wine there was also perfectly drinkable. But unfortunately, there were far more negatives than positives for us.

Food & drinks

The food selection was poor and repetitive. People seem to rave about the pizza, but we really didn’t understand the hype. On most occasions we tried it, the dough was undercooked and sometimes practically raw.

The lunch snack bar was another disappointment. There simply wasn’t enough food for the number of people, and the same limited options appeared day after day.

The drinks were poor quality and non-branded. More importantly, the whole drinks service around the pool felt very cheap.

There is no proper glassware around the pool, with everything served in flimsy paper/plastic cups and food being eaten from disposable paper plates. When it’s windy, these plates and cups are literally blowing around the pool area. It gives the whole place a very cheap, canteen-like feel rather than a 4-star all-inclusive resort.

I appreciate that proper glassware around a pool presents obvious safety issues, but there must be better alternatives than flimsy disposable cups and plates that are constantly blowing around.

The clientele / atmosphere

Unfortunately, the type of clientele attracted by the extremely cheap prices also affected our experience. There were quite a few guests behaving in ways that made the pool area feel more like a rowdy budget holiday camp than a Greek 4-star resort.

Loud, inconsiderate behaviour, litter and generally poor manners from some guests really took away from the experience.

Obviously, the hotel can’t control every individual guest, but there is a definite budget-resort atmosphere here, and if you’re looking for a quieter, more sophisticated or traditionally 4-star experience, this probably isn’t the place for you.

Rooms, showers & housekeeping

The plumbing was awful. Showers regularly ran cold unless you showered at off-peak times during the day or very late at night. There were also leaks around the hotel.

Housekeeping was another major frustration. The maids would turn up at awkward times and let themselves straight into the room, even when my child was still sleeping. When I asked them to come back later, I was met with eye-rolling, and on some occasions they simply didn’t return.

That’s not the level of service I’d expect from a 4-star property.

Entertainment

The entertainment was extremely basic and sometimes practically non-existent.

You’re mostly looking at bingo, a mini disco and the usual “Mr Hotel” or karaoke-style shows. Again, if you’re travelling with the expectation of a budget holiday camp, perhaps this is fine. But it’s difficult to reconcile it with the hotel being marketed as 4-star.

Location & unfinished areas

The hotel is isolated, and taxis are expensive even for relatively short journeys. We knew this before travelling, so it wasn’t unexpected, but it’s worth factoring into your budget.

There are also lots of unfinished touches around the hotel which add to the impression that this is a resort that has been built to a price rather than finished to a 4-star standard.

Final thoughts

If the sun had shone for the entire holiday, perhaps some of these things wouldn’t have bothered us quite so much. When you’re outside all day enjoying the pools and the weather, you naturally notice the negatives less.

Unfortunately, when you get a colder or less sunny day and you’re relying on the food, drinks and entertainment to get you through it, all the cracks start to show.

This was a very cheap holiday, and ultimately you get what you pay for. If you go with very low expectations, enjoy sitting around the pool and don’t mind a loud, budget-holiday atmosphere, you may have a perfectly acceptable time.

But if you’re booking this because it’s advertised as a 4-star all-inclusive, I’d seriously manage your expectations.

For us, it’s 3 stars at most.

Our overall description: Butlins abroad.

Returned from a week at White Olive Marine Aquapark (6th to 13th October). Days before flying out, we read a couple of lengthy reviews on how bad the place was and wondered what we were letting ourselves in for. Fortunately, we had none of those issues and completely disagreed with most of the observations. The hotel was generally very clean and tidy, with the exception of a couple of chairs in the lobby, which had obviously had drink or something spilt on them, but they were old and dry stains. Rooms were cleaned daily, used towels replaced, and beds made. Comments about not changing bedclothes were irrelevant, as I wouldn’t expect them to be changed during a one week stay if people shower each night before bedtime. Being fussy eaters, we still found there was always something we liked to eat, a good variety of soup, mains and deserts. Breakfast was repetitive, but that is normal as far as we are concerned. We do have an issue with parents letting their children help themselves and not using the correct utensil for the food item, resulting in mixed food. Also, Ice cream was mixed as children (and some adults) didn’t rinse the scoop after each change of flavour. The staff were very friendly, in particular Panos, the barman at the Adult Lotus Pool bar. He was amazing, one of the best barmen we have come across. Friendly and extremely helpful. Even fetched dry sunbeds for us after a rain shower. Kept the bar and pool area immaculate. Also, a mention for Flora in the lobby bar, who was also very friendly. The adult pool was a brilliant idea, as more peaceful than the other pools. Not sure why there were so many children at the hotel in school term time. Many must have been taken out of school. Three issues we encountered. Firstly, the water in our room was lukewarm at best. Had maintenance out to it, and after they ran it for 15 minutes, it did warm slightly, but not a lot. Issue never resolved. Secondly, we had a severe rain storm one day, which flooded the area and let muddy water into the water park pool. Next day maintenance was clearing the water drains on the path, and by the look of the debris and Vegetation coming out of them, the flooding could have been avoided on the previous day. Finally, we wanted to extend our room departure as we didn’t leave the hotel until 17:15. The leaflet said contact reception by 10:00 on the day of departure, which we did. No, the leaflet was wrong. Need to apply 3 days before departure, even then not guaranteed. We did however get a shower room prior to departure. Not a great location, but OK if you don't want to leave the hotel. Overall, a great hotel and an enjoyable stay.