The Boswells landed at Birmingham airport on Thursday 31st August having just been to Kos Aqua beach club for two weeks.

The hotels cleanliness was good and the food was ok too.

The location was very bad there was one bus a day and it want at 10.30 in the morning and came back at 1.30 in the afternoon. This did not leave you enough time to look around Kos town which is a very nice place.

The hotel staff that we saw were ok with us and the entertainment was very good they did a really good job.
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We were a little apprehensive about going to the Kos Aqua Club, especially having read so many differing reviews, so we went with an open mind.

The hotel is set on a beach and has a number of pools, the slide pool, small kids shallow pool, shaped like Mickey Mouse's head, the wave pool (by the outdoor bar) and another quiet pool by the tennis courts. Being located so close to the beach was ideal. The kids could enjoy all the pool activities and we placed ourselves on the beach, which was quiet, yet still only 20 paces from the tubes.

The accommodation is set in two storey blocks. Our first impression was that it was a bit like a holiday camp. We did not get a sea view unless you hung yourself over the balcony.

We had a two bedded room, which i thought we would have a reception area and two bedrooms going off, but in fact the entrance is the first bedroom which had the bathroom and the main bedroom off of it. We were fortunate to have two TV's and a fridge. I understand speaking to other people that some people only had one TV in the main bedroom. The main bedroom was quite big and a very high ceiling, which as we had an upstairs room, meant we have the loft space too. It would have been good to have had air conditioning in both rooms, but in fact we did find we did not actually need the air conditioning on at night. We just needed it during the day. The rooms were kept clean and despite me making the beds every day (sad I know) the maid still came in and did them again! She was obviously much better at it than me!

We appreciated that this was a new hotel and they still have along way to go before you could give it a 100% rating for everything. The problems that we had was that we found that we could not change any money or card to get money from reception, which meant just a trip into town to get some money out. (The money was more for the kids wanting things from the shop - and for playing bingo!). We needed more coat hangers and pillows, and it took 2 requests for these to be actioned. However, the room was kept clean and there was lots of staff clearing up around the site. I always used the bins for any rubbish, but unfortunately, lots of other people did not. They left rubbish around their sunbeds and cigarette buts on the patio. It was hard for the team to keep up with this. We had a spell of very windy weather and the hotel reacted very quickly in making sure that the parasols were safe. The childrens area had a shady area made from bamboo, and this was taken down quickly when it was evident it was not going to stand up to the strong winds. They stacked the beds on the beaches as it was not really safe to be on in such strong winds. They cleaned the beds every day as they were getting lots of sand from the beach swept upon them. I understand that this type of weather was unique for this time of year - the sun was still very strong though!

We did not use the coach facility into Kos. It would have cost 2euros and 80 cents each to go (in total - 1.9 each way). We used taxis. The cost for this obviously varies but we found we got to Kos cheaper than going to Tigaki - we paid JUST 8 euros to get to Kos town. Tigaki was very boring - i would save the money and just go to Kos Town. It was lively with lots of shops and things to do and everyone really nice and polite.

The entertainment team tried so very hard. Pete, Nikki and Schiop were very good with all the children. Despite having one child who was a bit older (13 1/2) she was still made to feel very welcome. They had a kids entertainment hour and then bingo and then a night for the older people. There were some late night discos, but we did not try these. One afternoon the team went into the pools and had tube races. Another day, they took them off to go bowling in Kos Town. The team were sent new costumes to wear by their management company, but you would have laughed if you had seen them, especially as they only just fitted the children - they used these for a show the children did one night. When we left to come home, both the children were upset and did not want to leave. They would go back tomorrow.

One problem is that there does not seem to be anything for the older child. I would say it was a bit of a problem, groups of teenagers walking in groups together not having anything to do. If you do have older children - please think twice about booking this holiday - or if you do, ensure you know what they are up to! I was told that there had been some vandalism on site.

By the end of the holiday we were a bit bored by the food, but we went out into a taxi into Tigaki and had a nice meal out to break it up a bit. Lots of people did do this, so whilst we appreciate that it is an all inclusive resort - you will get bored by the same food, so be prepared to go out, rather than moan about the same food every night.

It was great not to have to move very far to get everything that you needed. We wanted a relaxing holiday and that is what we got. The kids had a great time in the various pools with the various entertainment. We were able to get sun beds without fighting for them, a drink at the bar if we needed one, as and when we wanted one. We were never told we could not have more than two drinks at a time. We were more disappointed about having to drink out of paper cups all the time! However, if you took drinks down near the pool or around the outside theatre, you needed to use plastic cups! The beach was cleaned daily, with the beds all put back into their positions with the parasols.

The staff based within the actual hotel (reception and bar staff) could have done with smiling a bit. They all looked so bored and fed up. The bar pool staff were nice and if you were nice to them, they would be nice back. There was a bit of queuing, but if you open something mid way through a holiday season, you are going to have problems with getting staff as they all probably have jobs elsewhere.

Overall a lovely holiday. As it is new there will be problems, but I am confident that come 2007 it will be a great place and people will want to go there.

Overall the holiday we had was good, but you must be made aware of a few shortfalls in the hotel. I have mentioned these to the Manager, not as a complaint but in a friendly conversation we struck up as we were leaving.

We were aware of the bad press connected to the hotel build running overtime which forced some people to cancel their holidays. And so we booked and flew out for a weeks holiday arriving back on the 3rd September 2006.

The hotel is a little remote from the main road which is not a bad thing as it means no road noise, and although there is no bus stop nearby the management have arranged for a bus to run every morning from the hotel to Kos town which returns in the afternoon for about 2-3 euros which is great. I know they are trying to increase this to a couple of trips a day, effectively making the hotel forecourt a bus stop for the convenience of the guests.

We checked in after a short taxi ride from the airport, one tip is that you should not pay extra for transfers. A private taxi will cost you about 20- 25 euros, with no waiting for other people to be dropped off!

The staff at reception were helpful, and you are given a wristband denoting your "all-inclusive" status. Don't expect any help with your luggage as you are handed a TV remote and one for the Air/con and you make your way to your room by the help of a map. it is very easy to find your way, the paths are well lit and the blocks are named after Greek Gods so we for example we were staying in the "House of Hermes".

The rooms were clean and comfortable as you would expect of a new hotel. The beds were comfortable, linen crisp and NO BUGS! Bathrooms we clean too, and well equipped, with bath/shower, WC and handbasin.

The TV had several stations, mainly Greek with just Euro news and BBC World being the only English languages stations. There is a small fridge for cold drinks and fruit.
Food was served buffet style, with a mix of clean fresh salads(9/10) to the staple main courses which were from ordinary to very good.

Do not expect a gastronomic delight. as they have to cater from the English tourists (chips with everything!) to Italians, Czechs and some Germans. Fresh watermelon, yellow melon, grapes and plums were available for dessert as well as excellent pastries and cakes.

My main gripe was that you had to queue up for water, and this was doled out from the kind on drinks dispenser you would find in a canteen!

I mean a little mineral water on the tables at meal times would not break the bank, and would allow you to eat your food while it was hot. The variety of colas, and fizzy drinks was good but NO healthy option of fresh fruit juice was available.

So I was constantly explaining to my 6 year old that Colas were not good for him, and sugary fizzy drinks were for a treat only and not to be drunk with every meal. Beer was on tap, and I was told it was local but good and well chilled.


The pools were great, which is one of the main reasons for booking this hotel. The water was warm, clean and life guards were on hand at the 2 main pools. The water slides were not too fast, so were safe for my 6 year old son, however beware that the two fully enclosed slides can be a bit hazardous for adults to use.

The pool is so shallow that people were grazing themselves on the bottom of the pools when exiting these. I myself slightly grazed my back coming out of the blue tube.
The wave pool is excellent and for 10 minutes in the hour gentle rolling waves rock the water, the rest of the time it is a gentle family pool safe for even the youngest children.

The beach at the hotel is sandy BUT it is nearly impossible to walk into the water as the waters edge is so rocky you can hardly stand up!! Strictly for sun worship only.

The pool bars cope well with the short queues(4-5 people) and at times there are no queues. The snacks at the pool consist of spam like ham/cheese rolls(I did not like these) pizza slices (slightly better) burgers in rolls(not brave enough to try) and some very nice cake. Ice creams were available too, but on one occasion it had run out by 2pm and the staff just shrugged their shoulders instead of getting more from the main kitchens. For two days the coffee machine did not work and when my wife tried to take a coffee out from the hotel to the pool area she was told that she was not allowed!! This is not my idea of an all -inclusive holiday, provision must be made for these occurrences.

There was entertainment for the children but beware, my 6 year old asked me out loud what "rumpy-pumpy" was!! He had heard it at one of the evening shows, where the older guests engaged in HI-DE-Hi type games like Mr& Mrs etc. I am not knocking the staff they were understaffed and did their best in what looks to be a difficult first season for the hotel.

I would suggest to the management that healthier drinks and fresh fruit be available at the pool bar and mineral water not be treated as a luxury, we dont treat it this way in the UK anymore, overall we had a good holiday and I hope the hotel makes a few changes to increase the quality and value to their guests. The staff were generally helpful and this could become a really good hotel, IF the management takes note.

We (38,37 and 12) stayed at the Kos Aqua Club Hotel
from 24 Aug to 3 Sep and had an enjoyable holiday.

The complex is located on a stretch of coastline between Tigaki and Kos Town and consists of :-

1. Main Building - this contains the hotel reception, main bar and restaurant. The reception desk always had many members of staff who were very pleasant and efficient. We were checked in and in our rooms within 5 minutes of arriving at the hotel.

At the reception desk you can hire beach towels for 20 Euro deposit or purchase them for 15 Euros. We asked reception to call us a taxi on 2 occasions, both of which arrived within 10 minutes. It is possible to hire a key for your room safe at a cost of 2.5 Euros per day. It is also possible to request a late checkout (if available) up to 8pm for 40 Euros or 12 midnight for 80 Euros. (We opted for the 8pm option, well worth the 40 Euros).

The main bar consisted of a bar, large seating area with tables, pool table and 3 computers with Internet access (I think that reception gave out passwords and there may have been a charge ?)

The bar serviced a large inside area and a smaller outside seating area. During the day there only tended to be 1 bar person and in the evening up to 3 bar staff were present, but usually only 2.

This level of staffing usually meant a maximum of 5 minutes queuing at busy periods (extra staff here would make a great psychological difference to people's perception of the hotel).

One benefit of the lack of staff was that people had to form an orderly queue and there was not the usual pushing in and arguing who was here first that usually goes on at bars (the location of this queue was in a fixed point at one side of the bar, but was unmarked so experienced guests usually had to mention to new comers where to stand so as not to upset the other queuing guests and be ignored by the bar staff

We were expecting to be going to a building site but we were pleasantly surprised.

The food got very samey after the first week and although the salads were very good I don

The only decent thing about the hotel is the pools so if you have young children and want a relaxing holiday holiday its ideal.

I have stayed all inclusive many times before but i have too say the food was diabolical it was the same nearly every time.

We must of had the laziest maid in the hotel as our floor/sheets/bathroom was not cleaned once the whole week,instead of making the bed she took the bed spread off screwed it up and put it on a nearby shelf!

I did complain too no avail. It was almost like being in a prison camp having too wait sometimes up too half an hour for a cab! I would never visit this hotel again.

We have just returned from here, and we had a GREAT time!

The rooms were excellent. We booked the A3 accomodation that gacve us 2 bedrooms, with one common hallway and a bathroom. The bathroom had a jacuzzi bath, which did get tried once, but with 5 of us there wasn't really time for baths. The main bed was enormous (3 pillows across!). I said to my wife on ther first night, "I didn't know that you had booked separate rooms for us!" The beds in the kids room comprised one double and one single bed. There was a TV in each room and each room had its own balcony.

One the downside of the accomodation, there were no tea of coffee making facilities in the room. We did find out at the end of the holiday (from some staff), that the week before the hotel opened, the staff were sent around to every room to remove the cups, kettle and microwave. Apparently, these were all being kept in storage and were available on request. Being the last day, we didn't actually request them.

The shower was the hand held variety only; no hook to put he shower head up on. Rather bizarrely, we had trouble with water temperature. Not the usual problem of no hot water, but strangley we often had no cold water!??

The rooms were cleaned daily, but I must say not to a high standard. We did notice that the maid mopped around shoes on the floor. There was no toothbrush holder and several times you could see the outline of the toothbrushes where the maid had cleaned around them. We were told by staff that there had been complaints that the maids were moving too much stuff in the rooms and so they were on strict instructions not to move anyones property in the rooms.

We did use the safe in the room, although on occasions we forgot to either lock it or left things out by accident. Nothing went missing. We did hear from an inside source that many of the "stolen" items we heard about had been found later, under beds etc.

We found the food ot be of a high standard. My wife and two eldest kids are fussy eaters. The choice each night was wide. The trouble with putting on a wide choice every night, is that you leave yourself little different to do each night. If you have beef, pork, lamb, fish, various rices, various pastas etc on Monday night, what can you put on that is different for Tuesday night? They did manage to vary the menu from night to night, but eventually they inevitable ran out of options by about day 5. You also need to bear in mind that traditional Greek food is a bit on the bland side ny its nature, they don't use a lot of spices etc. As a constructive critisism, maybe they could have looked at some themed nights; curries, Chinese, Italian. That said, we were in Greece. For Italian food, go to Italy...Local specialities such as octopus were served a couple of times a week as well. I understand why some people may have found the food boring, but as I said, with such a wide choice from day 1, it is difficult to know what else they could have served.

The food was always fresh, food containers were changed regularly, often whether they had run out or not, and one night, when the rabbit was going slowly, they took it off the menu and replaced it with pork (much to my friends disappointment, as he was enjoying an unhindered feast...hehe).

We were concerned about the reports of the snacks served down by the bar. They were indeed kept under plastic containers (as I would want them to be, for hygiene reasons). They were however, replenished regularly with fresh food. The choice wasn't enormous, but they were fine.

The location of the hotel wasn't great, but all inclusive hotels often tend to be out of the way a bit anyway. Its the nature of new developments. The all inclusives in Kardamena are the same. As that part of the coast develops, that will change no doubt.

The staff were generally helpful and friendly. True, the restaurant manager could do with a crash course in smiling, but the reception staff were always helpful, if not always efficient (we had to ask 3 times for an extar pillow and had a variety of things delivered to the room, including sheets, pillow cases and towels. In the end, I collected one from reception....no big problem).

The entertainment staff deserve an award. There is supposed to be a team of 12 there. Instead, there are 3, including the entertainment manager. They run the kids club in the morning, which my youngest two thought was excellent (the youngest at 2 1/2 still talks non-stop about wanting to go back to "school"). They also organised the various sporting a pool activities and were happy to be flexible in changing the programmed events if people wanted to do do something different. They worked like Trojans in very difficult circumstances. The kids hour in the evenings was a massive hit with both kids and adults alike and I never thought I would enjoy bingo! The games afterwards were hysterical and at one point I thought they were going to induce my wife into early labour!

The downside is that our 13 year old did find himself a bit "left out". Many of the facilities for the older kids were to be provided by First Choice and some of them are actually on site we understand. However, a spate of vandalism from teenagers early on has led to these being locked away and so with the exception of a pool tabel in the main bar, there is little for them to do of an evening. During the day, they can use the tennis courts, football pitch, volley ball court or basketball court, as well as the pools.

The pools themselves are fine. Yes, the kids pool are a bit shallow around the slides (about thigh deep on an adult), but that's not an issue if you are aware of it. I did notice that in some of the pools, the blue paint is starting to flake off the bottom, revealing the concrete underneath. Some people have commented on the almost unfinished concrete surface on the bottom which is too rough. However, the concrete underneath is smooth. The paint that came of had a specially rough texture designed to be non-slip. It is only present in the shallow areas (in the wave pool, after it gets 0.9m deep, the bottom is smooth). This has obviously been applied as a safety measure and while it may give some minor scrapes, to my mind it is far better than a broken leg (or worse) from slipping over in 20cm of water. It could be improved, but it is NOT poor workmanship that is responsible.

Lastly, the bars. Our concern before going was the "two-drink per person" rule that we heard about, as it meant that for a fmialy of 5, we would need to make 3 trips to the bar to get us all a drink. However, we encountered no such rule at all until the last but one night, when the bar manager enforced this at 11pm when the bar was closing, or rather, becoming a pay bar. He was concerned that people were coming up at 11pm and getting in enormous rounds to see them through until they wanted to turn in. (Guilty as charged your honour...we did that several times). The bar closing for AI at 11pm is far to earky in my opinion, especially as the entertainement did go on until midnight. Take a tip; if you can;t get a large round in before 11pm, don't buy at the bar, go the the shop about 50 metres away and buy it at half the price!

I think that covers it all. Was it perfect? No. was it a 4 star? No. Was it good fun and value for money? Yes, most definitely. If you are looking for absolute luxury, then stay away. (And good luck finding it anywhere in Greece by the way...)If you are the sort of person who looks for negatives everywhere and then has their holiday ruined when you find them, stay away. If you are prepared to have a lot of fun and just smile at a few (and I do mean just a few) things that we Brits may find quirky, go ahead, you'll have a ball.

Kos Aqua Beach is a wonderful place to stay if you want to enjoy a relaxed and carefree time but know that the children are happy and safe

Big plus having visible security guards around - especially if you have young ones with you

Excellent - holiday - totally enjoyable - ignore those that complain - I think they should stay in wet and windy England

All inc. meant that those endless needs for the kids are met - they are able to serve themselves to what they want and not what you want them to have

Big thankyou to the entertainments team - what stars you all are - catering for young and old alike and managing to seem like you enjoyed it to

Pool bar staff great - especially my personal ice cream maker - many thanx you made the holiday super

Shop staff need to learn that the kids are what spend the money and they should be friendlier towards them

Restaurant Manager - please smile and like people - we are not a pain in your side - but the people keeping you in a job

Truely enjoyed the holiday and would love to go back if the price was right

I cannot recommend this resort to anyone. I returned yesterday having had the worst holiday of my life. The resort is not complete no matter what you are told.

There are numerous holes with exposed wires & pipework all over the resort, pipes leaking everywhere causing pools of stagnant water that stink.

The restaurant only seats 500 yet there were 950 guests meaning long queues every meal time, that was assuming you wanted to eat the food. The salads were lovely but the cooked food looked inedible unless you wanted the obligatory chips.

That was not the worst of it though. One evening I along with at leat 2 other families were burgled, our rooms were entered using keys & locked again when our items were stolen.

I lost

This hotel has big problems. I have to admit that at first glance and photos provided on the web site before we left it looks great and you wonder what all that fuss was about. However, once there you know why FC pulled. This resort is not what it says it is. It is not finished and is certainly not run well. It has the distinct lack of proper professional management.

The bar staff and table staff are very friendly but seriously over worked. Several we talked to said they worked 15-18 hours a day. Some we spoke to were in the process of making arrangements to go home as they were fed up. I made friends with my cleaning lady. She is lovely but she cried a few mornings because she was just so wrecked. 5 cleaners for the whole of the resort. I refused to let her clean my room and I cleaned it myself, made my own beds as I felt sorry for her.

Hotel saftey: The are huge holes some 4 feet deep with water and wires in them. When I asked if they were dangerous I was told "just a little" in broken english. These are close to paths and at night can not be seen clearly as they are not roped off or covered. At the pool side there are maintience hatches which are some 10 foot deep. They are at times left open and un attended. This is an accident waiting to happen with a small curious child. A fall into this could have awful results.

Entertainment?: You got to be kidding. There is very little and what there is comes from the already very overworked kids club staff of 3. Who openly admit that they are not dancers or singers. One night the manager called off the nightly kids club at 11pm because he wanted to make the bar a pay bar. You see no entertainment, no all inclusive bar. Great way of making money from what looks like a failing resort. I heard the entertainment guy on his mobile the night the plug was pulled from the kariokie. He was very upset that the crowd had got ugly was worried that they were going to riot. He was scared and did not know what to do.

Food: well it is ok for 2 days until you relise that there are going to be no other choices apart from mystry meat. I asked that the meats be labled because at times it was difficult to "guess the meat"! The next day cards appeared with a picture of what animal it was but went missing the following day never to be seen again by myself. In the following days you had to que for food for up to 20 minutes for chips ect as the cooks could not keep up with demand. Best salads I have ever had though!

Location: Out in the middle of nowhere! This hotel was discribed as at the end of of Tingaki. That is exactly where it is. You can not walk to either Tingaki or Kos Town it is just too far on a dusty windy road that is not safe for biking nor walking with kids. The taxi drivers drive like mad men and would make walking impossible unless you have a death wish. Taxi will charge you 10 Euros both ways to both towns. Very over charged to Tinagki considering it is only 3 miles. The taxi drivers just don't want that run and often make you feel uncomfortable when you ask them to take you to Tingaki.

Cleanliness: The hotel is new so we saw no bugs, spiders ect, funny enough no mossies.

Beach saftey: The medhotel information says that there are flags to indicate the safe swimming areas. There are no flags and no life gaurds.

Pool Safety: I don't think this is a safe place for kids. The pools are so sharpe it is unreasonable. My kids were both cut and grazed from the childrens slides and pool. The water level is too shallow for the slides. The slides have sharpe edges and were closed a couple of times for "maintience". I had told the resort manager that my son had cuts and grazes all over his body. I showed him his feet, hands, elbows, knees and back. He said he could understand the elbows but not the other places. I guess he may of thought kids didnt use other body parts like legs ect to swim. The wave pool is just as bad, very sharp will cut and graze you up! Not that it makes any difference but flaking paint in the wave pool makes undressing kids interesting as paint can get in the most private places. I mention it but was told it was only paint.

Beach: Advertised as a private beach it is just more of an after thought. More of a builders dumping ground. It has builders rubbish in it. Items like wire, plastic straps, roof tiles, sharp cement chunks, nails were found and pulled out and repectively shown to the Medhotel rep. He wasn't too concerned and did not want my offer of a cement paper weight. He asked me to take it away, I don't know why really it looked pretty cool considering it came from the beach! There was no jetty into the water and the sand being so full of rubbish just didn't make the experience pleasent having to watch your step. Not a good idea if you don't have water shoes. If you chose to do so without remember I warned you.

Water sports: Nothing. Just not there. Medhotel rep told me that the pool was the aqua sports! Yeah I know what your thinking, he must be confused because I thought pool came in the package.

Security: The security on the front gate looks impressive. However the complex is open to the public at both sides from the beach side. I think I was the first person to be stolen from. I was at the side of the wave pool dozing in the sun as you do and got up only to find my bag gone. I asked both the pool bar manager Thomas and staff and main reception with no luck. It had all the photos from the cameras, mp3's, my glasses( I went the rest of the hols blind as a bat), binos, phone, cash, creams ect... The staff were just simply un-interested. I reported it to reception, pool bar, and the Medhotel Rep. To be honest the manager was so unhelpful he never even talked to me, he just couldn't be bothered. The next day when I managed to corner him I told him that I was concerned that the theft took place from outsiders that entered the resort. That the resort was being used by others that accessed the resort from the open areas, mainly the beach. He told me that people did not access the resort in this way. There were security men in place from 12 midnight. Yes I know, funny I was at the pool at mid day not midnight! However we know better and had seen several cars park by the tennis courts and just plainly walk in. At the end of the day making the hotel ID blacelets just useless.

Summerary of Medhotel rep:
I did make complaint as I felt that all my complaints were relivant enough to be moved. After 2 visits he finally got in touch and offered me another accomadation at a cost. I refused to pay and only after producing paperwork from this web site he then offered to move me without cost. Although I did have to pay for my taxi another 25 euros. It was the ATKI hotel in Karmendenas. The other side of the island, I feel he moved me there to keep me from seeing other holiday makers and comparing notes. I feel he considered me a trouble maker and did move me to keep me quiet as he said he would only move me if I did not tell others that I was being moved. He said he would not be able to cope with the flood of complaints he already had and would have to endure yet more complaints.

Personal opinion: This hotel has not yet found its feet and may never considering the management. I feel it needs to be re-staffed by quailified mangement in order to make it work. Other wise this hotel has no chance to become what other hotels on the island have already achieved. Attention to details, safety,

Visit again?: Absoultly no way

Recommend?: Are you kidding? No way!