Elena Manuela VLASIE
We returned a few days ago from a one-week holiday at Kipriotis Panorama & Suites. Having read many reviews that seemed somewhat too subjective to me—some far too critical and others far too complimentary—I would like to compare what I read with our actual experience. In the following, I will try to give a balanced account of both the positive and the less positive aspects of our seven-day stay.
What we particularly liked were the hotel’s location, the panoramic views of the coastline, the sea and the Turkish coast (we had a sea-view room), and the fresh, good-quality and varied food, with a very, very wide selection of salads, which is particularly important to us. Another important aspect, perhaps even the most important one for us, was how peaceful the atmosphere was both inside the hotel and in the surrounding area—the streets and the beach—with no excessive noise or crowds. The entire area was also very well maintained and gave us a strong sense of safety and security at any time of day.
The most impressive part of what the hotel has to offer, however, is its staff—all of them, but especially those working in the restaurant and at the bars. They were always very polite, friendly, smiling and efficient. I would especially like to mention Daria, the hostess at the entrance to the restaurant, whose constant willingness to answer our questions and accommodate our requests made our stay even more pleasant.
The hotel has its own beach, of course right by the sea, and since many guests seemed to prefer spending their time at the pool, there were always sun loungers available on the beach. We only spent one afternoon at the pool, because we can find pools in many other places, whereas during a summer holiday we want to enjoy the sea. This was especially pleasant because there was also a beach bar, run with enthusiasm and dedication by a very friendly man who was there every day.
A major plus is the hotel’s provision of regular transportation to and from Kos Town, at a price of €5 per person. There is also public transportation available for €1.70, if you are willing to wait for the bus. Kos Town itself impressed us with its beauty and the variety of what it has to offer, both commercially and gastronomically. There are a large number of restaurants, especially considering that the town is relatively small.
Yes, those who point out that the hotel is somewhat dated are right. The carpets could certainly use replacing, and some fixtures and fittings could also benefit from an upgrade, particularly the rather noisy air-conditioning unit and the bathroom fan. Our room was north-facing, so we had no difficulty keeping it at a comfortable temperature without running the air conditioning very much. No more than 10–15 minutes in the evening was enough for us. These minor shortcomings were more than compensated for by the spacious room, which provided plenty of comfort and relaxation, as well as the many common areas and the overall quality of the services offered, as mentioned above.
My husband believes that the truly negative aspects of the hotel’s offering were the low-quality alcoholic beverages and, I would add, the lack of freshly brewed coffee with breakfast and meals.
From my point of view, and especially from my husband’s, the hotel has enormous potential. With significant investment, it could become a genuinely luxurious five-star property.
In conclusion, considering the relatively reasonable price we paid for our stay, I believe that the value of the services provided was at least equal to what we paid for them. Consequently, I would recommend Kipriotis Panorama & Suites to anyone who is not overly bothered by a slightly wrinkled patch of carpet, somewhat dated furnishings, a noisy air-conditioning unit, or a few cracked tiles in the hallways—and, above all, to those who are not looking for constant entertainment and hustle and bustle, but rather peace, rest and relaxation.
I would definitely come back here again in a year or two.
Danny Wolstencroft-Moore
Unfortunately I cannot recommend this hotel and would never stay here again, in my opinion it is very far from being a five star hotel. Beginning with the positives, the food was wonderful with a fantastic array of choices looked after by an amazing team who are hard working, kind and diligent with key individuals going above and beyond taking the time to look after us and making us feel special. The Triton fine dining restaurant was a unique highlight with Marievic and her team making my children’s 16th birthday a night to remember. In the same way the Spa team were amazing too, the team were so friendly and wonderful to talk with and the talents of our therapists Ms Sofia and Ms Lily exceeded our expectations. However, after being disregarded by the all but rude reception team we were checked into a disgusting room barely recognisable from a throw back to the nineties with horrible décor. Since there was no welcome and information book we had to fend for ourselves as all questions to the reception team were begrudgingly answered. Three days in to our two week stay it was evident that there was no regard to heath and hygiene as our room was never cleaned, hovered or swept with the exception of the TV stand when I was able to write the word ‘dirty’ in the tick layer of dust that accumulated over our stay. This extended into the corridors with damage stained carpet marks, food caked stairwells and doors with broken fire safety mechanism being propped open with fire extinguishers. We hoped the extra we paid for a sea view would elevate the trauma, instead the extended view of a failing flat roof left a lot be desired. TUI should be ashamed at selling such a dilapidated hotel with such high recommendations and should address their responsibilities towards due diligence. Finally, to make mattered worse, bring part of a group of 16, we were all served various rooms of upgrade, standards, degradation giving us a unique perspective of how this hotel is in such disarray greatly lacking the high standards and management protocols expected from a five star establishment. My recommendation is to consider an alternative hotel with more comfortable sun-beds and a far better beach facility offer. In summery a dirty hotel with poor standards but great food.
Claire Stevenson
A holiday is what you make of it and we will certainly make the most of ours!
The hotel is in a good location. Very peaceful but easy to get to the town if you want to. The room we have been allocated definitely needs updating and the aircon is quite noisy especially when trying to sleep!
The food is good with a good choice but not always as hot as you'd like it. The pool is great and never a rush for sunbeds or parasols which is a big plus!!
I must say the animation team work really hard to make sure everyone is having the best time. Especially Maria who was so friendly and chatty - they all work really hard!!
All in all the hotel is good but not really deserving of the 5 star rating but this doesn't stop you from having a great holiday for the money just don't expect the normal 5 star luxuries.
Resi Sokoli
•Mr. GIORGE the Manager, does an excellent job with great competence, is always present and personally takes care of every guest. He works very hard and truly stands out.
•Marievic & her team: lovely and attentive.
Marievic's warm smile and helpful nature made us feel truly welcome.
• | would also like to note that the Manager and Head of Department Matt work very hard and do an excellent job. However, a significant part of the rest of the staff do not seem to carry out
their duties as they should, which is disappointing.
A special mention goes to:
• Andhro (Reception): professional, courteous and kind.
• Zhanita (Bar): bright, quick-thinking and always polite.
The Manager and his key staff do great work, though I noticed other members of the te not always perform their duties as
. All the same, people like Giorge Maria' Matt, Andhro, Zhanita and Marievic ma stay worthwhile. Thank you!
Kiri Joanna
We had a fantastic holiday overall, but unfortunately we wouldn't return to this particular hotel. We would, however, happily come back to the area as we absolutely loved it.
The food was an easy 8/10. There was so much choice and something for everyone. If you're a foodie, you'll absolutely love it! If you're expecting English food every day and you're a fussy eater, then this probably isn't the hotel for you.
The hotel itself was very clean, and the swimming pool area was wonderful. There were always plenty of sunbeds available with no ridiculous towel-hogging first thing in the morning. The beach was lovely too – a standard pebble beach with a nice little beach bar.
You can also use the neighbouring hotel's entertainment and water slides, which was a great bonus. The only thing that didn't make sense on an Ultra All Inclusive package was that you couldn't get drinks over there, only use the facilities.
The staff were absolutely incredible. Every single member of the team worked so hard, always with a smile on their face. The bar staff were my favourites – so friendly and welcoming.
Entertainment was probably the weakest part of the holiday, around 5/10. It was quite basic and repetitive, so we chose to go out most evenings. The Sky Roof Bar was the absolute highlight of the hotel though – stunning views and a brilliant atmosphere.
The biggest disappointment was the room. We paid for what we believed was a decent mountain-view double room, but instead we were given what felt like a tired 1980s room that desperately needs refurbishing. The carpet was old and smelled musty, and one day we even had sewage backing up into our bath. To make matters worse, our "mountain view" was actually the staff break area and car park, which was really disappointing. I will say however, the beds are super comfy! And aircon is fab.
I never let the room ruin our holiday, and we genuinely had an amazing week. However, the rooms are in serious need of updating, and because of that I wouldn't rate this as a true 5-star hotel. We wouldn't return to this hotel as we'd prefer somewhere more modern next time, but we'd absolutely return to the area in a heartbeat. The location, staff and overall holiday made it a trip to remember.
