Traveling with kids… Go to Greece!

My summer holidays this year was in Greece. We planned this trip about 6 months ago, when still freezing in the winter…. I could see the sun shining over the ocean as the days approached but I did not expect the wonderful place we happened to discover!

All happened a bit by chance. We googled: resort in Greece with aqua park.

A few options came up and one of them was the Grecotel Olympia Riviera. We looked at the pictures… A couple of slides… Liked them and reserved…

In the meantime we did not look at the hotel website… Only doing so last week… A few days before traveling.. That is when we discovered that we had almost won the lottery!

The hotel had just opened its newest attraction… A whole aqua park within the doorstep of the hotel… Within the premises of the resort…

We wondered how close it would actually be from our hotel, as the resort has 4 different hotels and we were not very sure when we looked the map… But when we got there we realized that it was a 30 seconds walk from our hotel room….

My kids went MAD!!! And so did we!!! Up and down! Up and down! Splash! Splash! Splash…

One very important comment on this… the toilet on the aquapark is the cleanest public toilet I ever seen in my life… amazing for a place with so many kids… many compliments! Picture taken at 3 in the afternoon….spotless!

The Grecotel Olympia Riviera is situated at the Peloponnese area of Greece, in Killinis, about 3 hours drive from Athens. Our plan was to fly to Athens, spend a few days at the resort, explore the surroundings and spend a couple of days in Athens. All went as planned with the plus that the place was so stunning that you do not feel like leaving it.

As I mentioned, 4 hotels: The Grecotel Thalasso is a 5 stars complex with various swimming pools, bars and restaurants. Kids until 12 years old eat for free. The system is not all inclusive at this hotel although there is an option to do half board. This is the one we stayed.

Our room was beach front with a wonderful balcony to enjoy the magnificent sunset over the ocean. Opening picture of this post.

The complex also has a 5 stars plus hotel, which is not really a hotel but a set of private villas. It is called Mandola Rosa. There are a couple of restaurants of which the Cap Voyage is excellent! We went for dinner there and had a wonderful meal with one of the most magnificent sunsets of my life…. All was perfect and the fish under the salt crust, also one of the best I ever had.

The resort has a 4 stars all inclusive hotel called Grecotel Olympia Oasis. We went there a couple of times as they have built a piazza at the lower part of the hotel, where you can choose from different types of restaurants. We love sushi and we went for a Japanese night out… It was a splurge… the order, I thought we would not be able to eat it all… Mistaken.. When I realized, it was all gone.

The complex has 2 km of beach… The water is crystal clear and wonderfully warm… You can take several walks and not see anyone around for a while… Paradise!

Also there is an area for aqua sports, such as Windsurf, jet ski and wake board.

Another plus is the SPA… What a SPA!!! OMG!!! The architecture is ancient Greek with white columns and high ceilings… A large Thalasso swimming pool and a series of Ayurveda treatments complete the treat…

As part of the visit, you must take some time to visit the nearby villages. About 3 km from the Resort you can go to the charming Kastro Kyllinis. The Village has a castle on the upper part. To get there you pass quite a few nice tavernas and coffee shops… A great way to support the local community.

A little bit further, about 1 hour away is the worldwide famous town of Olympia. First siege of the Olympic Games, Olympia is also famous to have once had one of the greatest wonders of the world – the Zeus Temple. Nothing can be found of magnificent temple; however various expositions and also wonderful pieces can be found at the museum… A MUST place to visit.

The Olympia town in itself is pleasant and also full of coffee shops and souvenir shops… Worth strolling around!

Time flies when you have fun… And unfortunately I had to leave paradise! Everything in Greece seduces me, it’s mythology, it’s people, it’s food, it’s beauty… If you haven’t been… Don’t think twice… This is the place to go!

If you seriously plan to go there, contact the reservation director Michael Xirogiannis, at michael.xirogiannis@grecotel.com , he will help you to have the best holiday ever.

http://www.olympiarivieraresort.com

XX Valentina