Kokalas Apartments

5 readers found this review helpful

1st time there, have to say it is such a friendly place and the family(rula nikos and sladgena) are very hospitable. every time you buy a drink from sladgena at the bar she will ask you about your salty nuts(you`ll see what we mean).
the place is spotlessly cleaned by the hardworking domestic staff.
we defy anybody to taste better cakes than rulas they are fantastic.
you`ll not be disappointed.
kev and sue jenner

11 readers found this review helpful

This was our 4th visit to Kokalas Apts, but our first independently. Good flights, easy access to a taxi, paid approx 55 euro each way. In the resort 40 min from leaving the airport.
Still the same hearty welcome by Nico, Rula and Sladja. All the rooms are spacious and well maintained. They get cleaned 6 days a week and are spotless.
It was noted that the resort it self was much more quirter than normal. Less Brits, Germans and Scandinavians. The Globel credit crunch is hitting home hard.
We had 2 weeks of blanket sun and heat, which was what you'd expect. The beaches round Georgioupolis are really good, especially the smaller town beach, which is located over the bridge.
For those who like to explore, easy trips to Lake Kournos is a must and possible a trip down to the bottom side of the Island, but Some people who did stay in the resort stated that the First Choice Trips were very busy ones and didn't leave much time to look around as the schedules where very pact.
For those who were worried about Kokalas not being as good with First Choice as it was with Kosmar. The one big plus it seems, the Tour operater is interested in the resort and wants to help the owners to imporve it. An example is, all rooms now have smoke alarms.
If you want to eat out, don't come to Georgioupolis if you want fast food and quick and easy service. There is a pleathra of excellent Taverna'a, all serving Greek cusine. Special mention goes to Platia.

6 readers found this review helpful

We've been to Crete before but never to this resort or hotel. Kokalas is a fantastic hotel, the staff really can't do enough for you. Nikos and his family are very welcoming and settle you in very quickly. The rooms are very clean and large compared to others I've stayed in.The Cretan night I believe has to be seen to be believed although my memory is slightly hazy. The pool bar is very comfy, Nikos and Slavdjana (no idea how you spell it) even arranged for me to be able to watch the British Lions test matches on the large screen.
The rest of the resort is very laid back, perfect if you've grown out of the party animal stage. Lots of restaurants all of good quality. On a two week holiday I usually pick 2 or 3 places to eat but this time I ate at 12 different restaurants.
I'll hopefully be going back next year!!

4 readers found this review helpful

Have been visiting Greece for 24 years and had some great holidays, and our recent visit to Georgioupolis was one of the best yet. The resort is very friendly and the owners and staff at the Kokalas can't do enough for you. The apartments,pool and bar area are modern and spotlessly clean. Lovely beach and a good selection of tavernas serving good quality food. Will definitely be visiting the Kokalas again in the future.

3 readers found this review helpful

Brilliant owners and excellent accomodation in great spot. We had been there for 3 days when Kosmar went bust! At the end of our first week we were due to move south to Paleochora but the owners there closed up. However, Rula kindly let us stay at Kokalas for an additional week without charging us!!!! This says it all about the kind of people they are. (Every other place had notices up making guests pay at least 35 euros a night or get out). Many of the guests were return ones! Lovely family runplace.

2 readers found this review helpful

From the moment you arrive at Kokalas you are made welcome by Rula the owner and the helpfull and efficient Sladjana. I cannot fault the rooms and the way everyone works hard to make sure you have a great holiday! There are lots of places to eat in the village, Rula is also a good cook so make sure you have a meal or two at the poolside bar as we often did! Now that xl has gone bust and Kosmar is no more we'll have to find another way to get there in 2009 and we will! Mike and Braddan.

3 readers found this review helpful

Just arrived home from the Kokalas apartments after spending 2 weeks there with 2 friends.We arrived at the apartments to a very warm welcome from Rula the owner and Sladjana, a valuable member of her team. We were taken to our apartment which was semi basement, which turned out to be a godsend as it was lovely and cool on those very hot days, the bedrooms were very big, clean and well equipped, the 2 girls cleaning the apartment kept them up to a high standard with clean bed linen every other day and tidying up every day.The pool was a stones throw away, perhaps a bit too close when there are a lot of children staying, but we were lucky only to have a few.Rula and Nicos the owners make sure you have everything you need and you feel you can go to them with any concerns and an extra pillow is no problem.You can see the sea from the apartments, its that close, and theres a nice promenade to walk along.Theres plenty of Tavernas in Georgioupolis we tried a different one every night and still didnt get around to them all.The pool bar was excellent good food, good portions and very reasonably priced and also good company (you had better watch that Sladjana she can be a minx - but a lot of fun)
If I had anything negative to say about Crete it was that I couldnt get used to not being able to put any toilet paper down the loo and it was very sad to see the abandoned cats and dogs on the streets but thats just me, if you want a great place to stay in Georgioupolis with great hosts the Kokalas is the place.

1 reader found this review helpful

We liked Kokalas so much this is our second visit here. Comfortable, clean and well serviced accomodation with pool and bar. Ideal location if you like beaches or mountains.
The thing that really makes this accomodation is the friendly family that run it. Nothing is too much trouble for them, and you are always greeted with a friendly smile. The whole family are involved and the matriarch makes mousaka to die for which you can dine on in the family taverna in the town centre. And you'll develop a taste for raki.
Very well recommended

Fantastic first family trip abroad. We went for the last week of the season so a few places were shut.
When we arrived we were shown to our room that was big. The decoration is very nice and the apartment was really clean and was done every day.
Rula and Nicoss were spot on and the lady behind the bar stole my 6 year olds heart.
I would tell anyone to go. Fantastic place and a credit to the owners.
Also a plus, the TV for the boys aged 6 and 8 and a bath. Also go to Titos bar in the square also fantastic, the boys loved the milkshakes.

3 readers found this review helpful

Over the past 25 years we have been all over the Greek islands, staying in all kinds of places and apartments with various tour operators. We have been with Kosmar many times and consider them to have a good standard of accomodation that offers value for money. I believe that they have just merged with XL Airways and just hope that does not destroy the reputation of Kosmar and that the prices remain low.

We have just returned from a great holiday in Georgioupolis, myself, wife and 16 year old daughter. Having read the reviews I would tend to agree with what has already been said, however for the record, this is what we thought.
Georgioupolis what a great place, fantastic sandy beaches, lots of streets to explore and a divine square which positively buzzes at night. All around the village there are huge Eucalyptus trees which give it great character. We didn't see many Brits which was a bonus, apart from at the Kokalas.
Visit Kalives Rethymnon and Chania, and if your are a good walker put the Samaria Gorge on your list, it will make your legs ache for a few days but I'll think you'll be glad you did it.
The Kokalas, a great place run by Rula and Niko, they also run the Platania taverna just off the square. Great Giros and spit roasted meats, Niko is a true gent and speaks excellent English. The pool at the Kokalas is nice but rather small, when you leave your apartment you have to walk along the side of the pool and you usually get splashed. We stayed in room 101, the basement room on the left of the picture, we decided it would be more appropriate to have a bigger two bedroomed apartment to give our daughter more privacy so we paid £200 extra. The room was fine although one bedroom had no window and was a little dark. This room backs onto the petrol station but the only time we smelled petrol was when the tanker arrived to unload. There was a bit of a drain smell occasionally.
Sladjana was ok but I suspect if you cross her she can be a bit aggressive, when she asked if we were going to the Greek night she got a bit angry and said abruptly "yes or no ? ", to which I responded with a resounding "NO". We didn't go because we had just done the Samara Gorge and had to be up for 5.00pm. Others who went to the Greek night said what a great night they had.
When we were leaving you are supposed to be out of the room by 11.00am and we overstayed our welcome by 5 minutes, Sladjana came round and quite rudely demanded that we leave the room immediately, OK we accept we were in the wrong, no hard feelings. I think we fell out of her favour because we did not frequent the Kokalas bar, but that's just the way we are on holiday, like to keep to ourselves. Its much more interesting in the village, and there are about 30 tavernas. However we did visit the Platanias three times during our two week stay. (Top Tip.....For anyone who has not visited Greece before don't forget to try the Giros pita)
The Kokalas resort is primarily for young families and it does tend to get a bit noisy when the children are in the pool having fun, perfectly normal, however the beach is so good its a pity not to make use of it (about 5 km of beach). If you have young children they will make new friends and will be entertained for hours, leaving you to sunbathe in peace. For a quieter time you should go earlier on in the season outside the school holidays.
One family from Birmingham (we nick named them the "Germans" ) were up at the crack of dawn to stake their claim to the best sunbeds by placing their towels on them, how sad is that!!!!!
One reviewer said that the best rooms are allocated to the people they know and who have been before, certainly one man and his son who were on their third visit got a two bedroomed apartment on the first floor, I suppose you can't really argue with that. Can't say we had a bad holiday, on the whole it was very very good and would recommend it to anyone, a holiday is what you make it and if you set out on a bad footing you only spoil it for yourself.
Remember its only once a year, too many times I have heard people moaning from day one, as long as it's clean (the Kokalas is a high standard) and you have somewhere to sleep and shower, does it really matter, just get out and enjoy it !!!
I've tried to be unbiased and told you how we found the Kokalas. Happy Holidays!!!