Marianna Studios

Just returned from a great holiday, Maria and Yannis made us feel so welcome even to the point of worrying that our appartment would not be quite enough as there were alot of lads in the hotel and asked if we wanted to move to a quieter part of the hotel we didnt bother because the views from our balcony was fantastic, and the lads ok a bit noisey but they were on holiday as well and were well behaved just aving a good time!The appartment was spacious and very clean believe me ive been to some auful accomodation in different greek islands and having a kettle and a shower curtain is a luxury which by the way you have in these appartments.The beach is a good walk away but be cautious the sea can be very chopping there are lifeguards and you only swim in certain places be vigilant as we had a terrible experience.The strip is only 10 mins away yep full of clubs , Macdonalds KFC etc if you like all that good for the party goers or if your not into all that you can go to the old part of Malia with its quant tavernas and its little old churches believe me you cannot believe the contrast.All in all it was a great holiday something for everyone!

3 readers found this review helpful

Hi all just got back from a really relaxing Holiday at the Mariana in Tingaki.
This is our 4th visit to the Island having stayed at The Golden Sun, Filli in Tingaki and Sunny Days in Kardemina.
We had read the reviews and thought most were written by people who had never been to Greece /self catering due to the comments about bog rolls and shower screens.
On arrival found the room to be the cleanest and brightest we have had in 15 visits to various Greek Islands.
Resort quiet this year, one restaurant had no customers for 3 nights running as we walked past (Hercules) so on the 4th we went in. Brilliant food with free wine and a sweet also free. So dont be a sheep and only go in the ones that are busy!
The only bad word about food was the chinese was expensive and "nowt ower".
A hidden jewel worth the walk right along the beach the another 200yards along the Kos road, behind the Filli apartments,is the restaurant in its own vineyard, excellent.
The family who run the Mariana are great, Dad on patrol, giggling at my attempts at greek,Vasilly in the bar, very polite and charming,The 2 girls(thanks for the Greek lessons!) and mum (ask her for a couple of homemade olives!)Thankyou all.
We are a 47 year old couple (going on 25 ,yes I can dive bomb with the rest of them) loads of younger couples and loads of older.
Yes the pool is a bit tight aroud one side, no probs getting a bed , just be up when the gate opens!
Only downer I can think of is the new air con is a whopping 50 Euros per week!
Enjoy your hols!

2 readers found this review helpful

Being a newly single parent, I decided to book a holiday for myself and my daughter. I booked last minute with First Choice and had never been to Kos so thought why not. The hotel is friendly, safe, and clean. There were lot's of couples and very few families but it didn't matter as the few children there soon made friends. It was a nice friendly atmosphere and made the holiday much more enjoyable. You don't have to fight for sunbeds as there are plenty and there is even plenty of floats as well for the pool.
Our room needed some basic decoration but it was very clean and the shower was ok once you got used to it. Just don't leave anything in the bathroom that you don't want to get wet. It is hot there so either hire a fan or pay for the ac.
There are plenty of restaurants, shops, and the beach is near by. The drink prices in snack bar are expensvie but the supermarket is close to the hotel so we stocked up and kept them in our fridge.
The only down side was being woken at 6am first by the roosters, then the birds, then the crickets and after all that the spinklers come on. lol. Also, the mosquitos. They ate us alive so bring plenty of repelant.
So, if your ok with basic and want a relaxing holiday, this is the place to stay.
If you want

2 readers found this review helpful

Do not listen to the bad reviews! These apts were better than excellent! initially i chose the Marianna because they were cheap with free kids,not really expecting much at all but were pleasently surprised! my 13 yr old girl had a proper bed (in the kitchen) but there was a dividing door so she (and me and dad) had some privacy. The apts were spotless and linen and towels changed regularly. The only let down was lack of sunbeds round the pool but we used Angelas pool across the road. The beach was absolutely fabulous and the sea is crystal clear, you can walk for ages and the water only reached your knees!Now for nightlife! This is a peaceful resort but made quieter by the current economic climate you could see they wrer struggling but you were NEVER pestered to go into any bar or restaurant. For food go to Danas on the front or Mylos on the main road, for drinks I highly recommend Mickis beach bar next to Danas, he's great and an Aussie! He makes you really welcome and the cocktails are fab! I will give both the Marianna and Tingaki top ratings. 10 out of 10!!!!!!! BOOK NOW!!!!!!!!!!!

I have just recently came back from marrianna about 5 days ago and went with 3 other girls, i can honnestly say its the nicest place i have ever been to, i would defo recomend it to every1! the hotel is lovely proberly 1 of the nicest hotels in malia, the rooms get cleaned every other day and when they do there sparkling, the hotle it self is owned by a family maria and her husband will do anything 4 you and really make you feel at home, the food is gorgeous and is so cheap, you could get a drink and a meal for 8 euros easy. i must admit before i went to marianna i read the reviews and was not looking forward to it at all, but i can honnestly say its all lies and that people that didnt get on with the family must of done something really wrong!!!!!
the walk to the main strip is not as far as every 1 is making out... id say its not even 10 minuets it just seems longer because of the heat :) and on the way home you wont care because you'll be drunk! the night life is brilliant!!! although the drinks are dead cheap they water them down so its pretty hard to get drunk!! AND... the PR's are soo annoying you carnt walk 5 seconds with out either being picked up or being dragged into a club and they dont take NO for an answer.
over all i had the best time of my life here and would defo give it a 10/10!!
i am defo going back next year and staying here :)

mosted amazing holiday i have ever been on, i went with 3 other gurls and loved every minuet of it, hotel was gorgeous could fault anything!! the hotel food was really nice to and so cheap!! maria and her husband make you feel really welcome and would do anything 4 u!! we are all going back nextd year, defo recommend this hotel! 10/10
leah 18

After reading the reviews before I went away I must admit i was not looking forward to the hotel, and we did even try changing our accomodation.
But now having been to Marianna Studios for a week I can safely say the reviews are all wrong. The hotel is lovely, spacious with everything you need. The hotel owner Maria is very friendly and will definately look after you. I had to visit the medical centre during my holiday and she helped me out and gave me the name of the best doctor to ask for, and she also got her son to take another girl to the medical centre so she didnt have to walk on her own.
The food served there is lovely and very affordable. The bar staff are english so you will not have any troubles there.
I was also expecting, from the reviews, to have to walk miles to and from the main strip. It was not that long at all. It is basically just one road the whole way and doesnt take that long at all.
All round Malia was the most amazing holiday of my life, do not let reviews of this hotel put you off, they are all lies and you will have an amazing holiday.

The reviews i read for this hotel had me worried during the run up to the holiday, but after the first 2 days it was clear that they were wrong. This is a lovely hotel, rooms are basic but more than suitable for my stay. Maria herself is a very kind, warm person, NOT a crook! The hotel was kept tidy and clean, bar staff are very friendly and welcoming. The hotel itself is around 25-30 minute walk from the nearest beach which was a bit far..but the strip is about 5-10 minutes max, which was perfect for me, and the Pitstop pizza restaurant, owned by Marias step son is about 5 minutes away, this is a great restaurant run by very friendly people, and the pizzas are top notch! All in all my time in Malia was made better by The Marianna Studios, and i highly recommend it!!!

Please ignore all these reviews about the hotel being run by crooks, being dangerous etc...! Its a lovely family run hotel, not the scary mafia accommodation some people have decribed it as! Maria the owner is lovely, she cant help you enough and is always up for sharing a laugh with you. She really looked after us when we were there...just silly things like, we had forgotten an adapter so she made sure she found one for us and let us keep it for the week, and when we ordered a pizza she told us we could back to our room and she would get it delivered to our door. Didnt see too much of Mike cos Pitstop was really busy, but he was always nice too! You have to remember that this is a family run hotel, by people from a country with values and morals. If someone has worked hard to build up, and maintain, a successful business, then the last thing they want is for a group of mouthy lads kicking about the pool all day being rude, putting other people off the accommodation! They work really hard here, so its worth showing them a bit of respect for that. If this pool cue incident happened, then i guarantee something was done to provoke them. I never felt anything but safe at this place. We met a group of 6 boys staying in the hotel, they were loud and always drunk but they didnt have any problems, because they were always polite. Also its worth mentioning the cleaners, they were brilliant. Our room was an absolute tip and they had it sparkling. We left money out and everything and they didnt steal from us (ive had cleaners steal from me loads in the past).
Its about a 10 minute walk to the strip at the most. I was worried it would be too far but its not at all.
The nightlife itself was AMAZING!!! Best ever! Its cheap enough, although the drinks they sell you are watered down badly, which ends up making you sick. What we did was get drunk at the hotel first, then when we went out we drank bottles of beer and shots of sambuca, because we knew they couldnt water them down. Need to mention Apollo, Zig Zag and Club 69 - best clubs ever! Fantastic atmosphere every where you go, couldnt fault it! The only downside is the PR's, they are ruthless. They picked my friend up and dragged her into 3 different clubs. We were laughing at the time, but thinking about it, if someone picked you up and carried you away from your friends you would accuse them of being a weirdo wouldnt you? They dont take no for an answer. When we turned them down we tried not to be rude, cos at the end of the day they are just doing a job, but they were still really annoying. You get stopped literally every 10 seconds, and that is not an exaggeration!
all in all, 10/10 holiday, had a cracking time and we are going back in July 2010 :-D wouldnt miss it for the world!

1 reader found this review helpful

Well, we arrived at about 3 am local time on sunday morning. After getting up at 4.30 for work the previous morning, I was rather stressy being up so late, and I think this contributed to my reaction as I walked in our room to commense our 2 week stay in kos. "What the *%£$ is this?".
Let me sum this up by saying we always have the same budget, and we normally go for a week. This time we tried to get more for our money. We really didn't realise how much difference there is between 4 and 3 star!
All this out of the way, everything after that was fantastic. I have never met so many welcoming people in my life. Everyone around the town is so friendly, and before you think this is just a ploy to get you to spend money in their bar, these people will come into other bars and have a drink with you. Infact, I have never been to a place where we have come away and still been in contact with so many people, especially the locals.
Anyway, my recomendations: Spyros and George's bar, inbetween the Greek kitchen and the new rodini, worth a drink in there for entertainment value, very funny blokes, lots of free ouzo or beers. To eat it has to be Dana's on the seafront. Amazing food, friendly staff and another dose of free booze. Next door to that is the ozzie bar, which is well worth a drink and a laugh with Micky, Brad and Jane, plus this is the only bar we saw which has internet, just incase you need it. As for nightlife it has to be kos town, but if you want to stay on resort the place to be is Mascots. Before you go have a drink in the owner of the mascots bar's daughters bar, which is conveniantly next door. Well worth seeing Kim and Maria in Karma. And if your missing home you can't beat Rendezvous, english telly on 8 screens, Welsh staff, but they are all very friendly!
My recomendations on what to do: Go to kos town, amazing in the day and night, it depends on what you want to do. In the day the ancient relics of the hypocriates and the harbour are well worth veiwing. Rent a car for the day to get there. It only cost us 25 euros for the day. Bus in the evening (even though the locals swear by drinking and driving!) which comes every hour.
Swim in the sea; it is so full of salt you will just float, also if you get a snorkle there are tons of fish inshore. Plus it will do wonders for your skin.
Go to Turkey: Keep sterling, and pick up some bargains on the market. The boat goes out from kos every tuesday.
Eat greek food cooked by greek people: There is nothing better!
After quite a negative start it turned out to be the best holiday I have ever been on. The hotel facilities were clean at least, and who cares, your on holiday, you want to sleep there, that is ALL! It was so good we have just booked up another holiday to this very hotel in August for another 2 weeks, and with the price of a package deal, we think your getting a bargain.
A word of advise though, TAKE INSECT REPELANT. There were more bites than skin on one of my legs by the end of it. I'm still moaning at my girlfriend for forgetting to pack it last time.