Kalimera Mare Hotel

Before we went away on our holiday I had read many negative reports on the Akti club and was obviously dreading going away! I even considered changing our hotel but found that pretty much most of the hotels in the resort had some kind of bad review so we decided to give it a go.
Having booked with sunstar leisure when we arrived at the airport we had a whole coach waiting to take just my boyfriend and myself to the hotel! When you book at the hotel you can be placed in either the Akti, Kalimera or Mare hotel - I wanted to be at the Akti as this seemed to get better reviews but turned out we were placed at the Kalimera. This did not turn out to be a problem. The hotel is definitely a 3 star but that’s not to say it’s a bad three star. I had gone there expecting a 3 star so wasn’t at all disappointed. The rooms are basic like everyone says but are clean and fine for the amount of time that you actually spend in there.
You have to pay a deposit for the air con but we didn’t bother as we found it wasn’t too hot at night as we were there last week in September. The weather was great - nice and hot but with a breeze, although at times it can get quite windy as the hotel is next near the mountains. We never had a problem getting a sunbed at the Kalimera pool (which we actually liked better than the akti pool). I imagine u might though during peak times - but then this is usually the case where ever u go!
Many people here have complained about the food but we didn’t really find it a problem. We both have different tastes and always found something we liked. I would agree though that it was very repetitive and often needed heating up. If you were there for two weeks I would definitely say you would get fed up of it.
Things you should definitely do - hire quads, which you can do from the hotel. We toured the whole island and went up in the mountains. Also the Greek night is quite good. a change from eating at the hotel if nothing else.
The only problem we weren’t too impressed about was that we were on a night flight and despite being advised we would be able to keep our room when we booked - actually turned out we couldn’t. This meant we left our room at noon and then didn’t get picked up until 3am for the airport! We managed ok with it but if u had children I would definitely not recommend it!
Overall we had a great holiday - I would recommend this hotel to couples/groups and families as its lively (but can suit if you want it more relaxed as there are three hotels to choose from) and has easy access to the resort.

Just had our 2nd Holiday here and it was ok, could not fault the Hotel or Staff.
Last year we were put in one of the sister hotels for 2 days, until after a fall out with the hotel manager I was moved. This is still happening to a lot of people, not a good start to a holiday for anyone.
As for this year we never met a Rep all the time we were there.
The hotel did put Entertainment on 1 night but the rest of the week needs something to liven it up abit.
Now the bad part of the holiday- we left for the Airport at 12.30 am all ok. got to the Airport and had to stand outside for over 2 hrs as the flight was delayed. When we did get to check our baggage in we were told that departure would be 8.30 am which was bad enough, but the fact that again we never had anyone come to us to let us know what was happening or were not provided with any food or drink and rock hard metal chairs to sit on, sorry try to sleep on.
In conclusion - Hotel great, but don’t expect any kind of support from Med Hotels during your stay or at the Airport.

We went for two weeks all inclusive and enjoyed our holiday. The weather was very hot during the first week, the second week had a breeze. We arrived in the early hours. We had booked two separate rooms for our party of four adults, however upon arrival we were told we would only have one room for the first night, we were too tired to complain and the night porter spoke little English. The rooms were basic but comfortable. We were not very impressed with Med Hotels as we did not see a rep thought out the holiday apart from the welcome meeting. apart from this we did have a very good holiday. The Kalimera Mare was quite and nice for relaxing, however some evenings we wanted something more livelily so we went to the Akti hotel and as it is owned by the same company we were able to get all inclusive drinks.
We did not book any excursions though Med Hotels as it was much cheaper to go to Kardamena and book with a local company. I would recommend this hotel.

SUPERB. Perfect couple holiday, relaxing and ideal for a quiet week away in the sun.
The staff were very friendly and always there to help when you needed them, but disappeared when you didn’t.
This was the first time we’d been on an AI basis. The food was excellent, cooked thoroughly and lots of variety.
The rooms were spacious and cleaned daily. The hotel and grounds were also spotless.
The evenings were quiet - lots of people making the most of the AI alcohol and playing cards in the bar. The Wine / Beer was fine - similar to the UK. If you want a change then the other two Kalimera hotels are close by. Also Kardamena is only 5 minutes away in the courtesy bus / taxi.
Would definitely recommend if you fancy a quiet week away by the pool / beach with a book.
Would also recommend hiring a car for a day and driving round the island - beautiful views.

Spent a week in the Kalimera Hotel and cant fault the hotel itself, the apartment was superb, very clean and spacious with a balcony and sea view. The swimming pool and surrounds were also perfect. The hotel seems to be in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by mountains and countryside, and is very peaceful and beautiful.
However we stayed on an all-inclusive basis and I have to point out, the choice of drinks and snacks is very limited. If you do not want to keep fetching drinking water in a small paper cup from the bar, you need to buy bottled water from the shop at 1.50 euro, and there are only 4 sugary soft drinks to choose from, none of them diet or low cal. Should you miss lunch or breakfast, the only snacks available in the day are toasted "ham" and cheese sandwiches or toasted "ham" and cheese mini baguettes. If you like a drink, be warned, the alcohol is definitely watered down so ask for your drinks neat!! The barman is quite unfriendly and intimidating and stops serving all inclusive drinks at 11.30 pm to the second; after this time you will have to pay even if you only want a drink of water or a coffee, as I found to my cost!
The food is quite good although we quickly got tired of the lunchtime menu, and some of the staff lack good manners. As the clientele in the hotel is mainly English, and for those who are not their second language is English, I would have expected the staff to have a better understanding of the language, as it was often hard to make yourself understood. If you like a coffee after your meal, you will be unlucky as this is only served in the bar (apart from at breakfast time) and they will not allow you to bring your coffee into the restaurant.
As the holiday is all-inclusive most people would expect to spend the evening in the premises, and they would be disappointed as the bar is very quiet with hardly any music and nothing going on at all. The entertainment is all over in the Akti Hotel, which is a short walk away, and mostly for children. There is a beautiful open air amphitheatre, however, which was not put to any use at all while we were there, apart from one night when it was hired out to some 18-30 holidaymakers for a "school disco" night, which was exclusively for them. Most evenings you will need to take a cab to Kardamena at 6 euros each way, and the drinks in the (mainly English) bars there are more expensive than the West End of London. There is a courtesy bus from the hotel to Kardamena but it is very infrequent, especially in the evenings.
If you want a peaceful relaxing holiday with plenty of early nights, or you have young children I would say this hotel is ideal. We spent 7 glorious days but felt the evenings lacking, as did several other people we spoke to.

Just returned from a week in Kos, staying at Kalimera Mare. Went with my boyfriend both of us 21. We had a fantastic holiday; the hotel was fantastic as was Kalimera Atzi. Only 5 minutes away in a cab to Kardamena where all the bars and clubs are. Highly recommended to people of a similar age if you prefer a more relaxed holiday but with clubs and bars nearby.
We visited the volcano on the island of Nisoros and it was a fantastic day out. Highly recommend Paradise Beach also. Avoid the water park as not many slides and drinks quite expensive.
Will most definitely be returning to Kos... excellent hotel, excellent town and excellent weather, some days 43 degrees!!

Upon arriving at the hotel, the manager gave us our 'All Inclusive' wrist-bands and we were whisked away (in a golf buggy), to the sister hotel 'Akti'.
Our room was clean and pretty basic, however as a couple trying to enjoy an away-from it all break, we soon discovered that the place was crawling with kids and there was a loud sound system that was pumping around the pool from 10:00-18:00.
We explained to the manager that we had booked the Kalimera Mare accommodation, as it was listed, as quiet and relaxing. He admitted he had re-routed us to the Akti because of our age but agreed the Kalimera Mare was a lot quieter and he would move us tomorrow. He gave us the Key to the Safety Deposit Box for the duration of our holiday as compensation(normally around £25.00 for two weeks).Our luggage was taken to our new room at the Kalimera Mare by the concierge and we began our holiday proper!
The accommodation/hotel/bar/restaurant was great and as it was before the kids broke up was pretty quiet.
The beach was literally a 2 minute walk from our room, as was the reception, the bar and the pool was even nearer!
The beach was REALLY quiet,20 or so Sun Loungers with Parasols, which were free(you could hire cushions to go on your Loungers at 1 Euro per day, from a lovely woman who ran the Mini-mart).
The water was crystal clear, great for snorkelling and there are Water-Sport facilities at the near-by Akti complex,(A five minute walk along the beach).
I will mention the beach, which is listed as sandy in some brochures but is more what I would call shingle.
The food was great, a good mix of authentic Greek Fare and international Cuisine. The Meat(Chicken, beef, pork and especially the Lamb was superb).
The bar was 'All Inclusive' until 23:30,after which the average price of a drink was 3 Euros, pretty good considering our U.K prices!
The nearest Town was Kardemena and despite previous reviews to the contrary, there were frequent FREE buses laid on by the hotel (the times of which were displayed in reception) and also a publicly run bus service, to the town, which ran less frequently and cost 0.7 Euros.
We ventured into Kardemena one evening and found it a bit too 'in your face!'(Maybe I’m past it at 34).
It had a nice harbour, however all the touts and P.Rs trying to get you into their Bars/restaurants, was a bit annoying.
The Hotel itself, is a 10 minute drive away from Kardemena and the two places could not be more different.
If you’re looking for an easy going, relaxed Holiday, then the Kalimera Mare is for you, if you’re looking for something a bit more lively the Akti hotel is definitely more up your street.
The Kalimera Mare had NO evening entertainment but if you were looking for it, you could find all the usual Holiday’ Cheese-Fest at Akti.What's more, as we were All Inclusive and booked into the Kalimera Mare, we were able to use ALL the facilities of the Kalimera Kos and Akti Complexes at no extra charge(Pool, bar and restaurants)
We found the staff,polite,friendly,very helpful and a real laugh, they really seemed to enjoy what they did.
If I had to warn you about anything to do with our holiday, it would be the sharp sand beach and the pretty strong winds(although we found they did us a favour whilst laying on the hot beach and cooled us at night).
All in all, I’d thoroughly recommend this hotel and resort-Top Notch, we didn’t want to leave!! EXCELLENT

Just returned from Kalimera Mare, having spent a marvellous week there. We found the hotel quiet, very clean, spacious, and well landscaped. Found all the staff courteous and helpful. Our room was nicely furnished, Air conditioning and TV, even hairdryer, fridge and sink even though AI, good-sized shower room, towels changed daily, room cleaned 6 out of 7, big comfortable bed. Nice little patio with good furniture.
Excellent restaurant, clean and airy, nice terrace area to eat outside if you wish. Lovely to just sit and watch the sunset and the Kestrels try and catch their supper in the field adjacent. Can’t recommend the restaurant enough, lots of variety to choose from, well presented and excellent quality. Restaurant staff are very polite and helpful. Celebrated our Silver wedding anniversary there and staff pulled out all the stops in making evening special.
Hotel runs mini bus service into Kardamena several times a day. We hired a car, ask for your packed lunch, and visit one of the many lovely beaches around. Don’t Forget Zia, nice little village, nice shops and lovely place to chill and watch the world go by, miles away from the hustle of Kardamena.

I wasn’t happy with this holiday at all! All the reviews that I have seen on here look and sound really nice... are we all talking about the same hotel here?
where would I start? the food was disgusting... no where near cooked thoroughly, at the pool bar the lady was very pleasant however lots of wasps would go up the coke pipe so when she went to serve the drink she would have to flush them out first, the pool was freezing... I would have been warmer sat in a freezer for 30 min.
I never once saw the med hotels rep at the hotel and was having so many problems with the staff and the manager, when I complained they just said well what do you expect me to do about it?
The mini mart was never open whilst I was there so had to go to the Kalimera Kos hotel shop. the town is a fair walk away allot further than it says in brochures, I had to hire a moped to get from a-b.
The food in the hotel was that bad that I ended eating at the Kos hotel every night for my holiday.... I couldn’t wait to come home.
When I first arrived at the hotel there was bugs EVERYWHERE I counted and took pictures of over 30 spiders all around my room (406) I had a centipede approximately 25cm long in the bathroom on my towels, when I got in the shower the hot water is solar powered so you had approximately 5 min in shower before the water went cold, and when I got in the shower 10 bugs climbed up out of the plug hole.
As for the maids, they do NOT knock on your room door they just walk straight in, the beach yes it is close, however is not sandy at all.... its all shells and shingle, I had to walk with my shoe’s on after the first day because the shingle is that sharp it got into my foot.
It just was not a pleasant holiday at all, NEVER NEVER AGAIN will I go back to this place, I would have been happier in the UK.
The only good thing about the holiday was the weather reaching up to a minimum of 27 degrees every morning., I enjoyed the weather but would certainly not recommend any of the Kalimera hotels.
On the last day when the JMC rep Owen turned up, there was over 45 people complaining about the Kos and mare hotel, and for the rep to turn round and call us all "*****ing losers" made the situation worse where at one point and old lady over 60 told him that he was the *****ing looser not us, and one guy was ready to hit him.
DO NOT GO TO THIS HOTEL!
Stephen.