Porto Bello Beach Hotel

I'll try not harp on too much, but if any one has any doubts about this hotel then don't.......it is wonderful!!! I wouldn't know if it is 5star quality as I have never been to another 5star hotel, but it is certainly looks the part. If anything I would say it is a relaxed 5star. There is an excellent choice food wise. I am a fussy eater and I managed to have something different every day. I didn't try the French restaraunt as you had to pay so I stuck to the free stuff!! The Italian and the Asian were both nice. The pool areas were always being cleaned, there was never any litter. There were plenty of sunbeds free so there was no need to get up too early to put your towels down. The staff were all really nice. Even after working the longest hours 7 days a week they all made a real effort to talk to you and make you feel welcome. I cannot say a bad word about them. The room we had was pretty basic but we had a sea view overlooking the main pool which we hadn't paid the extra for. I would go back if I had the chance. It really was wonderful

Hi as promised my review of PBR so here we go. We arrived at Kos airport at 5.00 am and as we were the only ones staying at this hotel,we were given a private transfer. Arrived about 20 minutes later as its quite close to the airport. We checked in but as we only got the night time receptionist he seemed a bit lost as to what to do or what information to give us which was nil!. He did say he could get our bags delivered to the room when the bell boy started at 7.00am but we decided to do this job ourselves. The room we were given was an upstairs one,not directly overlooking a pool but it looked like those ones did not give you to much privacy. Room was fine if unspectacular. Fridge stocked with soft drinks but and this is where the hotel lets itself down,no kettle and no one scap of information.i.e no hotel directory which I have never come across before. Everything we wanted to know we had to ask at reception,opening times,where things were,towel hire all had to be inquired about. The Hotel is really pretty, several pools which never seem to get busy. Food was of a very good quality in the main resturant,plenty of variety.Also a nice point when you go to dinner,a hostess greets you, then one of the managers shows you to a table. Actually the staff were brilliant all holiday from bell boys,kitchen staff,cleaners they all smile and say hello when you pass them. We tried the Asian Returant one night but the food here was poor and is best avoided,nothing really like Asian,desert was a glass of whipped cream! However the other resturants,Italian, Fish & Greek Taverna were very good. When we enquired at reception about the French Resturant we were told there was an extra charge to pay but when we looked at the menu it was a charge for everything you ordered,a meal for two would have been well over 75 Euros. We never saw anybody use this in the 2 weeks we were there. It may be very nice but you could eat out of the hotel for a change if you were wanting to pay that. Other good things about the hotel are that all drinks are branded no rubbish is served. If you ask for wine at dinner you get a bottle of house white or house red and its pretty good. There is a free bus to Kardamena which runs a few times a day there really is not much to do or see in Kardmena so we ended getting a taxi back as the bus is only about every four hours,a taxi will cost 8 Euros. Overall we loved the hotel,I know i have picked a few niggly little faults but the benefits outweigh those. We certainly would return to the hotel in the future or maybe check out others in the group.

Sorry this is long but has so much fun!!! We traveled to kos to get married, for the amazing views. We looked through and through at different hotels and this one was the best we saw, and it was the best choice. The minute we arrived outside the hotel our mouths just dropped, we had never seen anything like it. It looked like something out the movies!!! We walked into reception at 11.30pm, he staff there were helpful, got us checked in, in minutes. Told us where our rooms were. We asked for a bellboy as we had so many cases due to wedding, he was there in minutes. Took us round to our room and took cases in for us. The hotel do a late night buffet 11.30pm and 12.30pm, so we managed to eat before going to bed. Next morning we saw the views and wow, we had a room upgrade, we had a double balcony which looked straight out to the sea. We looked around and to pools were all lit up and it all looked perfect!! The food was really nice some restaurants you had to book a day in advance which we found not a problem. Same food each morning for breakfast but not really much you can change is there!!! Lunch varied day to day had nothing the same, dinner the same lots of choice. Ideal for vegetarians as well. The only thing we thought would be nice was somewhere we could get a toasted sandwich from between meals, but if you make the most breakfast and lunch then you will be alright!!! The bars were spread out so not all on top of each other. one on the beach for daytime and evenings, pool bar same daytime and evenings, finally the lobby bar, this is the only indoor bar and is right by reception can get a little smoky. Evening entertainment we didn't use as was all outside and being the 1st two weeks in May it was a bit nippy, and we didn't take anything warm with us!! The only thing we did watch was the greek night combined with a cocktail party and fireworks all put on by management. Plenty of trips to do, volcano on another island, island tour, greek night, trip to Turkey and alot more. We done the volcano which was ok but we would not recommend it as on and off coaches all day long, apart form that it was a good day. We thought that the ice cream parlor was only for children, but it was for us big kids around to!!!! The maids and hotel staff were really good and done their job very well. It was strange cos you never saw people work but the work was always done. Reception always helpful whatever time of day or night. Restaurant staff very good, but not all had good english. We had family join us our second week for the wedding, our wedding co-ordinator Sally was just amazing, she couldn't much more for us. W were told to call her anytime of day or night. One couple had her looking for the groom the night before the wedding!! At least I knew were my husband to be was. So if you want to get married abroad, do it in Kos. My brother and sister-in-law came out with their 12 week old baby, the hotel staff was amazing and helpful. When they arrived at 3am they had been put on a 1st floor apartment which was just not possible, by morning they had been moved. They coped with a party of 12 very well, it was my now brother-in-laws birthday we got a cake on the house brought to us at dinner. One last thing daytime and early evening during the first week we had flying little beatles, they were horrible and get attracted to white, they don't bite but very annoying!!!!! Not many people go on holiday engaged and return MARRIED To sum up our two weeks HOT RELAXING FUN

Well its taken us a while to write up what was a fantastic holiday in Sep 07 the Hotel impressed us so much that we are going back next week. The staff the food especially the puddings were of a standard not to be surpassed the pools the quiet location is just right if you are trying to avoid the bucket and spade brigade. Rooms are not our 5 star but none the less very comfortable. Experience of the last 24 hours has taught us a lot with 4 days to go to departue FIRST CHOICE tried to change our accomodation we had to completely cancel with them and phoned the Hotel direct reservations could not have been more helpful and for a family of three I think I am saving nearly £500 on what I was being charged so despite the grief they did me a favour with out realising it will review our next stay on return.

Great hotel. Good facilities but could not use them as they had virtually shut down for the winter. All meals were done buffet style in main restaurant. We ate in Asian restaurant on one night only and then all other meals were in the main rest. The Italian, Fish, Greek and French restaurants had been closed! Food good but it would have been nice to have a change of scene! Bedrooms good - spacious, good decor and clean - beds VERY hard! Pools - loads of them but all outdoor ones were freezing. Indoor one large but jacuzzi pretty cold and water a bit murky! Beach OK, had to get them to contact watersports to get it open as that shut as well. Probably the most glamorous Greek hotel we've ever stayed in but spoilt by not having everything open and working. They were packing away the umbrellas and sunbeds while we were there which did not make you feel very welcome.Probably really nice place when it is all functioning.!!

Impressive, sprawling hotel complex 5 minutes drive from Kardamena & 10 mins from airport. Perfect for a relaxing week away, doing absolutely nothing – just don’t expect anything more… Room was the best we’ve had in Greece by a country mile. How much you’ve paid / luck of the draw will dictate your view, but there’s a BIG difference, from a balcony overlooking a clump of bushes, through to the awesome view over the sea and mountainous islands beyond. More outdoor pools than you could shake a stick of overly fatty, cubed meat at (none seemed private, so I guess you could use any), but unfortunately for some bizarre reason all are seawater. My eyes & nostrils felt like they’d been maced some mornings. The only fresh water pool is the indoor one, but on the plus side you’ll also probably have it to yourself. Loved the four free internet stations, and the mini market gets a gold star for selling English newspapers. Gym was fairly respectable by hotel standards - small range, but good quality machines. Well-equipped water sports centre down on the disappointing beach (like most beaches in Kos), but only canoes & peddlos are free. Everything else, including the catamaran, now attracts a charge. Most of the entertainment is in a concrete amphitheatre (looks like the East stand of FC Kabul) shared between the Porto Bello Royal & neighbouring Beach hotel. Only went once and had the pleasure of the Animation team miming to Broadway musical numbers, whilst dancing like herd of baby elephants with rickets. A pub style singer entertains in the main bar, singing Bob Marley’s “We’re Jammin” in a faux Rasta accent on our last night. A big ask for a 40-year-old white woman from Luton. Food was pretty good – only got bored of breakfast towards the end of the week. Choose either the main buffet style restaurant for all meals, or pre-book (the day before) the Fish or Greek for lunch, or French, Asian, or Italian for evening. Fish & Greek are grill style walk up buffets. Asian is probably the best looking restaurant, but food bears little connection to its theme. The two times we went, they served the same dish with different names. The French is bizarrely positioned on a balcony overlooking the lobby. No free wine up here Mon Ami; so expect to be stung for at least 24 euros for a bottle of finest Greek vinegar. Again, the menu changes every night, but like all the other individual restaurants, there are no choices, so fingers crossed its not Goat Neck with Jus d’Pigeon. If you don’t fancy it, you can always leave early for the buffet anyway. Never had a problem booking – just do it when you go for breakfast. There were places left at 1pm one day… Service and drinks at the bars were probably the biggest let down. Firstly the fruit mixers used in the drinks (ie cocktails) were not even of Kia-Ora standard. I saw them topping up the jug of “fresh” orange with a concentrated mix in a bottle of the type you’d buy 5 litres of PVA from B&Q in. Service wasn’t much better, and most were clueless about mixing drinks, throwing wildly differing proportions into the glass. You know you’re in trouble when you have to explain the components of a shandy… Music was a head scratching play list that ranged from Technotronic to Rod Stewart and back again. Strangely, I never saw anyone tipping, either after meals or for drinks, however this probably explains the general lack of enthusiasm from the staff. No one was bad at their job; they just lacked the “extra mile” you get in tipping frenzied countries like the US. Locally, Kardamena town centre is an idyllic holiday retreat – if you’re a 17-year-old benefit scrounger from Hull. For anyone with even a modicum more sophistication, I suggest you save the 7-euro taxi fare, and stick to the hotel complex. Wasn’t too impressed with any of the other towns either – Mykonos rips this island apart without breaking a sweat. Hotel is directly under the approach for Kos airport, so planes are low & loud for 30 secs. It’s hardly Heathrow though and you’ll only see about 12 a day. Didn’t bother us, but I can see it annoying some. Booking a courtesy room was the usual kerfuffle on the last day. A cheeky 55 euros will keep your room till 6pm, but don’t bother and wait your turn for the spare courtesy room to come free. My take on the tedious but obligatory debate about whether this is / is not actually worth its 5 star rating. Actual hotel / infrastructure is definitely Greek 5 star (UK 4-5 stars), food is Greek 4 star (UK 3-4 stars), service Greek 3 star (UK 3 star). Booked through Olympic holidays on a Sunday Times special offer for £600 each, flying with Excel – had seen prices of £900+ on other “late deal” sites. Would defiantly use another Porto Bello resort of this standard, but just on a better island next time.

Porto Bello Royal is probably the smartest accommodation available on Kos. First impressions are great, with its striking reception area in contemporary marble, the numerous pools and well laid-out grounds. The resort has the appearance of a small village with low-rise buildings dotted about the mountainside. The grounds are not as well maintained as some 5* resorts we’ve visited, but this could be down to the exceptionally hot weather they’d experienced before we arrived. Also, the pool floors are peeling in places and can stain your feet blue. The beach is accessed via an underpass to avoid the road, the bars are well spaced out, and due to the number of pools it never felt overcrowded. Check-in was efficient, but the all-inclusive package was not fully explained, leaving us uncertain of the services available, and the cost / no-cost options. Room 541 has excellent views from the balcony taking in a full panorama of the bay and surrounding mountains. This room is slightly more elevated than the others and feels secluded whilst still providing easy access to the amenities. Compared to other 5* resorts the rooms are not outstanding, but they are comfortable and functional. It is definitely worth getting a second key card from reception so you can keep the air-con running while you're out. The rooms get very hot without it, even with the curtains closed. A mini-bar is provided, stocked with canned soft-drink and water although a refill has to be paid for – something I found rather annoying. The resort claims to be ultra all-inclusive, so why the charge? At the very least a couple of bottles of water could be left by the maid each day. Instead we had to buy water from the on-site shop. I didn’t feel that the room was cleaned particularly well; a film of dust on the coffee table, and dirty mirrors in the bedroom stayed that way for the duration and the bathroom was only properly cleaned once. The people working at the resort are great. Sabina is alone in the Gelateria for hours every day, yet still manages to remain cheerful and chatty whenever you go in. Also, the waiters in the Ambrosia restaurant are really helpful, remembering your regular drinks orders and making conversation. Service in the lobby bar is sketchy to say the least; the guy bussing tables outside would ignore both you and your empty glasses completely on some nights. Also the barman was quite rude when we mistakenly tried to order a cocktail that wasn’t on the menu. To be fair, he was OK after that - I suppose anyone can have an off day – though why you can’t have cocktails on ‘ultra all-inclusive’ remains a mystery! With loads of pools, Jacuzzis, 3 bars, Gelateria, 6 restaurants, car hire, internet café, free wireless internet in the lobby, shop, spa, etc – there are lots of facilities on site, and the town is only a short walk away. Oh, and the sun beds are uncomfortable, but they are plentiful with no reserving allowed! The animation team aren’t pushy if you don’t want to join in and they speak several languages well enough that is isn’t a problem for anyone to understand them. Unfortunately, the evening entertainment is bad. The venue (an amphitheatre outside of the resort and shared with the Porto Bello next door) is shabby and the shows are not good. We were quite looking forward to Grease… until it started! The dodgy miming and dancing was enough to put us off for the rest of the holiday. We gave the place a miss after that! The food at the resort is generally good if lacking in variety. The main buffet restaurant has a good selection with delicious, freshly made pizzas and tasty Greek fare. Desserts tend to be the same at every meal – good, but after 2 weeks it becomes a bit monotonous. There are themed nights during the week, e.g. Fish BBQ (with a ridiculously large sword fish) or Greek BBQ (accompanied by traditional music and dancing by the pool bar) and at Sunday breakfast smoked salmon and ‘champagne’ are available. There is only one tray of salmon available, so you’ll have to be quick because when it’s gone – it’s gone. The décor and service in the Asian restaurant is good, the food less so. The menu is fixed and contains some odd choices like oxtail soup. It didn’t change within our two-week stay, so one visit was enough. Pudding is the same cake available every day on the buffet… The French restaurant failed to impress despite the strong start. The seafood mousse, onion soup, and fish courses were great. The Chicken Willington was awful, wrapped in so much filo pastry that it was like trying to cut through a brick, and the desert was – you guessed it… more cake from the buffet - AGGHHH! The menu didn’t change over the two weeks, so we didn’t bother going back. I would recommend the Italian, Luna Rosa for the fresh pasta cooked to order. The arrabiata was really tasty, as was the freshly made pizza (so good we visited twice). Again, dessert is standard buffet fare so we popped next door to the Gelateria instead. Epicure, the Greek restaurant is open for lunch only. Food is taken from the regular buffet restaurant with the addition of some freshly grilled meats/kebabs. Although choice is limited, it’s nice to eat looking out to sea (get the early sitting for a good spec). The beach bar is the best place to visit if you want ‘proper’ drinks, by which I mean well known brands e.g. Absolut vodkas, Gordon’s gin, etc. and you always get generous measures, so be careful! There are also snacks, ice cream and tea/coffee available here. They play music during the day/evening so it’s a bit livelier if that’s what you’re after. Just watch out at night as there can be a few mozzies about. We didn’t go too mad with the excursions; we booked a trip to Bodrum with Hammam through Thompson. This is so much better than the standard Turkey trip. Once in Bodrum, you are whisked off into the countryside for a brilliant Turkish bath lasting a couple of hours before returning to Bodrum clean and relaxed for shopping, eating and exploring. To be honest, it beats being dumped in Bodrum for 8 hours, especially when every shop seems to sell the same stuff! I’d definitely recommend hiring an open-top car and getting out and about around the island. By far this is the best way of seeing things, it’s relatively inexpensive and as there’s only one main road running the length of the island it’s almost impossible to get lost! We drove to the hills around Kefalos to take in the beautiful vista of the bay, into Kos town for a visit to the castle, the ancient ruins, and the natural bubbling thermal spa before cruising up into Zia with its imposing mountain views. We booked independently through otbeach.com with a resort rep via Medhotels. Packages are available through Olympic Holidays with either XL Airways or ThomsonFly as none of the main UK operators offer this resort in their brochures. The resort is right on the flight path with planes landing day and night, peaking on Wednesdays and Saturdays. You’ll quickly get used to the noise and learn to ignore them. Although the all-inclusive package at times seemed a little ungenerous, and the service could be a bit hit and miss, overall this was a great holiday. If you’re looking for a holiday with clear blue skies, good food and comfy accommodation, this is the place for you. However, if you are expecting true 5* luxury with service to match, you may be disappointed.

I think you would have to look hard to find fault with this resort. Rooms were spacious and clean with fresh towels every day. There were a multitude of pools, which were all clean and well maintained, and no fighting for sunbeds. The reception area is truly stunning. Food was without exception delicious. We would really recommend the French restaurant, as the food was superb, however, there are seven courses so it takes about 3hrs and the service is great. You do have to book the specific restaurants in advance, and gents have to wear trousers. We spent most evenings down in the beach bar. There are a number of activities during the day, I went to the aqua aerobics mostly, but there are others. They are run by an Italian company, however, they speak good English, and are very accommodating. There weren't alot of UK/Ireland couples there, however, this was a bonus for us and we got to meet lots of people from Netherlands/Italy, who were lovely. Staff are exceptionally helpful and friendly. We would very much recommend staying here, and would return ourselves.

went to this hotel on 29/08/07 - booked through olympic holidays on the net - was the cheapest price including taxi transfer, flight times were good - not too early or too late. flight was ok, 3 hours 20 mins, very tight leg room, meal was included in price. hotel is in secluded area, away from shops and night life, reception at hotel is amazing, we were given a masionette room, room nb 754. it was 2 floors with a balcony on the ground floor and the 1st floor, there was only 2 of us on holiday and booked a room with double bed so dont know why we got a whole house to ourselves! ground floor has 2 single beds, 1 sofa which can be converted to a sofa bed, dressing table, cupboards, safe and shower and toilet, upstairs we had a double bed, tv, sofa, bath and toilet. we had more than ample space - this room could easily have had 5 people stay in it comfortably. hotel room was immaculate and spotless, maid service everyday was good, mini bar is free for the 1st time you use it, any refils you use after that you have to pay for. hotel has lots of pools and jacuzzis, all salty water. indoor pool is big and also has jacuzzi. sundbeds were not an issue - there were free beds at anytime of the day as was not busy period when we went. hotel has 6 restuarants, you need to book them 1 day in advance to eat in them except the main resturant. all food is excellent, the main restaurant has a massive variety, desserts are to die for! hotel has free internet usage. all in all i would definitely recommend this hotel, good for families and couples and for people that want a quiet relaxing time. we had to check out 12pm on the day we left but were allowed to keep our all inclusives cards and were allowed to eat lunch and use bars til the taxi came to pick us up at 4pm. anyone further questions please email me. u will have no regrets if you choose this hotel!

We just returned from a 14 nights stay in Kos, Porto Bello Royal. The hotel was as we expected, nice 5 star hotels with lots of swimming pools and nice restaurants. The main restaurant offered variety of foods and Greek food was always available. The pizza corner was one of the busiest every night considering the amount of Italians being there. Being myself Italian, I didn't mind so much although I found it very sad that the animation team when doing a competition or doing sport were mainly speaking Italian (French and English people also being there!). If it wasn't for the food (Greek), you could think you were in Italy. That's a real shame. The Asian restaurant was a nice change but don't go there twice as the menus hardly change. The Italian restaurant was similar to the main restaurant with a buffet offering more pastas. The French restaurant was a disappointement to us as it wasn't really French cuisine and the service was really slow. The rooms were very nice and kept nicely clean. Twice we received a fruit basket with wine or champagne delivered to the room. The gelateria is great and Tatiana, the girl working there every day is a star and very nice to kids. My kids loved the place although they complained about the salty swimming pools. The staff was very nice apart from one lady in the bar next to reception (never smiles and is very grumpy). Oh the sunbeds....that was a real nightmare. Despite the fact that the hotel did put some real effort to make it clear that no sunbeds should be reserved and left unattended for a long time (that means a real long time!), you were sure that if you would get up after 9 am you wouldn't have a chance to find a couple of sunbeds!!! That was really annoying and the funny thing was that hardly any Germans were there. Who said the Germans were doing the sunbed prebooking staff? Kos island is very beautiful and we hired a buggy and cart to tour around as well as a car. Don't go to Zia as everybody says it's pretty. Apart from a restaurants on the top of a mountain and tourist shops...nothing. The termes was also a disappointing. Kefalos is beautiful and touring around you'll find a lot of beautiful little villages around. Overall the holiday was very nice and pleasant.