Summer Palace Hotel

In so much as that i have read so many reviews slating the food, the staff, the steps, the location and the lack of CHIPS!! I have just returned from a week of absolute relaxation at the Summer Palace (2 - 10th October '04, average temp 29 c). I knew I was going to a foreign country and expected nothing like home and that is what i got. Travelling as a single person can sometimes be nerve racking especially when going to a foreign country. The taxi drivers were polite and helpful and transferred me safely and in comfort (mercedes) to my hotel. The Night Staff booked me in quickly and politely offering me porter services to carry my bags. My room first impressions were clean, tidy, cool (remote control individual airconditioning) adequate storage and fully stocked mini Bar. First visit to the restaurant for lunch, large variety of cold and hot buffet and Chef cooking fresh meat on the griddle. They must have listened to the complainers as there is now a Chip fryer. The bread was extremely fresh as were the salads. The hot buffet bar, all foods were above gas burners to keep them warm and after reading some of the previous comments I ensured that i took food from directly above the burners where the sauces were bubbling. Yes there were flies, but we get flies over here too when you are sitting outside eating alfresco, I wouldn't say that they caused me any concern. The views from the hotel restaurant were fantastic and you can see all the way along the private beach to Kardemina town. So there are a lot of steps. You can see that by the pictures of the hotel in both brochures and on their own website (easily found by typing in Summer palace on any search engine) The beach is of small pebbles rather than sand and after the first day i was quite glad of this, as you know when you are using sun oils, sand sticks to every thing, no so with this beach. The beach bar staff were very friendly and considering that they have to speak to many different nationalities, they put us to shame by being able to offer small talk to all customers. The downside was that the watersports needed a deposit for the pedelos (only because some brit decided to bugger off to another island on one) but the staff were there all day and again very friendly and the safety regulations were very closely monitored. The walk back up to the hotel was via a block paved ramp and yes i was a bit out of breath when i got to the main receiption area so sit down and have a coffee in the main bar area. The Italian restaurant was extremely pleasant and the food delicious, cooked there in front of you and served with a pleasant smile. The chambermaids were extremely friendly and I found my towels replaced on a daily basis and sheets replaced 3 times over a space of a week. I did have a problem one night with a leaking toilet ball cock, but it was rectified the very next morning and no further problems occured. The entertainment team very very friendly and ensured that they tried to get everyone involved in the evening activities and as far as I could see, everyone had fun - and I mean all ages from 2 yrs up to 80 years. If you wanted something more specific to your age group then there is Club La Boom or stage shows at the Narida, all part of the same resort. The Swim Pool bar was excellantly stocked and Dimitri is extremely courtious and helpfull. All in all I totally enjoyed my holiday however I was under no presumption that for £40 per night i was going to be in the lap of luxury with waiters running around tending to my every whim, I'm sorry but that sort of service comes with a lot bigger cost than £400 for a week all inclusive including flights. If you paid £40 a night over here, would you expect free booze, free food, free facilities, beautiful views, beatiful weather - no, you would probably be lucky to end up in a B&B in Blackpool. So come on guys give them a break - what do you really expect for last minute 'special deals' that cost nothing - the earth. Just go and have a great time and stop moaning.

We read the reviews before travelling and were very apprehensive. But let me assure anyone who is about to go to the Summer Palace. It is absolutely fab!!!!!You'll have a great time!! We have two young daughters aged 5 and 9 yrs of age who sometimes can get a bit bored but the children's club was great for them. They mixed with other children from different countries which was a new experience for them. The food was good not brilliant but good.The hotel caters for a lot of people from different countries. If you're expecting an english breakfast from the greasy spoon cafe then you're gonna be disappointed. The food there is very Greek. Expect everything to be oily and greasy. Because you're in Greece don't expect the food to be like Harvester food or a Toby Carvery. Enough said?! The rooms are very clean. Linen changed everyday.Towels changed everyday. The fridge in your room is stocked up with Lowenbrou beer, pepsi and fanta lemon every day. A good tip for you is to take the magnetic fob off your room key bunch and leave it in the electric societ which powers your lights and air conditioning (all will apparent when arrive in your rooms, honest!!)This means your air conditioning is working all day. The hotel is very clean and tidy. There is an indoor pool which is great. The weather is very hot. So apply lots of high factors before you go into the sun. If any one would like to contact me, I have loads of photos of the hotel. Don't listen to any of the crap E-mails of British people slagging off the hotel. They're talking rubbish. As I said if anyone wants any info before they travel, contact me on the above E-mail. Have a good trip. WE DID. Don't expect the Dorchester. Expect a Greek 5 star. Best wishes. Gavin Lewis

We have just returned on the 12th Aug after 2 weeks, After reading all the negative reports we didnt fancy it at all. The truth is it was great, Food really good, great choice, Room was clean and really well furnished the bed wasnt to good, The amount of steps would be difficult if you have any walking problems but we knew this, Entertainment leaves a bit to be desired, Staff good, a really chilled holiday thumbs up

We have just returned from a week at the Summer Palace also going in fear and trepidation having read the recent reviews. We had an excellent time. There were no bugs/cockroaches or rats. The staff were always polite and helpful, and not one of us suffered from any type of stomach bug, in fact we found the food very good, as did all the other guests we spoke to, who incidentally did not suffer any problems. Also the cable car was working every day we were there. I was glad to have upgraded to a suite, as we then had access to one of the smaller pools allocated to the suites. All in all the holiday was a great success, and this was the opinion of all who went, age range from 15 to 75

My family and I have just returned from the Summer Palace in Kos, and must say a few good words. After we booked, but before travelling, we read the other reviews on this site and were horrifed. People spoke of rats and cockroaches running all over the place, we saw none in fact we didnt see a single bug, gnat, spider or mosquito the whole trip. People spoke of a virus overrunning the hotel, we enquired about this and were told that a virus had been in the whole resort, but had now moved on, and none of my family, or anyone we spoke to suffered any symptoms at all. In fact even though I travelled with two very small children, we needed no medicens of any sort. Overall the hotel was very clean with full maid service everyday with all linens changed daily, the staff were friendly, especially to the children, the pools were great, if a little cold. In our opinion 1 week is enough here as the facilities and entertainment are limited, but saying this the kids had a great time and cried when we left.

have today returned from 'summer palace', after a nightmare of a week. Initially we were impressed with environment, beautiful views etc. However, reality sets in quickly. We all came down with this virus, ruining our supposed 'relaxing,stress free week in the sun'. The few 'brits' in the hotel were clearly not catered for. My eleven year old 'survived' on a handful of greasy chips. Would not recommend this hotel for kids. To be honest, the buffet 'turned our stomachs' in the end. Flies hover above the food, there are no attempts made to keep cold meats, cheeses, yoghurts etc,etc cool, bear in mind that lunch and dinner can last for two hours, in very hot conditions. I am very angry after reading previous comments from another disenchanted customer, that the doctor said the hotel would be shut down for three days to be cleaned, obviously this'virus' is common knowledge to the staff, and company reps why the hell arent the customers informed? My daughter is laying on the sette at this very moment clearly very unwell with a raging temp. As previouslymentioned if you have booked, cancel for the sake of your and your families health. By the way, we returned home minus our four cases, they 'got lost' in kos airport, but thats another story!

I have recently returned from a week at the Summer Palace hotel and it was the worst holiday ever. The hotel had a virus so I spent most of the week in bed with sickness and stomach upset. I was advised by the doctor the hotel had been shut down for 3 days to be throughly cleaned, obviously not cleaned well enough. The staff were rude, the food was awful and we were not put in the part of the hotel we had paid for! The staff's answer to everything is 'it's not our problem' charming!

This place is hell on earth, if you have booked to go cancel quickly. I have read that people who went last year became ill with sickness and dioreah, well we got back last week 25th June 04 and we both came down with it and so did most of the hotel.

This is certainly not a family resort as described in some holiday companies literature. We stayed at the Summer Palace 29/05/2004 - 12/06/2004 with another family (4 adults 4 children ages 6, 6, 2.5 and 1.5) all inclusive. We were quite pleased when we first arrived with the location right by the sea with great views of Turkey and surrounding Islands. We were allocated our rooms which were accessible from the main reception, dining, bar ice-cream, shop, pool, (I think you get the picture) area by means of a steep hill or through a labyrinth of villas and many many steps. We opted for the hill having two large cases, a buggy and 2 young children however, you need to beware of coaches if you walk in the road as the tiled pavements are slippy to say the least. This didn't seem so bad on the first day but after 2 weeks at least 8 times a day in 40 degree heat, you soon get a little bit disheartened to say the least. There are smaller quieter pools by the rooms however, there are no bars, ice creams or dining facilities. In fact it is at least a quarter of a mile trek down through reception, then down a steep flight of steps (unless you are lucky enough to happen upon the lift when it is working) to an area where there is a 12 foot deep pool and limited beds (Marvellous place to put the ice cream area). Now then lets see, entertainment? kids disco 21:00 to 21:30 and that about sums it up for the kids... This consisted of a few records, sat down on plastic patio furniture (which had a tendency to collapse) located next to the indoor pool (great for the toddlers!!!) After that, maybe a game of bingo which we played on the first night. 20 euros for 4 tickets and we won hooray!!! a 2 euro 30 cent bottle of plonk from the local supermarket. The game itself was hosted by a guy who loved his self, had to announce each number in about 5 different languages (my isn't he talented) which made it as exciting as the Eurovision song contest, and would get a right snotty on if the children made a noise. His stage name was mario or something and he made out he was Italian to get the girls however we found out he was really Tunisian or something. I suspect his name was really Juan Kerr... (You will recognise him, he looks like the child catcher out of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Chiiiildren! You know the one, pretends he likes kids) Now then, the food. Nice I suppose if you are Belgian, German or Italian. 4 out of 4 adults with food poisoning within 3 days, you do the maths. We actually moved to the Norida beach the second week upon our request and met quite a few other people who had been moved due to an outbreak of Gastric Flu which was news to us. Naturally we had the 85 euro transfer admin fee waived as a gesture of good will!!!. The Norida Beach was much better for families however we still had to climb that hill! The children's entertainment was slightly better until mario (Juan) decided for each of his "sketches" (I use the term sketches lightly) consisted in him taking his clothes off to his underpants (great for the kids). The beach is OK if you like cat litter. We hired a jeep to get away from the resort for a few days however and found some beautiful beaches (Paradise, Bubble and Summer to name but a few). Check out the Chinese in the Norida Beach, its lovely grub and a great alternative to the monotony of the dining room cuisine. Sorry to bore you all but I feel that families need to be warned as you work all year to take your kids away and the travel companies cannot always be relied on to give you the full picture. We did try make the best of a bad situation and yes it could have been a lot worse but it could have been a hell of a lot better. Back to Florida next year. My scores out of 10:- Staff friendliness 8 Entertainment 1 Facilities 5 Location of services a big zero! Leg muscle workout 10 Mosquito infestation 10

You know what its like, when you have kids under 5yrs old! You would rather pay a little more, and get more comfort and more importantly...peace of mind. Unfortunatly that wasn't the case with the Summer Palace! Our front door was directly onto the main road which brings Taxis and Coaches, by the dozen every hour! Open the patio doors (with force) and you have a small table and chairs and then there is the pool, exactly 4ft from the patio doors,not exactly safe to let you chidren play. The rooms were dirty with no hot water in the 10 days we were there! The food was bad and the thousands of flies inside the restaurant didn't help. With drinks being expensive as well, we ended up mainly catching the free bus into town (though because of only 2 free buses going into the town for the entire complex, you had to book in the morning to stand any chance of a seat) Taxis would cost £15 for a round trip! If you wanted to go to the private beach, then you have a choice between the 250 stairs or the lift. Unfortunatly the lift didn't work in the entire duration of the stay! My opinion is the food was bad and the drinks expensive because they knew you were isolated from the town! I wouldn't recommend this place for anyone!!!