Ikos Olivia Review With Kids: Our Honest Family Guide
We have now stayed at Ikos Olivia three times, and every visit has reminded us why it is the one luxury family resort we continue to return to.
Travelling with three young children can make even the most beautiful hotel feel like hard work. At Ikos Olivia, however, family life feels noticeably easier. The resort caters brilliantly for children while still giving parents the sense that they are having a proper holiday too.
From the excellent food and genuinely warm service to the trusted childcare and compact, pushchair friendly layout, Ikos Olivia offers a polished family experience without losing its relaxed atmosphere.
Here is our detailed Ikos Olivia review, covering the rooms, restaurants, kids’ clubs, pools, beach and everything parents should know before booking.
Ikos Olivia at a glance
Resort: Ikos Olivia
Location: Gerakini, Halkidiki, Greece
Best for: Families with babies, toddlers and younger children; luxury all-inclusive family holidays; easy short-haul travel
Star rating: Five-star
Board basis: Luxury all-inclusive
Transfer time: Approximately 45 minutes from Thessaloniki Airport
We stayed in: A one-bedroom junior suite with children aged seven, five and two
Overall family rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Would we return? Yes. We have already returned three times and would happily visit again.
First impressions of Ikos Olivia
Our arrival at Ikos Olivia immediately felt calm and easy.
We were met at Thessaloniki Airport by the Ikos team, offered cold water and taken to the resort in a comfortable, air-conditioned Mercedes people carrier ( with appropriate car seats for the children) . The journey took around 45 minutes and felt very manageable with three children.
As soon as we walked into the hotel, we relaxed. The scent, atmosphere and warm welcome felt familiar, and there was a genuine sense of having returned to our happy place.
The resort felt smart and luxurious, but not overly formal. The staff were professional, warm and immediately reassuring, which makes a significant difference when arriving with tired children.
Ikos Olivia is also one of the more compact resorts within the Ikos collection. This is a real advantage for families with young children because it is easy to move between the rooms, pools, restaurants, beach and kids’ club.
We rarely needed to cover long distances, and the resort was straightforward to navigate with a buggy.
What we love most is that Ikos Olivia feels genuinely family-friendly without making the holiday feel entirely centred around the children. Parents still get excellent food, attractive surroundings, attentive service and a relaxed hotel experience.
Even when the children were noisy or unsettled in a restaurant, the staff remained calm and never made us feel uncomfortable. That small detail says a great deal about the culture of the hotel.
The Location and Airport Transfer
Ikos Olivia is located in Gerakini on the Sithonia peninsula in Halkidiki.
The nearest airport is Thessaloniki Airport, with a transfer time of approximately 45 minutes. For us, this was a comfortable distance and short enough to feel manageable after a flight with young children.
The resort is beachfront and sits close to the small village of Gerakini. There are a few tourist shops and local restaurants nearby, but this is not a destination where you are likely to spend every day exploring a busy town.
In reality, many families will spend most of their holiday within the resort.
Ikos also offers guests the opportunity to use a complimentary car for a day, subject to the hotel’s current terms and availability. We chose not to use it because our children were still young and we were perfectly happy staying at the resort.
With older children, it could be a lovely way to explore more of Halkidiki during the holiday.
Accommodation Review:
Our Room: One-bedroom Junior Suite
We stayed in a one-bedroom junior suite as a family of five.
The bedroom had a king-size bed, while our daughters, aged seven and five, shared the double sofa bed in the lounge area. A cot was provided for our two-year-old son.
The hotel had initially placed a camp bed in the room, but this was replaced with a cot when requested.
The suite worked well for us while our youngest was still sleeping in a cot. Once he moves into a full-size bed, we would probably choose a larger room category so that everyone has a little more space.
The décor was elegant, clean and well maintained. It did not feel quite as opulent as some luxury hotel rooms we have stayed in, but the layout was extremely practical for family life.
One particularly useful feature was that the bathroom could be accessed from both the bedroom and the lounge area. This meant we could use it after the children had gone to sleep without needing to walk through their sleeping space.
There was also direct access outside, allowing us to sit in the garden after bedtime without disturbing them.
That practical layout made a considerable difference to our evenings. Anyone who has shared a hotel room with sleeping children will understand the value of being able to sit outside rather than whispering in darkness as soon as the kids go to bed.
The complimentary minibar was another welcome feature and added to the sense of ease created by the all-inclusive arrangement.
Would this room work for a family?
For two adults and two young children, the one-bedroom junior suite should feel very comfortable.
It also worked for our family of five while our youngest was in a cot, but families with three older children may want to consider a more spacious room category.
Food and Restaurants at Ikos Olivia
The food is one of the main reasons we return to Ikos Olivia.
The resort offers a strong choice of à la carte restaurants alongside an extensive buffet, giving families plenty of variety throughout the week.
The restaurants include:
Ouzo, serving Greek cuisine
Anaya, offering Asian-inspired dishes
Fresco, the Italian restaurant
The Garden, the International restaurant
Provence, the French restaurant
An extensive buffet restaurant
We generally prefer to avoid buffet restaurants on holiday. With three young children, I often feel like a yoyo, repeatedly getting up to find food, cutlery or drinks rather than sitting down to enjoy my own meal.
However, the buffet at Ikos Olivia was extremely well organised. Staff remained on hand to assist with drinks and service, so it never felt entirely self-service.
The quality of the food was also excellent and, importantly, the selection did not feel so enormous that it became overwhelming. It was definitely one of the best family resort buffets we have experienced.
À La Carte Breakfast:
A major advantage for us is the availability of à la carte breakfast.
This remains surprisingly unusual at many family resorts, where breakfast is often buffet-only.
At Ikos Olivia, we enjoyed breakfast at Ouzo and Provence. Both offered a lovely selection for adults alongside plenty of child-friendly choices.
Being able to sit down and order breakfast made mornings feel calmer and much more like a luxury hotel experience.
What is included?
All of the food in the resort restaurants was included during our stay, without supplements.
The wine list was also impressive, with a broad mixture of Greek and international wines, including some premium varieties alongside a strong selection of spirits.
The staff asked about allergies every time we sat down to eat, which suggested that dietary requirements were taken seriously and handled carefully.
Do you need to book the restaurants?
Yes.
Guests can usually reserve a limited number of restaurant bookings before arrival, with further reservations arranged once at the hotel, subject to availability.
I strongly recommend booking your initial choices as early as possible. The most popular times and restaurants can fill up, particularly during the school holidays.
Poolside Food and Service
There was a good poolside menu for lunch, snacks and drinks, making it easy to spend the day by the water without constantly moving the children.
The service around the pool was excellent. Staff regularly circulated to take orders and were consistently available without feeling intrusive.
One memorable small touch was the offer to clean guests’ sunglasses. It is not essential, of course, but it captures the level of detail and attentiveness Ikos aims to provide.
Pools, Beach and Family Facilities:
Ikos Olivia has a selection of pools, including a main family pool and an area with a splash pad that our children loved.
The poolside service made the experience particularly easy. Towels, drinks and food could all be arranged with minimal effort, which is invaluable when supervising several young children.
Our daughters also took part in a paid swimming experience at the Mermaid Academy, where they wore mermaid tails in the pool. They absolutely loved it, and it became one of the highlights of their holiday.
Was it busy during the school holidays?
Before this trip, I was slightly nervous about visiting during the school holidays because our previous stays had been outside the busiest periods.
In practice, the resort did not feel any more crowded. In fact some days it felt less busy than when we travelled in June out of the school holidays.
Each day we easily found sunbeds and had plenty of space around the pool. The compact layout remained easy to navigate and the overall atmosphere still felt relaxed.
That was a very pleasant surprise and made us much more confident about returning during future school holidays.
The Beach
The beach at Ikos Olivia is predominantly sandy, although there can be some stones or rocks as you first enter the sea. Families with sensitive feet or young children may find it useful to pack water shoes.
Beach service is similar to the poolside service, with staff circulating to take orders and bring drinks directly to your lounger.
This made it easy to spend time on the beach without repeatedly gathering everyone together to find refreshments.
Baby and Toddler Friendliness
Ikos Olivia is particularly well suited to families travelling with babies and toddlers.
The compact layout means fewer long walks and makes it easy to return to the room for naps, clothing changes or forgotten items.
The pathways were accessible with a buggy, and we found the whole resort straightforward to move around.
The all-inclusive model also removes many of the small decisions that can become tiring on a family holiday. We did not need to worry about how much the children would eat, whether they would change their minds after ordering or how many drinks and ice creams were being added to the bill.
The one-bedroom suite also worked particularly well for bedtime because we could access the bathroom and outside area without walking through the children’s sleeping space.
Evening Entertainment
The evening entertainment was thoughtfully handled.
Our daughters loved the kids disco, family shows and face painting. A Wonders of the sea show featuring some of the Disney characters was a particular favourite.
There was also a beach White Party, live music in some of the restaurants and Greek plate smashing at Ouzo, which our daughters found hugely entertaining.
There was enough activity to create atmosphere and give families something to enjoy after dinner, but it did not feel relentless, noisy or overly staged.
The entertainment felt tasteful and optional. Families could join in when they wanted to, while still enjoying a calm sophisticated resort environment.
Activities for Adults and Older Children
The resort offered a range of additional activities, including yoga, Pilates, gym facilities, spa treatments, tennis, football camps and watersports.
Some activities and experiences involved additional charges.
We did not try everything during this stay, largely because our children were still young, but there was enough available to suit adults, older children and more active families.
The Ikos app and Concierge Service
The Ikos app was helpful for viewing resort information and restaurant reservations.
I only realised halfway through the holiday that all of our bookings were clearly displayed there, but once I started using it, it made planning the day much easier.
The WhatsApp concierge service was also extremely useful for asking questions, arranging requests and dealing with practical matters without needing to visit reception.
These systems contributed to the sense that the hotel was actively trying to make the stay as smooth and restful as possible.
The service at Ikos Olivia
For me, service is where Ikos Olivia truly excels.
The standard was excellent throughout our stay and seemed even stronger than during our previous visits.
The concierge team checked in regularly to ask whether there was anything they could do to improve our experience. Staff across the resort were friendly, personal and warm, rather than simply efficient.
The service never felt cold or overly formal. Instead, it created a reassuring environment in which parents felt supported rather than judged.
That is a significant reason why the resort works so well for families.
What parents should know before booking Ikos Olivia
Book restaurants before you travel
Reserve your initial restaurant choices as early as the hotel allows, particularly when travelling during the school holidays.
Pre-book the kids’ club
Childcare sessions can fill during busy periods, so it is sensible to arrange these before arrival when possible.
Consider the room carefully for a family of five
The one-bedroom junior suite worked for us while our youngest was in a cot. With three older children, we would choose a larger room.
Pack water shoes
The beach is mostly sandy, but there can be stony areas when entering the sea.
Decide whether you want to explore Halkidiki
The complimentary car option can be a lovely addition for families with older children. With toddlers, you may be perfectly happy staying within the resort.
Download and use the app early
It is helpful for viewing reservations and understanding what is happening throughout the resort.
What we loved most
The consistently excellent service
The quality and variety of the food
À la carte breakfast options
The compact and pushchair-friendly layout
Trusted childcare that our children genuinely enjoyed
The relaxed atmosphere
Poolside and beach service
The practical family room layout
The sense that parents are also having a holiday
Not needing to think about every snack, drink or ice cream
Anything we didn’t love?
No hotel is perfect although Ikos Olivia is very close but there are a few things to consider.
The bedrooms are attractive, clean and comfortable, but our room did not feel quite as luxurious as some other five-star hotels we have visited.
Restaurant reservations also require some forward planning, which may frustrate guests who prefer to make completely spontaneous dining decisions.
Ikos Olivia is also primarily a resort based holiday. Families who prefer to spend most days exploring towns and sightseeing may not make full use of everything the hotel offers.
None of these points would stop us from returning, but they may be useful for others to know before choosing the resort.
Final verdict: who is Ikos Olivia best for?
Ikos Olivia remains one of the best luxury family resorts we have stayed in.
It combines excellent food, warm service, trusted childcare and genuinely useful family facilities within a compact beachfront setting.
It is particularly well suited to families with babies, toddlers and primary-school-aged children. The smaller layout makes everyday life easier, while the quality of the restaurants and service helps the holiday feel enjoyable for adults as well as children.
There are more opulent hotel rooms and resorts better suited to families who want to explore extensively beyond the hotel. But very few places make a holiday with three young children feel this seamless.
That is why, out of all the luxury family resorts we have visited, Ikos Olivia is the one we have chosen to return to three times and would absolutely visit again.
For a more detailed breakdown of the price, inclusions and overall value of an Ikos holiday, read our separate guide: Is Ikos worth it for families?
FAQ
Is Ikos Olivia good for toddlers?
Yes. Its compact layout, buggy-friendly paths, toddler childcare and all-inclusive dining make it particularly convenient for families with young children.
How far is Ikos Olivia from Thessaloniki Airport?
The journey takes approximately 45 minutes, depending on traffic.
Is the kids’ club included at Ikos Olivia?
During our stay, children aged four upwards received a complimentary three-hour session, while childcare for younger children cost extra.
Do you need to book restaurants at Ikos Olivia?
Yes. It is sensible to reserve your initial restaurants before travelling, particularly during the school holidays.
Is Ikos Olivia suitable for a family of five?
Yes, but room choice is important. Our one-bedroom junior suite worked while our youngest used a cot. A family with three older children may be more comfortable in a larger room category.
Is Ikos Olivia good during the school holidays?
We visited during the school holidays and were pleasantly surprised by how relaxed it felt. We did not struggle to find sunbeds or space around the pools, although restaurants and childcare should be booked in advance.
