Anyone been to the Mitsis Summer Palace Hotel, Kardamena in Greece?

FairyShazza

Has anyone been to this hotel?

Am looking for somewhere to go away for a week and this place has popped up on a search and it looks quite nice but I was just wondering if anyone has any first hand reports of it?

poe.tuesday

I have just come back from mitsis blue domes and it was amazing, think you will find some good deals for this hotel as it's new so check it out - it's in kos too and I thinks not far from the one you are looking into - as for kardamena itself - it's a dump so don't stay in the town itself

kutemunki

I went to Summer Palace two years ago in July. It is a lovely hotel, but in a not so great area. The hotel itself is beautifully positioned, all seemingly carved into the hillside, although we were in the main hotel bit. There are loads of swimmingpools on different levels of the hotel, if I remeber, there is one swimming pool for every 10 rooms.. and if you're willing to walk to the top, you'll be completley alone in a pool to yourself! The main swimmingpool is salt-water, so we avoided that. The beach is down a steep hill, although there was a lift, the kind that you'd get in a ski resort, down to the beach. The staff in the hotel were very friendly, and the all inclusive option was great. They had cocktails too! The food was alright, a bit same-oldy, but they had a BBQ inside the resturant area, which cooked fresh kebabs and stuff, which was nice. The salads were fantastic too. There is also a pizza resturant, which you need to book, which was lovely, right near the main pool, overlooking the beach. There is a huge amphitheatre which caters for a couple of other hotels on the complex, which have theatre shows every night, and a bar (which is free if you're all inclusive!). Kardamina is a bit of a dump, nothing much to see or do, but we got the bus to the town from the hotel (runs quite frequently, including late into the night) and booked a couple of excursions, one to a water park (which was great fun) and one to Turkey, which was a lovely day, and a releif on the boat from the hot weather in Greece! We payed about £350 each all inclusive for a week, and I'd say it was well worth the money. The Summer Palace is the more 'up-market' of the other hotels in the complex. We loved it!

FairyShazza

Poe Tuesday - I would've prefered the Mitsis Blue Dome as it does look a bit nicer but OH couldn't find any deals that matched up with the one he'd found for the Summer Palace.

Kutemunki - thank you for your message Is good to hear a first hand report from someone who has been here. I looked on TripAdviser and come of the reports were not very complimentary but I think you get that no matter where you go as you can't please everyone all of the time.

Anyone else?

poe.tuesday

not sure how much you have been quoted but I have just checked on cheapholidays.com and the blue domes is about £100 each more than the summer palace. FYI we booked our holiday there with holiday experts which are part of the co-op

I am not sure what you get at the summer palace but at the blue domes there are 4 bookable resturants and 6 step in ones along with the main buffet - there is also the added advantage that you don't have to down down a cliff to get to the beach - I would say, if you can afford to go to the blue domes then you will not be disappointed, you will not need any extra money once you are there and it is lovely and tres chic

I have checked out the pixs of summer palace on tripadvisor and it does look nice but i have to say, the blue domes is much nicer than what the summer palace looks like on the pixs, the sunbeds and beach looks really crowded in the summer palace but the blue domes was nothing like that at all and we were there in august - however, I think that the summer palace still looks good and I am sure you will have a wonderful time no matter which hotel you pick

kutemunki

Exactly, you can't please everyone. I have learned that wherever I go, the star rating of the hotel can't really be lived upto! It was a 3/4 star hotel, NOT 5 star as advertised, but you always get what you pay for. Like I said, I think we payed about £300/£350 each for the week, and we got our moneys worth. We'd have been disapointed if we had spent over £500 each, as some people had done, but it really wasn't that bad. I saw reviews about sewers overflowing, flys everywhere and broken glass by the pools, but we saw nothing of that nature. I was worried before arriving, because of trip advisor, but on the transfer coach, I said to the guide "why is it only us two going to this hotel?! Is it really that bad?!" and he replied saying it was one of the best hotels in the town, and that not many people could afford to stay there. We didn't have any problems (other than that the alcohol was free-poured and you only needed 2 or 3 to feel it the next day!). I'd honestly go back there when my bank stops hating me.