- Greece Holidays
- Lardos
- Olive Garden Hotel
The hotel is only 400 m away from the beach and 1.5 km from the town centre of Lardos. The property, with its endless gardens and remote setting, provides guests with peace and relaxation. Guests will enjoy the high standards of its setting. Hotel offers a lobby bar, restaurant and a car parking area. Further facilities include a currency exchange, a games room and a children's playground. The rooms are very simple with modern decor. They all are en suite and have a private balcony/terrace. Standard in-room amenities include a satellite TV, fridge and telephone. The air-conditioning is individually regulated. Guests can enjoy a refreshing dip in the hotel's outdoor swimming pool with children's swimming area or relax with a drink at the poolside snack bar. Sun loungers and parasols are provided at the hotel and at the nearby sandy and pebble beach.
Due to the surrounding area and the number of steps around the hotel, it may not be suitable for those with mobility difficulties.
We are currently staying at the Olive Garden Hotel and are having a superb time. The team here are wonderful, they are all so helpful and friendly, it makes for a really lovely atmosphere. Our room is modern and the bed is super comfortable, we are feeling very relaxed and very well looked after. The food is excellent with so many different dishes to choose from and again the wonderful team in the restaurant have looked after us brilliantly. We will be back.
We booked our first venture into "All inclusive holidays" at Olive Garden,Lardos and couldn't have been more impressed. From the very beginning with our warm welcome at 0245 hrs to the time of our departure 14 days later all was courteously and efficiently managed by the whole team at Olive Garden. Our early morning arrival was eased by the generous provision of a choice of sandwiches and drink at reception whilst our paperwork was sorted and room allocated all with a welcoming smile and friendly greeting. The room provided was on the third floor, easily accessible by the hotel lift and lived up well to its Superior Double description giving a very pleasant aspect over the hotel pool and main grounds.The shower room being amongst the most modern we have encountered in our many Greek Island accommodations! WiFi in the room (generally throughout the hotel) was good and the provision of an efficient fridge in the room was an asset. Air-con was entirely necessary and provided at no extra cost. Room cleanliness was first class with towels and sheets changed daily and special mention is due here to our chambermaid Blerina, who not only worked tirelessly to keep our room and floor clean but appeared in other areas of the hotel equally busy in her work.She is a great asset to the team. Food was plentiful,varied and of good standard with dining room times being very accommodating to all requirements.We were well looked after here on each and everyone of our visits from all staff though we wish to mention particularly Art Jon who excelled on our behalf making sure that our favourite table was available and well serviced! Socrates Bar was a pleasant location and kept clean and tidy by attentive pleasant mannered staff at all times,strategically sited between Mama's Pizza Kiosk & Papa's Gyros grill - difficult to resist! There was a programme of entertainment available on site which catered for a broad range of tastes and even a modest though well stocked shop in the reception area. Despite its location being somewhat isolated the very pleasant Kamari beach is only an 800m stroll away along a level sealed road and well deserving of a visit. Conveniently sited on the main highway adjacent to the hotel is the #66 bus stop with services along the coastline to the North or South. Greek timetable takes some study but is worthwhile and services run from as little as €2.00 providing access to nearby Lardos,Pefkos and Lyndos amongst other destinations. Thank you Olive Garden for providing a most relaxing and enjoyable holiday at great value for money, Martin & Jackie Holland Wales UK.
We had a wonderful stay at this hotel! The food is absolutely delicious, and there is a great variety to choose from. The staff are very nice. A special mention to Ankin from the pool bar, he is incredibly kind, friendly, and always makes you feel welcome. He really made our stay even more enjoyable! Jarek.
I wasn't sure what to rate olive garden to be honest as it's very mixed. And it's not average but not very good either. I think years ago this hotel would have been brilliant but it's certainly not a 4 star as advertised. When we arrived our first room wasn't great the balcony door didn't lock and the bunk bed was hanging on by bits of wood that had split due to the screws. We changed rooms the following morning and although alot better the toilet leaked, the door doesn't close properly at the bottom and the safe didn't work. Definitely a comfier bed! The cleaning in rooms isn't great - I'd rather they left a broom so we could have at least swept up! The pool areas are lovely it's nice to have the options of the 3 different pools - the waterpark needs more inflatables though I imagine when it's really busy it's a nightmare to get one as you have to use them in the lazy river but it's the same ones for the slide too. The bars, pizza, gyros and crepe are lovely in fact we just had those for lunch every day! Ankit is brilliant and the guy who runs the gyros bar! The food inside is as expected for all inclusive - very samey but we all ate no problems at all. Jody was lovely in the kids club. The beach is shingle down the road but beautiful water! Would I come back? Honestly no. For us personally it wasn't a good enough hotel for the price we paid I've stayed in alot better 3 stars but for a week in the sun it was fine! I think the hotel could be great with a few tweaks such as simple room upgrading (a towel dryer outside for definite) better cleaning in the rooms, entertainment needs to be better as the guy lacked any enthusiasm and just a bit of tlc in all areas really.
If you are looking for a quieter hotel with helpful staff & plenty of food options then the Olive Garden is for you. We travelled as a family with 3 children - 8,7 and 8 months. We arrived late evening and check in was straight forward. There was sandwiches, fruit & water available for us.
Room We stayed in block 2, which is a couple of minutes walk away from the main building, but ideal as the kids pool & quieter adults pool was right next to us. Our room was good for us & very clean, although the bunk bed climb is entertaining! We had a walk in shower, WC & the wash hand basin was outside the bathroom, which had recently been renovated. A/C worked great, although it was a bit chilly during the night!
Food The choice of food in the restaurant was excellent in our opinion. Always plenty of salad options as you would expect in Greece, and plenty of beige selection which delighted one of our picky eaters! They obviously have a weekly rotation, but every night there was at least 3 or 4 meat dishes, a pasta dish freshly cooked in front of you, veg and numerous sauces & oils. Dessert was our kids favourite - loads of various baklava, ice cream, cakes, fruit etc. I think our kids highlight was the chocolate fountain. Outside there are pizza & gyros stalls - freshly made - both delicious and served with a smile!
Staff Our little one is an early riser, so I witnessed impressive sights early morning! I have never seen so many staff members up and about cleaning everywhere - they were brushing, mopping and tidying anything that required it from the tennis court, to the walkways to the sunbeds - just continual cleaning! It is spotless, it's the guests who make the issues! Do not expect all staff to speak fluent English, but they will assist you if asked. There were many members of staff who we felt helped us - too many to mention! In particular, Stavros at the main reception is a fountain of knowledge and will assist you in any way possible, from recommending days out, ordering taxis, late check out etc. Ankit in the pool bar has a fantastic rapport with the kids - always smiling & joking with them. He's a brilliant asset to the Olive Garden, and such a friendly guy. Many others to mention Raj, Christina, Carlo, Artjon - all the staff at the Olive Garden make it feel one big family.
Facilities Waterpark is good, although you can tell some areas need their annual maintenance, but it's an entertainer for the kids. There is a beach volleyball area, small kids play park, tennis court, evening entertainment area, a few electronic amusements with a pool table, air hockey & table tennis. There is a 'kids club', but it's more of a drop in rather than drop off and see what's happening as there is no organised timetable of events. There was only one member of staff who looked after the kids. There are 3 pools kept clean & tidy, 2 bars and 1 restaurant. Huge grassy areas, and the odd banana/plantain plants dotted around.
Location It is not within a town/village, so not ideal if you like to go for a wander. However, Lardos is only a 5 minute taxi ride away and Pefkos & Lindos are 20 minutes away. There is a bus stop outside the hotel, turn left and it's on the main road on your right.
Negatives Everyone mentions it - unfortunately as the hotel sits on its own, it's septic tank is close by and it can be a bit whiffy only if you walk past it - but there's nothing you can do apart from hope the wind direction is in your favour! The only other negative is the minority of selfish guests - the ones who leave everything at their backside expecting staff to clear up after them instantly; put towels on sunbeds and disappear for hours; complain about the mosquito's - in fact complain about everything.
Would we return? Absolutely! It is a hidden gem. I suspect if the evening entertainment & kids club was enhanced then it will become even more popular.
