Lucy’s Trip to the Beautiful Ikos Andalusia

My Partner and I recently returned from our first ever IKOS holiday in Andalusia and would definitely recommend it to everyone, it really was one of the best holidays weve been on.

We were met on arrival at Malaga Airport by a lovely lady who took us to our own air-conditioned Mercedes to take us to the resort, the transfer took around 45 minutes and is included as part of the ambassador package which only a select few agents have. Ikos Andalusia is located between Estepona and Puerta Banus with shuttle services operating daily from the hotel. We went to both of them and had plenty of time to see the sights etc, I would recommend going to Puerta Banus marina which is classed as one of the most expensive harbours for boats to dock in Europe there’s a strip full of shops and restaurants for you to explore, or just perch up, grab a drink and watch the world go by.

The check-in at the hotel is done differently than most, you are taken to a separate lounge area where you are met with your own concierge for the trip who explains the going on in the resort and suggests which restaurants to book for the evening only if you havent already done so already on the APP. There are 7 A la Carte restaurants in the hotel (Greek, Spanish, French, Asian ( open evenings only), Italian, Mediterranean and Flavours which is the buffet restaurant) with an option to dine out in one of three local restaurants. We were taken straight to the Greek restaurant for lunch whilst our room was being made for us, the food and drinks are all fresh and the service is second to none nothing is too much hassle.

There is no need to book for breakfast and lunch you can just turn up when you feel hungry, all restaurants are open for both meals apart from the Asian which is only open in the evenings. They even offer an adults-only breakfast at the Greek restaurant every morning from 9 am till 10:30 am and if youre one of those people that like to get up early and position yourself on the sunbed all day and not move you can even order food and drinks here as well. All restaurants have a Michelin star chef so the food is so fresh and has a vast amount of options for all ages and can accommodate all dietary requirements. My partner is a chef and even he was amazed by the food they had to offer.

There are 8 pools ( a kids-only one, a family one, a scented one, the main one, a beach one, an adults-only one, an indoor spa one and a deluxe pool for the ones who book the deluxe accommodation) you dont have any problems finding a sunbed as there are plenty of areas to choose from and if you prefer to go to the beach they have that as well which also offers a vast amount of watersports like windsurfing, paddle boarding and pedalos. You can also do motorised watersports for an extra charge.

I was lucky enough to be taken on a tour of the kids club and from what I saw they had everything a family/child would need I also spoke to a few families who said they loved the fact that the staff at the clubs were all English speaking so didnt struggle with language barriers like a few other operators they have used, they include all day kids clubs for all ages and recommend booking the spaces in advance either via the app or email.

All rooms are modern and airy and have plenty of storage space, they are all equipped with a mini bar which is replenished daily with all sorts of drinks from bottles of wine to cans of soft drinks and are all included in the package so no need to worry about some little extras added onto your room bills. I managed to see a few families and deluxe collection suites and can say they had plenty of room and some even have their own private pool which is perfectly located near the kids/family pools.

The entertainment is one of the best I have seen a resort do, they do a mix of different shows each day from musicals to acrobatics to birds of prey show around the gardens. When you check in you are asked for your mobile number to add you to a WhatsApp group where they message you every day with what show is on and at what time. If you are a sports fan and dont want to miss anything they have all major games on in the sports bar at all times this again will be told to you on the WhatsApp group.

On our last night, we tried the Yiu Gabo Chinese restaurant dine-out experience which is their newest addition and can happily say we werent disappointed, the hotel provided a shuttle bus to and from the restaurant for us as well so you dont need to worry about anything.

The one thing which we werent able to try was the Tesla Experience where you have a tesla for the day to see the local area. They can provide a packed lunch for you and also maps and suggestions on where to go. This does need to be booked plenty of time in advance to avoid disappointment. This resort is the only one that offers the Tesla whereas all others offer a mini.

As a travel agent I have travelled to plenty of hotels/resorts and can say nothing is like the experience and service I received on this holiday, I would recommend this place and IKOS to everyone, whether you’re going with your family or heading for a romantic getaway, it really does tick all the boxes.

If you are looking to experience any Ikos or Sani resorts don’t hesitate to email me on Lucy@aspentravel.co.uk or call me on 0161 755 3081