TUI MAGIC LIFE Marmari Palace — Hotel in Municipality of Kos

This hotel and the staff were incredible. I’ve already emailed them a thank you email but felt a review was definitely worthy for them too!||It’s a short transfer from the airport, we had a late flight and landed early hours and the reception staff were lovely and welcoming with getting us sorted nice and quick. Our room was plenty big enough for us (2 adults, 5yr old and 1.5yr old) and the balcony we had on the last of the row was huge! Maria was the housekeeping lady for our room (think she did our block but not sure) she always did a great job, keeping the room clean and fresh whenever she had been, she also left water for the fridge which we flew through on hot days and days out and were very grateful for! ||The main restaurant, Magico, was incredible. The staff all went above and beyond to make us feel welcome and looked after everytime we went in. I wish I had all their names because they were all amazing, friendly and took the time to know my children by name and always had smiles when we interacted. They were outstanding and just fantastic. The food was lovely, with a good mix of meats, fish and veggie options. Some of the names I managed to catch were Stamatia, Billal, Bertrand and Michaela, but again we interacted with so many but I couldn’t get all their names, I really mean it when I say they were the best team!||Entertainment was lovely, they host family discos everyday except a Wednesday which matches the kids clubs that run everyday except a Wednesday. My daughter joined the afternoon sessions for the last 2 days (she made friends of both Brit and German speaking who she absolutely adored and they wanted her to join) she loved Coralie and the entertainment team, they were incredibly reassuring and kind, remembering them all in the evenings too. Which was lovely. Her experience with Coralie, has made her want to do a kids club again if she can. There was a variety of evening entertainment, Thursdays are Magic Night and everywhere is dressed in white and guests encouraged, the did fireworks and music. There was a silent disco another night which loads of people joined in for. There was live singing and just general music fun too. The Wunderbar (open 24 hours) and the main pool bar are used for evenings which is great to avoid queues in the evenings like other places I’ve stayed when it’s just ran from one place. |The Wunderbar has TVs so there was always a football game on and games could be requested if yours wasn’t showing. One night there were bundesliga, Premier League and Serie A games happening, which was because there was mix of people wanting different games so it was great most could enjoy without disrupting each other. ||The main reception staff everyday were some of the most friendly people I think I’ve met, they were always smiling and laughing with both my children when we saw them and always took the time to be gracious and say hello to all the families really. ||There are so many pools and sunbeds, we didn’t experience any issues getting any at all throughout our week trip. There were plenty at the beach too! ||We didn’t book any A La Carte’s on this trip, but did enjoy the Gyros snack bar (by main pool) and food truck (by the beach) which did the job when we didn’t want tons of food for lunch. ||The town is a quick bus ride away (20 mins) and gets you right to shops and a short walk (about 5/10 mins) to the port (around €5 each way for us). We had booked a glass bottom boat tour, but this was cancelled by port authority. So we took the opportunity to spend the morning wondering and buying souvenirs. ||Lido waterpark is a 5 minute walk from the hotel and was huge. There was great variety in slides and water based fun for a mix of ages. No struggle for beds at all, would recommend to break up a trip if it’s something you’re interested in.||We loved the hotel, all the staff we got to meet and the families we met were some of the best. I’ve seen a couple of negative reviews about favouring nationalities but we didn’t find this. My daughter loved making friends with all the kids both British and German of similar ages, regardless of language barriers they were all laughing, playing nicely, including each other in games and understood a good time, which to me was priceless and we’ve made friends that will last a long time here, it was very much a Bluey episode (Camping) in real life! ||Because of the amazing time we had, we are desperate to come back and spend another holiday here (which I have never done) and we can’t wait to be back here next summer! ||Thanks team, you...

We had originally emailed ahead to request a quiet room on a high floor and we were given room 6203 which was exactly that. It had a huge bed and then a slightly smaller bed for our teenage son. The only gripe with the room was that for 3 people there was definitely not enough wardrobe or cupboard space for all of our clothes- thankfully we had brought our own coat hangers. The bed was hard on the first night, but we requested a mattress topper and this was put on for the duration of the stay. The room was quiet and kept very clean. 4 stars (would have been 5 with a bit more space!)||The staff worked so hard and were really friendly. Huge thanks to Giorgios on the front desk who made sure everything was perfect for us- it was nice to see a manager walking around and taking a genuine interest in the guests. Brandon, the TUI rep was brilliant- really friendly and wasn’t pushing the trips on us. He asked how we were doing every time we saw him and he even wished us well when we left. |In the restaurant, we were treated really well by our favourite guy- Bertrand. What a star. Nothing was too much trouble for this lovely man. They all worked hard to bring drinks and clean tables, but he and (I think she was called Christina?) were our faves. Katerina was lovely and she presented a fabulous Greek cooking class which I would highly recommend- she was super friendly and, like most of the other staff, |nothing was too much trouble 😍 Staff were all 5 stars! ||The food was absolutely fantastic- as a vegetarian, there was so much choice! Greek food really is the best. The desserts were probably the best we have ever had in an AI hotel, so thanks to the pastry chef for some really lovely desserts!|We had dinner in the A La Carrie restaurants- our favourite was the Taverna, but the vegetarian options there were not on a par with the Magico restaurant. 5 stars for the food! ||Our 15 year old so absolutely had a blast with Timo and the teens club. In 11 nights we hardly saw him, and despite being the only English kid with predominantly Germans, they all made him feel very welcome and he had a great time. Everyone loved Timo and he had a real energy which is what teens need! 5 stars here! ||I think the only thing that let the holiday down for us was the entertainment on an evening. In all the years we’ve been away in August, this is the first time that entertainment acts from outside didn’t come in. The singing and dancing from the in house entertainers was ok, but nothing to rush back for. The beach party could have been so much better if the DJ had played some music to suit everyone and not just dance music which was clearly his own preference. We would give the nighttime entertainment 3 stars. ||The sports activities were incredible. I personally loved the meditation class with Barbara| and the archery with Hannah.|Boccia was also quite good fun, |depending on who turned up. Our son loved tennis with Boris and anything with Timo! My husband did a lot of tennis, cycling and archery. So much choice and the activities really kept everyone fit and healthy! Perfect! 5 stars.||The swimming pool situation was great. Every day we got a sun bed down at the relax pool and it was exactly that! So many empty loungers and so peaceful without noise and kids jumping around. The main pool did get busy and we only sat up there a couple of times, but we preferred the relax pool or the beach. There were always loungers available if you looked for them. Pools were clean and well maintained- 5 stars. ||The resort as a whole was perfect for what we needed- sports and activities for my son and husband |and a relaxing pool plus beach for me!||Kos as an island is absolutely beautiful- we hired a car and went to Tigkaki, Paradise Bay, Kefalos, KosTown and Zia. All beautiful and we really made the most of the hire car from Cosmos at the hotel. We walked to Mastichári which was a long walk, but the beach and scenery at the end of the walk really did give us a nice surprise!||All in all, we loved our trip to this hotel. We met a few other Brits and we had some fun with them, but our German friends were all respectful and relaxed and it was nice to not be amongst a load of loud, drunken Brits who were filling their all inclusive boots! ||Thank you to everyone who made our stay so wonderful. Highly recommend this hotel. Ignore any negative reviews- if they can help you in any way, they will- and remember politeness goes a...

Overall a very good and top end 4 star resort. Staff were incredibly friendly and helpful.

Predominately a German resort but the staff all speak good English. Only occasionally a problem for us when interacting with guests as we didn't speak any German.

We had two rooms over 10 days. We didn't complain or ask to be moved. We were simply contacted by reception and told they had a refurbished room available and they had a policy of picking guests in old rooms at random and moving them so we were lucky as the first room did need some attention.

Old room: You could feel the springs in one of the mattresses. Bit of a shock when I first sat on it. Got to know the worst bits and slept round them. Bed was a good size (two pushed together).

Close to beach and relax pool which we enjoyed.

Main bedroom separate to sitting area by a sliding door and three shuttered (no glass) windows. Two separate rooms is a big plus for a family sharing a suite.

Toilet had an opaque glass door that lead directly into the sitting area and had gaps around all edges so beware of unwanted smells in sleeping areas. No window or extractor fan in toilet or shower/bathroom. Toilet door could be accidentally locked while open and then stays locked from the inside when closed. Staff are quick to rectify any issues though.

Soap and hair and body wash provided in wall mounted dispensers. The hair and body wash was mounted on opposite side of shower which made it tricky to use but it's good that this is included. Nice powerful shower.

Wash basin was in an alcove leading from sitting area with no door.

The use of glass doors made privacy a problem. My son didn't care but my 16 year old daughter struggled. No lock on shower / bathroom.

Lots of mosquitoes when we arrived in room after midnight. Killed about a dozen when we first got to room. We didn't get any more after that first night so best to keep fly screens drawn if you do open patio doors. We used repellent and only suffered a few bites over 10 days (all whilst outside the room).

2 cockroaches in bathroom during stay. We just grabbed them in towels and threw them outside.

Newer room: Much better use of floor space. Modern decor, 2 safes, separate shower room with toilet. Plenty of hanging areas and draws. Still no lock on door (to be precise there was a lock but no bolt in it) but we managed fine. Water pressure was lower in shower possibly because we were at the top instead of the bottom of the building in the new room. There was a window with a fly screen in the showerroom/toilet as well as two wash basins which the family of four put to good use.

This room was close to main building so very noisy until about 11:30 so careful what you wish for. This room in the location of the old room would have been perfect.

Both rooms were well equipped and overall very good for a 4 star resort.

Fantastic range of food and excellent quality. Plenty of snack bars dotted round. I will miss the food!

No cushions on sun beds but then if they did provide these it would probably push the rating towards 5 star (and the price). The beach was a bit busy but a big plus not to be charged for beds and umbrellas.

Sports staff are very friendly and helpful. Kayaking twice (included in stay). Windsurfing comes at an extra charge other than a free taster where you try to balance on the board without a sail. Safety standards are very high.

Archery was fun (again all included).

Wife did some exercise classes (Pilates, Yoga, fitness classes) and enjoyed them.

Gym has no aircon, no windows and no fan. It's a reasonable size for a hotel gym. Running machines, free weights, bench press and plenty of bars for pull ups and tricep dips, etc. No music so take your own earphones. If they fixed the music player and installed a couple of wall mounted fans it would be more useable. It had free water and towels.

Silent disco was novel and my 16 year old daughter enjoyed it.

In conclusion, I would...