Is Ikos Olivia the right Ikos resort for your family?
Sam Ballard, Managing Director
Club Voyages
Published: 16 July 2026
You've been looking at Ikos Olivia.
You've seen the photos - the olive trees, the long sandy beach, those pools with the turquoise water catching the late afternoon sun.
It looks beautiful. It looks like exactly the kind of place you've been trying to find.
But then you've probably looked at Ikos Oceania too.
It's right there, on the same stretch of Greek coastline, and on the Ikos website it looks almost identical. Same food, same childcare, same all-inclusive setup, similar price bracket. You can't really tell them apart.
And if you've got this far, you're probably also wondering whether Halkidiki is even where you should be going - or whether Spain, Corfu or Kos gives you something better.
How do the older resorts in the portfolio compare to the newer ones, and will that actually matter once you're there with your family?
How easy is each resort to navigate with a buggy and young children in tow?
Is the beach the kind you can actually spend a day on with little kids - safe, sandy, shallow - or is it more of a backdrop?
These aren't easy questions to answer from a brochure.
I've stayed at Ikos Olivia with my family - an actual holiday, not a quick agents' trip or a press visit - and I know what it's like on the ground.
This guide is my attempt to give you the information that actually helps you decide if Ikos Olivia is right for you.
Is Ikos Olivia right for you? My quick verdict
A quick, honest answer before we get into the full resort guide
Ikos Olivia opened in 2015, making it one of the two original Ikos properties.
It went through a significant refresh in 2024 and 2025 - public areas and restaurants redesigned in 2024, all rooms and bungalows refurbished in 2025.
The result is Olivia is no longer the slightly tired resort some older reviews describe.
But it is still an original-era Ikos, and if you've recently stayed at one of the newer properties - Kissamos, Odisia, Porto Petro - you will notice that difference.
If Olivia is your first Ikos, you almost certainly won't.
What Olivia does really well
The layout is one of its clearest strengths. The resort is flat, compact and easy to navigate. At 22 acres it's manageable rather than sprawling, with landscaped gardens and everything connected on one level.
Beach, pools, restaurants, kids' clubs: you can get between all of them without thinking about it. That sounds unremarkable until you're doing it several times a day with young children and you realise how much easier it makes the whole holiday.
The service is a big part of the appeal. Olivia may not have quite the same legendary staff loyalty that Oceania - the original Ikos - is known for, but it's excellent. Warm, attentive, genuinely focused on making things easy for families. Guests consistently praise it across every season and every part of the resort.
The beach is genuinely good - 450 metres of sandy Blue Flag shoreline with shallow, calm water. There are occasional stony patches underfoot, but nothing that should put you off.
And the food, across all six restaurants, is genuinely impressive - one of Ikos's consistent strengths across the portfolio.
What to go in knowing
Olivia has six restaurants - five à la carte plus the buffet - which is the same as nearby Oceania but on the lower end for the Ikos portfolio.
Andalusia, for comparison, has nine. On a seven-night stay you'll need to repeat a venue or use the Dine Out programme, which is easy enough but worth being aware of.
The largest room at Olivia is a two-bedroom suite. If you're a larger family or travelling with grandparents and need three or more bedrooms, resorts like Andalusia, Odisia, Dassia or Kissamos will serve you better.
Olivia doesn't have the dramatic hillside views you get at a resort like Oceania or Odisia - that's the direct trade-off for being flat and easy to get around. The setting is lovely, but it's garden and beach rather than panoramic Aegean vistas.
On weather: Halkidiki is a good destination, but early and late season is more of a gamble here than at Ikos Andalusia or Ikos Aria, which sit further south and have more reliable shoulder-season conditions. July and August are as reliable as anywhere. April and October less so.
Finally - Halkidiki is a beautiful part of Greece, but if exploring beyond the resort is important to you, destinations like Andalusia, Mallorca or Corfu give you more at your doorstep. Thessaloniki is genuinely excellent and very underrated as a day trip, though, and most families with young children never feel the need to leave the resort at all.
So is it right for you?
Olivia is a particularly strong choice for families with babies, toddlers and younger primary-age children who want a flat, easy, well-run resort with a great beach and excellent service.
It's not the most dramatic Ikos, and it's not the newest. But it works - consistently and reliably - and by the end of most weeks, guests are very glad they chose it.
I'll be honest - when I first arrived at Olivia, having stayed at Porto Petro before, it didn't immediately blow me away. Porto Petro has a dramatic, architectural and scenic wow factor when you walk in. Olivia doesn't. It feels more like a traditional resort at first glance.
But something happened over the course of the week.
The compactness started to feel like a genuine advantage. Getting around was effortless. The restaurant settings - terraces framing the sea, gardens lit in the evening - created their own kind of beauty. The vistas aren't as spectacular as Porto Petro's, but they're lovely in a quieter, more relaxed way.
By the end of the week, I preferred it.
The ease of it, the way everything just worked, the way the resort felt coherent rather than sprawling - it won me over.
The rest of this guide goes into the full detail - rooms, restaurants, facilities, childcare and the honest Olivia versus Oceania comparison - so you can decide whether it's the right fit before you book.
What’s in this guide
Jump straight to the parts that matter most to your family, from rooms and childcare to restaurants, Deluxe and what Oceania feels like day to day
Most families I speak to aren't asking whether Ikos Olivia is good. They already know it is.
The questions are more specific: which room type actually works with young children, whether Deluxe is worth it for their dates, how Olivia compares to Oceania, and what it's genuinely like to be there day to day.
That's what the sections below are designed to answer.
Just use the quick links below to jump to the sections that interest you most.
Ikos Olivia at a glance
Location, layout and how the resort works with real-life family logistics
When you first arrive at Ikos Olivia, you walk into the main building - a multi-storey block that houses reception, a couple of the restaurants and the spa.
It feels, if I'm honest, like a fairly standard hotel entrance.
If you've experienced from one of the newer Ikos resorts – like Kissamos or Porto Petro - the arrival at Olivia might not immediately blow you away.
But then you walk through it, and you're out into the resort proper.
Olive trees. Winding paths. Low-rise bungalows dotted through 22 acres of landscaped gardens. The beach right in front of you.
And within about ten minutes, you stop comparing it to anything else and just start enjoying it.
Olivia doesn't hit you between the eyes on arrival. But it earns your affection quickly. And by the end of a week, most families find themselves very glad they chose it.
Where it is
Ikos Olivia is on the Sithonia peninsula in Halkidiki, northern Greece - specifically near the village of Gerakini on the Gulf of Toroneos.
It's roughly an hour from Thessaloniki airport. That's a longer transfer than you'd get at some other Ikos resorts - Corfu, Kos and Andalusia are all faster from their respective airports - and it's worth factoring in, especially if you're travelling with young children and a long transfer is the last thing you want at the end of a flight.
Once you're there, though, you're there.
The location isn't one that invites constant day trips. Thessaloniki is driveable - about 45 minutes to an hour - and worth it for the right family.
But Halkidiki itself is more about scenery, villages and the coastline than accessible tourist attractions.
That's not a criticism; it just means this is a resort where you'll spend most of your time on site. For most families with young children, that's exactly fine.
Layout and size
The resort has 291 rooms and suites across two distinct areas: the main building, which houses the double rooms, superior doubles and panorama junior suites on its upper floors, and the bungalow buildings spread through the gardens, which is where you'll find the one-bedroom and two-bedroom suites and all the Deluxe Collection accommodation.
It's worth knowing that "bungalow" doesn't mean a standalone cottage with a garden path. At Olivia, the bungalows are low-rise blocks - mostly single storey, sometimes two - clustered through the grounds.
The ones with private gardens are on the ground floor. The ones described as "balcony" are on the first floor and accessed by a staircase.
Bear that in mind as the costs for a little elevation will be a week of carrying the buggy up and down those stairs.
The resort is compact enough that you can walk anywhere without needing a golf buggy to give you a lift.
Unlike resorts like Porto Petro, where the scale makes buggies a practical necessity, or Oceania, where the hillside setting means you're navigating gradients throughout the day, Olivia is flat and walkable.
That's not a dramatic selling point - you're not usually going to book a holiday because a resort is flat - but when you're actually there with a toddler and a buggy and a bag full of pool things, you notice it constantly.
The beach
Ikos Olivia has 450 metres of Blue Flag sandy beach running along the front of the resort.
It's wide, well serviced, and the water is shallow and calm - the kind of beach where you can actually sit back and relax rather than hovering at the water's edge watching your four-year-old.
The sea shelves gently, there are no significant waves, and the bottom is mostly sandy underfoot, though a few guests mention the occasional stony patch.
Beach service operates in the same way as the rest of the resort - drinks, snacks and food ordered via the app or from the beach bar, sun loungers lined up and ready.
The Deluxe Collection has its own dedicated beach area with more space between loungers and a higher level of service.
For families with young children, the beach works. It's not the most dramatic stretch of coastline in the Ikos portfolio - it doesn't have the clifftop views of Odisia or the wide bay sweep of Kissamos - but it's long, easy and genuinely usable all day.
Recent refurbishment
Olivia went through a significant refurbishment in 2024 and 2025.
Public areas, restaurants and the lobby were refreshed in 2024 - including the addition of The Garden, a new restaurant unique to Olivia.
All rooms, suites and bungalows were then fully refurbished for 2025.
That matters for two reasons.
First, some of the older reviews and images circulating online - particularly anything from before 2024 - aren't describing the resort you'd be booking today.
Second, it means Olivia is now in genuinely good shape for a resort that first opened in 2015.
It doesn't have the brand-new feel of Kissamos or Porto Petro, but it no longer feels like it needs one either.
Next: the time of year you travel shapes the Ikos Olivia experience more than people expect — here's how to think about when to go.
When to go to Ikos Olivia
How the season shapes your days - from sunshine and swimming to restaurant reservations
Ikos Olivia runs from April through to late October, and the month you choose shapes the holiday more than most people expect.
It's not just about whether you'll need a jumper - it affects how busy the resort feels, how easy it is to get a restaurant reservation, whether the sea is swimmable for young children, and what you'll end up paying.
Here's what each window actually looks like.
April and May
This is shoulder season - quieter, cheaper, but a bit of a gamble.
April sits at 12–19°C with around eight hours of sunshine daily. The sea is chilly at roughly 15°C - fine for a paddle, not somewhere you'd want to take a young child for long.
There's around 40mm of rain across the month, not constant, but not guaranteed blue skies either. Evenings can drop to around 12°C, so pack a layer.
May is better - temperatures reach 15–25°C with ten hours of sun, less rain, and the sea creeps up to 18–19°C. Still cool for long swims, but the direction of travel is right.
What saves shoulder season at Olivia is the pools - all of them are heated, and reviewers consistently describe them as properly warm rather than the lukewarm disappointment you sometimes find elsewhere.
One family who visited in late April with a newborn noted that while the weather was "a bit mixed," the heated pools made the whole stay work.
Another described 22 degrees of clear sunshine every day at the end of April and called it one of their best trips.
That's the honest picture: April can go either way. If the weather shows up, it's brilliant – quieter and less expensive too.
If it doesn't, you're leaning on the pools, the restaurants and each other.
Who it suits: Families with babies or toddlers who don't need hot sea swimming. You get space, lower prices, heated pools and cooler temperatures that make exploring easier. Just pack layers and a light waterproof.
June
If your dates are flexible, June is where Olivia really clicks.
Temperatures sit at 20–30°C with around ten hours of sunshine daily and barely any rain.
The sea is properly swimmable at 23–24°C - warm enough that children will actually want to stay in.
The resort is busy enough to feel alive but nowhere near peak, which means restaurant slots and kids' club sessions are still manageable without military planning.
One thing worth knowing – in June, the resort skews noticeably young. Lots of toddlers and pre-schoolers, fewer older children. That's ideal if your children fall into the younger group but if you can go in June with your school age kids, they may want for playmates their own age.
Who it suits: Families with pre-schoolers and younger children. Your best window for warm swimming before the school holiday crowds arrive.
July and August
Peak season. Let's be straight about what that means.
It's hot - 24–32°C in July, 26–31°C in August, with 11–12 hours of sunshine daily and minimal rain. The sea is at its warmest at 26–27°C. Everything is running at full capacity.
The main pools can get noticeably busy once the school holidays kick in - a few guests described the standard family pool areas as crowded at peak times, and this is one of those moments where Deluxe genuinely earns its money.
The Deluxe pool area stays calmer throughout, and the beach is always an option if you want more space.
None of that makes July or August a bad time to go - far from it. But organisation matters. Book as many restaurant reservations as you can before you arrive, get kids' club sessions locked in early, and don't assume you can wing either once you're there.
Who it suits: Families tied to school holidays who want guaranteed warm weather and are happy to plan ahead.
September
This is the month experienced Ikos guests tend to target, and for good reason.
Temperatures sit at 18–28°C with around nine hours of sunshine. Rainfall creeps back in (40–60mm), but that's still minimal - you might get the occasional shower rather than lost days.
The sea is often warmer in September than it was in June - around 24–25°C - because it's had all summer to heat up. And the resort is noticeably calmer.
Restaurants are easier to get into. Kids' club has more availability. The overall pace shifts in a way that families consistently describe as a different - and often better - experience than peak summer.
Worth noting though: September isn't guaranteed wall-to-wall sunshine. One family had a few days where the weather wasn't great, but said the resort still delivered and they'd return without hesitation.
Who it suits: Pretty much everyone. Particularly good if you want quality without peak-season intensity.
October
October is more of a mixed bag, and it's worth being honest about that.
Temperatures average 15–22°C with around seven hours of sunshine. The sea is still swimmable at 21–22°C for many adults, but will feel cool to young children or anyone who runs cold. Rainfall increases noticeably - around 60mm - so cloudy spells and the occasional rainy day are a real possibility. Evenings drop into the mid-teens.
There are two specific things to flag for October.
First, pool heating: while all pools are heated during the season, at least one October 2025 family said they were no longer warm enough to be properly usable by that stage.
Second, if the weather turns, daytime options are more limited - the spa pool can get busy when families pile in off the beach, and some outdoor activities may be cancelled or moved with limited notice.
Who it suits: Families willing to trade weather certainty for lower prices and a much quieter resort.
So when should you actually go?
The short version:
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Want warm weather without the madness? June or September
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Tied to school holidays? July and August work - just book restaurants and kids' club before you arrive, not when you get there
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Travelling with a baby or toddler who doesn't need hot sea swimming? May — quieter, better value, and the heated pools really help. Pack layers
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Want the best of everything? September. Warm sea, warm air, fewer people, easier logistics
Next: the rooms at Ikos Olivia — what each category actually means in practice for families, and which ones are worth the upgrade.
Rooms at Ikos Olivia
How the different room types actually work for families - and what to ask before you book
The room photos on the Ikos website are beautiful. Soft mocha tones, natural textures, calm cream-and-ivory styling. They all look calm and spacious and exactly right.
What the photos don't tell you is whether the layout works when you've got a buggy, a sleeping toddler and a bag of wet swimming things to deal with. That's what this section is for.
A couple of things worth knowing before we go through the categories.
"Bungalow" doesn't always mean ground floor
This is one of the most important practical points in the whole rooms section, and it can catch people out - including me when I stayed!
Several room categories at Olivia have "bungalow" in the name, which most people reasonably assume means a low-rise, garden-level room with easy access.
Some of them are. But the balcony versions of the Double Bungalow and the One Bedroom Bungalow Suite are first-floor rooms accessed by a staircase.
I stayed in a one-bedroom bungalow at Olivia with my family. We walked up to the room and thought - oh. Upstairs. Which meant carrying the pushchair up and down those stairs multiple times a day.
Not the end of the world, but not what we'd expected, and genuinely impractical if you're travelling solo with young children or if you've got a double buggy.
If step-free access matters to you - and with a buggy it almost certainly will - ask specifically for a private garden option rather than a balcony version. They're the safer option if you want ground-level ease.
Private garden versus balcony - which is better for families?
If stairs aren’t a problem, the balcony versions do give you a bit of elevation, which can mean better sea views and a more tucked-away feel.
That's a reasonable trade-off if views are important to you and your children are old enough that you're not constantly running back to the room.
But for families with toddlers or young children, the private garden rooms are almost always the better choice.
You get usable outdoor space - garden furniture, a couple of sunloungers - where little ones can toddle around first thing in the morning before anyone else is up, without you having to pack up and head to the pool.
That hour or two of contained outdoor space at the start of the day can make a bigger difference than you might expect.
I'd take the garden over the view at this age.
The main building versus the bungalows
As covered in the At a Glance section, Olivia splits into two distinct areas: the main hotel building near the resort's central facilities, and the lower-rise bungalow buildings spread through the gardens towards the beach.
Main-building rooms give you a more conventional hotel feel, close to the resort's central facilities rather than out among the bungalow blocks. The upper floors get good views because of the height.
But you're further from the beach and the family pool areas, and the feel is more conventional hotel than garden resort.
Bungalow rooms put you among the olive trees and, depending on category, often closer to the beach or pool areas.
The setting is quieter, more relaxed and - for most families - more in keeping with why you chose Olivia in the first place.
Now, the room categories.
Non-Deluxe Rooms - Main building
Double Room (28 sqm, sleeps 2)
The entry category. Small - actually smaller than the equivalent at nearby Oceania - with a balcony offering either sea or inland views, and a bathroom with a single sink and walk-in shower. Fine for two adults, not a family room. The inland view version has a French balcony rather than a full one.
Who it suits: Couples, or a single parent with one very young baby. No one else.
Superior Double Room (33 sqm, sleeps 3)
A step up, but still compact. There's a sofa bed for one child, which technically makes it a family room, but 33 sqm with two adults, a child, a cot if you need one, and a week's luggage is a squeeze. Bathroom is again a single sink and walk-in shower.
Who it suits: Two adults and one young child at a push. If there are two of you and a toddler and you're only there for a short stay, it works. For a week, most families will wish they'd gone bigger.
Panorama Junior Suite (37 sqm, sleeps 4)
This is the main building's best family option, and it's genuinely good for what it is. You're on one of the upper floors, which means strong sea views and a proper sense of elevation. There's a larger balcony than the rooms below, an open-plan layout with a sofa bed for the children, and the same single sink and walk-in shower bathroom.
The trade-off is that it's still open-plan — everyone's in the same space. With younger children who go to sleep early, that means sitting quietly in the dark once they're down unless you've booked a one-bedroom suite instead. The bathroom is also on the smaller side; one reviewer felt it was tight for a family setup.
But if you want height, views and proximity to the main facilities rather than a garden setting, this is your best non-bungalow choice.
Who it suits: Families of up to four who are happy with open-plan sleeping and want the elevated sea view.
Non-Deluxe Rooms: Bungalows
Double Bungalow (25 sqm, sleeps 2)
Worth flagging clearly - this is actually the smallest room in Olivia's portfolio - smaller even than the Double Room in the main building, at just 25 sqm.
Don't be misled by the "bungalow" label into assuming it means spacious. It doesn't. It's a couples' room with a garden or balcony setting, nothing more.
Who it suits: Two adults who want a garden or bungalow feel without needing family space. You could squeeze a cot in, but that’s about it.
One Bedroom Bungalow Suite (55 sqm, sleeps 5)
This is the non-Deluxe family sweet spot at Olivia, and for most families it's where the stay starts to feel properly right.
You get a separate bedroom for the adults, a living area where the children sleep on a sofa bed, and - crucially - a door between the two spaces.
That door changes the evening entirely. Once the children are down, you're in your own space rather than sitting silently in the dark hoping no one wakes up.
It sleeps up to five, and it's the first non-Deluxe category with both a bath and a walk-in shower, which makes bath time with young children considerably easier.
Mind you, the theoretical sleeping plan and the actual one don't always match.
I booked this room at Olivia because I wanted separation once the kids were in bed. In practice, one child ended up in the main bed, the baby was in the cot, and I ended up on the sofa!
But the fact that there were separate spaces still made a difference.
The private garden version has generous outdoor space with garden furniture and sunloungers. The balcony version is on the first floor - see the note above about stairs and buggies.
These rooms come with sea views or garden views.
Who it suits: The best non-Deluxe option for families of three, four or five. Go for private garden if you have a buggy or young children.
Deluxe Collection rooms
All Deluxe rooms are in the bungalow and suite area of the resort - none are in the main building.
I'll cover what the Deluxe Collection benefits actually include later in the guide. For now, this is just about how the rooms themselves compare.
Deluxe One Bedroom Bungalow Suite (55 sqm, sleeps 5)
The same footprint as the non-Deluxe one-bedroom suite, but within the Deluxe layer of the resort - which means near the Deluxe pool.
Available as private garden or private pool, the private garden versions are clustered around the pool and the private pool versions are set slightly back from the pool with garden views.
On private pools at this size: they're more than plunge pools - good for a few strokes lengthways - but with very young children, it's worth asking how much you'll actually use it.
You may still spend a lot of time at the family pool or splash areas, where the other children and the energy are.
Private pools tend to come into their own for parents wanting an early morning swim, or for families with slightly older children. Worth knowing before you pay a significant premium for one.
Both versions have bathrooms with bath and shower.
Who it suits: Families wanting Deluxe positioning and benefits in a one-bedroom layout.
Deluxe Two Bedroom Bungalow Suite (90 sqm, sleeps 6)
Two bedrooms is as big as it gets at Olivia. At 90 sqm with two separate bedrooms, two ensuite bathrooms and a shared living area, this is the room that gives larger families, grandparents travelling with you, or families who want proper separation and two bathrooms real breathing room.
Both bathrooms are ensuite - one with bath and shower, one with combined bath and shower - which matters considerably when you've got four or more people sharing a space.
There's a shared living area between the two bedrooms, plus outdoor garden space with furniture and sunloungers.
Three versions: Private Garden (outdoor space, garden or sea view), Private Pool (one block back from the beach, larger private pool, garden views), and Beachfront (looks directly over the beach, usually a touch cheaper than the private pool version, with balcony or terrace space).
The beachfront is genuinely beachfront - one family described it as spacious, immaculately clean and elegantly designed, with the garden looking directly over the ocean.
Who it suits: Larger families, grandparents travelling with you, or anyone who wants the room to feel properly premium.
Probably the strongest "wow" room experience at Olivia, especially in the beachfront version.
What's included in every room
Regardless of category, all rooms at Ikos Olivia include: air conditioning and heating, Smart TV, coffee / tea facilities, minibar, Wi-Fi, international telephone, electronic safe, Anne Semonin luxury bathroom amenities, robes, slippers and hairdryer.
Deluxe guests also get an upgraded minibar replenished daily.
Families repeatedly mention excellent housekeeping, including twice-daily service and evening turndown. They also describe rooms as spotless and mention small details like towel animals wearing the children's sunglasses appearing at turndown.
On request, and subject to availability: baby monitor, baby sets such as toilet adapters and baby baths, travel cot, steriliser and pram rental.
If you'd like help working out which room type makes most sense for your family, that's exactly the kind of thing I'm happy to talk through before you commit. Just drop me a line.
Next: the facilities at Ikos Olivia — what you'll actually use, and how the pools and beach work day to day with young children.
Deluxe Two Bedroom Family Suite Private Garden (95 m²)
Same size and layout as the Deluxe Two Bedroom Family Suite with the balcony - 95 m², two bedrooms, two bathrooms, central living area.
The only difference? Instead of a balcony, you're on the ground floor with a private garden.
You get a furnished terrace plus garden area with sun loungers and outdoor furniture, plus sea views (though from ground level rather than elevated).
Same bathroom setup: one larger bathroom with shower and separate bath and a second bathroom which just has a shower cubicle.
Max occupancy: six.
The advantage here is that outdoor space. If you've got kids who wake up early or need somewhere to burn energy before breakfast, having a private garden means you can take them outside without getting fully dressed or trekking to the main pool.
Families at other Ikos resorts consistently say these ground-floor garden rooms get used far more than they expected.
Who it suits: Larger families (three or four kids) or multi-generational groups who want that outdoor space and don't mind being on ground level. Great for early risers.
Who it doesn't: If you'd rather have elevated views and a balcony, go for the standard Deluxe Two Bedroom Family Suite instead.
What You Get in Every Room (Regardless of Category)
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King bed or twin beds
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Air conditioning and heating
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Smart TV with Chromecast
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Coffee and tea facilities (Nespresso machine in Deluxe rooms)
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Fully stocked minibar (topped up daily)
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WiFi and international telephone
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Electronic safety box
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Anne Semonin Paris bathroom amenities
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Bathrobes, slippers, hairdryer
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Evening turndown service
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Stokke baby equipment on request (cots, sterilisers, bouncers, highchairs, baby monitors, baby baths, nappy changing facilities)
So even at the entry level, you're getting proper luxury touches. The differences between categories are really about space, layout, and whether you get that crucial bedroom door.
A Few Practical Tips
Ground floor matters with little ones. If you're doing multiple trips back to the room for naps, forgotten toys or outfit changes, being on the ground floor saves you dealing with stairs and lifts.
The hillside layout affects room choice. Because Oceania is terraced down a slope, some ground-floor rooms actually have better sea views than you'd expect. So you don’t need to opt for a balcony room to get a great sea view.
If you want an evening, you need a door. Anything below a One-Bedroom Suite means you're sharing space with your sleeping kids. That means whispering, tiptoeing, and basically calling it a night when they do.
These are some of the smallest rooms in the Ikos group. You’ll notice this more if you’ve been to any of the newer resorts like Odisia or Andalusia less so if you’ve been to one of the older resorts like Dassia, or if this your first Ikos holiday.
The Deluxe upgrade gets you more than just a bigger room. You're also getting better restaurant booking flexibility, spa treatments, exclusive pool and beach access, and concierge service. More on that later, but it's worth factoring in when you're deciding whether to spend the extra money.
Still Not Sure Which Room Makes Sense?
I get it. It's a lot to process, especially when you're trying to figure out what'll actually work for your family versus what just looks nice in photos.
If you want help narrowing it down - based on your kids' ages, how you actually holiday, and what you're comfortable spending - just get in touch.
I can usually tell you pretty quickly which layout makes sense and which ones you should avoid.
Because picking the wrong room doesn't just cost you money. It costs you the holiday you were hoping for.
Facilities at Ikos Olivia
What's here, how it's laid out, and what to know before you arrive
Olivia's facilities aren't about scale. What you get instead is a well-organised, coherent campus - main building, pool areas, beach, spa, kids' clubs, tennis and theatre zone all within easy reach of each other - that works particularly well for families with young children.
The pools
There are two main outdoor pools for all guests, a Deluxe Collection pool, and a spa pool, plus separate children's paddling and splash areas.
The main hotel pool is the quieter of the two - calmer atmosphere, more relaxed pace. The Aqua Pool is where the energy is: it has the kids' splash park, a swim-up bar and a busier, more social feel.
Families with young children tend to gravitate toward the Aqua Pool area, and the splash park is genuinely popular - one family described their four-year-old loving the splash pad and barely wanted to leave it.
Poolside service is excellent - drinks and food come to you, staff help with shade and towels, and the pools are generally described as clean and well maintained.
The Deluxe Collection pool sits in its own area, surrounded by the Deluxe Bungalows.
It's repeatedly described as calmer and more spacious, with more widely spaced loungers and a higher level of service.
All pools are heated during the season to around 27–29°C - which matters considerably in shoulder season when the sea is still cool.
Kids clubs and childcare
Olivia has a full childcare setup across all ages:
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Heroes Crèche for six months to four years
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Heroes Kids Club for four to twelve
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Just4Teens for twelve and above,
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and the Heroes Supper Club in the evenings.
I'll cover all of these properly in the Kids Clubs section, including sessions, costs and what children actually do there.
The short version: it's one of Olivia's genuine strengths. Pre-book before you arrive, particularly in busy periods.
Splash areas, playgrounds and family infrastructure
Beyond the kids' clubs, Olivia has the physical infrastructure that makes life with young children easier day to day.
There’s an indoor playroom, a children's outdoor playground with high-standard adventure equipment, small tables and chairs in restaurants, nappy-changing facilities in public toilets, and baby necessities available in the on-site mini-market.
The gardens add to this. A repeat guest who has been visiting for ten years described the lush gardens and many playgrounds as the hide-and-seek spaces her children have grown up exploring.
It's that kind of unstructured outdoor space alongside the formal facilities that Olivia's flat, green layout delivers particularly well.
Sports facilities
Olivia also has a decent set of physical sports facilities, including two floodlit tennis courts, a five-a-side football pitch, basketball, table tennis, and an outdoor gym / fitness deck.
I’ll cover the organised activities and paid academies separately, but in terms of the actual facilities, there’s enough here for active families without it feeling like the whole resort is built around sport.
The Spa: when you want a break from the children
There are adult spaces worth knowing about for those moments when the children are in the kids' club or you've arranged babysitting.
The spa is the clearest one. The Anne Semonin spa is adult-only as standard, open 8am to 8pm, and free for all adult guests to use.
It includes a heated spa pool, thermal suite with steam room and sauna, six private treatment rooms plus a couple's suite, and a fitness studio.
The spa pool in particular is a genuinely calm space - the kind of place where you can actually switch off for an hour.
Treatments are at extra cost and are generally well regarded, though a couple of guests mention that prices feel high.
The gym is open 24 hours and is described as decent for a straightforward workout.
One guest said the spa became chaotic and cramped when the indoor pool / spa area was opened to families during bad weather, so I wouldn’t treat it as a guaranteed rainy-day sanctuary!
Outside the spa, there are adult-oriented areas within the standard resort, but they're modest.
The Provence restaurant has an adults-only dining area, and The Garden restaurant operates adults-only for breakfast.
Beyond that, the adult-only experience within the standard tier of the resort is limited - this is not a resort with a sprawling adults-only zone.
Next: the restaurants and bars at Ikos Olivia — what's there, what stands out, and how mealtimes actually feel with young children in tow.
Restaurants & bars at Ikos Olivia
Will mealtimes feel like a pleasure, or just another thing to manage?
One of the things families worry about most before an Ikos holiday is whether the food will actually live up to the marketing.
The website talks about Michelin-inspired menus and award-winning chefs, and you're sitting there wondering whether your four-year-old is going to spend the whole week refusing everything.
The honest answer at Olivia is that the food is genuinely one of the resort's strongest cards.
Families consistently describe it in terms you don't usually see in all-inclusive reviews - "exceptional", "world-class", "probably the best quality all-inclusive food we've had."
But there are things worth knowing before you arrive. So let's go through it properly.
The basics
Olivia has six restaurants: five à la carte and one buffet. They are Ouzo, Fresco, Anaya, Provence, The Garden and Flavors.
It's worth being upfront about one thing: that's one of the smaller restaurant counts in the Ikos portfolio.
There's no Seasons restaurant here, which appears at some other Ikos resorts as a Deluxe-exclusive fine-dining option.
On a seven-night stay, if you're eating dinner at a different restaurant each night, you'll run out of options before the week is out - unless you use the Dine Out programme, which I'll come to.
That's not necessarily a problem. The restaurants that are here are genuinely good, and most families find the combination of six restaurants plus the Dine Out tavernas is more than enough.
Booking your meals
Dinner reservations are required at all the à la carte restaurants. Before you travel, you can pre-book up to three dinner reservations. Deluxe guests can pre-book all of them.
My strong advice: book as many as you can before you arrive, not when you get there. This comes up again and again - families who arrived without reservations in busy periods found themselves being offered 9pm sittings, which doesn't work with young children, or being pointed towards options they didn't want.
The Ikos app makes it easier, but getting ahead of this before you travel is still the right move.
All restaurants offer children's menus, and freshly prepared baby food is available on request. Shorts and flip-flops aren't permitted at dinner - smart casual is the standard.
What’s it’s actually like to eat here with kids
You won't be that family
Ikos Olivia is a luxury resort, but it is not a hushed adults-only dining environment where you feel tense every time your child drops a spoon.
Families are the norm here. Babies, toddlers, buggies, highchairs, early dinners, children getting tired halfway through a meal - the restaurants are used to all of it.
That changes the whole atmosphere.
You're not sitting there feeling like your family is the exception everyone else is tolerating. Most of the other tables are either at the same stage of family life, have been through it, or are simply used to seeing children around the resort.
If a child has a wobble, it doesn't feel like the room turns to stare. That lack of judgement is one of the things that’s great about Ikos.
The practical side helps too. Highchairs are readily available, staff are quick with children's menus, and freshly prepared baby food is available on request.
Restaurants are used to families arriving with buggies, baby bags and all the usual paraphernalia - you don't feel as though you're squeezing into a grown-up space that was never designed for you.
All of that is why Ikos works so well for families with young children. The food is genuinely good - but the more important point is that you can actually enjoy it. You're not constantly apologising for your children existing.
A guide to the restaurants
Ouzo - Greek, beachfront
Breakfast 07:30–11:00 | Lunch 12:30–16:00 | Dinner 18:30–22:00
Ouzo is probably the most practically useful restaurant at Olivia for families because it covers all three meals and sits right on the beachfront with sea views.
Locally sourced ingredients, freshly caught seafood, seasonal Halkidiki produce - and a setting that makes even breakfast feel like a proper event.
Guest comments are consistently warm.
One said they liked Ouzo best of all - beachfront location, excellent food, friendly staff - and specifically recommended trying breakfast there rather than always defaulting to the buffet.
It's good advice. A beachfront Greek breakfast when the sun is already up and the sea is right in front of you is one of those small Ikos moments that makes the price feel justified.
Fresco - Italian, beachfront
Dinner only 18:30–22:00
Fresco is dinner-only, Italian, and sits alongside Ouzo on the beachfront. The menu is overseen by chef Ettore Botrini - classic Italian dishes with creative touches, local ingredients and a strong wine list.
Fresco comes up repeatedly as one of the stronger dinner choices. If you're booking three restaurants in advance as a non-Deluxe guest, Fresco should be one of them.
Anaya - Asian, poolside
Dinner only 18:30–22:00
Anaya is one of the most-mentioned guest favourites. The cuisine covers Thai, Chinese and Indian-inspired dishes, served poolside with a newly renovated terrace.
If Fresco is the safe bet for romance, Anaya is the one that tends to generate the most genuine excitement for the food. Worth booking early.
Provence - French, poolside
Breakfast 08:00–11:30 | Lunch 13:00–16:30 | Dinner 18:30–22:00
Provence is the French restaurant, shaped by chef Pascal Barbot. Like Ouzo, it covers all three meals, which makes it more useful day-to-day than the dinner-only options.
There's also an adults-only dining area available, which is worth knowing if you manage to get a child-free evening.
Guest comments on Provence are positive on the whole, but it comes across as slightly more variable than Anaya or Fresco - some guests loved it for lunch in particular, while dinner reviews are more mixed. Staff get consistent praise though.
The Garden - Mediterranean with French-bistro influence
Adults-only breakfast 08:00–11:00 | Dinner 18:30–21:00
The Garden is Olivia-exclusive - you won't find it at any other Ikos resort - and it's one of the most interesting additions from the 2024 redesign.
It's more intimate and secluded than the beachfront restaurants, set in the gardens rather than facing the sea, with a refined-but-relaxed feel.
When I think about the meals at Olivia that I really enjoyed, The Garden was at or near the top - not because it had the most dramatic view, but because of the atmosphere.
Olivia does these lovely garden dining moments well - pathways lined with Mediterranean planting, the sense of being in a proper setting rather than a hotel restaurant - and The Garden captures that particularly well.
The adults-only breakfast option here is also worth noting - a calmer, more relaxed alternative to the main buffet if you can arrange child-free time in the morning.
Flavors - Mediterranean buffet, beachfront
Breakfast 07:30–11:00 | Lunch 12:30–14:30 | Dinner 18:30–21:30
Flavors is the buffet, and it's probably the restaurant you'll end up using more than you expect.
That's not a criticism. On a family holiday, there will be evenings when the children are tired, when a reservation time doesn't suit, or when you just want to eat quickly and get everyone to bed. Flavors is where you go on those evenings, and it delivers.
Guests describe it as "amazing" with "anything you can wish for" - this is not a standard all-inclusive buffet of rubbery pasta and limp salads. The quality is meaningfully higher, and it's beachfront with sea views.
The Gelaterie next door - ice cream, open 10:00–19:00 - is one of those small daily pleasures that families with young children end up using far more than they anticipated.
Dine Out - Four Seasons and Mouragio
Ikos Olivia's Dine Out programme includes two traditional Greek tavernas at no extra cost: Four Seasons at around 200 metres from the resort, and Mouragio at around 220 metres.
The proximity is genuinely useful. This isn't a bus trip to a restaurant twenty minutes away - these are close enough to be walkable for many families, which gives you a change of scene without any real effort.
For families staying seven nights, the Dine Out options also solve the limited restaurant count issue neatly: they give you two more distinct evenings without repeating on-site.
Feedback on Dine Out as a concept is mostly positive.
For families with very young children who prefer the simplicity of staying inside the resort for dinner, it's entirely optional - you'll have enough options on-site.
But for those who want a local feel and a genuine Greek taverna experience, these options are there and they're easy.
The bars
I'll keep this section practical rather than exhaustive - you don't need to know every bar in advance, and a lot of it you'll figure out on the first day. But a few are worth flagging.
Potami is one of the key all-day bars - open from 9am until midnight, with panoramic sea views and snacks and refreshments throughout the day. If you want something light outside of main restaurant hours, this is where you'll likely end up.
The Pool Bar and Beach Bar operate 9am to 6pm and are the practical poolside and beachside options during the day.
Beach and pool service is a regular highlight in reviews - drinks and food come to you, staff are attentive, and the overall feel is that you're not constantly getting up. One family mentioned the beach milkshakes specifically as a hit with the children.
The Lobby Bar is the late-night option - open until 2am - and doubles as a live music venue on some evenings. Guests mention it as part of the resort's evening atmosphere, particularly for those who want to stay out after dinner.
The Teatro Bar operates on show nights only from 8:30pm until midnight and sits near the outdoor theatre. It's more of an entertainment bar than a daily destination.
The Deluxe Pool Bar (9am – 6pm) is exclusively for Deluxe Collection guests and operates alongside the Deluxe pool area. Quieter, more refined, and frequently praised by Deluxe guests as part of what makes their experience feel different.
The drinks
All the usual Ikos hallmarks apply: branded spirits, wines from the Ikos wine collection, cocktails, beers and barista-style coffees are all included.
Deluxe Collection guests also get upgraded wine and drinks benefits, including champagne service.
A few things to know
The food is excellent. That part lives up to the billing. But a few practical points are worth being clear about:
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Book restaurant reservations before you travel, don’t leave it all until you arrive. This matters more in school holidays, but it's good practice at any time of year.
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And if you're a Deluxe guest: use the pre-booking advantage. Being able to lock in all your dinners before you travel takes one significant piece of holiday logistics completely off your plate - which, with young children, is worth more than it sounds.
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If you have specific dietary requirements or allergies, flag them clearly at the time of booking and again on arrival. The kitchens are generally responsive to this, but like any large resort operation it works better when you've communicated it in advance rather than on the night.
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Lunch options are more limited than dinner. Your main choices during the day are Flavors, Provence, Ouzo and snacks at Potami or the Beach Bar. That's enough, but it's worth knowing so you're not expecting the full à la carte spread at lunchtime.
Next: entertainment and activities at Ikos Olivia - what your days tend to look like, and how evenings usually unfold.
Entertainment & activities at Ikos Olivia
What your days tend to look like - and how evenings usually unfold
Ikos Olivia is not a resort that tries to fill every hour. There's no entertainment director with a microphone herding you into organised fun.
The activity programme is broad, but it sits alongside the holiday rather than defining it - most days you'll slip into an easy rhythm between the beach, the pool and the restaurants.
That said, there's plenty here if you want it. And for families with primary-age children, a few of the activities are genuinely worth planning around.
Included daytime activities
The included activity programme covers a wide range.
On the water - canoeing, paddleboarding and pedalos are all available once per day for twenty minutes each, plus windsurfing for one hour per stay if you hold a licence, and an introductory diving lesson in the hotel pool.
On land - two floodlit tennis courts, a five-a-side football pitch, basketball, table tennis, beach volleyball, badminton and beach tennis.
There's also an outdoor gym and fitness deck, a shaded beachfront area for yoga and Pilates, plus aqua aerobics, HIIT, TRX outdoors and stretching classes.
For younger children - kids' karaoke, mini disco, giant chess, darts, boccia and board games round out the more low-key end of the programme. None of it is compulsory. All of it is there when you want it.
Complimentary bike hire is also included, with a flat beachfront cycling trail at nearby Gerakina village that works well for families.
Football Academy
If you've got a football-mad child in the primary school age range, Olivia is a strong Ikos option.
The Football Academy runs Monday to Friday with professional coaches across three age groups:
Ages 4–5: 09:00–10:00, €20 per session
Ages 6–8: 10:00–11:00, €25 per session
Ages 9–12: 11:00–12:00, €25 per session
Guest feedback is consistently strong. One family said their two boys had the time of their lives during the football activities.
During certain weeks, the standard Football Academy is replaced by sessions run by Football Escapes - an outside company that brings in ex-Premier League professionals for a more intensive five-day coaching programme for ages five to fifteen.
These include personalised kit, a medal and a certificate, and need to be booked separately from the standard Academy, with their own pricing and session structure.
For 2026, the Football Escapes dates are 3–7 August, hosted by Joel Ward, and 10–14 August, hosted by Gary Cahill.
If your children are football-mad and your dates overlap with either of those weeks, it's worth looking into - but act early, as these are likely to be popular.
Swimming lessons
Swimming lessons come up repeatedly in guest reviews, and they're worth flagging specifically.
One family said their three-year-old was nervous at the start of his first lesson but was so engaged by the end that he didn't want to leave the pool.
Another parent praised the instructor’s patience and creativity with a young child building water confidence for the first time.
There's also a mermaid lesson option that several parents describe as a genuine highlight of the trip for younger children.
Lessons are available at extra cost and worth asking about early, especially in busy weeks.
Watersports
The included watersports - canoeing, paddleboarding and pedalos - are enough to make the beach feel active without turning it into a full activity day.
Paid extras open things up considerably: waterskiing, jet skiing, catamarans, inflatables, scuba diving, private boat tours and yacht hire are all available.
One family hired a yacht through the resort and said the experience was excellent - transport included, food and drinks provided. Worth knowing for multi-generational trips or celebrations.
If paid watersports are a major priority, check what's currently running before you book.
Fitness and wellness
There's enough here for parents who want to move every day without it being a sports resort. The official programme includes yoga, Pilates, HIIT, aqua aerobics, TRX and a body bar workout, mostly outdoors or on the beachfront deck.
The outdoor gym is also there if you want a straightforward workout in the sunshine.
Low-key family fun
Not everything here is bookable or structured. The flat gardens, playgrounds and splash areas are just as much a part of how families use the resort as the organised activities - particularly for younger children.
The official programme also includes mini disco and kids' karaoke - easy, cheerful end-of-day options for younger children.
Getting out: the Local Drive Adventure
Included in every stay is a complimentary electric MINI Countryman for one day. Deluxe Collection guests get two days.
The included Culture Pass also gives free access to local museums including the White Tower, the Museum of Byzantine Culture and the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki, plus the Gerovasileiou Vineyards — useful if you want to add a cultural angle to your day out.
It's worth being honest about the local area though: Olivia doesn't have the same "walk out of the resort into somewhere atmospheric" quality that some other Ikos locations offer.
The car is useful if you want a change of scene - and there are half-day and full-day options covered later in this guide - but Olivia is still primarily an in-resort holiday, and most families with young children won't feel the need to leave.
Evenings
Evenings at Olivia are gentle rather than spectacular. The official programme includes live music, kids' shows, beach parties and performances in the restaurants and bars. The Teatro Bar operates on show nights.
Shows and live music are a nice backdrop to the evening without being the main reason anyone is there.
What Olivia does well in the evenings is atmosphere.
A drink at Potami with views across the water, a relaxed dinner at one of the beachfront restaurants, a mini disco for the children before bed - for most families with young children, that's more than enough.
One important caveat: book early
In busy periods, popular activities can fill up faster than you'd expect.
One October half-term traveller reported that both bikes and tennis courts were fully booked for their entire week, with only an 8pm tennis slot available - not ideal with young children.
The safest advice: if football, tennis, bikes, swimming lessons or paid watersports matter to your family, don't wait until you arrive to think about booking them. Contact the resort before you travel.
Next: the kids' clubs and childcare at Ikos Olivia - what's available, how it works day to day, and what parents say really makes the difference.
Time without the kids
When you do manage to carve out some child-free time, Ikos Andalusia gives you a few good options.
The spa is adults-only (apart from specific family splash times in the indoor pool) and includes a heated pool, sauna, steam room and relaxation areas. Treatments are extra, but even a short visit to the thermal suite is often enough to reset your day.
There are also adults-only pools and quieter bar areas, which feel noticeably calmer than the main family zones.
You won’t feel like you’ve stepped into a couples-only hotel, but the shift in atmosphere is clear.
Evenings: sociable, flexible and family-friendly
Evenings at Ikos Andalusia are generally relaxed and sociable rather than showy.
There’s live music, shows, themed evenings and occasional beach parties, but entertainment is spread across the resort rather than centred around one headline venue. Families like that you can engage with as much or as little as you want.
Some nights you’ll watch a show. Other nights you’ll have a drink, let the kids wind down and head back earlier. If your children don’t stay up late, you don’t feel like you’re missing something essential.
Compared to quieter resorts like Aria, Andalusia does feel a little livelier in the evenings, but it’s still very much pitched at families rather than late nights or high-energy nightlife.
How it all comes together
What families tend to notice most isn’t one standout activity - it’s how smoothly everything fits together.
Having space, choice and staff who anticipate what you need takes a lot of mental load away. You’re still parenting, but you’re not constantly organising, queuing or planning the next move.
Once you understand how days and evenings tend to flow here, the next big piece of the puzzle is the kids’ clubs -what’s included, what’s paid for, and how they actually work in practice for babies, toddlers, children and teens.
That’s where we’ll go next.
Kids clubs & childcare at Ikos Olivia
What's available, how it works day to day, and what parents say really makes the difference
Childcare is one of the things families worry about most before an Ikos holiday - and one of the things they tend to talk about most warmly afterwards.
At Olivia, the setup covers children from six months to seventeen years, split into age-appropriate groups and run by professionals following UK Ofsted guidelines.
It's one of the resort's genuine strengths, particularly for families with younger children.
Here's what's available.
Heroes Crèche (6 months – 4 years)
The crèche is for the youngest guests, from six months up to four years. It's a chargeable service, run by experienced childcare professionals with Ofsted-standard ratios:
Ages 6–23 months: 1 adult to 3 children
Ages 2–3 years: 1 adult to 4 children
Age 3 years: 1 adult to 6 children
Sessions run three times daily:
10:00–13:00 (€42)
13:00–15:00 (€32)
15:00–18:00 (€42)
Those ratios are genuinely reassuring - particularly for babies and toddlers - and that matters when you're leaving a young child somewhere unfamiliar for the first time.
For some families it will become a daily fixture. For others it's the safety net you're glad exists even if you never pull on it.
Pre-booking is important, particularly in busy periods. Spaces are limited by the ratios above, and the official advice is to book before you travel rather than on arrival.
Heroes Kids Club (4–12 years)
This is included at no extra cost, and for most families with children in this age range it becomes one of the most valuable parts of the holiday.
Sessions run three times daily:
10:30–13:00
13:00–15:00
15:30–18:00
Ratios are:
Ages 4–7: 1 adult to 10 children
Ages 8–12: 1 adult to 15 children
The programme is proper structured activity rather than supervised free time. Activities include nature hikes, science experiments, face painting, sports, arts and crafts, and outdoor adventures using the resort's grounds. The guest feedback for this age group is consistently strong.
One family said their children used the club for a session each day and genuinely enjoyed it - "teachers were kind and encouraging" was how they put it. Another said their son was genuinely excited to go each morning.
As with the crèche: pre-book. Use the app, do it a few weeks before you travel, and don't assume you can sort it on day one.
Just4Teens (12+ years)
The teens programme is more flexible and less structured than the clubs below it, which suits most older children better than a fixed daily timetable.
There's a club leader available throughout summer, and timetables with activity details are provided on arrival.
I don't have strong Olivia-specific guest feedback from parents of teenagers to draw on here. Olivia's strongest suit is younger children - if you're travelling with teenagers who need a lot of structured activity and social opportunities, it's worth checking current-season programming before you book rather than assuming the teen offer will carry them through the week.
Heroes Supper Club (4–12 years)
The Supper Club runs in the evenings from 19:00 to 22:00 and costs €30 per child for three hours. Children have a buffet dinner with other kids, followed by supervised activities - the idea being that parents get a proper evening while children have their own social time rather than sitting at an adult dinner table getting restless.
It's a genuinely useful option. Worth knowing: the 2026 Deluxe Collection benefits list complimentary access to the Heroes Supper Club, which is a meaningful saving if you plan to use it regularly during the week.
Pre-booking is advised and subject to availability.
Babysitting
Private babysitting is available at extra cost (€15 per hour, supplements after 11pm) and subject to availability. It's professionally run and gives you another option for evenings when the Supper Club doesn't fit your timing or your child's age.
Book in advance if you know you'll want it - don't leave it until the evening you need it.
The practical infrastructure around it all
Beyond the clubs themselves, Olivia has the supporting physical setup that makes life with young children easier: an indoor playroom, a children's outdoor playground with high-standard adventure equipment, small tables and chairs in restaurants, ramps and lifts for buggies throughout the resort, nappy-changing facilities in public toilets, and baby necessities in the on-site mini-market.
Baby equipment — including items such as monitors, cots, highchairs, sterilisers, baby baths and toilet adapters — can be requested, subject to availability. Pushchair rental is also available if you need it.
The bottom line
Olivia's childcare is one of the resort's clearest family strengths, especially for families with children under eight.
The crèche is professional, with reassuring child-to-adult ratios. The kids club is genuinely good and the children who use it tend to want to go back. The evening Supper Club gives parents a proper night off when they need one.
But book early, go in with realistic expectations about how quickly your child will settle, and remember that the childcare works best when it's one part of a holiday rather than the whole plan.
Next: the Deluxe Collection at Ikos Olivia — what it actually includes, and whether it's worth it for your family.
Deluxe Collection at Ikos Olivia
What it actually includes - and whether it's worth it for your family
If you haven't stayed at an Ikos resort before, the Deluxe Collection can feel a little confusing.
The standard experience is already very good - premium food, excellent service, quality rooms - so it's not always obvious what you're actually paying more for, or whether it matters.
Here's the most useful thing to understand upfront: at Olivia, Deluxe isn't just about a nicer room. It's about buying a calmer, easier version of the holiday.
The room is part of it, but the real value is the quieter pool, the more spacious beach setup, the dedicated concierge, easier dining reservations and the general sense that the holiday has fewer friction points.
For some families, that's exactly what they need. For others, the standard experience already delivers what they came for.
When is Deluxe actually a decision?
This is worth being clear about, because it's often misunderstood.
At Olivia, all Deluxe accommodation is in the bungalow and suite area of the resort - none of it is in the main building.
The main building rooms and junior suites are not available in a Deluxe version, so if you're looking at those categories, Deluxe simply isn't on the table.
The real decision for comes at the One Bedroom Bungalow Suite level.
At that point, there's a genuine choice: the standard One Bedroom Bungalow Suite at 55 sqm, sleeping five, with private garden or balcony - or the Deluxe version, which gives you the same broad one-bedroom footprint but puts you into the Deluxe layer of the resort, with the pool, beach area, concierge and all the benefits below.
Once you move up to the two-bedroom suites, Deluxe benefits are built into the room category rather than being a separate decision.
So if you're weighing up Deluxe, the question is really: is the step up from a standard One Bedroom Bungalow Suite to a Deluxe One Bedroom Bungalow Suite worth it for your family, your dates and your budget?
What Deluxe actually includes
The full Deluxe Collection benefits at Olivia are:
Space and access:
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Deluxe Collection swimming pool - quieter and less crowded than the main pools
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Exclusive beach area, with extra space between sunbeds and cabanas
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Deluxe Collection bar
Service and convenience:
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Dedicated Deluxe concierge
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Unlimited restaurant reservations in advance (standard guests can pre-book three)
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Complimentary VIP transfers
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In-suite check-in, subject to availability
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Express check-in and check-out
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Packing and unpacking service, subject to availability
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Upgraded beach and pool service menu
Room and in-suite extras:
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Upgraded minibar, replenished daily with branded spirits, refreshments and snacks
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Upgraded in-suite dining
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Upgraded Anne Semonin bathroom amenities
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Pillow menu
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Champagne service throughout the stay
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Exclusive Deluxe wine list with 30 additional wine labels
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One dinner by the sea per room per stay
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Kids' movie library and PlayStation, on request
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Beach bag
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Farewell gift
Included extras that save money:
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Two complimentary 25-minute neck and back massages per suite per stay, for adult guests
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Complimentary Heroes Supper Club access, subject to availability - new for 2026
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Complimentary electric MINI Countryman for two days, rather than one
On paper, that's a substantial list. But some of it matters much more than others in practice, so let's focus on what actually changes day to day.
What Deluxe changes in practice
The most tangible difference is the pool and beach experience.
The Deluxe Collection pool sits in its own area of the resort - quieter, more spacious, with wider-spaced loungers and a higher level of service.
Guests who've used it often describe it as a different atmosphere to the main pool zones.
One guest said walking over to the Deluxe area for the first time felt like a different resort entirely.
Another described the Deluxe pool, beach and cabanas as "phenomenal perks."
In peak school holiday weeks, when the standard pool areas can feel busy, the Deluxe pool and beach area offer genuine insulation from that. This is probably the single strongest argument for Deluxe at Olivia during July and August.
The dining advantage is the other big one. Being able to pre-book all your restaurant reservations before you travel - rather than only three - takes one significant piece of holiday logistics off your plate entirely.
At Olivia, where the restaurant count is smaller than some other Ikos resorts and dinner bookings matter, that's a real benefit rather than a token one.
The dedicated concierge supports the same theme: less chasing, fewer small frustrations, more things sorted before they become problems.
Is Deluxe worth it?
Here's the honest answer: it depends on when you're going, how you holiday and how much the premium is.
Deluxe tends to make most sense if:
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You're travelling in the Summer holidays and want a calmer pool and beach base
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You’re travelling in May or October half-term, when the resort can still be busy enough for the Deluxe space and booking advantages to matter
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You have young children and want the resort to feel as easy as possible - especially around dining, concierge support and beach setup
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You're already looking at a One Bedroom Bungalow Suite and the price gap to Deluxe feels manageable
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You like the security of having all of your dinners booked in advance at times that work for your family before you arrive.
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You'll use the extras - Supper Club, massages, two days with the MINI, dinner by the sea, the upgraded wine list
Deluxe is less obviously worth it if:
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You're travelling outside peak school-holiday weeks, especially in the quieter parts of May, June, September or early October
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Your children are very young and will pull you toward the splash pool and main family zones anyway
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You're already stretching the budget to afford Olivia
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You're happy booking restaurants early and managing the concierge side yourself
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You mainly want the one-bedroom layout and aren’t worried about a private pool or a beachfront location.
One important point from my own experience - I wasn't in Deluxe at Olivia, and the resort still worked brilliantly.
The flat layout, walkable grounds and quality of the food and service meant that not being in the Deluxe zone never felt like a compromise. Olivia is not a resort where non-Deluxe means you've chosen wrong.
If you're on the fence about whether Deluxe makes sense for your dates and your family, it's worth talking through rather than guessing. The price difference varies significantly depending on when you travel, and what represents good value in August can feel very different in May.
Just drop me a line and we can arrange a time to chat it through.
Next: what to do around Ikos Olivia with children - easy outings and how to decide if they're worth doing.
What to do around Ikos Olivia with kids
Easy outings - and how to decide if they're worth doing
One of the strengths of staying at any Ikos is that you genuinely don't need to leave.
The beach, the pools, the food - it's all right there. Most families spend the bulk of their time on site without feeling like they're missing anything.
But if you're staying longer than a week, or you just fancy a change of scene, getting out is straightforward and doesn't require major planning.
Every family gets complimentary access to a fully electric MINI Countryman for one day - or two days if you're staying in a Deluxe room.
It's part of the resort's Local Drive Adventure programme and gives you the freedom to explore without worrying about car hire or taxi logistics.
You also get a Culture Pass, which gives you complimentary entry to selected cultural sites in the area - the White Tower and Museum of Byzantine Culture in Thessaloniki, plus the Gerovasileiou Vineyards & Wine Museum.
Here's what's actually worth doing.
A visit to Ikos Oceania
If you're considering Ikos Oceania for a future holiday, the MINI day is a genuinely useful opportunity to go and have a look for yourself.
Oceania is also in Halkidiki, on the Kassandra peninsula rather than Sithonia, so it's not a quick hop across the road – it’s a 25-minute drive.
But if Oceania is on your ‘maybe’ list, there's no better way to check it out than seeing it in person.
Half-Day Trips
Nikiti Traditional Village
One of the most picturesque historic spots in Halkidiki.
The old village sits above the modern seafront town, with restored Macedonian stone houses, winding cobbled streets and traditional tavernas tucked into shaded squares.
A relaxed place to wander for an hour or two if you'd like a taste of local life without committing to a full day out.
Afytos
A beautiful clifftop village known for its stone houses, cobbled streets and sweeping views over the Toroneos Gulf - the same stretch of coastline you can see from Olivia's beach.
Around the central square you'll find tavernas, small shops and plenty of spots to pause and take in the view.
Particularly lovely in the late afternoon when the heat softens.
Parthenonas Village
Resting on Mount Itamos, this historical village dates back hundreds of years. Once abandoned, its old Macedonian stone houses have since been restored, along with the original character of the village.
There's a folklore museum and a distillery of the local brandy, tsipouro. Worth knowing: the steep cobbled streets are a nightmare for buggies.
Petralona Cave
One of the most impressive caves in Greece, lying near the village of Petralona in the hills west of Thessaloniki. Inside you'll find a spectacular network of stalactites and stalagmites, along with fossil remains and the famous Petralona skull - one of the earliest human fossils found in Europe.
Visitors enter in guided groups, and there's a small road train that runs up from the car park. The whole experience usually takes about an hour.
Good fun if you've got children who enjoy caves or anything geological. Typical cost: around €20 for two adults, with children often free or discounted.
Day trips
Thessaloniki (about 45 minutes to an hour away)
Greece's second-largest city, where ancient history meets modern Greek culture - and one that genuinely rewards a visit. There's plenty to do with kids:
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White Tower - one of the city's most iconic landmarks, with sweeping views from the top. Entry is included with the Culture Pass.
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Museum of Byzantine Culture - also included with the Culture Pass. Beautifully curated and genuinely interesting for older children.
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NOESIS Science Center and Technology Museum - hands-on exhibits, a planetarium, simulator rides and a 3D cinema. One of the best family attractions near the city.
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The waterfront promenade - the real highlight. The New Waterfront has 12 themed gardens, playgrounds, fountains and plenty of cafés. A great place to let children burn off energy while you sit somewhere pleasant with a coffee.
Don't try to pack in everything. Park near the waterfront, visit either the White Tower or NOESIS, have a good lunch, wander the gardens and finish with an ice cream before heading back. That's a full and enjoyable day without it becoming a march.
Gerovasileiou Vineyards & Wine Museum
Included in the Culture Pass and easy to combine with a Thessaloniki trip.
Set among rolling vineyards, the estate gives a glimpse into the long tradition of winemaking in northern Greece.
Pleasant for adults who enjoy wine and local culture - though younger children will probably find it less gripping.
Mount Athos
A UNESCO World Heritage Site on the easternmost peninsula of Halkidiki - one of the most important centres of Eastern Orthodox monastic life in the world, with around 20 historic monasteries dating back to Byzantine times.
Visitors can't enter the monastic sites without special permission, but boat trips from Ouranoupoli cruise along the coastline offering spectacular views. Dolphins are sometimes spotted alongside, which tends to be a highlight for children.
Worth knowing: the boat departure point is a two to two-and-a-half hour drive from Olivia. It's a full-on day and best suited to families with older children who'll genuinely engage with what they're seeing.
Aristotle's Park
A unique park dedicated to the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, near his birthplace of Stagira (about two hours' drive).
The park features interactive exhibits demonstrating natural phenomena inspired by his ideas - optical discs, prisms, pendulums and sound instruments that children can experiment with.
There's also an impressive viewpoint overlooking the Gulf of Ierissos and, on clear days, Mount Athos.
Mount Holomontas countryside
The Holomontas mountains rise to about 1,165 metres and form the green heart of Halkidiki.
As you climb, olive groves give way to dense forests of chestnut, pine, fir and oak.
This is home to foxes, wild boar and birds of prey and a lovely scenic drive if you want to see a quieter, more mountainous side of the peninsula.
Waterland
A large waterpark just outside Thessaloniki - wave pools, high slides and children's play zones across a significant site. A solid option if you want a full day of water-based fun beyond the resort pools and your children are old enough to make the most of it.
A few tips
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The free electric MINI is a real asset, but in busy periods availability can be tight. Book it early - ideally before you travel.
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The Culture Pass is excellent if you're into history and culture, but less relevant if your children are very young and primarily interested in the pool.
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Boat trips are popular with Halkidiki holidaymakers - trips along the coast, to local ports or toward Mount Athos are available. Worth checking what's running when you arrive.
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Private boat tours and yacht or catamaran rentals are also available at extra cost if you want to explore the coastline and hidden coves at your own pace.
Bottom line
Halkidiki is lovely and there's plenty to do and see, but don't feel any pressure to go anywhere. The resort genuinely offers enough, and if you want to stay put, you'll be doing the same as most families.
Next: Ikos Olivia versus Ikos Oceania - how the two Halkidiki resorts compare, and which one is likely to suit your family better.
Ikos Olivia vs. Ikos Oceania
Two Halkidiki resorts, one decision - here's how to choose
These two are easy to confuse. They're both in Halkidiki, both early Ikos-era resorts, both deliver the same core all-inclusive experience - premium food, professional childcare, strong service, Deluxe Collection layer, included watersports, Local Drive Adventure.
On the Ikos website they can look almost interchangeable.
They're not.
Once you're actually there, they feel quite different. And for families with young children, that difference matters more than it might for families with older children.
Here's the honest comparison.
The one-line version
Olivia is the easier family resort. Oceania is the more dramatic one.
If that's enough and you have babies, toddlers or buggy-age children, Olivia is probably your starting point. If you want more detail - or if your children are older - read on.
Layout and getting around
This is the heart of it.
Olivia is flat by Ikos standards - certainly compared with Oceania. It sits across 22 acres of landscaped gardens and feels easy to move around with a buggy.
The main family areas - pools, beach, restaurants and kids' clubs - sit within an easy, coherent campus. By the end of a week you know your way around instinctively and nothing feels like a major effort.
Oceania is built into a hillside. It's more compact - around 15 acres - but accommodation blocks terrace down toward the beach, which means gradients, steps and a dependence on golf buggies to get around comfortably.
The buggies circulate regularly and it's manageable, but it's a different kind of resort to navigate, especially with a buggy and tired children.
If flatter ground matters, Olivia. If you don't mind slopes and want something more dramatic, Oceania.
Views and setting
Oceania wins on views. That's not a close call.
Being built into a hillside gives Oceania something Olivia simply can't match: elevated outlooks over the Aegean, Mount Olympus in the distance and the kind of sunsets that guests write about at length.
The setting is genuinely spectacular in a way that Olivia, for all its charm, isn't trying to be.
Olivia has lovely garden and beach settings, and the views from the restaurant terraces are beautiful. But it's a ground-level resort, and that's a different kind of beautiful.
If views are a significant part of why you choose a resort, Oceania is the stronger option.
Young children, and families with buggies
Olivia has the clearer edge here, for several reasons.
The flatter layout makes a daily practical difference - pushing a buggy, carrying a sleeping toddler back after dinner, getting to the kids' club without a golf buggy ride.
Olivia also has a larger beach at 450 metres versus Oceania's 350, and its 22 acres of green grounds give children more space to move around freely.
Guest comparisons specifically highlight that Olivia has better play parks - two larger playground areas - and a splash pad that's particularly popular with younger children.
Oceania, by contrast, has an excellent indoor soft-play area, which is useful in poor weather or extreme heat but doesn't match Olivia's outdoor play provision.
Older children and teenagers
Olivia's flat layout tends to attract families with babies and toddlers - parents who need the buggy-friendly terrain. That naturally skews the resort toward younger children, which means older children may find fewer peers their own age around the pools and kids' club.
Olivia's strongest suit is babies, toddlers and younger primary-age children.
If you're travelling with older, more independent children, Oceania may be the better fit.
Beach and pools
Olivia's beach is longer and arguably easier for young families - 450 metres of sandy Blue Flag shoreline with shallow, calm water and good service throughout. The Deluxe beach area is particularly well regarded for space and service quality.
Oceania's beach is shorter at 350 metres, but it has the hillside backdrop and Mount Olympus views, and is consistently praised for atmosphere. One guest who compared Deluxe beach areas at both said Olivia's felt cleaner and more spaced out, while Oceania's felt busier because of the smaller footprint.
On pools and play, Olivia has the splash pad and stronger outdoor play setup for younger children.
Rooms and condition
Both are early Ikos-era resorts - neither is brand new. But Olivia has had the more recent refresh: public areas and dining redesigned in 2024, all rooms and bungalows refurbished in 2025.
Oceania, by contrast, is starting to show its age in places.
Multiple families from the 2025 season mentioned rooms feeling tired and dated, and public spaces including reception, the buffet restaurant and the gym looking like they could do with a refresh.
It's not universal - plenty of guests had perfectly clean, well-maintained rooms and didn't notice or care. But it's worth knowing if you're expecting everything to feel polished and pristine.
If you're choosing in 2026 and room freshness matters to you, Olivia has a clear edge.
Food and restaurants
Both resorts are strong on food, and neither is where you'd go for the most extensive restaurant selection in the Ikos portfolio.
Olivia has six restaurants - Ouzo, Fresco, Anaya, Provence, The Garden and Flavors. Oceania also has six restaurants in total, but the mix differs: Oceania has a Beach Club that Olivia doesn't, while Olivia has The Garden - its new Olivia-exclusive restaurant - which Oceania doesn't.
Guest opinions on which resort has better food overall are genuinely split.
One Oceania guest who had visited Olivia said they preferred the food quality at Oceania across the restaurants, while Olivia's buffet got credit for being larger and more family-useful.
Honestly, food probably shouldn't be the deciding factor unless a specific restaurant matters to you.
Service
Both resorts have strong service reputations. Olivia feels polished and well run, and the recent refurbishment has only added to that impression.
Oceania, though, has something that's harder to manufacture: an exceptionally loyal repeat-guest following built on relationships with named staff.
Reviews from Oceania are full of guests who come back year after year because they feel genuinely known by the team. Several describe the service as the best of all the Ikos resorts they've visited, even while acknowledging that the rooms are older.
Olivia may be the easier physical resort. Oceania has a particular emotional pull that its regulars are very attached to.
Using the MINI to visit the other resort
If you're curious about Ikos Oceania - whether you're considering it for a future trip or simply want a change of scenery - the MINI day is a genuine opportunity to go and have a look.
You can check out the beach, get a feel for the hillside layout, see the views for yourself and decide whether it's somewhere you'd want to stay in the future.
So which one?
Choose Olivia if:
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You have a baby, toddler or buggy and flatter ground matters
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Ease of movement and a walkable resort are important to you
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You want recently refreshed rooms and public spaces
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A larger beach and better outdoor play facilities suit your family
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You prefer a spread-out, garden-resort feel over dramatic views
Choose Oceania if:
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Views genuinely matter to you
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You don't mind slopes, steps and using golf buggies
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Your children are older or more independent
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A compact, intimate resort suits you better
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You're comfortable with older rooms in exchange for atmosphere and potentially better value
Neither is a wrong choice. They're the same great brand, the same core experience - just two very different versions of it.
The question is which version suits how your family actually holidays.
If you'd like to talk it through before you book, that's exactly the kind of conversation I'm here for. Just drop me a line and we can arrange a time to chat.
Next: still unsure whether Ikos Olivia is the right choice? Here's how I can help.
Still unsure whether Ikos Olivia is the right choice?
Here's how I can help
If you've read this far, you probably already have a decent feel for Ikos Olivia.
You know what it looks like on the ground, how it works with young children, and what the honest trade-offs are.
But knowing a resort is good isn't the same as knowing it's right for your family.
That depends on things this guide can't fully answer on your behalf.
How old your children will be when you travel. Whether a sea view or a private garden would work better for you.
Whether Deluxe makes sense for your dates and your budget, or whether you'd be better off putting that money elsewhere.
Whether Halkidiki is the right destination at all, or whether Corfu, Kos or Spain would suit you better this year.
These aren't complicated questions. But they're worth getting right before you commit several thousand pounds to a booking.
That's where a conversation helps.
I've stayed at Ikos Olivia with my own family. I've been to other resorts too - not on a whistlestop agent trip, but as a parent, travelling with young children and noticing the things that matter when you're actually there.
I also sit on the Ikos Travel Agent Advisory Panel, which means I have a direct line into how the resorts operate, what's changing season to season and where certain room types or upgrades genuinely make a difference.
I'm not here to convince you to take the most expensive option. I'm here to help you work out what's actually right for your family - and if that turns out to be a different Ikos resort, or even a completely different holiday entirely, I'll tell you that too.
It doesn't need to be a long conversation. Most families find that twenty minutes is enough to get clear on the things they've been going back and forth on for weeks.
If that sounds useful, just get in touch. You can call me on 0116 4140010 or email enquiries@clubvoyages.uk and we can find a time to talk.
Because the right holiday isn't just a good week away. When you're travelling with children, it's one of the few times in the year where everyone genuinely switches off - and that's worth getting right.
