I guess it stands to logic that the more time I spend in airports, the higher the chance of bumping in to someone I know. A couple of years ago, on our way to Ikos Oceania coincidentally, we randomly saw my younger brother at Manchester Airport and when flying out of Leeds for this trip, we saw a group of friends on their way to a crazy few days in Benidorm. Such a small world when you think about it!

Our flight was smooth and uneventful, and after collecting our bags, the Ikos welcome desk was immediately visible when exiting the baggage claim area. We were introduced to our driver and whisked away for the 50 minute drive to the resort. 

Our room wasn’t ready when we arrived at 1230, but we enjoyed the signature Ikos check-in process, sipping a chilled glass of Ikos Private Cellar Cava, reconfirming our dinner and wine tasting reservations, enveloped by that unmistakable Ikos smell. It felt so good to be home! The view from the lobby bar, down across the pools and out to sea is one of the iconic images of this spectacular resort. 

Check-in completed, we headed to Ouzo for lunch. The other half had pork gyros which was massive and came with a pile of fries whereas my vegan moussaka was probably a bit on the small side and could have benefited from an accompanying dish. The salad starters were both excellent, as were the pistachio parfait and orange pie (although if you’ve had the phenomenal orange cake at Ouzo at Oceania, it’s not as good as that!).

We returned to Ouzo a number of times for breakfast, lunch and dinner and the service was exactly what you’d expect from Ikos, even if one of the dishes at breakfast one morning was wrong. One of the biggest benefits of breakfast at Ouzo, for us at least, was that its adults only. Just one of the many efforts Ikos are making at Andalusia to cater to those travelling without young children (an “adult” in context of accessing adult only spaces is considered over 12 years old). 

We were finally able to get in to our room just after 3pm, which is the official check-in time and were escorted to our room in block 3, room 3311 to be exact. You can see a walkthrough of our room in this video. 

One good thing about these newer Ikos resorts is that entry level rooms tend to be larger than those at the older Greek resorts, such as Olivia, Oceania and Dassia. This obviously comes with a cost though, and is one of the reasons why the older resorts have lower lead-in prices. You can also tell that Andalusia is part of the “first generation” of resorts with the decor and colour palette more closely matching the older Greek resorts than Porto Petro and Odisia, the 2 newest resorts which opened in 2023. That’s not a criticism, the resort is stunning and the amount of white means that sunglasses are a necessity, even on an overcast day!

We’d originally booked a “promo” room, which basically means you’ll get whatever room type is available when you arrive, but later upgraded it to a garden view superior double during a sale. One of the good things about booking directly with Ikos is that making changes to a booking is super easy, and if the price drops during a sale, they will often honour the new lower price, although we decided to spend the saving on an upgrade instead! As it turned out, we were allocated a sea view double and I love that Ikos make an effort to recognise returning guests with upgrades, especially if they’re returning and booking direct.

Enjoying a pre-dinner drink in the Main Bar, with its infinite drinks display, we chatted to other guests and swapped Ikos stories before having dinner in Oliva. The shrimps were juicy and garlicky, and the sauce was unbelievably good! The artichokes with iberico pancetta were also delicious. The other half kept it light with a medley of veggies for his main and I had lamb chops, which were fine, but a little stingy on the meat. The churros were also a very small portion but I had a slab of burnt basque cheesecake which was tasty, if a little simple.

Our first full day at the resort was pretty dramatic as we were caught up in the nationwide power outage, which meant only limited electricity around the resort. Fortunately, we planned to have lunch at Flavors that day, which was the only restaurant with power as it’s in the main building. I had crispy belly pork and porcetta, which were excellent.

We didn’t notice any issues at first as whilst the lights weren’t working in our room, this was a problem that maintenance had asked for access to the room to fix, so we just thought that the problem had come back. It was only when we got to Flavors did we realise it was a much bigger problem. We’d also had an issue with the water pressure in the rain shower but again, maintenance were on it in a flash and it turned out to be a fantastically hot and powerful shower – just what I love! 

We had massages booked in the spa for 3pm that day, which managed to go ahead just without music (which wasn’t an issue). The very low lighting made for a calming, romantic setting. Having a massage in the afternoon of our first full day has become an Ikos tradition and the treatment at Andalusia was the best we’ve had. The “gentleman’s collection” is pretty limited and we always get the “busy minds destress”, but there were some subtle differences in the treatment at Andalusia which gave it the edge. Of course, I fell asleep and woke myself up snorting! 

The power flicked back on towards the end of our massage, but the rest of the spa facilities were still closed so we returned the following day to use the sauna, steam and pool. We actually returned a few times over the week and the staff there were so lovely, friendly and easy to chat to. Despite the weather being bad, we pretty much had the place to ourselves and were the only people in the indoor pool so it was super relaxing. On balance, I think the spa complex at Odisia is better, not to mention those spectacular views, but the treatments and service at Andalusia were the best of all the resorts we’ve been to. 

As we didn’t have any power in our room, we showered early for dinner and received a message via WhatsApp to say that only Flavors would be open for dinner. All of the a la carte restaurants, with the exception of Seasons, were closed. They extended the opening times by an hour but it was pretty hectic, to say the least! 

The queue for the restaurant stretched all down the stairs and through the lobby bar to the reception desks. It took about 30 minutes to get in to the restaurant, which was packed! Luckily for us, it was Asian night and Asian is one of our favourite cuisines but staff struggled to replenish the food and crockery quickly enough for the amount of people and the fact of only using 1 kitchen. 

The usual buffet behaviour of people picking at foods and putting it back reminding me why I prefer to avoid buffets where I can. I would have loved to have tried the Thai beef salad, but all of the Thai beef had been picked out of it so didn’t really see the point! Whilst it was cool that they had a live sushi making station, I timed it really badly lining up behind 3 people who each ordered about a thousand rolls and it took about 20 minutes of waiting! (You know when you’ve committed to something, and just can’t walk away?!) Thought I was going to faint with hunger by the time I got back to that table, and the other half didn’t know where I’d gone! 

The night of the power cut should have been the white party, and whilst it was being set up when we had pre-dinner drinks in the Main Bar, I’m not sure if it actually happened. After dinner, we stayed in the Lobby Bar which had a “Dunkirk Spirit” vibe. Most people were understanding of the situation, and the staff hustled so hard, despite running out of glasses and cups, which couldn’t be cleaned and brought back out quickly enough. I guess everything was being washed by hand! Every so often, the lights would brighten and dim, and everyone would get excited that the power was back on, when it was just a surge from the backup generator. The flicker of the lights reminded me of the film, Titanic. 

Of course, not everyone was happy and there were plenty of grumbles about how the situation was handled and how the limited amount of electricity could or should be used. I noticed some disabled guests and thought about how they would recharge their wheelchair or scooter, or power medical equipment. I also heard that the hotel donated a generator to a local hospital, but I wasn’t able to get confirmation of that from the hotel. I do know that at one point, reception were down to 1 functioning laptop as all of the others had run out of battery, and food and drink orders were being taken by pen and paper which would have totally messed up their whole inventory system. Either way, not having the usual Ikos dining experience was hardly a priority under the circumstances and I think the staff did a bloody brilliant job.

The weather was pretty dreadful for most of our stay, but we made the best of it. We borrowed bikes one morning and explored the sea path to the front of the hotel. We covered about 6 or 7 miles and were back in time for lunch, which we had at Chiringuito, on the beach. 

As Chiringuito is on a public beach, the restaurant is roped off and all of the tables have “reserved” signs on them to stop walk-ins from the general public. It was pretty windy and cool, but the restaurant gave us towels to wrap around our legs or shoulders which, honestly, made all the difference! It’s not the most attractive patch of sand but it was quite hypnotic watching the wild sea.

The food was excellent, one of the best meals of our stay, although we each ordered the wrong dish and ended up swapping! I had ordered the pork with the green mojo sauce, which really wasn’t to my taste, and he ordered the slow cooked beef which wasn’t to his taste, but once we’d swapped, we were both perfectly happy! We both agreed that the desserts were the standout dishes and I thought the white chocolate and raspberry brioche pudding was spectacular! Properly swoon worthy! So good, in fact, we went back just so we’d have an excuse to have the desserts again! I’m not normally a mayonnaise fan, but the mayo-type dipping sauce with the jamon croquettes was insanely good – imagine a rich, thick, pork scratching flavour. Absolutely delicious!

Now on our sixth Ikos holiday, we’re completely spoiled when it comes to delicious food, and we find the quality consistently excellent across all of the resorts. My least favourite meal at Andalusia was dinner at Beach Club, not that there was anything wrong with it, it just wasn’t to my taste. 

Fresco was excellent, for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The four cheese pizza was out of this world, and the Ikos staple of roast potatoes with Parmesan sauce were the perfect cheesy accompaniment. The lasagne was the perfect meal for what was a cold, drab, day. 

One top tip for meals at Ikos is to always check out the vegan menu. I had some awesome dishes that I might not otherwise have tried, had I not looked at the vegan menu. The vegan panacotta at Fresco being a prime example! 

Anaya is always an excellent meal and the stir fried tofu was one of the other half’s favourite dishes – again, vegan!

Getting the right wine pairing with your meal can make all the difference and the free wine tasting experience is something we always enjoy during our Ikos stays. Jose was the perfect host at Ikos Andalusia and delivered the best wine tasting of all the Ikos’ we’ve been to. We sampled an Ikos Private Cellar cava, 2 whites (the Mara being a firm favourite), a rosé and 2 reds and paired with different cheeses and dark chocolate to experience how the wine changed flavour based on what we ate. This was similar to the experience at Dassia, and it did help that we had a great group which made for a fun afternoon whilst it chucked it down with rain! We actually had to be asked to leave as we were all still sat there chatting long after the course had finished!

This was our first Ikos since they introduced their Private Cellar range, and we loved those that we tried. The Private Cellar prosecco was particularly quaffable! Speaking of drinks, one thing that I did find disappointing was the lack of variation in drinks across the bars. At other resorts, there’s been some variation in cocktails, but they were all the same at Andalusia. Whilst the mixologists practice Omakase (see picture below), I would have liked some suggestions on fancy concoctions to try. We did have some nice cocktails made for us in the Main Bar, but having suggestions in the menu helps those struggling for inspiration. 

One of the things I enjoyed the most about Ikos Andalusia was the bars, with the Lobby Bar and Main Bar offering totally different vibes. The adults only cocktail bar between the beach pool and the deluxe area was one of my favourite spaces in the whole resort. The interlocking, low seating, with stunning beach views is perfect. I just wish it had been warmer for us to sit out and enjoy it, as it’s only open in the evenings. There is a nightclub at Ikos Andalusia, but it’s only open in July and August, and the Main Bar makes a decent alternative and got pretty lively (by Ikos standards!) on a couple of nights! We loved chatting to other guests and being dragged on to the dance floor by a Dutch family! We particularly enjoyed our frequent chats with G & R, and I’m so jealous that they get to return to the resort before I will! 

Whilst we didn’t have much pool time owing to the weather, I did get to play around with the new QR code ordering service when sitting by the adults only spa pool one morning. I loved the customisable options and the ability to add notes. I know there’s been some controversy at other resorts with a function for tipping on these QR codes, but that wasn’t available at Ikos Andalusia. The service was nonetheless slick, with my first order taking about 15 minutes to arrive and second round coming in about 4 minutes. Staff were still coming around to ask for orders, so if you don’t have your phone, or don’t want to use the QR code, you won’t notice any difference. You can even order random stuff, like extra towels, fresh glasses or cutlery!

I always try and avoid reviewing service as it’s so subjective to the recipient, people have off days, humans make mistakes and it’s hard to deliver consistently, especially across multiple properties. However, I would say that the service at Ikos Andalusia was the most consistent across all of the resorts. With the exception of waiting about 20 minutes for someone to take a drinks order in the Lobby Bar one time, everything was pretty faultless. Considering the crap weather and 16 hours without power, this is no mean feat. 

This being our sixth Ikos, with Aria booked for September, I have to say that Ikos Andalusia is my favourite Ikos resort so far. They’re all degrees of excellent, and we’re splitting hairs when deciding which is “the best”, but, for me, there’s some key deciding factors for why Ikos Andalusia is my favourite. 

1. There’s loads of grown up spaces – every restaurant has a “quiet zone” reserved for guests over 12 years old, Ouzo is reserved for guests over 12 at breakfast and the cocktail bar between the beach pools and deluxe area is for over 12s too. There’s 3 adults only pools, including one of the beach pools and an adults only section on the beach. The effort made to offer these spaces hasn’t gone unnoticed and is the main reason I would return to Ikos Andalusia in a heartbeat. 
2. It’s a compact resort, but still offers so much – multiple bars and restaurants, more pools than days of the week and everything is walkable. The resort is mostly flat and it takes just a few minutes to walk from one end to the other. Contrast this with Porto Petro (my second favourite) which is huge, very spread out and very hilly, it was nice to be able to get around more easily.
3. There’s no shortage of a la carte restaurants – 3 options for breakfast (Beach Club, Fresco and Ouzo – with Ouzo being for over 12s and Beach Club serving breakfast until 1200), 5 options for lunch (Beach Club, Chiringuito, Fresco, Oliva & Ouzo) and 6 for dinner (Anaya, Beach Club, Fresco, Oliva, Ouzo & Provence). For those in deluxe, you can throw Seasons in the mix too (non-Deluxe can book Seasons for dinner). The lack of a la carte options was one of the main reasons for not enjoying Odisia so much, so it was great to get back to what we love most about the Ikos concept. It’s also worth mentioning that the restaurants have tons of indoor seating, so when the weather isn’t playing ball, everyone can be seated inside. 

I honestly don’t know what Ikos could have done to make our stay any better. If even with crap weather and a power cut, I can come away and say this is the pinnacle of what Ikos is all about – imagine what it could be like without those challenges?! 

I always get home from Ikos and want to immediately do another one, but this feels different. In fact, we’ve already booked Ikos Andalusia for next year, and taking 4 friends with us next time. Aside from a handful of hotels in the UK and those I stay at for work, this is only the second time I’ll have ever returned to the same resort hotel. If that doesn’t give you an indication of how truly amazing Ikos Andalusia is, I don’t know what will. 

Date of trip; April 2025

Price paid; €3047 for 6 nights all-inclusive for 2 people