Labranda Marine Aquapark Resort

We stayed at the hotel in the first week of October as a group of 5 adults and a 2-year-old, and overall we had a really enjoyable stay.

The positives: The entertainment was great and there was plenty to keep everyone occupied. The kids’ club was also really good. We thought the food selection was varied, and the drinks service was great. We never had to wait at the bar, which made such a nice change! The pools were also good and well suited to both adults and children. A bit cold, but it was October - once you’re in it was fine. Aqua dance was a highlight for us and the music played around the pool is also a great hit! The cleaners in the rooms were also great. The Al a carte was a real bonus and the food on the rooftop was really yummy! We hired a motorbike one day and took a ride into the town and explored the mountains which was very enjoyable and worth doing. (This is from the little hut next to the hotel).

The negatives: Unfortunately, we were disappointed that our 5th wedding anniversary wasn’t acknowledged at all. We’ve travelled for birthdays and anniversaries before to various other hotels and have always had our occasion acknowledged, so this was quite disappointing, especially as we had contacted the hotel beforehand and Jet2 had also been in touch. We weren’t expecting anything extravagant, but even a small gesture would have meant a lot. The rooms are also quite small, I found it difficult to stay in the superior double as a family of 3. The bathroom shower also had no door on which meant that the water would go all over the bathroom floor. We also felt the sunbeds could do with an upgrade as they weren’t the best quality and for a 4 star hotel I would expect slightly better quality. The surrounding area is quite limited if you want to go for a walk, and we found it wasn’t particularly pushchair-friendly, which is worth bearing in mind for families with young children.

It’s also worth noting that there are some additional charges for certain things. Some drinks and activities/games, such as bingo, cost extra, so it’s worth bringing some cash with you if you want to take part. Overall, we had a good holiday and there were definitely lots of things we enjoyed about the hotel. However, given that this was a special anniversary trip, we did feel that a little more attention to detail would have made our stay much more memorable.

I really don’t understand all the positive reviews about the food. I genuinely dislike writing negative reviews, but this has been one of the most disappointing hotel experiences I’ve had when it comes to food. It’s long but worth reading if you thinking about going there..

The food was by far the worst part of our stay. Every day, we were served practically the same bland food with very little choice. Nothing tasted freshly prepared or properly seasoned. The meat was often dry, and on some occasions, it was raw inside. It honestly tasted as though much of it had been cooked from frozen. Themed dinners were themed in name only, with perhaps two or three dishes relating to the theme, and even those were tasteless.

The main restaurant was so disappointing that most guests seemed to head to the snack bar for lunch instead. At least there, you could get freshly made pizza, grilled meat, fries and fresh salad. However, even this was repetitive, with the same limited selection every day. The warm food was often gone by around 4 pm, leaving only fries or leftovers. On one occasion, before 4:30 pm, there were no snacks left, just what appeared to be leftovers.

There was no proper children’s food selection at lunchtime either. We actually had to ask for chicken nuggets and then wait for them to be prepared. With two young children, this was particularly frustrating. For a seven-night holiday advertised as all-inclusive, the lack of variety was ridiculous. How much of the same food can you eat day after day? There are no restaurants and only two shops nearby, so if you don’t have a car, you have very few alternatives.

It is also important to point out that this is not truly all-inclusive, as some items and services require additional payment. This was not always clear, and it made the all-inclusive description feel misleading.

There is a small gelateria at extra cost serving crêpes and waffles, but the hygiene practices there were also concerning. The lady serving was touching everything with bare hands (including pancakes) or using the same gloves while handling the pancakes and touching other surfaces around her. This did not look hygienic at all. There was also very little choice of smoothies. Most of the time, only a couple were available, and several options had already run out. The fresh orange juice was another problem: either the machine was broken or there were no oranges left. These shortages happened repeatedly and made the drinks and snack options even more disappointing.

All-inclusive was available only until 11 pm, after that you had to pay. The fridge contained just one bottle of water at the beginning of our stay. After that, you had to pay for bottled water or refill from the machines, where the water didn’t taste pleasant. The coffee was probably the worst I’ve ever had in a hotel, and the milk from the machines tasted like watered-down milk. Everything felt like a cost-cutting exercise.

Even the watermelon tasted so off that I almost vomited after trying it. I reported this to a waiter, but nothing was done.

The hygiene standards were another major concern. I witnessed staff using the same gloves to touch bins and handle food, or to clean before handling bread again. I also saw guests failing to wash their hands after using the toilet before heading straight to the buffet, and people putting used paper plates back. Tables, chairs and highchairs appeared to be cleaned using the same cloth. These practices left us seriously questioning the hygiene standards.

Unfortunately, towards the end of our stay, both my four-year-old son and I became very unwell. On our last day, we were vomiting and suffering from diarrhoea, and the journey home was absolutely awful. I cannot say for certain what caused our illness, but the experience made our concerns about hygiene even more serious.

We informed the hotel three times about how unwell we were. I could barely stand and asked for a late check-out, but this was refused. We also asked for medicine, which they didn’t have, and eventually requested a bag for the transfer in case we were sick on the bus. Only then were we told to come earlier so they could call a doctor. We had already been trying to get help since the morning, despite our transfer not being until 4:30 pm. This was an incredibly stressful way to end our holiday.

Our room location was also far from convenient. We were given a family suite at the very end of the resort, around a ten-minute walk from the lobby and the main restaurant. This would not have bothered us in good weather, but during our stay there was strong wind, and walking to dinner at night with two young children was not pleasant. The suite was also on the first floor, meaning we had to carry two buggies up and down the stairs every time we went out. This did not feel very thoughtful for a family with young children. When we asked reception whether we could move to a ground-floor room, we were told that the type of suite we had chosen was available only on the top floor.

We also found multiple biting bugs in our bedroom, which added to our concerns about cleanliness and made sleeping very uncomfortable.

The children’s facilities were also disappointing. The playground in the sand looked nothing like the photos, and the kids’ club was dated, with toys that looked so dirty I wouldn’t let my children play with them. Worse still, my son found a sharp, rusty piece of metal hidden in the sand and had an accident. This was extremely unpleasant and potentially dangerous. We reported it to the manager, who gave him a free ice cream, some toys and hand spray and said the incident would be investigated. However, the condition of the facilities left us questioning how much attention is actually paid to children’s safety.

To be fair, the staff were generally nice, and the pools, beach and entertainment were okay. The hotel has potential, with some nice rooms and facilities. However, visiting in early October also meant it was often too cold and windy to enjoy swimming in the cold water.

Overall, the food, hygiene concerns, misleading all-inclusive offering, room location and the way our illness was handled completely overshadowed the positives. By the end of our seven-night stay, we were fed up with the food, feeling unwell and simply looking forward to going home.

If you care about the quality of the food you eat on holiday, I would not recommend this hotel. The selection is limited, the quality is poor, and the repetition becomes exhausting after just a few days. An all-inclusive holiday should not leave you struggling to find something decent to eat every single day, nor should you have to keep paying extra for basic items.

I’m adding photos of the food because I wish I had seen these before booking this holiday. Honestly, if I had seen what the food was really like, I would never have booked this hotel. I hope these photos help others make a more informed decision before spending their money on a holiday here.

I’ve stayed in much nicer hotels, and I would not return to this one. The hotel has potential, but the food quality, variety, hygiene practices, misleading all-inclusive offering, room allocation, pest control and attention to guest safety need serious improvement.

We spent a week here 23/9/26 - 30/9/26 and loved every minute of our holiday! We arrived late, around 10.30pm and restaurants were closed but sandwiches were on offer (we ate at airport so weren’t hungry anyway). Checked in easily by lovely friendly staff and then driven by golf buggy to our rooms. Rooms were spotless, modern, AC, fridge, bottled water and tea/coffee provided. Bathrooms had fresh towels shower gel/shampoo etc. Pools were fab and my daughters really enjoyed the slides and wave pool .. a bit nippy when u first get in but then fine! Food - buffet restaurant had so many options, a bit strange and repetitive at times but lots on offer and no-one went hungry. The pool snack bar was fab, cooking fresh pizzas, chips, grilled meats and fish, burgers and lots of salad, bread etc in offer. Gelataria was lovely .. I highly recommend the crepes, waffles and iced coffees! YUM! AI drinks were okay .. cocktails quite strong and beer on help urself tap. We visited Kos town both day and night and it was stunning. We also visited Tigaki town for hair braiding etc. We done a boat trip which was great fun. Highly recommend Home Burger (Tigaki) and Mama Rosa (Kos) if u fancy eating out. The ONLY negative is the entertainment.. they do try bless em but it could be better! Overall a fab week in the sunshine, lots of lovely memories made and would definitely return! Thankyou White Olive 🫒