Hotel review: Lagas Aegean Village, Kos, Greece

On my first island hop around Greece, I didn’t book any accommodation in advance – my best friend and I would saunter off the ferry at our latest island destination, haggle with one of the old men who awaited over the cost of a room, then relax and explore until it was time to hop on again.

press trip*

That was very definitely not happening on this island hop, with my four-year-old along for the ride. This time I needed proper facilities (including a pool), a decent balcony to sit on after my daughter’s bedtime and I wasn’t leaving any of it to chance.

So for the first part of our adventure on Kos, we made the most of the bigger island’s choice of resorts to start our stay in Greece in style – here’s my Lagas Aegean Village review.

Lagas Aegean Village, Kos: Vital statistics

Set just outside Kardamena on the south coast, Lagas Aegean Village has 330 rooms set on the hillside, with the beach just across the road. Our press trip stay was with Olympic Holidays which rates it as four flames plus (approximately equivalent to a top-class four-star hotel).

Lagas Aegean Village review: The good

The design

White buildings clinging to the cliffside are one of the archetypal images of Greece, so checking into a hotel designed to look just like a traditional village was a fantastic start to our trip.

At the heart are the pool, facilities, reception and restaurant, with the rooms stretching up to the hilltop with its wonderful viewpoint. There’s a regular minibus which runs from reception around the resort, so if you are in room 600, you don’t have to walk it every day.

The rooms

The white, blue and yellow theme continues inside the rooms, which were beautifully cool. As well as aircon, you can crack the balcony door open, there’s a safe and bath with shower in the bathroom.

There is a fridge but one thing you might miss is a kettle, so if you love a cuppa as soon as you wake up, pack a travel one. Sleeping 2-3 people, there are bigger family options available. With three in ours, there was still plenty of space.

The views 

Our corner room, number 381, must have been one of the best on the whole resort. High enough to get some fabulous views from the balcony out to the other islands, it was midway up the hill so not too much of a climb either.

It’s worth heading right to the top of the Lagas Aegean Village resort for the incredible panorama as well, but with all the rooms facing the sea, you’ll get wonderful views across the Aegean.

The pool

As well as an indoor pool (which we didn’t investigate) and a child pool, the main freshwater pool is absolutely lovely. Unheated, it’s not too chilly on a sunny day, there were plenty of loungers and the pool and snack bars nearby. Even better, it’s big enough that it never seemed full.

The beach

Across the road at the bottom of the resort, is the hotel’s little beach near a calm cove. There are loungers with umbrellas (paid) or plenty of shady spots under the trees for a bit of sandcastle building. It’s small, but has all you need – plus a watersports centre.

Child-friendly vibe

There seemed unexpectedly few kids staying during our half-term visit, but they were all the centre of attention. Beyond the family-friendly attitude, there’s also a mini club for ages four-12 with morning and afternoon sessions, plus evening activities – although without many other children there and with some busy days, Minnie didn’t make the most of this one.

Even better, there’s a little playground by the kids’ pool, which she loved.

The Food

With most guests staying half-board, there are two buffets in the main restaurant for breakfast and dinner. A big choice which changed every day, there was always plenty to keep Minnie happy too, and some rather delicious sticky Greek desserts at the end as well.

It’s mostly international, with only a few Greek specialities though – I would have loved to have seen a few more personally. Get there early if you want to snaffle an outdoor table.

There’s also a snack bar near the pool, including a Sunday barbecue with delicious souvlaki. The prices might seem high to start, but the pizzas will feed at least two!

Drinks are extra, so it’s worth making sure you have cash to pay for that or lunch, although cards should also be accepted – you can’t charge it to the room and pay later. You also can’t take food out from the main buffet.

The staff

Greece is known for being hospitable but the staff here were truly special. My daughter was on first name terms with several of them within the first day, and the welcome is genuinely friendly rather than the rather impersonal attitude from some luxury resorts, although never less than professional.

The facilities

There’s plenty on resort, from a gym and tennis courts to a small shop, hair salon, boutique and the kids’ facilities (most with an extra fee). One big bonus for us was having a car hire desk too, rather than having to go into Kardamena, so we could arrange rental, sort a car seat, and pick up and drop off our little Kia Picanto without any effort.

Well, except persuading Minnie that we couldn’t have a Suzuki Jimny unless she was fronting up the extra 30 Euros…!

The location

Kos isn’t hard to get around, even as one of the larger islands, but I loved this location on the south coast.

Close to the airport, there are no endless transfers after the flight, we were only a short distance from Kefalos and some of the best beaches, and could even have walked into Kardamena if we had wanted.

Lagas Aegean Village review: The not so good

The extras

From pool towels to safes, baby cots to mini golf (and a few other odds and ends), you run across quite a few little extras to pay for. Nothing was extortionate, so it’s something of a personal approach whether this bugs you or not: would you rather have a slightly higher total upfront and not worry about charges as you go, or prefer to pay for what you use?

One nice surprise was that the WiFi is free across the resort and pretty fast, except (sadly) for the area including our room which was suffering from technical problems during our stay.

The unexpected bar rule

One final minor niggle, as we settled down on the comfy seats at the terrace bar with pre-dinner cocktails/juice and a board game… only to be told, that no games were allowed. Including snakes and ladders.

Ipads were absolutely fine though. A little unexpected!

Lagas Aegean Village, Kos: The verdict

It’s often the intangible things which set a hotel apart – and that definitely applies to Aegean Village. From pool and restaurant to facilities and location, it ticks all the essentials boxes if you’re travelling with kids.

But the wonderful staff and equally wonderful views are what I remember best – I can understand why people return again and again here.

To combine a trip to Kos with more islands in the Dodecanese, check out ferry prices here

PIN FOR LATER: LAGAS AEGEAN VILLAGE REVIEW

Disclosure: Our four-night stay was courtesy of Olympic Holidays. All opinions, including a wish for more halloumi and mezze at all meals, are my own.

Images/video copyright MummyTravels

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