Near the front of the huge Marmari Palace resort, on the sun-drenched northern coast of the Greek island of Kos, is a quiet little area dedicated to stray cats.
Friendly felines of various shades and sizes gather away from guests to lounge against pillars or sleep on custom-made beds, close to a vending machine specially stocked with a selection of cat treats.
If the hotel’s non-paying residents enjoy this much care and attention, it’s surely a promising sign for those handing over their hard-earned cash for a week of Koan hospitality.
And so it proved during a visit to this hidden gem of a family holiday destination operated by travel giant TUI on the eastern edge of the Mediterranean.
Kos, best known for its connection to Hippocrates, the founder of modern medicine (he of the ‘Hippocratic oath’), is the second most populous after Rhodes of the Dodecanese islands in the south-eastern Aegean.
It’s been Greek territory since 1948 but is just a few miles off the Turkish coast and over the centuries has hosted Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, medieval knights, Ottomans and Italians, all leaving their individual mark on the island’s landscape and customs.
It can be reached by direct flight from Belfast or Dublin these days and is served by a spanking new airport which was a model of efficiency during our visit. It’s a four-hour hop, offset by a very entertaining cabin crew during our trip and a short bus transfer on the other side.
There are people who are happy pitching up on foreign soil and using basic lodgings as a base to venture forth in the heat and carve out their own holiday experience. I’m not one of them.
I’ve experienced other TUI hotels in the past and always been impressed by the food and facilities and range of family activities – for anyone still with 1980s notions of package holidays, it’s as far from those stereotypes as you can imagine.
Operating under the Magic Life branding, the all-inclusive Marmari Palace describes itself as a ‘club’ and does has a more sophisticated feel than resorts geared towards younger children.
Spilling down across multiple levels towards its own stretch of sandy beach, there are six pools stretching across 5,000 sq m. The main one has a whirlpool, waterpolo nets, a ‘swim-up bar’ (with underwater stools) and separate gyro/pizza snack station, but there are also smaller, shallower pools which are perfect for adults craving peace and quiet and younger ones less confident in the water.
In fact each block of apartments is served by its own pool and there are always spare loungers, even at the height of summer. Temperates were in the thirties during our visit but very manageable with the help of a gentle sea breeze.
The rooms are spotlessly clean, modern and spacious, with balconies and separate areas for children in suites.
Not that you’ll spend too much time inside. There are a dizzying number of activities – a typical daily programme offers early morning yoga or pilates, guided mountain biking, canoeing or windsurfing, volleyball, waterpolo, workouts (aerobics and bikes, on land and in water), archery, darts, table tennis, and football on a 3g pitch. All are included in the price, with only individual swimming or tennis lessons – there is a ‘tennis house’ with professional coaches and four pristine courts, two of them floodlit – attracting extra fees (and even then, group classes are free).
As well as the usual kids’ clubs, teens are particularly well served here with organised sessions rather than feeling just an afterthought.
There’s also evening entertainment in an outdoor amphitheatre, cocktails at sundown and moonlit discos on the beach – a fantastic experience – but the site is so big that you can easily enjoy an undisturbed early night or, in our case, family rivalries with epic sessions of Uno at card tables in the all-night bar.
Limitless food and drink are the main reason for going all-inclusive – especially for picky eaters – but that doesn’t mean a diminution of quality. There’s a mind-boggling choice of local and international dishes at the buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner, from fresh fish and plenty of grilled meats to fresh Greek salads and savoury desserts. There are also three speciality restaurants if you really feed the need for table service, as well as a vitamin bar rustling up superfood smoothies and an air-con coffee bar with barista brews and treats.
The staff all go out of their way to help, especially with children. Some patchy wifi aside, and evening acts that weren’t my thing, it’s honestly hard not to be blown away by the whole experience.
The large majority of guests in early July were German and that made for a quiet week. The exception perhaps being the screening of the European Championship final in the amphitheatre: ‘schadenfreude’, the wonderful German word for ‘pleasure derived from another’s misfortune’, perfectly captured the reaction to Spain’s late goal.
There’s no real need to venture beyond the self-contained resort, but for those keen to experience more of the island, there are plenty of excursions or opportunities to explore.
For the children, there’s a water park literally across the road. For shops and a bit of culture, Kos town is about 20 minutes away and has winding, tree-lined streets with tasteful gift stores.
The mountains inland are home to countless little blue and white churches and picturesque villages including Zia, famed for its breathtaking sunsets, while boat trips offer swimming in the deep crystal-clear waters of nearby Kalymnos or a feast for the senses in the Turkish city of Bodrum.
But to get a real feel for Kos, its rich history and unique outlook on life, follow in the footsteps of Hippocrates with a visit to the Asclepion.
On the lush slopes of a hill overlooking the sea are the ruins of a healing centre once known across the ancient world, where the great man’s teachings were disseminated in a school for physicians that transformed how medicine was understood.
In a sacred area giving sanctuary to anyone seeking protection, Hippocrates had what would now be described as a holistic approach to health, eschewing superstitious explanations and taking into account the patient’s diet, character, mental state and natural environment. He is reputed to have lived into his nineties, a rare feat in the fourth century BC.
The island of Kos continues to be that sanctuary, a relaxed retreat to soothe tired bodies and restless minds. Just take your cue from the cats – they always have it sussed.
FACTFILE:
Kos is a small Greek island with a population of around 35,000 close to the Turkish coast in the south-east Aegean Sea. Summer temperatures reach the mid-30s and although fully geared for tourists, it’s never too crowded and is navigable by rental car or even bicycle.
TUI Magic Life Marmari Palace is an all-inclusive resort which holds a Tripadvisor ‘Travellers Choice Award’. A double room with balcony or terrace and limited sea view costs from £1,259 pps for seven nights on August 24 2024, while a week in a suite on September 21 is £1,119 pps. Travelling next year, a double room with balcony or terrace and inland view is from £1,169 pps for seven nights on May 24, while the same accommodation on June 7 2025 costs £1,249 pps. Flights from Belfast International Airport. For more information on this and other hotels see tui.co.uk/holidays/magic-life.