Gaia Palace

Good
Traveller Type: Traveling as Couple
  : The pool was cold (too cold to really swim in, even later in the day) and some of the additional facilities (tennis, mini golf etc.) did not appear to have been very well looked after. Although the hotel also offered wifi, it was so slow that it wasn't actually possible to use it!
  : The hotel was nice in general and had some good facilities. The poolside beds were very comfortable and it was a great distance from the beach. The room itself was also nice and spacious and it was convenient for getting into the local towns. The food was nice and the staff were always helpful.

Wonderful
Traveller Type: Traveling as Couple
  : Service & staff, choice of pools and bars, variety of food. Upgraded room. Lovely beach.
  : The drinks are not of good quality especially the soft drinks which taste artificial. Guests allowed to smoke in the restaurant area.

Pleasant
Traveller Type: Family with Young Children
  : very nice beach, relatively close, nice side swimming pools located in a nice garden, tasty food at the Greek evening, good value for money,
  : the food was nothing special,limited choice of drinks in the all-inclusive formula, the quality of the buildings and room is not 5*

Wonderful
Traveller Type: Traveling as Couple
  : This hotel is amazing if you are looking for a chilled out hotel based holiday. The reservations manager and reception staff went above and beyond to help and accommodate all requests which were important for us as we flew out to suprise family already staying at the hotel for my father's birthday.The restaurant staff and the amazing restaurant manager were out of this world. They made all of us so welcome and any requirement was no trouble at all, they made my fathers birthday meal so very special and on the one evening my very fussy 10 year old couldn't find anything that appealled to her food wise the restaurant manager had something cooked special so she didn't go hungry. This said the food was beautiful and cooked so well especially the omelettes cooked to order by the 2 ladies that work so hard every morning in exceptional heat but still smiling and pleasant. I cannot praise the restaurant manager and her staff enough they are a fantastic team that really rocket this hotel to higher standards than I have ever experienced in any hotel even 5* Spanish hotels could learn from the fantastic restaurant team.The hotel is clean and beautiful. Rooms are cleaned daily and to be fair are of a good standard but I think some attention to detail can be missing sometimes in areas such as refreshing coffee, tea, sugar and milk facilities in room but I do have high standards so still good in my eyes.
  : The location and entertainment is the only thing I can criticise at this hotel.You are a 6-8 minutes drive from Mastichari at approx 10 euros as the hotel is in the middle of nowhere so taxis are needed and you can be waiting a while as the amount of taxis to tourists are certainly not balanced and it is not feasible to increase due to the length of the tourist season. If you are happy to take the taxi number and call about 20 minutes before you wish to leave then you should be good except for peak airport transfer times because then you could be waiting for a good 45 minutes maybe more. Kardemena is about 20-25 mins at around 27 euros and Kos about 25-30mins at about 30 euros. There is a bus stop within walking distance if you are happy and confident enough to find your way around via bus but I would end up on another island if I did that.We personally found the entertainment a little disappointing as the music (disco) was not really mixed in the pool bar area and there was only 1 evening a week with a live duo. I would say that perhaps a little more thought on the entertainment programme would get more people to stay around the pool bar area and the lobby bar area.My absolute biggest dislike which can not be helped by the hotel, are the mosquitos...they eat everyone alive so make sure you take every repellent possible and after bite as they are as the taxi driver described "the islands little vampires".I would still say visit this hotel and you won't be disappointed. I honestly hope that in time the space around the hotel can maybe be developed and provide a little more within walking distance and the hotel can tweek the entertainment programme as it is a wonderful hotel.

Wonderful
Traveller Type: Family with Young Children
  : staff were fantastic
  : people putting towels on sun beds early meant you cannot always get one. need to inforce the rule or allocate

Wonderful
Traveller Type: Traveling as Couple
  : there was nothing not to like

Pleasant
Traveller Type: Family with Young Children

Poor
Traveller Type: Family with Young Children
  : The beach (but very windy) and the bed (very comfortable), the size of the room (deluxe).
  : this hotel is stuck in the 70's and is in desperate need of renovation it really is worse than some 3 star hotels i have stayed in! The decor is awful and the attitude of the women on reception particularly Tania was awful, they were rude and unhelpful. Our room was a deluxe but had a super cheap hairdryer that overheated and automatically switched off after 60secs, there was no soap or bathroom utilities, the safe didn't work when we arrived, the aircon didn't work when we arrived and the towels smelt so strong of bleach and even caused us to get itchy eyes and skin rashes and the cleaning was super basic they basically just do the bed and hover poorly. The worst part about this resort is the food it is literally inedible and made us sick. All the meat and fish is frozen. The juices are all powder juices and the alcohol was the lowest percentage alcohol so they basically give you diluted beer and wine. The room where the buffet is served is really hot making a lot of the food stale or taste off and there are flies all over the food. The beach is nice but they cheekily ask you too pay extra everyday to use the sunbeds luckily we had a written confirmation that the sunbeds were included in our rate so they tried to charge us but then apologised. The man at the beach bar is very rude and unfriendly and the bar is poorly stocked and very dated. The beach is at least a 8-10 min walk away and although they have golf buggies no one ever comes to give you a lift. They claim to have a gym but i don't think they have changed the machinery since the 70's, it was all old, dirty and rusty and actually dangerous to use. Although the manager did try to be nice and apologetic on the very last day of our stay I cannot stress enough that this hotel should not be 5 star and is not worth the money at all.

Good
Traveller Type: Family with Young Children
  : We liked the size of the room, the pools and horticulture in the complex are excellent, the beach and beach bar are very nice and one can watch beautiful sunset. The staff is very helpful, and animators do try to entertain. I would say it is great for families, especially with little kids.
  : The rooms are in need of renovation, especially the bathrooms. When showering the water flows out always and there us a puddle. The rooms were not cleaned good (dust) and mibar contained only water. They should definatly work on disinsection and extermination, because on two occasions we saw a cockroach in the bathroom and one evening when we were returning to the room, a rat ran in front of us. Breakfast is nice for a 4-star facility, not for 5*. In general, the hotel is at the level of 4 stars, not 5, which is the category. In the evening, the entire complex can smell unbearably of sewage, and mosquitoes attack in swarms after sunset. You can't stay on the terrace in the evening and play cards or enjoy a glass of wine because they bite bloodthirsty. The mosquito nets on the windows and doors must be closed at all times and care should be taken that no one gets in because mosquitoes stand on the nets and wait for an opportunity to enter the room.

Wonderful
Traveller Type:
  : Our room was nicely located by the main pool and pool bar, drinks. Food was good, the themed nights were a highlight! The entertainment team was very good and fun to be with, especially Nathan, Davide and Irene.
  : The WiFi was really bad other than that the experience was great!