Where to start?? from the very moment we arrived (which was at 2am in the morning) - we received a lovely worm, friendly welcome from Michael who took the time to go through any updates on the resort (we had been there twice before). He was swift, but thorough. Despite it being so late, it was probably one of the best briefings we have had at any Ikos resort (and we've been to them all except Oceania and Porto Petro, although we are going to PP in September).
I admit to being very customer service focused (as it's also a career I have been in) and I'm very conscious and observant regarding service levels. I would say, this particular holiday was 100% "guest-centric" focused. So many members of staff made our holiday so super special.
The lovely Pilar who I have been communicating with long before the holiday, she ensured all bookings etc were organised. It was a pleasure to meet her in person and to have the opportunity to thank her for all the help and guidance she had provided.
Food: my partner and I both agree that the food at Ikos Andalusia is definitely the best out of all Ikos' we have been to -
Seasons, the breakfast was absolutely delicious (the overnight oats are the best I've ever eaten). My partner loved loved loved the Shrimp Bao Buns and the Octopus at lunchtime.
In addition, we met some fantastic members of staff who worked there and took such great care: Iraklis (who we had met at our previous visit), Cristina (always a lovely warm welcome) and wonderful service was Eliska and Camilla.
Chringuito - I only wish there were similar restaurants to this at other resorts - this is a must attend place! - the food again is absolutely fantastic, delicious sharing dishes, but I have to say the Tuna dish for main course is a stand out! again super staff, Managed by the characterful Darko, he wants to ensure your lunch (and also drinks 😉) are tip top. He's simply fabulous, we were also well looked after by Daniel, Rhianna, Nadia (and Julie Marie who we met when we attended Dinner by the Sea).
Anya, I always love a visit there, although the food is fantastic, I would like to see some updates to the menu personally, but I certainly wouldn't criticise any meals we had there. Again, service was excellent.
Fresco, a wonderful Italian - If you don't want the starters and mains to come out all at once, do ensure the staff member knows you want it served separately. The food is again delicious and it was so nice to see Dimitris here again, he's brilliant (as it the rest of the team)
We attended wine tasting (highly recommend this!) - I'm so pleased we booked this early into our holiday, so we had wonderful recommendations from the absolutely fantastic Jose Antonio (and Alithia) - we really appreciated all their efforts in their recommendations and also their visits to the restaurants to talk through their choices was an absolute pleasure.
Main Bar - we love this bar, and again, the wonderful service we received from the fantastic team, our glasses were never empty 😁 Diego, Jessica, Maria (there was another lovely lady and I didn't write her name down 🤦🏻♀️) but the whole team worked so hard and had their eyes everywhere to ensure the very best in service. It was also wonderful to see Nikos (who had moved from the deluxe pool from our previous visit to Manage the main bar).
I would also mention Mateo, he took the time to visit guest and chat to ensure they're having a super holiday and to check in - he was personable and from what I experienced, excellent at his job.
Lastly, the service levels at the Deluxe pool was not just 100% - it was beyond. Doris and Erica looked after us so well, constantly (but not intrusively) checking whether we needed anything. However, I must must mention the absolutely brilliant, Malama - this lady oozes customer service, she is professional, efficient, so warm and welcoming you just can't help but love her. Being on holiday is always a pleasure anyway, but she brings a huge smile to my face each and every time I saw her. What a super star.
We are off to Porto Petro and because the food was so amazing at Andalusia we couldn't help but go through the menus on our return, very sad that the highlighted dishes aren't on there so we're slightly disappointed), however, we really hope that Porto Petro can bring it as highly as Ikos Andalusia 🙏.
Thank you so much team.