The Grecotel Olympia Riviera Resort is a few hours’ drive from Athens on the Peloponnese peninsula, a region of the Greek mainland with one of the world’s greatest concentrations of awe-inspiring heritage sites and picture-perfect beaches.
It was this time of the year, again, to tell myself “Morpheus, you have earned yourself a spa break after all this hard work.” As I was into some serious relaxation, I chose one of the Mediterranean’s most sophisticated wellness sanctuaries, the Grecotel Olympia Riviera Resort in Greece. I couldn’t have picked a better place, as I enjoyed not just a great spa experience but also mouth-watering food and a sensational beach, not to mention the pampering by a most enthusiastic staff.
The Grecotel Olympia Riviera Resort is a few hours’ drive from Athens on the Peloponnese peninsula, a region of the Greek mainland with one of the world’s greatest concentrations of awe-inspiring heritage sites and picture-perfect beaches. Located about half an hour from Ancient Olympia, the complex is overlooking the gorgeous beach at Kyllini. It comprises three hotels covering the full spectrum of holiday experiences ranging from relaxed all-inclusive family vacations to highly exclusive romantic escapes.
The resort’s centrepiece – and the main reason for my visit – is the majestic Elixir Thalassotherapy Centre styled after the nearby ancient temples of Olympia and Apollo Epicurius. This is one of Europe’s largest hotel spas occupying an area of 4,500 square metres and counting a total of 26 treatment rooms. Architectural details such as porticos, tall Doric columns, pediments and a rotunda gave me the feeling that I was entering an antique temple of wellbeing.
So there I was, standing at the spa’s reception and faced with a difficult dilemma: Should I commit my precious holiday time to some western therapies or should I pick the age-old healing rituals of Ayurveda instead? You see, the Elixir is one of only a few spas to have two distinct crews, each one offering a separate set of treatments. There are the Greek therapists handling the spa’s signature wet and dry treatments and there is the Indian crew, ladies and gentlemen in traditional dresses ready to introduce me to a set of cures developed and refined over thousands of years.
After browsing through the menus of both eastern and western therapies, I needed time to think, so I first opted for a thalassotherapy in the grand indoor pool. Based on the healing and rejuvenating traits of seawater, the pool comfortably heated at 29 degrees Celsius comprises about a dozen pressure points, water cannons, bubble seats and water jets massaging every muscle from tip to toe.
As I emerged totally relaxed from the water, I realised that the thalassotherapy is a complete spa treatment in itself, with many guests opting for a multi-day thalassotherapy package. But I wanted more.
And I wanted it all.
So I predictably decided to sample the best of both worlds and booked both oriental and western treatments.
I first started with Ayurveda, literally meaning “science of life”, and after a consultation with Dr. Vijai Kumar I picked Shirodara, a treatment well known as the ultimate stress reliever. It starts with a massage and culminates with the ceremonial pouring of warm oil on the forehead.
What a bliss! What an incredible sensation of oil running over my face and washing away all my worries, anxieties and bad energy! My dear readers, you wouldn’t believe how the Shirodara made me feel great and positive. You should definitely experience this feeling of total relaxation at least once.
Needless to say that I slept like a baby that night.
The next morning I was ready for more wellness. Valentia Patistea, the spa manager, warmly recommended a couple of Greek treatments. I heeded her advice and went for it.
First, I sampled a seaweed wrap. My whole body was wrapped in warm, mineral-rich seaweed, allowing my muscles to detoxify and get rid of any remaining trace of fatigue.
Thoroughly marinated I then proceeded with the Olympia Massage, one of the spa’s signature treatments inspired by ancient Greece. My body underwent an hour’s worth of a drainage massage and aromatherapy combined with head and face massage and reflexology on my feet, hands and even my ears.
Wow, that was invigorating! Each part of me felt like it got the maximum of pampering and attention and I felt truly rewarded for having chosen this therapy.
I kept the sweetest and most sensual treat for the last day of my stay. Aptly named “Hot Chocolate”, this treatment for two is based on the soothing and at the same time stimulating properties of cocoa. We felt like human fondue as our bodies were covered with melted chocolate. After rinsing away all this dark sweetness, we enjoyed – and I quote the spa menu – “a final application of a luscious kissable, silky smooth choco-perfumed lotion formulated for ultimate body moisturizing.”
Well, this therapy left our skin soft like a baby’s butt and us feeling fully satisfied with our spa break.
However, this is just half the story I wanted to share with my dear readers…
Amazing beach, splendid food!
There’s much, much more to the Grecotel Olympia Riviera Resort than just a great spa. This is a place offering all the trappings of a world-class holiday destination, nevertheless, it stands out for two particular features.
The first is the beach. Think of all clichés that spring to mind when somebody would ask you about your dream beach: The fine soft sand both at land and on the seabed, the ideal water and air temperature, the absence of annoying winds, the luxury of comfortable sun loungers and friendly staff serving refreshments and cocktails. This is exactly what you get at this picture-perfect beach with its sand dunes gently sloping into the water. There’s not a hint of crowding here; with a length of 2.5 kilometres you have all the space you need for basking in the sun, jogging along the waterline or playing with your kids at this particularly safe beach.
The other feature that took me by surprise was the food. We spent our first days eating at the resort’s main restaurant featuring a very generous buffet. At some point we booked a table at the fine-dining Cap Voyage, located on top of a cliff overlooking the resort’s beach and the wide open sea.
That was quite a revelation!
We expected the familiar modern take on French-inspired Mediterranean cuisine, not too exciting, not too daring. Well, I should have known better, as the hotels of the Grecotel chain have surprised me again and again with great food. But this one topped it all!
Our dinner at the Cap Voyage was one of those rare occasions, where every aspect of the meal was simply perfect. Even the bread was not just the usual stuff. We were offered a variety of freshly baked goodies accompanied by a plate covered in butter and dotted with pieces of butternut squash, sprinkles of parsley-scented olive oil, caper berries and pink beetroot-flavoured salt.
We went for the seafood and were overwhelmed by a potpourri of creative and perfectly executed dishes. Among the highlights was the delicate sea bass carpaccio harmoniously contrasting the citrus jelly, beetroot pearls, lime and honey vinaigrette; the sautéed lobster in the good company of a pumpkin purée flavoured with black truffles and a seafood sauce with a hint of fresh basil; and the sea bream fillet stuffed with tender marrow and basil wrapped in a thin slice of Scottish smoked salmon. When we arrived at the white grouper ragout with seasonal vegetables, fresh tarragon and lime, we had to ask for a refill of the bread basket, as we couldn’t help ourselves but soak up even the last drop of the to-die-for sauce.
We were curious to meet the creative force behind this brilliant cuisine and so we had a chat with the hotel’s executive chef Ilias Kakouris. Who would have thought that this virtuoso chef first started cooking for the Greek military? He went on to study and practise his cooking skills both in Greece and abroad and has now established himself as one of the leading ambassadors of modern Greek cuisine.
The people
This review of the Grecotel Olympia Riviera Resort would not have been complete without acknowledging the amazing people working here. I have stayed at many hotels offering great service but nothing matched what we encountered in Kyllini. As a matter of fact, the staff is the resort’s biggest asset, as they surprised us again and again with their sheer enthusiasm throughout our stay. True to Grecotel’s trademark service culture, each staff member seemed to truly enjoy offering us the best possible service.
Kudos to the leadership of General Manager Michalis Minadakis for instilling such a spirit to his team!
The resort
During my stay I sampled two of the resort’s hotels, namely the Olympia Riviera Thalasso and the Mandola Rosa. The former is a five-star family-friendly hotel with extensive gardens and several pools offering grand vistas of the beach and the sea. Rooms and suites come in several layouts to accommodate couples and families of all sizes.
The hotel’s main dining venue is the buffet restaurant, offering a wealth of food options matching every preference and dietary requirement and also boasting a dedicated section for kids. Oddly enough, the buffet’s dominating feature – be it at breakfast, lunch or dinner – are the opulent fresh fruit presentations, which prove to be very popular with the hotel’s international clientele.
Children are particularly well catered for. In addition to the glorious beach and the dedicated buffet at the restaurant, they can also attend the resort’s kids club offering a variety of daily activities.
Guests seeking romance and utmost sophistication should opt for the more exclusive and upscale Mandola Rosa, styled as an über-chic stately mansion overlooking the sea. Staying at this long-time member of the Leading Hotels of the World feels more like visiting your affluent, stylish and generous cousin’s beach house than residing at a hotel.
One of the most fondly remembered highlights of our stay was the breakfast we had on Mandola Rosa’s terrace with the lavish buffet, the most attentive service and the eye-watering views of the gorgeous manicured gardens and the sea.
Well-heeled guests wanting to go all the way may pick one of the luxury pool villas with up to three bedrooms, offering butler service, lots of indoor and outdoor space, private barbecues, direct access to the beach and beach cabanas reserved for exclusive use. The Royal Pavilion also boasts an indoor pool.
A major draw of the resort is the well-equipped conference centre accommodating meetings of all sizes as well as the numerous leisure offerings ranging from well-equipped gyms, watersports and tennis to horseback and bicycle rides among the lush vegetation surrounding the complex.
Epilogue
Who is this resort for?
It definitely is for families as it offers both kids and parents all ingredients for a pleasurable and carefree vacation. It is also very popular with convention-goers from all over the world and certainly with people seeking a great spa experience. Visitors wanting to explore the beaches and historic treasures of the Peloponnese will greatly appreciate the resort’s convenient location.
Mandola Rosa, in particular, is most fitting for lovebirds seeking discretion and great service, as is the case with tycoons and publicity-shy celebrities frequenting the resort’s multi-bedroom villas with their families and entourage.
Operating seasonally from April till October, the Grecotel Olympia Riviera Resort is a 50:50 joint venture of the German travel giant TUI and the Daskalantonakis Family.
http://www.grecotel.com/peloponnese/olympia-riviera-resort/
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