Which Ikos Resort Is Best For Young Families?

My husband, myself and mini me have travelled to two Ikos locations within the space of a year. Ikos Porto Petro and Ikos Andalusia. Both are in Spain. One in Mallorca and the other in Marbella. We went in September 2025 and May this year.

They are not cheap holidays by any means. Think fine-dining all inclusive luxury, beautiful accommodation (more so at Porto Petro) and lots of perks. Super family friendly with baby clubs – which we wish we had taken advantage of!
They do have quite a few Ikos hotels, mostly in Greece. Which I’d love to travel to some day.

With Porto Petro, we paid for Deluxe and the difference really does show compared to paying for the ‘traditional’ hotel room package, which is what we did with Andalusia.

I have very high standards and Porto Petro was outstanding compared to Andalusia. Perhaps because we opted for Deluxe? Who knows.

I’ll go into detail below of why I preferred Porto Petro out of the two.

It’s worth noting that Andalusia had a different feel, it didn’t have the same level of quality as Porto Petro, however, it had different perks such as there were tons of families to chat to at Andalusia. I found everyone kept to themselves at Porto Petro.

Porto Petro.

Back in September last year, our baby was just three months old. We were picked up from the airport and taken to the hotel as a ‘perk’ from our Deluxe package – a very nice perk when you have been traveling for hours with a baby. So, it certainly took the stress away.

I had contacted Ikos beforehand to arrange transport and to make sure there was a baby seat in the car, however, we decided to use our own car seat as our daughter was still so young and I felt more comfortable using ours than theirs.

When we arrived at Porto Petro, the staff went above and beyond. They upgraded our package to a ‘beach view’ room unexpectedly. The room was INCREDIBLE. So much space! Little details like champagne, fruit and chocolates left out. As well as this gorgeous straw beach bag to use on holiday and take home afterwards.

Besides how modern and luxurious the room felt. Ikos’ services were really great.

A perk that you get with Deluxe is a concierge service.
I gave a staff member my phone number, so they handled all my requests for baby bits, meal reservations and anything else I needed. They were brilliant and so helpful.

You could also hire out the Tesla for the day and explore Mallorca.

You had Deluxe restaurants exclusive for the guests as well.

Also the spa and gym are really luxurious! That’s not just for Deluxe guests, it’s for everyone. Although my husband and I got free massages on the Deluxe package! Which was a nice touch.

Anywho, what made Porto Petro so desirable was the location and the beach alongside our hotel. It was so beautiful to look at every day. Turquoise waters glistering in the September sun. Lounging around sipping mocktails with a newborn, I couldn’t think of a better way to spend my early postpartum days to be honest!

The food was INSANELY good too. Everything was cooked to perfection. I didn’t have a bad meal the entire time I was there. Even room service was amazing.

I natter on about my whole experience of Porto Petro in detail here if you’re interested.

Moving on to Andalusia.

Because we didn’t opt for Deluxe this time round we arranged to drive to the hotel, which was possibly the worst idea. It took so long to get a car from the airport and there was tons of confusion because they wouldn’t take Apple Pay, so luckily I had my debit card with me as Joe hadn’t brought his bank cards! However, the bank card needed his name on. Ah, all a bit of a mess, but we managed to sort it out! We borrowed a car-seat from the car company too for an additional cost.

The good side was traveling at our own pace and stopping when we needed to for feeds, nappy changes and so forth, but we arrived quite late at the hotel.

The staff were so friendly on arrival – same feel as Porto Petro, however, I felt like they put us in one of the not-so-nice rooms – the worst sea view, the noise levels (as we were under a bar), the room itself was dated, the shower was not powerful at all, and our electricity went! So, we asked to be moved after one night in there. You’re paying SO much money for the ‘Ikos’ experience and in my opinion, it was pretty shocking compared to the Porto Petro Deluxe room we had.

The room we got moved to, wasn’t loads better, but it did have a lot more space and it was away from the noise. We didn’t really get our ‘sea view’ that we paid for, as we were so far away from the sea.

There was also some work being done at the beach, so it was un-usable which was a real shame. I felt like the hotel should have warned the guests about the beach being out of bounds too. I felt disappointed because Porto Petro’s beach was stunning in comparison and we used it almost every day.

Ok less moaning lol. The hotel itself was really beautiful as you can see from the photo’s. It was really lovely to walk around!

And don’t get me wrong, we had an enjoyable time. It just didn’t live up to my expectations of the same experience we had at Porto Petro. Then again traveling with a 3 month old vs a 11 month old was a completely different experience!

At 3 months old, Alessia would lay still and be so happy and chill to watch us get ready and eat dinner. At 11 months old, Alessia was on the move and couldn’t sit still, and we had to be extra careful and watch out for potential bump incidents. Especially near those blooming metal sun-beds.

I do have some good things to say about the hotel I promise, ha. The staff in the restaurants were AMAZING. They had a dedicated baby/toddler menu to choose from. Our daughter was 11 months old and we were so scared of any choking risks, so we stuck to what we knew worked. The staff would make anything on request to!

As most of you know, I am a big foodie. I’m big on nutrition. I’m big on delicious healthy dining. I’m big on flavors. Porto Petro’s food was outstanding, from their breakfasts to the lunches and dinners. Andalusia was a bit hit and miss. Some of the restaurants were incredible and some weren’t at the same level of amazing fine-dining, which was a real shame. The Greek and French restaurants were so good though!

I just think when you are paying thousands for a Ikos holiday. Everything needs to be exceptional. That’s not to say some of it wasn’t. It was just not on par with Porto Petro. Because every single meal we had there was a 10/10.

Am I being a bit harsh with the Marbella hotel. Possibly? But like I mentioned earlier, the Ikos experience is not a “cheap and cheerful” kind of holiday. You’re forking out a lot of money to stay at one of these resorts.

I just don’t think it compares to the Mallorca hotel. I really don’t like being a moaning Myrtle, however, it’s classed as one of the best Ikos resorts for families, so I had high hopes and expectations.

At Ikos Andalusia, the spa, facials and gym were fantastic. I only used the areas once or twice while there. But if I had brought an additional family member with to help out with looking after Alessia, I most likely would have used these areas more. Me and my husband had to take turns using them!

The beach walk near by Andalusia was lovely may I add. They didn’t have construction works all the way down, just outside our hotel, so we managed to walk a fair bit. It was SO hot, so the snooze shade came in handy!

If you’re looking for a peaceful, beautiful location and the Ikos resort that has it all. I would say the Mallorca one is the one to favor.

If you’re looking to meet lots of other families, I would say Marbella might be the one for you, but expect less quality in terms of food and the rooms.

I will say, the Deluxe package is so worth it. I really wish we had gone for Deluxe at Marbella and perhaps the stay would have been more special.

So, Porto Petro or Andalusia? It’s entirely up to you! My preference of the two is of course has to be Porto Petro. And opting for Deluxe to make your holiday super special.

Everyone’s experiences and expectations are completely different. So all depends on taste! I just know I have very high standards after staying at Porto Petro with the Deluxe package and after having being spoilt with all the amazing perks the package included.

Have you ever been to an Ikos hotel? What are your thoughts? Or would you recommend another luxury family holiday to go to?