Ikos with little ones
Ikos is a brand rather than a single place. It's a group of eight premium all-inclusive resorts across Greece and Spain, where the all-inclusive board covers several à la carte restaurants rather than one buffet. For families with little ones there's a paid crèche from six months, a free kids club from four, and gardens, pools and beaches across six locations around the Mediterranean.
On this page
A family verdict at a glance
The quick read before the detail: who Ikos suits, whether it's worth it and what to nail down before you book.
Best for
A proper rest at a premium resort, with childcare on hand, easy dining and an unhurried pool-and-beach day, if the budget is comfortable.
Maybe not for
A tight budget, or a baby who will get much the same from a good family hotel for far less.
Best ages
Any age for the pools and the beach. The free kids club starts at four, so the holiday gives the child more from then on.
Best resorts
Aria on Kos as the easiest all-rounder, Dassia or Odisia on Corfu for a flat base, Porto Petro on Mallorca for the shortest flight from the UK.
Why families pick it
The food, a crèche run to UK nursery ratios, branded drinks, a day's car hire and family beaches, all in one price.
Check before you book
The crèche is an extra, restaurants book up months ahead, terrain varies by resort, and shoulder season costs much less.
Is it worth it with a baby or toddler?
Ikos is a top-of-the-market holiday and priced like one. For a baby who won't remember the trip, you're mostly buying the parents' experience. What you get is a paid crèche from six months, food that suits a fussy toddler, branded drinks, a day's car hire to drive out, and a resort where most other guests have a pushchair too.
Then there's the bill. A peak-summer week for a family runs to several thousand pounds, several times a standard all-inclusive on the same island, and the crèche is an extra on top. If the budget is comfortable, few family holidays are this restful with a baby. If the money would be a stretch, a good Greek family hotel gives a one-year-old almost everything Ikos does for far less, and Ikos gives more once children are old enough to use the free kids club and remember the holiday. The shoulder months bring the price down a long way for the same weather.
A quick gut checkIs Ikos right for your family?
Worth comparing if
You want a premium resort holiday with little to plan, childcare on hand and easy dining, and the budget is comfortable.
Weigh it up if
Money is tight, or your child is so young that a cheaper family hotel would give them the same paddling pool and sand.
To sort out before booking
Which resort suits your child's age and your nearest airport, the crèche cost and booking, restaurant reservations, and the season.
The facts and the eight resorts
The quick facts to skim first, and the eight resorts compared for families with young children.
Quick facts for UK families
The eight resorts
The resorts share the same all-inclusive model and the same kids' clubs, so the differences that matter for little ones are the terrain (flat for a buggy or hilly), the beach (sand or shingle), the transfer time, and how new the resort is. Six of the eight are in Greece and two in Spain; the map at the top shows where each one sits. For a baby or toddler the Greek island resorts with flat ground and a short transfer tend to be the easiest, and the table below is sorted with the easiest of those first.
| Resort | Where | In short | Good for young children |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ikos Aria | Kos, Greece | Flat, with a long sandy Blue Flag beach, a 15-minute transfer and fresh baby purées. | The best all-round pick for babies and toddlers |
| Ikos Dassia | Corfu, Greece | Around seven pools and a 20-minute transfer, and among the most praised for its kids club, though it has some slope and a shingle beach. | Families wanting a strong kids club |
| Ikos Odisia | Corfu, Greece | The newest Corfu resort, very flat and spread out for buggies, ten pools. The beach is pebbly in places, so check it. | Buggies and a quieter resort |
| Ikos Olivia | Halkidiki, Greece | The flattest Halkidiki resort, with a splash pad, garden bungalows and a calm beach, and one of the two original 2015 resorts. | The very youngest, on flat ground |
| Ikos Oceania | Halkidiki, Greece | Strong food and childcare, but built on a hill and showing its age, with a road to cross to the beach. | Older toddlers more than prams |
| Ikos Kissamos | Crete, Greece | Brand new for 2026, with three children's pools on a quiet bay. Fly to Chania, not Heraklion. Few reviews yet. | Early adopters, once reviews settle |
| Ikos Andalusia | Costa del Sol, Spain | Flat, with the most restaurants of any Ikos and four-bedroom family villas, near Marbella and Estepona. | Flat ground and the most restaurants |
| Ikos Porto Petro | Mallorca, Spain | The shortest UK flight of any Ikos and a later season, but properly hilly, with small coves rather than a long beach. | A short flight, if you can manage hills |
What's included, and where to stay
What the price covers, how the break changes as children grow, and which resort suits little ones.
What's included, and what isn't
The "Infinite Lifestyle" board covers a lot: all your meals across the à la carte restaurants and not just a buffet, branded spirits and a proper wine list, a stocked minibar, room service, the sports and the spa facilities, evening shows, a day's local car hire, the "Dine Out" meals at chosen restaurants off-site, and the Heroes Kids Club for ages 4 to 12. For a family that means very few extra bills at the end of the week.
The part to be clear-eyed about is childcare for the youngest. The Heroes Crèche takes children from six months and runs to UK nursery ratios, but it's charged per session, and a week of daily sessions adds a real sum to the bill. It fills up in summer, so book it early and budget for it. Babysitting, the evening supper club for over-fours, spa treatments and pram hire are all extra too.
Ikos by age and stage
Babies
The pools and shallow beaches suit them, feeding is easy with à la carte restaurants, and the crèche takes them from six months. Pick a flat resort.
Toddlers
Splash pads, shallow pools and sand fill the days. The crèche covers them by the session; the free kids club does not start yet, so one of you is alongside them otherwise.
Preschoolers
From four they can use the free Heroes Kids Club, so the child gets something from the holiday too, not just the parents.
Young children
Kids club, pools, sports, the beach and a full run of restaurants make this the age it suits best.
Where to stay with young children
For a first trip with a baby or toddler, the flat Greek island resorts with a short transfer are the easiest. Ikos Aria on Kos has level ground, a long sandy beach that shelves gently, a 15-minute drive from the airport and baby purées on request. Ikos Dassia on Corfu is among the most praised for its kids club and pools, though it has some slope and a shingle beach; Ikos Odisia next door is newer, the flattest layout in the group and quieter, with a pebbly beach to check. In Halkidiki, Ikos Olivia is the flat, calm choice with garden bungalows.
For Spain, Ikos Andalusia on the Costa del Sol has flat ground, the most restaurants in the group and four-bedroom family villas, near Marbella and Estepona if you want to venture out. Ikos Porto Petro on Mallorca is the shortest flight from the UK and stays open later into the autumn, but it is properly hilly, with small coves rather than a long beach. Two to approach with more caution for the very youngest: Ikos Oceania in Halkidiki is built on a hillside with a road to cross to the beach, and Ikos Kissamos on Crete is brand new for 2026, so it is one for early adopters until the reviews settle. Whichever you choose, ask the resort to confirm the cot, the crèche age and the baby food before you book.
The dining, the cost and when to go
The à la carte dining, what an Ikos week really costs, and when to go.
Eating out with children
Rather than one buffet, you move between several restaurants over the week, all with high chairs and children's menus, and the kitchens will make fresh baby food on request; at some resorts they will bring the little one's meal out before yours. Most resorts also include "Dine Out" meals at chosen local restaurants off-site, how many depending on the resort, a change of scene part-way through the week.
Booking is the part to plan. The à la carte restaurants are reserved through the Ikos app, which opens months before you travel, and the most popular tables go quickly in peak season. How much you can lock in ahead depends on your room: standard rooms can pre-book three dinners before arrival, while Deluxe Collection guests can book every night, so on a standard booking expect to sort the rest on the app once you are there. Reserve what you can the moment the window opens, and with a small child aim for an early sitting before they get overtired.
The money questionWhat it costs, plainly
Ikos is expensive however you book it, and there's no budget version. A peak-summer week for a family runs to many thousands of pounds, several times what a standard all-inclusive on the same island would cost, and that is before the crèche if you use it.
When you go makes the biggest difference to the price. The shoulder months cost a great deal less than July and August for the same, or better, weather on the Greek islands, and the resorts are quieter with it. Booking direct with Ikos often includes a first child under 11 free and free transfers on stays of five nights or more, both worth factoring in. Get a live quote before you commit, as prices move all the time.
When to goWeather and when to go
The Greek resorts open roughly from May to October. Late May to mid-June and early September are the best windows for families: warm rather than fierce, calmer and cheaper than high summer, and the sea is at its warmest in September. July and August are the hottest and busiest, with the most planning needed and the highest prices. The two Spanish resorts, on the Costa del Sol and Mallorca, run a little later into the autumn and can make an October half-term work when the Greek islands have closed for the winter.
Whenever you go in summer, keep the beach and pool to the cooler mornings and late afternoons, with the hot middle of the day for shade and a nap.
A real week and the admin
What a week actually looks like, the health and admin, and a list to pack against.
A realistic week with little ones
Land, transfer (short to the Corfu and Kos resorts, longer to Halkidiki, around 45 minutes in Spain) and settle in. You will have booked the restaurants and any crèche sessions before you came.
Breakfast, the pool or the beach in the cool of the morning, a shaded nap, then the splash pool and a gentle swim in the late afternoon, with little to organise from one day to the next.
A crèche session for the baby, or the free 4-to-12 kids club for an older one, buys a couple of hours by the adults pool or the spa. Budget for the crèche, it is not included.
A different restaurant most nights, with high chairs and baby food, eaten early before an overtired toddler turns. One night, an included Dine Out meal at a local restaurant.
A late, slow morning, the day's hire car for a last potter to a nearby beach or town, then the short transfer back.
Book the restaurants and any crèche sessions before you travel, and the rest of the week needs little planning from one day to the next.
The practical adminHealth and admin
These are managed resorts, so day to day there is little to arrange beyond the sun. The Mediterranean UV is strong in summer: dress babies and toddlers in UV swimwear and a hat, keep to the shade in the middle of the day, and reapply a high-factor sunscreen. In the pools, keep one adult close to a small child at all times; the toddler areas are shallow.
For Greece and Spain, carry a GHIC or EHIC card for state healthcare alongside travel insurance, and check passport validity and any current entry rules before you fly. Most resorts have a doctor on call, and the Greek islands and the Spanish coast all have hospitals within reach, but a remote Greek island is further from a big hospital than the mainland, so don't travel without insurance. Take enough of any regular medicine for the whole trip.
Before you payBooking checklist
- Pick the resort by your child's age, your nearest airport and the terrain: Aria, Odisia, Olivia and Andalusia are the flattest; Dassia, Oceania and Porto Petro have slopes.
- Budget for the Heroes Crèche if you want childcare for a child too young for the kids club; it is an extra, not included.
- Confirm the crèche takes your child (it runs from six months) and book sessions as soon as you can.
- Book your restaurant reservations the moment the app window opens, months before you travel; on a standard room you can pre-book only three dinners in advance.
- Go in late May, June or September for far better value and milder weather.
- Book direct to pick up a first-child-free offer and free transfers on five nights or more.
- Confirm a cot, high chair and baby food with the resort before booking.
- Pack for strong sun: UV swimwear, hats, high-factor sunscreen.
- Carry a GHIC or EHIC card plus travel insurance, and check passports and entry rules.
- Check the beach type at your chosen resort if sand matters (some are shingle or cove).
Questions, links and the last word
The things families ask most, the official pages worth a bookmark and when this guide was last refreshed.
Common parent questions
What is Ikos, and how is it different from a normal all-inclusive?
Ikos is a group of premium all-inclusive resorts in Greece and Spain. Its "Infinite Lifestyle" board covers more than the usual all-inclusive: you eat in several à la carte restaurants with no surcharge, the drinks are branded rather than basic house spirits, the minibar is included, there is a day of local car hire, and a "Dine Out" scheme for eating at chosen local restaurants on the package.
Is it worth it with a baby or toddler?
It depends what you are buying. For a baby who will not remember it, you are paying a lot for a trip they will not recall, though the crèche from six months and the easier mealtimes do buy the parents a real rest. If you can afford it without strain, it is hard to beat. If the budget is a stretch, a one-year-old gets much the same from a good Greek family hotel for far less.
Is the kids club really free?
Partly. The Heroes Kids Club for ages 4 to 12 is included, and so is the teen club. The Heroes Crèche for younger children is not: it takes them from six months, but it is charged per session and books up fast in summer. So if you want childcare for a baby or a two-year-old, budget for it as an extra and book it as soon as you can.
Which resort is best for a baby or toddler?
Ikos Aria on Kos is the easiest for the youngest: flat, a long sandy beach with a gentle slope, and a 15-minute transfer. On Corfu, Dassia is well rated for its kids club and Odisia next door is the flattest in the group. In Spain, Andalusia is flat with the most restaurants, and Porto Petro on Mallorca is the shortest flight but hilly. Oceania, on a Halkidiki hillside with a road to the beach, is the hardest with a pram.
What is the food like for small children?
All the restaurants have high chairs and children's menus, and most will prepare fresh baby food on request. The à la carte tables go fast, so reserve on the app as early as you can, or you will end up at the buffet more than you planned.
How much does it cost?
Ikos sits at the top of the family market and there is no budget version. A peak-summer week runs into many thousands of pounds, several times a standard all-inclusive nearby. The shoulder months bring that down a long way for the same or better weather. Booking direct often adds a first child (under 11) free and free transfers on stays of five nights or more. Add the crèche if you will use it, and get a live quote, as prices move constantly.
When should we go?
The Greek resorts run roughly May to October. The shoulder months give the best mix of warm weather, calmer crowds and lower prices, and the sea is warmest in September. July and August are hottest and busiest, with everything booked further ahead. The two Spanish resorts, on the Costa del Sol and Mallorca, stay open a little later and can work for October half-term when the Greek islands have wound down.
How do we get there from the UK?
Each Ikos region has direct UK flights: Corfu, Kos, Thessaloniki (for Halkidiki), Málaga (for the Costa del Sol) and Palma (for Mallorca) are all well served, with Chania (for Crete) more seasonal. Transfers are short to the Corfu and Kos resorts at around 15 to 25 minutes, longer to the Halkidiki ones at 30 to 60, and 45 to 60 minutes in Spain. Book direct for five nights or more and the transfer is usually included.
See more Ikos photos
Open the photo gallery →Useful links
- Ikos Resorts: the resorts, the all-inclusive detail and booking.
- Ikos kids and teens: the crèche, kids' club and teen club, ages and the latest prices.
- GHIC card: free EU state-healthcare cover to carry alongside insurance.
- FCDO travel advice: entry rules and safety for Greece and Spain before you fly.
Last updated 18 June 2026.
