White Olive Marine Aquapark
White Olive Marine Aquapark is a large all-inclusive resort on the seafront at Tigaki, on the flat north coast of Kos in the Greek Dodecanese, about 6 km west of Kos Town. For years it traded as the Labranda Marine Aquapark, and a Greek chain, White Olive Hotels, took it over for the 2025 season after a renovation. Families book it for its water: four pools including a proper aquapark with slides for all ages, a wave pool and a shallow toddler pool, at the affordable end of Kos all-inclusive.
On this page
Is it worth it?
The quick read before the detail: who it suits, what the all-inclusive covers and where to set your expectations.
White Olive is an affordable, water-led all-inclusive, and families come for the pools. The Olympus aquapark has slides for older children and three smaller ones for young ones, there's a wave pool and a shallow toddler pool, and reviews are consistently warm about all of it. Set against that, two drawbacks stand out. It sits on its own, with no shops or restaurants within an easy walk, so you're on the resort or in a taxi. The buffet divides opinion too, with families split between plenty of choice and repetitive, sometimes cold food. The all-inclusive covers the basics but the extras add up, from espresso and cocktails after 11pm to the Gelateria, so read it as cheap and cheerful rather than upmarket. It suits families who'll spend their days at the pools and the sandy Tigaki beach nearby, less so anyone who wants to stroll out to a different taverna each evening.
Best for
You want a water-led all-inclusive with a real aquapark, a wave pool and a toddler pool, plus a sandy family beach a short walk away, at an affordable price.
Maybe not for
You want to walk out to shops and tavernas, you expect a smart, upmarket finish and a strong buffet or you'd rather not have extras adding to the bill.
Best ages
Babies upwards. There's a toddler pool and playground for little ones, and the supervised Kids Club and slides suit fours and older.
What stands out
The four pools and the aquapark, the friendly staff and the separate-bedroom family suites, all praised across recent reviews.
What to check
The buffet if you have a weaning baby, cots and any evening childcare, and the pool temperature if you're booking May.
Where is it?
On the seafront at Tigaki on the north coast of Kos, in the Greek Dodecanese, 6 km west of Kos Town.
Quick facts for families
What the resort is like
The setting, the layout, how flat it is and what the isolation means for your days.
This is a large beachfront resort of 338 rooms on Kos's northern coastal plain, a flat stretch of farmland and coast that feels more Dutch than Aegean, with no real inclines anywhere on the grounds. The buildings are low, ground floor and first floor only, so you never need a lift to reach a room, which is a real plus with a pram. The grounds are trim, with lawns, flowers and brick paths, and the pools and aquapark sit centrally, laid out towards the sea. The 2024 renovation refreshed the existing rooms rather than adding or removing any.
The flat terrain makes the resort easy to push a pram around, though some rooms are a long walk from the pools or the restaurant given the site's size, so it's worth asking your operator for a room nearer the centre if that matters. On arrival, staff run luggage to the rooms on the resort's electric golf buggies. Those carts are a staff service only, not something guests drive themselves, so don't plan on one for getting about day to day. There are disabled toilets, wheelchair access and a free car park at the entrance, though one guest with mobility needs in 2026 found the accessible shower provision fell short, so confirm the bathroom set-up directly if that's a concern.
The one real trade-off is the isolation. There are no shops or restaurants within an easy walk: the nearest bar or restaurant is roughly 15 minutes on foot, and the closest supermarket is about 20 minutes on foot or four minutes by car. Taxis are reliable and the hotel hands out trusted driver numbers, but off-resort meals mean planning and a fare each time. For the wider island, its beaches and when to go, see our Kos guide.
From the airportGetting there and transfers
Kos International Airport is 19 km away, roughly a 20-minute drive, and Kos Town is 6 km off. A pre-booked private transfer is the simplest arrival with a pram, luggage and car seats, taking around 19 to 21 minutes and costing roughly €30 to €45, more towards the top of that range in July to September (last checked 2026). A metered taxi from the rank is the other option, though in July and August the queue can run to half an hour or more. There's a shared KTEL coach transfer too, cheaper but slower, around 70 minutes with its multiple drop-offs. A bus stop is about three minutes' walk from the lobby, with buses along the coast to Kos Town for about €8 (last checked 2026).
One thing to sort in advance is a car seat. Greek law requires children under 135 cm and under 12 to use an appropriate restraint in hire cars and pre-booked transfers, and there's no exemption for a hire car, so bring your own seat or book a transfer that provides one. The airport run is short, which makes bringing your own seat easy to manage. Direct flights run from major UK airports, Jet2, TUI, easyJet and Ryanair among them, taking about four to four and a half hours; the charter season runs roughly May to late October, with a few Jet2 routes starting in late April.
Every restaurant and bar
The buffet, the à la carte, the snack bar and every bar, and what's included versus what costs extra.
The heart of the all-inclusive is Nafsika, the main buffet, serving European and Mediterranean food with show cooking at dinner and a different theme corner each evening. Breakfast runs 7am to 10am, with a late sitting to 10.30am, lunch 12.30pm to 2.30pm and dinner 6.30pm to 9.30pm. There's a children's section at the buffet and high chairs on request. Dinner has a smart-casual dress code and swimwear isn't allowed inside. This is the most divided part of the resort in reviews: some families praise the huge selection, others find it repetitive or the food cold at busy times. The opening rush and the 7pm to 8pm peak can feel chaotic, and a later sitting around 8.30pm is calmer.
Elea is the à la carte restaurant, on a sun terrace with a sunset setting, serving Greek and Italian dishes from 7pm to 10.30pm. All-inclusive guests get one meal here per stay, booked through reception, and it's an extra charge after that. The draw is the terrace and the view rather than the menu, which sticks to a handful of mains, pork, chicken or fish, and has no separate children's option, so the buffet is where families with young children will eat most nights and Elea is a grown-up-feeling one-off.
Down by the sea, the BBQ Snack Bar serves all-inclusive pizza, souvlaki, burgers, hot dogs, salads, fruit and pastries through the middle of the day. The pizza is a firm favourite and the queues get long because of it, so time a visit around the busiest spells. The kitchen labels allergens and offers gluten-free, dairy-free and nut-free options, though it isn't an allergen-free kitchen, so flag any severe allergy when you book. One family praised the staff for handling a milk allergy, sorting separate ice creams and lollies.
The bars
Pool Bar Calypso is the main pool bar, with snacks from 11am to 6pm included and drinks from 10am, cocktails, tap beer and soft drinks, with a charge after 11pm. Pool Bar Lotus serves the adults-only pool from 10am to 6pm. The Lobby Bar Pan opens 5pm to 1am, again with a charge after 11pm, for coffee, beer, wine, cocktails and spirits. Separate from the all-inclusive, the Gelateria runs 10am to 6pm as an extra charge throughout, serving ice cream, waffles, fresh juices and milkshakes, and it's the one paid extra families single out as good value.
What's included, and what costs extra
Included: the buffet meals, pool-bar snacks from 11am to 6pm, local beer, wine, cocktails and soft drinks from 10am to 11pm, tea and coffee, ice cream at meal times and one meal at Elea per stay. Extra: espresso coffee, premium and imported spirits, any drinks after 11pm, the Gelateria and bottled water after the first night. Extras are logged through a token system at the bars and restaurants rather than paid on the spot, and a few reviewers find keeping track of it a bit tedious. The water stations around the resort are free to refill from, so a refillable bottle keeps everyone topped up without buying water. The safe, pool towels and beach towels each need a refundable deposit rather than a charge.
The rooms
Every room type with its official size, then the four pools and the beach below.
There are six room types across two families, Superior rooms and Family Suites, all on the ground or first floor. The table below is the full line-up with the official sizes; the guidance after it is which suit a family with a baby or toddler.
| Room | Size | Sleeps | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Superior Garden View | 16–20 m² | 3 | The compact standard room, with a double or twin beds and a garden view. |
| Superior Side Sea View | 16–20 m² | 3 | The same compact room with a side view of the sea. |
| Superior Family Room Garden View | 37–39 m² | 4 | A double or twin beds plus a sofa bed in a lounge area, facing the garden. |
| Superior Family Room Side Sea View | 37–39 m² | 4 | The same family layout with a side sea view. |
| Family Suite Garden View | 45–47 m² | 5 | Two separate rooms, one double and three singles or five singles, facing the garden. |
| Family Suite Side Sea View | 45–47 m² | 5 | The same two-room suite with a side sea view. |
For families, the choice comes down to whether you need a door to close on a napping child. The Superior rooms at 16 to 20 m² sleep three but are compact, and reviewers find them tight for two adults plus baby kit, so they suit a couple or a family with one very young baby who needs no separate space. The Superior Family Rooms at 37 to 39 m² sleep four, with the double or twin beds plus a sofa bed in a lounge area, but that sofa bed sits between the door and the bathroom, so night-time trips to the loo pass right by a sleeping child. The Family Suites at 45 to 47 m² work best if you need a door to close on a napping child: they're two separate rooms, so a baby or toddler can sleep undisturbed, and families consistently praise them for it. Garden and side-sea-view versions differ only in outlook.
Every room has air conditioning, a satellite TV, Wi-Fi, a mini-fridge, a shower, a hairdryer, a safe, tea and coffee making and a balcony or terrace, with daily housekeeping. The safe takes a €10 refundable deposit, so keep a spare €10 coin or note for it. Being all on the ground or first floor, rooms give direct terrace or balcony access without a lift, which suits prams. A handful of reviews mention intermittent maintenance, a drainage smell or a shower fault in a room, and two guests reported cockroaches and were moved quickly; these read as isolated rather than systemic.
Pools and water features
The water is the reason most families book, and there are four pools, open 10am to 6pm and lifeguarded, with free sunbeds and umbrellas; children under ten need an adult with them at the family pools, not just the aquapark. The Olympus Theme Pool is the aquapark: five large slides including a swirl slide and a kamikaze, three medium slides for younger children and a pirate-themed splash area with water-showering mushrooms, water curtains and mini slides. Slide access is governed by height, assessed by the lifeguard rather than posted. The Poseidon Adventure Wave Pool is a large leisure pool of around 1,869 m² that generates waves up to 1.5 m for 15 minutes each hour from 10am to 6pm, and is still the rest of the time; inflatables are allowed. Right next to Olympus, the Children's Pool is 0.40 m deep with two showering mushrooms, the paddling option for toddlers. The Lotus Pool behind the wave pool is adults-only, with under-16s not admitted.
Families in early May found both main pools cold, comfortable from June, so an early-season week means cool water. In peak weeks the sunbed competition is real, with towels down as early as 6am and the shaded umbrella spots gone by 10am, though extra loungers can be found by asking staff. The wave pool runs slightly warmer than the aquapark, per a guest comparing them, which is only relevant in the cooler shoulder months. Pool towels are on a €10 refundable deposit.
The beach
Two beaches matter here, and they're very different. The resort's own sea frontage, reached down steps at the back of the property, is a narrow strip that's rocky, gritty and pebbly, with a rocky sea floor; there are hotel sunbeds and umbrellas on it, but it isn't the soft sand the phrase "direct beach access" might suggest. The real family beach is the wider Tigaki beach, about a 10-minute walk away, roughly 10 km of pale, soft sand with a shallow, gently shelving entry, widely rated one of the safest beaches on Kos for young children, with loungers to hire. It doesn't hold a Blue Flag, only because no operator applied for one on the public sand, which says nothing about the water quality either way.
The one caveat is the wind. Tigaki faces north into the meltemi, the prevailing summer wind that runs May to September: mornings are calm and the wind builds through the afternoon, when the windsurf and kite schools come out. With babies and toddlers the pattern is to take the beach in the morning, roughly 9am to 1pm, and move to the pools in the afternoon. Don't expect flat sea at Tigaki all day in July and August.
Babies and toddlers
The Kids Club, the baby kit, the buffet with a weaning baby and what costs extra.
The supervised Kids Club runs six days a week and is closed on Wednesdays, when there's no animation team. Operators list it for ages four to twelve: arts and crafts, face-painting, mini-bowling, sandcastles, games, a mini disco, shows and tournaments. There's no crèche, so under-fours use the pools, the toddler pool and the playground with a parent rather than a supervised session. There's a teens club as well.
For the youngest, baby cots are free on request and need to be noted on the booking, and there are high chairs in the restaurant. There are changing facilities on site, though nothing described as a dedicated baby-change. On the buffet, high chairs and allergen labelling help, but it's set up mainly for older children and adults, and families with a weaning baby of six to twelve months are split: one with a one-year-old struggled to find suitable food, another with a slightly older toddler had no trouble. You'll usually find soft, plain foods but not purée-ready baby meals, so bring your own jars or purées if your baby is weaning. Neither babysitting nor in-room childcare is listed, so it's worth asking the hotel directly if an evening out matters to you. There's also an outdoor playground on site, and an indoor games room that's payable locally.
On the resortThings to do
Beyond the pools, the animation team runs a daytime programme six days a week, again with nothing on Wednesdays: aqua aerobics and water gym, pool volleyball, waterball, darts, bocce, table tennis, beach volleyball and tournaments. Evenings bring shows, a weekly Greek Night, a BBQ Night, karaoke, live music and an open-air theatre, with a mini disco around 8.30pm before the main entertainment from about 9.30pm. The hotel runs its own team, and opinion on the evening content is mixed, some finding it cheesy or repetitive and others loving it.
For sport there's a tennis court and a basketball court, along with included table tennis, while mini golf and billiards are payable locally. The La Brise Spa has five treatment rooms, massages including argan-oil treatments, a sauna and a beauty salon, all by appointment and charged on top. The fitness centre is on site but dated, and reviewers writing after the 2024 renovation still weren't impressed by it, so treat it as a supplementary option rather than a draw.
The flat land makes cycling practical here, more so than at most resorts. You can hire bikes at or near the hotel, with Nikos Bikes in Tigaki a named family operator, and fit a child seat for the flat ride out to the Alikes salt-lake loop. A separate roadside business next to the hotel rents cars and quad-style buggies, which is a different thing from the resort's staff-only golf carts. There's a car-hire desk on the property too, pricier than hiring in town, one reviewer quoted around €60 a day against roughly €35 off-site (last checked 2026), though it comes with full no-excess insurance, and reception arranges excursions and keeps trusted taxi numbers.
Beyond the resortThe area and days out
Kos Town, 6 km away and a short taxi or bus ride, about €13 to €15 by taxi or roughly €8 by bus (last checked 2026), is the island capital and the best family day out: the Hippocrates plane tree, the Ancient Agora which is open, free and easy to wander with a toddler, the Neratzia Castle reopened in 2025 after earthquake restoration, the Archaeological Museum, harbour restaurants and a flat 13 km coastal cycle lane. Tigaki village, a short drive or about €15 by taxi (last checked 2026), is the nearest place to eat off the resort, with supermarkets, tavernas, bars and bike hire.
For more water, the Lido Waterpark at Mastichari is about 25 minutes west, a large standalone park where under-fours go free; White Olive's own aquapark gives slide access every day of the stay within the price, so the Lido is a bonus day out rather than a substitute. The Alikes salt lake between Tigaki and Marmari is a flat walk or cycle from the resort, a dried white salt pan in summer, with flamingos only in the autumn and spring. The 13 km cycle lane into Kos Town, ridden with a child seat on the flat farm roads, is one of the few places where cycling with a young child is a practical day rather than a novelty.
Further out are longer trips to weigh against a young child's stamina: the Nisyros volcano from Kardamena, about 30 minutes south, best from four up and otherwise a carrier-and-town outing; Paradise Beach in Kefalos bay, about 40 to 50 minutes away, where volcanic gas fizzes up through a very shallow sandy seabed; Kamari bay and Agios Stefanos, the calmest swimming on the island with the little Kastri chapel islet offshore; and full-day jeep safaris taking in the Zia mountain village, with hotel pickup in season.
Loves and gripes
What families come back praising and what frustrates them, how it compares, the best months and the weather.
What families love
- The pools and the aquapark, the most praised feature across every age of review, from the toddler pool to the full slides.
- Friendly, helpful staff, singled out by name in many reviews and praised for handling allergies and requests.
- Spacious, clean and well-kept rooms, with the family suites rated for their separate bedrooms.
- The Gelateria, a paid extra families rate as good value for its ice coffees, milkshakes and waffles.
- The kids' entertainment and mini disco, a hit with children of club age.
- The value, often described as cheap and cheerful, and a pleasant surprise for families expecting budget quality.
Common gripes
- The buffet, the most common complaint, for repetitive menus and cold food at busy times.
- Long queues for the popular snack-bar pizza, with limited throughput when it's busy.
- Sunbed competition in peak weeks, with towels down before dawn; a non-issue outside the school holidays.
- The isolated spot, with no shops or restaurants within an easy walk and taxis adding to the cost.
- The extras adding up, from espresso and cocktails after 11pm to the Gelateria and bottled water.
- Cold pools in early May, and occasional maintenance issues in a room, including a drainage smell, a broken shower and two isolated cockroach reports where guests were moved.
How it compares
Within Kos, White Olive's edge is its aquapark; where it gives ground is childcare for the very youngest. TUI Blue Atlantica Marmari Beach has a crèche for babies from newborn to three with trained staff, which White Olive can't match with its club starting at four, though White Olive has the bigger water play. Akti Beach Club at Kardamena runs a club for babies to four-year-olds and has five children's pools, so it's the stronger choice for under-fours specifically. Blue Lagoon Resort near Kos Town has a waterpark with a lazy river and sits within reach of the town's amenities rather than out on its own. At the top end, Mitsis Selection Blue Domes is five-star with far more pools and restaurants and consistently better-rated food, at a noticeably higher price. The Lido Waterpark near Mastichari has more slides again, but it's a day trip rather than somewhere to stay, so White Olive's own aquapark gives slide access every day of the week within the price. In short, White Olive is the water-led, affordable choice for families with children of slide age; families wanting supervised care for a baby or toddler have better options nearby.
The best monthsWhen to go
The resort is open from 26 April to 3 November. June and September are the easiest months with little ones: warm enough for the pools and the sea at around 22 to 24°C, ahead of the peak crowds and prices, and with the north-coast wind short of its summer peak. July and August are the hottest, busiest and windiest, when air conditioning is essential and the beach is a morning-only affair. May is warm by day but the pools and sea are still cool, and October is a warm, calmer shoulder with a swimmable sea, though the first real rain of the season arrives and evenings need a jumper.
Month by monthWeather
Tigaki sits on the same north coast as Kos Town, so the island's climate table applies. The warm, low-rain window is roughly June to September, with the meltemi the one thing to plan around: mornings are calm and the wind builds after midday. In July and August the midday UV runs high, 9 to 10, so shade from mid-morning to late afternoon, a high-factor sunscreen and a UV suit for a baby all matter.
| Month | Daytime high | Overnight low | Rain | Wet days | Sea temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April | 20° | 13.5° | 35 mm | 7 | 17° |
| May | 24° | 17° | 20 mm | 5 | 20° |
| June | 28° | 21° | 8 mm | 3 | 23° |
| July | 31° | 23° | 2 mm | 3 | 24° |
| August | 31° | 23.5° | 5 mm | 3 | 26° |
| September | 28.5° | 21.5° | 15 mm | 3 | 25° |
| October | 24° | 18° | 60 mm | 6 | 23° |
| November | 20° | 14.5° | 90 mm | 8 | 22° |
Typical monthly averages from weather-station records. Sea temperature is the open-water figure, so a sheltered bay can feel a degree or two warmer. The resort is open from 26 April to 3 November.
Health and practical points
Greece is in the EU, so a UK GHIC, the Global Health Insurance Card that replaced the EHIC, covers medically necessary state healthcare; travel insurance is still worth having. There's no pharmacy on site, the nearest being in Tigaki or Kos Town, and a doctor can be called on request for a charge. Mosquitoes are around, so pack repellent and a plug-in for a baby's room. Greece charges a Climate Crisis Resilience Fee per room per night, paid at check-in by cash or card; in 2025 this was €10 a night for a four-star hotel, so budget for it and check the current rate.
Otherwise the practicalities are easy. Greece uses the euro, so there's no exchange risk from the UK, and the hotel can change currency. Kos is two hours ahead of the UK all year, which nudges a toddler on UK time towards the later Greek dinner hours. Greek is the language, with English widely spoken by staff. There's an on-site minimarket for essentials and a laundry service, both payable locally. UK government advice for Greece is at its standard level with nothing unusual for Kos; check gov.uk before you travel.
How it's ratedThe ratings picture
As of mid-2026 the resort rates solidly rather than exceptionally, and consistently so across the big platforms: around 4 out of 5 on TripAdvisor from more than 3,200 reviews, 8.6 out of 10 on Trip.com and about 4.1 out of 5 on Google from over 1,500. The TripAdvisor breakdown is 1,586 rating it excellent, 950 very good, 427 average, 156 poor and 116 terrible, and it ranks 12th of 31 hotels in Tigaki. Treat those as a rough steer: a well-liked, good-value family resort whose scores are held back most by the buffet, not a five-star finish.
Questions
The things families ask most, the official pages worth a look and when this guide was last updated.
How do we get from the airport with a car seat?
A taxi from the rank won't carry a child seat, so the two reliable options are to bring your own or book a transfer that supplies one. Greek law requires a restraint for under-12s in hire cars and pre-booked transfers. The airport is only 20 minutes away, which keeps your own seat easy to carry through.
Is there a minimum stay?
There's no minimum stay confirmed direct with the hotel. Tour operators usually sell seven nights and some sell shorter breaks, so check the length you want when you book rather than assuming a fixed week.
Can we eat away from the resort easily?
Not on foot. The nearest bar or restaurant is about a 15-minute walk and Tigaki village is a short taxi ride, so if you like wandering out to a different taverna most evenings this spot may frustrate you. The hotel keeps trusted local taxi numbers at reception.
Will the buffet suit a weaning baby?
There are high chairs and the buffet labels allergens, so an older toddler eating what you eat will be fine. For a weaning baby of six to twelve months there's no purée-ready food, and the rooms have only a mini-fridge and no kitchen, so bring your own jars or purées.
Can we get an evening out without the children?
Not easily. Neither babysitting nor in-room childcare is listed, so email or phone the hotel before booking if that matters to you. On site there's an adults-only pool and bar and a lobby bar open to 1am, but you'd need the children settled first.
Are the pools heated?
Heated pools aren't listed, and in practice the temperature tracks the season: cold in early May, comfortable from June. If you're booking May, plan on the beach and the sun as much as the water.
See more White Olive Marine Aquapark photos
Open the White Olive Marine Aquapark photo gallery →Useful links
- White Olive Marine Aquapark: the resort's own site for rooms, the all-inclusive and the facilities.
- GOV.UK Greece travel advice: entry rules and safety updates before you travel.
- Kos with little ones: our guide to the wider island, its beaches and when to go.
Last updated 17 July 2026.
