Plenty of space to sprawl

We stayed in a Family Room during our trip, but also made sure to tour lots of the other options. What they all had in common? They are ridiculously spacious, and strikingly slick. I’m talking opening your curtains at the touch of a button, super smart coffee machines and minimalist marble bathrooms. No corner has been cut, and it’s  *truly* impossible to be allocated a dud. We especially loved the huge mirrors everywhere, XL beds and premium toiletries

While there are no private pools, there are swim up room options. If your budget can stretch this far, the setup was really quite clever. With lifeguard supervision, floating sunbeds, a shallow ledge for tiny travellers & pool bar a few strokes away, they’re some of the best pool rooms we’ve seen

 For a detailed breakdown of all room categories & occupancies, check out the ‘Favourite room’ section here

Keeping the kids busy

Let’s get one thing clear, the Kids Club at XO Cape Arnna is a work of creative genius. It left us (and our little ones) in awe – as if Chat GPT had constructed ‘the world’s best Kids Club’. To list just a few zones – there’s a disco ball-bedecked pop princess ‘Beauty Matrix’ salon, a ‘STEM Robitics lab’, Secret Spy Training laser zone, Playstation den, Junior Chef kitchens,  huge castle playground, ‘Wonder Valley’ colouring, crafting & slide area, ‘Vlog Lab’ and more (wow)

We were blown away (who wouldn’t be?) and were equally impressed by it’s opening hours. It welcomes children 7 days a week, until 11pm, hosting mini discos, magicians and jugglers to provide evening entertainment. The staff were absolutely faultless, and what’s better, parents are welcome to stay and play if you’re little ones tend to be on the shy side

Unlike lots of other Kids Clubs, Lumi’s World worked on a drop in basis for those 5+ and didn’t require reservation, even for supervised childcare  (which really ticked our boxes!). Got younger tiny travellers? We will break it down below…

For under 5s: We want to be really clear – at the moment, XO Cape Arnna provides no childcare at all for under 5s (and with a few other factors we will get to later, we don’t think it’s your best bet if travelling with a really tiny tot).  Though all ages (from newsborn to 5) will love playing with mum and dad in the pretty pastel ‘we care’ room best, with a big ball pit, slide, climbing wall, toy library & Duplo table. You’ll have no problem at all passing a few hours here, and there’s a splash pad outside as well

For 5-10s: In our opinion, XO Cape Arnna really comes into it’s own when talking about kids age 5 and above. We’d maybe even say it’s continent leading when it comes to school-age entertainment. As well as having free run of the kids club, the sprawling castle playground is perfect for this age group, with daring rope bridges, sky-high towers and giant slides. The same can be said for the tropical-themed kids waterpark. With twirly, covered, and open air slides to pick from, again this is reserved for tiny travellers 5+ (though in a stroke of genius, it is right next to the tots splashpad if you’re travelling with siblings that span both age brackets)

For tweens and teens: Now it’s been a while since we were teens, but we can’t imagine hotels come much better equipped for the nearly-adults amongst us. While the kids club will have little to no appeal (lets be honest), they’re treated to their own hang out zone with games consoles and bean bags, as well as some pretty adrenaline inducing waterslides (or should that be anxiety?). Then there’s beach volleyball, padel, football, tennis, and even a giant trapeze! Or if you’re feeling generous, watersports are available at an extra cost. Perhaps most of all, we’d wager they’ll love their new found freedom to explore – as XO Cape Arnna hits a real sweet spot between being not too big, but not too small

Dining around the world

Trust us when we say – we did our research (in other words, we ate a lot!). For a full rundown of all the different dining destinations across the resort, take a peak at the FAQs here. In terms of our general thoughts and feelings…

The standard was pretty high across the board, but not quite at ‘foodie hotspot’ levels yet (we’re looking at you, Daios Cove). The kids options reliably went down a storm, and we loved the variety of a la carte cuisines on offer. These spanned Greek, Italian, Spanish and beyond – the number of complimentary visits included depends on your length of stay, whilst any additional trips are at an extra cost (and there are a handful of a la cartes which always operate on a charged basis)

For more ‘niche’ allergies, we wouldn’t recommend it at the moment (just due to the language barrier) but there was a great offering across vegetarian, vegan & gluten free bits (all of which were very clearly labelled)

In short – it was really good, but not quite ‘outstanding’. However, we promise you’re not going to go hungry, and we can’t summon up a complaint between us

Clementine Patisserie: Giving the Parisians a run for their money, being able to drop into this chic sweet treat spot felt like the ultimate indulgence. Picture too-pretty-to-eat cakes and pastries in rainbow pastel colours, a wheel spinning liquid chocolate and fancy ice creams dusted with sprinkles. A real treat for the senses! The only downside? The lack of daily eclairs after we left (as buying the same from a London bakery would cost a small fortune!)

Tiny Bites: Simple food, done well, in the most gorgeous of settings. I was a huge fan of the mixed kebab, while Frankie raved about the quesadillas – all washed down with a chilled white wine of course. We unanimously agreed this beachside spot was our favourite. The only slight negative? It’s only open until 5pm. The cherry on the cake is the stretch of lawn in front of the restaurant, as well as the neighbouring beach volleyball court – meaning the kids can have a run around whilst you’re waiting

Kafi: One of the charged a la carte options in the resort,  this was our favourite. On the night we ate out, the vibe did feel a little grown up but it probably wasn’t helped by the weather – we were stuck indoors as it was raining. Usually, there’s a gorgeous terrace overlooking the bay, which we’d expect to feel more relaxed. Though we can’t deny the food was delicious – modern Turkish with a special kids menu

Waterbabies, rejoice!

From the shallow, shaded toddler splash spot to the gently sloping entrances of the larger pools, the hotel has one of the best swim set ups we’ve seen (both in terms of pool quantity, and quality – they’re stunning). While they’re technically ‘temperature regulated’ to 28 degrees, when we visited right at the start of the season (in April) they were on the cool side. Though they obviously weren’t too cold – our kids loved splashing around!

And to address a triggering topic head on – sunbeds! We’re thrilled to report that they are plentiful, comfy, and just as aesthetic as you would expect. There are mountains of fluffy towels all around the pools too, and the lush flowers and plants give a real ‘oasis’ effect

The beach itself has gorgeous clear water (the region is famous for it!) and floating pontoons bob around in the distance – ready for teens to launch themselves off. However it’s worth flagging, the sand is darker then your typical ‘golden stretches’ – though perfectly soft, and sandcastle approved!

To recap as well on the slide situation – there’s a splashpad for tots, Tropical Tower (to be used under parental supervision below 1.4m), and thrilling flumes for 10+ (though we’re not sure we’re brave enough!)