Our stay at Valamar Tamaris was everything prior reviews had us expecting (fun for kids, pretty, good food), save one surprise which slightly soured our experience. We found the front desk service to be unhelpful and at times almost rude, with an all-too-frequent "no" in response to basic requests for things like help booking horseback riding and borrowing a plug adaptor. The restaurant, bar and, in particular, the "animation" / activities staff were very friendly. Also, one other child-unfriendly issue was the fact that there were no self-laundering options; the only option was the expensive item-by-item laundering and when we asked the front desk if they could suggest alternatives in town, unfortunately the answer again was "no." With this service issue resolved, I would agree this is a fantastic place to stay.

Booked 3 days at this hotel. great location above tree lined beach. beach itself not that great, but quite quiet. 2 very large pools - avoid the lower one in the morning if you want peace and quiet, due to the water aeerobics being blasted out of the tannoy. Rooms are spacious and well soundproofed to the level you'd expect from a 4 star and we had a nice sea view (we were in the new bit - not sure if this is the case in the older part of the hotel). beds really comfortable and bathrooms nicley appointed. Staff friendly ,helpful and child-friendly without being over solicitous. Food OK - you have to remember this is a big hotel and the self-service restarant can get busy at times. Also felt that the food was a bit overly -Germanic in orientation - don't go expecting local cuisine. If it's warm anough - eat on the ouside terrace - it's quieter - but at breakfasts watch out for hungry seagulls Other facilities very good - girlfriend had beauty treatments and said very good value and pleasant. Mountain bike hire is free and the equipment is of reasonable quality. Only complaint would be the games room - hot, unventilated, shoddy pool stables, and expensive on the whole.

I would have to agree with the other reviews - we were very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the hotel (and we are very picky). Comfortable, clean, many options (bikes, kayaks, fitness club), well above-average food, and so on. I would only caution that the hotel is not exclusive - it was quite crowded during our stay but unlike other mass-market hotels, this one managed to stay peaceful and quiet. There was never a lack of availability of pool chairs, beach-front space, and so on. There is also a wide variety of activities for kids, such as a staffed kid's center and playground. We enjoyed our stay and would recommend the hotel without hesitation.