Mitsis Selection Blue Domes on the Greek island of Kos promises a polished, ultra all inclusive experience on a wide, shingle beach overlooking the Aegean. With multiple pools, 11 restaurants, six bars and a packed entertainment schedule, it aims to be a self contained world for couples and families who want everything in one place.
At the same time, recent guest feedback highlights crowding, service bottlenecks and some uneven quality that prospective visitors should weigh carefully.
Location and First Impressions
Mitsis Blue Domes sits just outside Kardamena on Kos’s south coast, about a 20 to 25 minute drive from Kos International Airport and roughly 45 minutes from Kos Town. The resort cascades down a hillside toward its own Blue Flag shingle beach, with low hills behind and open sea to the front. The setting feels self contained and somewhat secluded, which is ideal if you want a resort bubble but less convenient if you prefer to wander to nearby tavernas or shops on foot. Kardamena’s bars, restaurants and harborfront are a short taxi ride away rather than an easy stroll.
The overall first impression is striking. Whitewashed low rise buildings, manicured gardens and the resort’s signature “river” of interconnected pools create a dramatic sight as you arrive. The scale is immediately apparent: nearly 500 rooms spread across around 30 blocks, multiple pool zones, and a beachfront lined with loungers and parasols. For many guests, that sense of scale, choice and visual drama is a major part of the appeal.
Check in, however, can set the tone in less positive ways during busy periods. Reviews from recent seasons mention long waits at reception and delays in room availability, sometimes with rooms not ready until well past the stated mid afternoon check in. Staff generally offer access to restaurants and pools while you wait, but if you arrive with tired children after a long travel day, this can feel like a rocky start.
Rooms and Accommodation Types
Accommodation at Mitsis Blue Domes ranges from standard sea view rooms to bungalows, family units, maisonettes and villas with private pools. Many guests choose the resort specifically for these options, especially the bungalow and family layouts that give more space and a sense of semi privacy within a large complex. Rooms follow a clean, contemporary Mediterranean style with tiled floors, neutral tones and blue accents, and most include terraces or balconies, air conditioning, minibars and tea or coffee making facilities.
Higher category units are a strong point. Bungalows with sharing pools or private pools, and family bungalows with garden space or whirlpool tubs, are frequently praised for feeling more exclusive and relaxed. These are popular with returning guests who know the layout and understand which areas of the resort are quieter. If your budget allows, upgrading from a standard room can meaningfully change the feel of your stay, both in terms of space and proximity to the livelier central zones.
That said, not every room experience is consistently five star. Some recent reviews highlight worn furnishings, maintenance issues and bathrooms that feel ready for refurbishment. The resort opened in 2010 and, while public areas are generally well kept and cosmetic updates have taken place, signs of age are inevitable in such a large, hard used property. Noise can also be a factor. Rooms near central pools or main walkways may pick up late night bar sounds or early morning activity, and those close to internal roads can be affected by service vehicles and buggies.
Room allocation matters more here than at many smaller hotels. The difference between a well located bungalow in a quiet cluster and a standard room up a hill or beside a service area can shape your perception of the whole resort. Guests who communicated preferences early or booked specific categories tend to report more satisfaction than those who arrived expecting to negotiate changes on arrival during peak season.
Pools, Beach and On Site Facilities
The pool scene is one of Mitsis Blue Domes’ headline attractions. The main outdoor complex is famously long, formed by eight large linked pools and a number of smaller sharing pools that snake down toward the sea. In addition, there are dozens of private or semi private pools attached to bungalows and villas. Visually and in terms of variety, it delivers: there are quiet corners, activity areas, shallow sections for children and scenic spots with uninterrupted sea views.
In practice, however, the pool experience can feel crowded in high season. Sunbed reservation at dawn is a recurring complaint in guest reviews, and the most desirable areas around the main pools and beachfront fill quickly. The resort advertises ample loungers around pools and on the beach, yet the ratio of guests to premium spots can feel tight when occupancy is high. Some guests also flag maintenance issues, such as chipped pool edges or slippery surfaces, which are worth noting if you are traveling with small children or anyone with mobility concerns.
The beach is a private shingle stretch directly across from the resort, equipped with loungers, parasols and a beach bar. The water is clear and usually calm, but the shoreline is stony rather than soft sand, so water shoes are recommended. A main road runs between the core resort area and the beach, which can surprise first time visitors expecting a purely beachfront footprint. Crossing is straightforward, but the presence of the road slightly breaks the illusion of a completely contiguous seafront property.
Beyond pools and beach, the facilities are extensive. Guests have access to tennis courts, table tennis, water polo, a fitness center within the spa, and a range of water sports through external providers. The spa itself offers an indoor pool, hot tub, massage rooms and beauty treatments. The gym is functional but on the small side for a resort of this size and usually requires advance booking. There is also an open air theater for nightly shows, a games room, small shops and a mini market, making it genuinely possible to spend a week or more on site without needing to venture off property.
Dining, Drinks and All Inclusive Experience
Dining is central to the Blue Domes promise. The resort advertises 11 restaurants, including a main buffet and an array of themed outlets covering Greek, Italian, pan Asian, Tex Mex, sushi and casual concepts such as a burger station, pita corner, healthy corner and pastry spot. This breadth, on paper, is one of the resort’s strongest selling points and a key reason families and groups choose it for all inclusive stays.
In reality, the experience is nuanced. Many guests praise the sheer variety at the main buffet, the freshness of salads and grilled meats, and the consistently strong performance of certain a la carte restaurants, particularly the Greek, Italian and some Latin American or Tex Mex options. Show cooking and theme nights add interest, and there are provisions for vegetarian and healthier choices. Kids usually find plenty they like between pasta, pizza, burgers and simpler grilled options.
The main sources of frustration come from logistics and consistency rather than outright quality. Securing dinner reservations at the a la carte restaurants can be difficult, especially in peak months, with reports that tables must be reserved weeks in advance through tour operators or online systems to have a realistic chance of dining at each venue. Guests arriving without prearranged bookings sometimes find that only the buffet is available for most nights, which can make the food feel repetitive despite the variety on offer. Queueing for the buffet or popular snack stations at peak times is also common.
Drinks are another polarity point. The all inclusive package focuses largely on local brands and house cocktails, which some guests find perfectly acceptable and others describe as low quality for a nominally five star property. Waiting times at busy bars, particularly in the evening in the lobby and theater areas, are a recurring complaint, with some guests reporting 20 to 30 minute waits for drinks. Service around the pools and beach is more positively reviewed, but again, speed varies with occupancy and staffing levels. If premium branded drinks are important to you, or you dislike queuing in the evenings, expectations should be adjusted accordingly.
Family Friendliness, Entertainment and Atmosphere
Mitsis Blue Domes is unapologetically family focused, and in many ways it excels for guests with children. The resort incorporates kids’ pools with slides, shaded play areas, an indoor cinema, dedicated playrooms and an organized program of activities through its kids’ club. During peak summer months, there are tiered clubs for different age groups and a teen program, along with early evening mini discos and family oriented shows in the open air theater.
Parents generally report that children are well entertained, with animation teams organizing games, sports and crafts throughout the day. The layout of the central pools, many of which have gentle entry areas and shallow zones, is conducive to supervised water play. Highchairs and cots are available, and children’s options at the buffet and snack stations are plentiful. For multi generational trips, the range of room categories makes it possible for grandparents, parents and children to share the same resort while maintaining a degree of privacy.
The flip side of this success is that the resort can feel busy, noisy and energetic rather than serene, especially in school holiday periods. The entertainment program includes loud music around certain pool areas, evening shows with amplified sound and a general buzz that suits some guests and overwhelms others. Couples seeking quiet poolside relaxation sometimes feel pushed to the resort’s fringes or to private pool options to escape the constant activity.
Overall atmosphere depends heavily on timing and personal preference. In shoulder seasons, many guests find a pleasant balance between liveliness and relaxation. In July and August, the density of families and the volume of organized entertainment can make the resort feel more like a sophisticated holiday village than a tranquil luxury retreat. Prospective guests should be honest with themselves about which side of that spectrum they enjoy.
Service, Crowds and Common Complaints
Service at Mitsis Blue Domes receives mixed but generally decent marks, with a clear distinction between front line restaurant and housekeeping staff on one side, and some reception and bar operations on the other. Many guests praise the friendliness and hard work of servers, chefs and cleaners, noting that these teams often go out of their way to remember preferences and accommodate families. Rooms are typically cleaned to a good standard, and public areas are kept tidy despite heavy use.
Where frustration builds is in the resort’s ability to manage volume. Bar staffing in the evenings, especially in the main lobby and theater areas, appears stretched at times compared with the number of guests, resulting in long waits and harried bartenders. At reception, guests facing room issues, late check in or reservation problems sometimes encounter slow responses or limited empowerment among staff to fix issues quickly. These are not universal experiences, but they recur often enough in recent reviews to indicate systemic pressure during busy periods.
Crowding is another recurrent theme. The hotel’s capacity, especially when fully booked with families, translates into queues at buffet stations, popular snack outlets, check in desks and even at times for beach towels or buggies that ferry guests around the sprawling grounds. Some guests feel that operational planning has not fully kept pace with the marketing of the resort as a “richest” ultra all inclusive option, particularly when it comes to ensuring that capacity in restaurants and bars matches advertised choice.
Other common complaints include difficulty accessing bottled water quickly, particularly late at night, and perceived over marketing of certain features. For instance, the term “beachfront” in brochures can clash with the reality of a road separating the main resort from the shore, and promotional images of sandy looking beachfront may not fully convey the stony nature of the entry into the sea. None of these issues are deal breakers for everyone, but for travelers who are sensitive to queuing, expect truly seamless five star service or are booking a once in a decade splurge, they warrant careful consideration.
Pricing, Value and How It Compares
In the Kos market, Mitsis Blue Domes positions itself at the premium end of large scale, family friendly all inclusive resorts. Rates fluctuate widely by season, room category and booking channel, but in general, it is not a budget option. Guests are paying for a vast number of facilities, multiple dining venues, a busy entertainment program and a beachfront location, rather than for ultra intimate luxury or boutique personalisation.
For families who use the resort intensely, eat on site for every meal, attend shows, enjoy the sports facilities and enroll children in the clubs, value for money can be strong. The ability to let kids graze on snacks throughout the day, rotate between different restaurants and spend hours in pools or at the beach without additional charges appeals to those who prefer predictable vacation costs. Compared with paying a la carte prices for food and activities in town, the all inclusive model can look reasonable once flights are factored in.
For couples or travelers who care deeply about premium branded drinks, ultra refined dining or white glove service, perceived value can be weaker. Some reviews from recent seasons explicitly state that the overall experience does not feel commensurate with five star pricing, pointing to repetitive buffet options, basic alcohol selection and operational bottlenecks. Comparing Mitsis Blue Domes with smaller, more service focused five star properties on Kos or neighboring islands reveals a clear trade off between breadth of facilities and depth of personal attention.
Ultimately, whether Mitsis Blue Domes represents good value depends on how you use it. If you want a resort that can entertain children from morning to night, offer multiple food choices without leaving the property and provide a visually impressive setting for a classic sun holiday, the price can be justified. If you see “five star” primarily in terms of calmness, quick service and elevated gastronomy, you may question the premium and find better alignment in a smaller hotel with fewer pools but a stronger staff to guest ratio.
Who Mitsis Blue Domes Is Best For
Mitsis Blue Domes is strongest for families and multi generational groups who want a busy, facility rich resort experience on Kos. The combination of kids’ clubs, shallow pools, slides, casual snack outlets and structured entertainment makes it especially appealing for children from early school age through the teens. Parents who enjoy a lively atmosphere, are comfortable with some queuing at peak times and appreciate having many on site options without daily planning will feel well matched.
Couples who like large resorts and do not mind being surrounded by families can also enjoy Blue Domes, particularly in shoulder seasons and if they book higher category rooms with private or sharing pools. The sea views and hillside layout are inherently romantic, and the spa, quieter pool zones and a la carte restaurants can provide a more grown up feel if timed and chosen carefully. However, couples seeking a hushed, boutique like ambiance will need to accept compromises or consider adult oriented alternatives on Kos and nearby islands.
The resort is less ideal for travelers who prioritise authentic local dining and independent exploration. While nothing stops guests from hiring a car or taking taxis into nearby villages and Kos Town, the design and value proposition encourage staying within the complex. Those who want to eat in small tavernas, linger in traditional squares or move between different beaches every day may feel constrained and find that they are paying for pools and programs they seldom use.
It is also not the best fit for anyone who strongly dislikes crowds or has low tolerance for operational friction. Peak season stays will almost certainly involve queues for some services and a sense of being part of a large, orchestrated holiday environment. Guests with mobility issues should also pay close attention to room location and resort topography when booking, as the terraced layout and internal distances can be challenging without effective buggy support.
The Takeaway
Mitsis Selection Blue Domes is a visually impressive, feature packed resort built to deliver an all encompassing holiday environment on Kos. Its strengths are clear: a scenic hillside and beachfront location, an array of pools that create a striking central promenade, broad dining choice, a serious commitment to family facilities and a constant stream of entertainment and activities. For many guests, especially families used to all inclusive resorts, it lives up to its promise of a sun drenched, low decision count week where everything is on site.
The resort’s weaknesses are equally important to understand before booking. Operational pressure during busy periods leads to queues, slow bar service and difficulty accessing a la carte restaurants without advance planning. Room quality and maintenance are uneven in places, and the atmosphere can skew loud and crowded in high season. The all inclusive offer, while extensive in scope, leans heavily on local drinks and mass catering rather than true high end gastronomy.
If you approach Mitsis Blue Domes with realistic expectations, plan ahead for restaurant reservations and choose your room category and travel dates carefully, it can be an enjoyable and convenient base for a classic Greek island resort holiday, especially with children in tow. If your idea of five star leans more toward intimacy, calm and meticulous service than toward scale and programming, you may be better served by a smaller property even if it lacks the sprawling pools and theatrical architecture.
FAQ
Q1: Is Mitsis Blue Domes truly beachfront?
The resort faces the sea and has its own designated beach area with loungers and a beach bar, but a local road runs between the main complex and the shore. Guests cross this road to reach the shingle beach, which is only a short walk from most pool areas.
Q2: How family friendly is Mitsis Blue Domes for young children?
It is very family oriented, with shallow children’s pools, small slides, a kids’ club, playrooms, mini discos and plenty of child friendly food options. Families with toddlers and younger children typically appreciate the facilities, although the scale of the resort and busy atmosphere mean close supervision is still essential around pools and communal areas.
Q3: Do I need to book the a la carte restaurants in advance?
Yes, if you are traveling in peak season it is wise to secure reservations as early as possible, often before arrival if your tour operator or the hotel’s online systems allow it. Guests who wait until they are on site during busy weeks frequently find limited availability and rely mainly on the main buffet.
Q4: What is the beach like and is the sea easy to access?
The beach is a Blue Flag shingle stretch with clear water, sun loungers and parasols. The seabed is stony in places, so many guests bring or buy water shoes to make entry into the water more comfortable. Strong swimmers generally enjoy the conditions, but those expecting soft sand should adjust their expectations.
Q5: How far is the resort from the airport and nearby towns?
Kos International Airport is roughly 10 to 13 kilometers away, translating into about a 20 to 25 minute drive by taxi or transfer. Kardamena, the nearest town with bars, shops and restaurants, is around 5 to 7 kilometers away, typically a short taxi ride rather than a casual walk, and Kos Town is about 40 to 45 minutes by car.
Q6: Is Mitsis Blue Domes suitable for couples seeking a quiet stay?
Couples who do not mind a lively, family heavy environment can enjoy the resort, especially in shoulder seasons and if they book quieter room locations or private pool options. Couples seeking a consistently tranquil, adults only feel may find the atmosphere too busy and the entertainment too loud during peak months.
Q7: What is included in the all inclusive package?
The all inclusive concept generally covers buffet meals, access to the advertised themed and casual restaurants subject to reservation, snacks during the day, local alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks, entertainment and many sports activities. Spa treatments, premium branded drinks, some water sports and certain extras typically incur additional charges.
Q8: Are there any issues with cleanliness or maintenance?
Housekeeping in rooms and general cleanliness in public areas are usually rated positively, especially considering the resort’s size. Some guests, however, report maintenance issues such as worn room furnishings or chipped pool edging, which suggest that certain areas would benefit from more frequent refurbishment and repairs.
Q9: How accessible is the resort for guests with mobility challenges?
The resort is spread across a hillside with multiple levels, ramps, paths and internal roads. Buggies help guests move around, but waits can occur when demand is high. Those with mobility challenges should request rooms close to central facilities and verify available accessible routes in advance, as distances and slopes may be challenging in some sections.
Q10: When is the best time of year to visit Mitsis Blue Domes?
Late spring and early autumn often provide the best balance of warm weather, open facilities and more manageable crowds. July and August deliver peak vibrancy, especially for families tied to school holidays, but also bring the highest occupancy, stronger heat and more pronounced queues. Travelers seeking a calmer experience tend to prefer May, June, September or early October.