Mark Warner Aeolian Village – A Review
I was given the opportunity to go and visit Mark Warner’s Aeolian Village Beach Resort newly taken over by Mark Warner and experience all it has to offer.
Arriving in Lesvos, we were met by the Mark Warner staff and shown to our coach for the transfer to the resort. During the coach journey we were given an information pack with our room number and asked to fill out our guest details, which made the process of checking in much easier. We were greeted at the hotel by the hotel staff and were given refreshments.
The resort is situated just off the beach, only separated by a small service road. You will be in a small bay surrounded by hills either side. There is a small town called Skala only a 10–15-minute walk away. En route, if you follow the road, you will pass over Turtle bridge where you will see many turtles/terrapins and fish. There is also a slightly quicker route along the beach.
The beach itself is sandy and very clean, with many sun beds and sun umbrellas available. Also situated at the beach is all the equipment required for water sports.
We were all checked in and ready to go to our room. I was staying in a twin/ double room which was of a modern design and was large and spacious with everything you would need. Dinner was served soon after. We were on a half board basis which consisted of breakfast and dinner every day. Breakfast offered a mixture of continental and cooked options. As for the evening meals, this was a buffet style meal. Each evening had a different theme, from Greek night to Mexican night. However, each night had many different choices, so you are guaranteed to not go hungry. Lunch was not included, but there was the opportunity to order something from the pool bar such as freshly cooked pizzas, burgers and other options, which were are really good. The food as a whole was way beyond what I had expected. All of it was fantastic and the restaurant staff were very friendly, and nothing was too much trouble for them.
After lunch, there was a welcome meeting where we met some of the activity staff and Sue the manager. They told us all there was to know about the resort and here you had an opportunity to sign up and find out more about the activities.
I promptly signed up for intro to windsurfing. This was held over 2 days, and I also signed up to intro to sailing, which was one 3hour session. For me, this was really as a refresher as I am already at RYA level 1. All the instructors for these activities were super knowledgeable and patient. They’re definitely worth having a go at if you are unsure if they are for you or not.
You can also do various tennis courses and padel (this is played with paddles, and I would say is a mixture between tennis and squash played on a court smaller than tennis).
There are also kayaks and SUPs you can use when the wind permits. And you are also free to take out the boats and windsurfs if available. Aeolian Village introduced rowing as an activity this year, and they have state of the art boats for this. They can provide both mountain or road bikes which you can either take out on an independent ride or use on one of the organised rides. These are available at a range of difficulties.
Alongside this, they have various exercise classes you are free to attend. I joined a few including Body pump, or you can join a morning walk or run.
If active holidays are your thing, then you can’t go far wrong. As for the spa, I did not try this out but having spoken to other guests that had you can have various treatments and the sports massage comes highly recommended.
There is a pool bar open in the evenings and they do have some entertainment on some of the evening such as quizzes and live music.
To conclude, I would highly recommend this resort. The location is great, and the staff are amazing. Aeolian Village is definitely one I will visit again as I had just the best time.
Written by Jayne MacDonald