We loved these apartments, which are perfect for a peaceful romantic break. They offered a real sense of Greece and traditional Greek hospitality.

The apartments were in a quiet location and right on a sandy beach, which was quite secluded. The beach stretches all the way into Kardamena. This is the only accommodation we saw that doesn't have a road separating it from the beach. There were free sunbeds and umbrellas and they even had lilos available for guests to use.

The room was clean and spacious and offered spectacular sea views of Nisyros and Turkey on one side and a chance to watch the sun go down behind the beautiful mountains on the other side. It was lovely to chill out on the balcony of an evening and watch the moon rise over the horizon. The balcony was also completely private, so there was no bumping into other guests while we were trying to relax.

It was a fair walk into the resort of Kardamena, but we enjoyed the stroll along the coast road, which was well lit at night for the walk back. When we didn't fancy the walk, a cab ride was only a few euro.

The family who run the apartments were really friendly and helpful. Nikos couldn't do enough for us, whether it was providing information, booking a cab or even ordering us a pizza when we wanted a night in. We really felt looked after by him and it seemed that nothing was too much trouble.

We would definately return to the Olympia Mare. After more than 20 years of visiting Kardamena, this is the best self catering accommodation I've found. We almost don't want others to know of our discovery, but we feel that the lovely family who run this place deserve to have this favourable review.