Hotel Despina

This worked well for us as a base to explore the island. My partner and I enjoyed our stay, and we liked that the hotel is in a fairly strategic spot between Faliraki, the party center, and Afandou, a nice village to wander around. The natural beach is about a 15-minute walk away, Rhodes City and the south of the island are within an hour’s drive, and there’s enough parking. If you don’t want to drive, the bus stop is around five minutes away on foot. It’s a simple hotel with clean, basic rooms, kind staff who are always willing to help, and a nice pool. Breakfast is offered, but there’s no buffet. Don’t expect an all-inclusive resort with its own beach and free sunbeds. On the plus side, there weren’t drunk, screaming tourists or loud pub noise. I’d read a lot of reviews before coming, but I can’t confirm them. If you’re after a calm, relaxing vacation with full-day care, this probably isn’t for you. For people who want to explore, it’s a good fit.

A nice, quiet area, and the main road noise wasn’t too bad, especially around the public areas away from the road. The pool area was clean and pleasant, and the pool itself was a decent size. The newest block probably has the best rooms. Weekly prices are €50 for AC, €20 for refrigerator power, or €60 for both.

The main pool rules seemed to change from one day to the next. My husband took our four-year-old daughter for a swim while she wore armbands and was supervised the whole time. Staff told them she couldn’t use the main pool and had to stay in the small, shallow splash area, which was unsuitable for swimming and seemed meant for babies. When I asked why, I got an unfriendly answer and vague comments about safety. No clear rule was given, and the reception sign only said children had to be supervised, with no age limit or separate pool zones mentioned. The next day, kids about her age were swimming freely in the main pool. It looked as if the rules were being made up on the fly. Service wasn’t much better. We only saw one woman on staff, and her manner was so passive-aggressive she could win a gold medal at it. Seeing a dog chained up in the scorching 40°C sun was heartbreaking too. The hotel has the bare essentials you’d expect from a two-star place. The balcony was a decent size, but traffic from the nearby main street was disruptive. The shower is open plan for some mysterious reason, so the bathroom floor turns into a mini lake after every rinse. Air conditioning is advertised, but cold air costs €20 a day. Would I recommend it to families with kids? Only if negotiating pool politics and pretending your room is a sauna sounds fun. Two stars might have been generous.

The rooms were okay, but the air conditioning in ours barely worked. Staff were rude and not very helpful. It’s not the nice, typical Greek hotel you might hope for, though it’s passable. I’d look for other options.