Esmeralda Hotel

The noise made it hard to enjoy the stay. Planes roared overhead every five minutes from 7 p.m. until midnight, then started again around 7 in the morning, and the road to the airport is very busy. I could see the generator from the window and hear it rumbling too. Breakfast was repetitive, and the owners were very unkind to guests. Kremasti felt miserable and dirty to me, and I couldn't find any good seafood restaurants.

We needed a place near the airport after our Ryanair flight was cancelled, and Hotel Esmeralda worked perfectly for that. It’s about a five-minute drive away, though a walk to the beach takes 15 minutes and Rhodes town is a fair distance. The rooms are at the back, so even though the hotel faces a main road, they were quiet. They were clean and much bigger than we expected, with high ceilings, comfortable beds, plenty of wardrobe space, and a small fridge in each room. Dinner was a highlight: freshly made chicken souvlaki with Greek salad, tzatzki, chunky pitta bread, and a lovely glass of wine from a Rhodes winery. We could choose how the chicken was cooked; ours was lightly charred outside and juicy inside, with amazing flavour. The next morning I tried the very clean pool. The receptionist warned me it would be cold, but I found it refreshing, about like the sea in Lindos. My mum and I were glad to find a couple of last-minute rooms, and the young man at reception and Esmeralda gave us a warm welcome. If you’re after a simple place away from the busiest tourist spots with a warm Greek welcome, it suited us very well.

The breakfast was the worst thing I ate, and absolutely not worth the price. The owners, an older couple, showed us no respect. It was hard to get toilet paper, and when my friend and I had music on in the room, the old woman came and banged hard on the door instead of politely asking us to turn it down. The old man also shouted at us when we were a little late checking out. I said I’d pack as soon as possible and that I hadn’t known, but he came into the room yelling at us in Greek and said we had five minutes or he’d throw us out. I am thankful to the young woman who worked there, who was really nice, and the man at the bar was respectful too. I can't recommend the hotel.

We had a lovely week here, with friendly, welcoming staff and good food and cocktails. It wasn’t too crowded, and our room had lots of space, a balcony, a little fridge, and plenty of room for our clothes. The two small beds pushed together as a double and the lack of Wi-Fi in the rooms were the only little things that could be better. We loved our stay and will definitely come back as soon as we can! :D Kind regards from France! 🤗