Golden Odyssey

We had a lovely stay here. The room was a good size for 2 adults and 2 children. We had a quieter room away from the pool/bar. The advantage of it being quieter but it does also lack a good view. Several pools, slides and a good choice of food and snacks. I can't fault the staff- they were all friendly and work incredibly hard. The maid service visited daily. Free shuttle service runs to the town/beach during the day. Reception can arrange a taxi for 10 euros to the town or harbour. The all inclusive is on limited drinks until 11pm. It is worth taking your own cup/bottle. The negatives- the amount of single use plastic cups which could easily be reduced. The arcade toilets need updating. Some food items were labelled but others weren't. It would be useful to know if items were vegetarian, gf etc.

We stayed at the Golden Odyssey Hotel in Kolympia, Rhodes as two couples aged 24–28 and had a really enjoyable holiday overall. There were definitely some things that could be improved, but we felt the hotel offered good value and had plenty of positives.

We were really pleased that we were allowed into our room early, which was a great start after travelling. The room was clean and tidy, with towels changed every day and the beds made regularly. It wasn’t given a full clean every day, but this didn’t bother us too much as the room itself was pleasant and well maintained.

The room had a fridge, TV (although all channels were Greek), four plug sockets and a really useful well-lit mirror.

One downside was that there was only one pillow per person and the pillows were quite hard. We asked for an extra pillow, but unfortunately it took two days for us to receive it.

The shower was probably one of the biggest negatives — the temperature and water pressure were both quite poor and inconsistent.

We were pleasantly surprised by the food. There was a good variety and we generally enjoyed our meals throughout the stay.

The restaurant was clean and the staff were friendly, attentive and quick to help. The older gentleman who greeted guests as they entered was particularly lovely and always had a joke or a smile for us.

The snack bar was also a highlight. There was a good selection of food and they were happy to make things to order. For example, if you wanted a plain burger without salad or sauce, they would prepare one specifically for you.

On one occasion the all-inclusive drinks pumps ran out of gas, but the staff were quick to sort this out.

There are four pools, as well as a tennis court, so there is plenty of space and things to do.

The main pool was clean enough, although it did look quite murky when you were actually underneath the water. Interestingly, it looked much clearer first thing in the morning straight after it had been cleaned, so I think some of the cloudiness was probably down to how much was going on in the pool during the day.

There were some issues with guests being quite reckless around the pool. During our stay, a large group were jumping in from the side, being rough, bringing drinks into the pool and throwing drinks at other people — including people who weren't even drinking them. There are signs saying there is no lifeguard and asking guests not to behave roughly, but unfortunately this didn't stop some people from behaving irresponsibly and affecting other guests' enjoyment.

There was also a man using a GoPro in the pool who we found a little suspicious!

One thing we were really pleased with was that there were no sunbed wars. Although some people did reserve beds, there was no arguing or fighting over them. Our group of four could easily find four sunbeds together, even as late as 2–3pm.

The entertainment was a bit hit and miss. Some of the entertainers seemed to lack enthusiasm, although the Greek night was definitely a highlight. There were performances as well as interactive parts where guests were taught some Greek dancing, which made it really fun and enjoyable.

There were also bingo and karaoke nights, so there was something going on most evenings.

There weren't always enough tables and chairs outside in the evening, which could make it difficult to find somewhere to sit together.

We also noticed a lot of single-use plastic throughout the hotel, including plastic cups and straws. This is something we think could easily be reduced.

The WiFi was unfortunately very poor and unreliable.

The pool table was missing four balls, which made it difficult to use, and none of the arcade games appeared to work during our stay.

The hotel doesn't use wristbands or any form of guest identification, despite being all-inclusive. This meant that, in theory, anyone could walk into the hotel and use the facilities, which felt a little strange from a security and all-inclusive perspective.

We also had an unusual experience when returning to the hotel at around 3:30am, when reception told us off for being loud. We understood that the hotel had rules, but given that it is a holiday resort and guests are free to go out in the evening, we found the interaction a little unnecessary.

The reception staff were very helpful when arranging taxis. There were preset prices for popular destinations, which made things really straightforward. For example:

• Kolympia – €10
• Anthony Quinn Bay – €27
• Rhodes Town – €33

There is also a free shuttle to the beach, with the timetable available at reception.

There was a free bus to Faliraki Water Park at around 10am, although we were told that if the bus was already full, it could potentially skip the hotel stop, so it's worth being aware of this if you're planning a day there.

The on-site shop was really convenient and stocked pretty much everything you might need, although it was quite expensive. For example, sun cream was around €37.

There was also an on-site hair braiding and massage parlour. We didn't use these ourselves, but the hair braiding seemed particularly popular, so appointments are recommended.

Overall, we had a really enjoyable stay at Golden Odyssey. The staff were generally friendly and helpful, the food was good, the rooms were clean, and there was plenty to do. We particularly liked the relaxed atmosphere around the sunbeds, the Greek night and the fact that the hotel offered useful transport options.

The biggest negatives for us were the poor shower pressure and temperature, unreliable WiFi, lack of working arcade facilities, limited seating in the evenings and the behaviour of some other guests around the pool. Some of these things are obviously outside the hotel's control, although better enforcement of the pool rules would have made a difference.

For two couples in their mid-to-late twenties, we'd say the hotel is a good option if you're looking for an affordable all-inclusive holiday with plenty of facilities, rather than a luxury or particularly modern resort. There are areas that could definitely be improved, but overall we left feeling that we'd had a good holiday and would consider staying again.