Lydia Maris Resort and Spa

We stayed for a week July into August.  For reference, this is my 10th time in Rhodes, and 2nd time in Kolymbia.  Stayed in Kalethea and Ixia prior.  We love Rhodes.

We had an enjoyable stay, but a couple of things to note, which on reflection was apparent on good and bad reviews.

Hotel is labelled as a 5* but it just isnt.  This is a 3* with a few bells on.  A walk around Kolymbia at what 4* or 5* gets you in Rhodes in 2026 will tell you this hotel falls short.  Look, feel and quality.    This hotel seems to be a favourite with large groups / families. 

Location within Kolymbia also isnt too bad, but not great. With a decent walk to the beach, if its hot, its not an enjoyable walk. /but you are about 5 mins to a stretch of bars and restaurants and a handy bus stop outside.

Ill start with the positives:

-Spa facilities are decent, and nicely priced £20 euro for 20 mins, £40 for 30 mins I think maybe £60 for 60 mins… I might be wrong.  I paid £40 for a 30 min  foot and leg massage, and it was enjoyable.  A great price.

-Food is pretty decent, with Gyros and Pizza offered for lunch options whilst outside in pool clothes, evening and breakfast I found enjoyable.  Always found a table even at the busiest of periods.  A lot of repeatable items but some decent occasional items.  Food was well cooked and seasoned.  Gyros were excellent.  I would say better than average compared to other local hotels I've stayed at.

-Plenty of sun beds, but pool side beds are snapped up by 7am.

-The pool itself is excellent with lots of different depths depending on activity you want.  My daughter loved the pool.

• Animation staff try very hard and make everyone feel welcome and always adding a bit of energy to the guests. They do an excellent job.  though has to be said by day 5 hearing titanic theme tune at 11am was getting tiresome.

-Staff are probably the best asset of the hotel.  They seem genuinely happy and work as a team.  Lots of laughs and jokes being shared which creates a lovely atmosphere. They remember people, and their preferences.

• Our room was lovely and spacious  - we had a swim up room – these rooms seem to be a lot more spacious than some of the others we saw.

Negative

-              Unexpected things that cost which I wouldn’t expect at a 4*… let a lone a “5*”

-Safe costs £20Euro.  (free in literally any other hotel ive stayed in within Rhodes)

-Pool towels £10 per towel

-Pool side coffee  - Not included in All inc

-              Layout is all over the show and tight.  Being near the main pool has its pros and cons.  It can be quite loud, but also gives excellent access to everything. Consequently around the pool area it is VERY slippery and I saw alot of guests slip over due to narrow walkways and water from the pool. Alot of people on grass which was quite muddy by the end of the day.  again leads to wet/mud on paths, which again I saw people slide and nearly fall on a few occasions.  I doubt this can be avoided but something to be mindful of.

-              Theres a general feel of tiredness on the look and feel we saw.  Towels we were provided on occasion had holes in and thread bare.  A lot of cracked tiles, broken steps, and general look in places of wear and tear.

-              We didn’t see any entertainment , it seemed to be all animation team led.  Ie a singer, or musician.  Again, other 4* hotels ive been to in Rhodes this is a standard.

I know I am probably being nit picky on these points… but as a “5*” hotel, if you want that status, this is the standard you are holding yourselves to.

The reason I say this, is that you are charged for the 5* rating.  If it was a 3* hotel all these points are probably ignored and you are charged a lot less tourist tax.  As it stands you are charged £105 Euro so the hotel can call itself 5* and I think that’s where my grudge is from.  If you call yourself and charge me for a 5* then Ill hold you to that level.

We arrived and in total we paid an extra £145Euro before we had even got to our room.  (Tax, towel, safe) 

One other thing that just let the experience down was lack of decent shower facilities.  We had a full last day and had a airport pick up around 7pm.  So enquired about a shower / change room.  Was advsed there was a shower in the pool toilet.  The experience of showering my daughter and myself in a dark hut with a soaking wet and sand filled floor, whilst someone is knocking on the door to use the toilet just really irritated me, “is this a 5 star experience?”  I had the lightest of rinses and walked wet to the reception toilets and changed there instead.

Doesn’t scream 5*

However if you expect 3* and a few extras, its not bad.  We still enjoyed the holiday, but just felt short changed the way through as we had been taxed for 5*.

Majority of good reviews on here seem to be from large groups and I think it serves that crowd really well with the setup and facilities.  You wont have a bad holiday here, but with the points Ive made, will definitely irk you.

We visited as a family of 6 for 7 nights. Arriving late at night welcomed warmly by the reception staff and given food bags as we had missed the dinner service. We had 2 different rooms and pleasantly shocked that we had our own private pool with one of the rooms which was a very lovely surprise. The main pool was excellent, always activities and music playing round the pool and 4 teenagers were happy all day. The evening food was always something different and new to try and even the fussy eaters of our party were well fed during our stay.

We caught the local bus into Rhodes old town one day, the reception team have a timetable and the bus stop is right outside the hotel and a lot cheaper than taxis. Would definitely recommend.

Massive shout out the entertainment crew who make this hotel and nothing was too much trouble, from walking round speaking to guests and making the kids feel welcome to the evening entertainment shows. Shout out to Nono for the aqua gym daily was the highlight of my teenage girls day!! We are already looking to return next year as we enjoyed our stay greatly!! Thank you.

We travelled as a family of 17 with toddlers to adults all ages- honestly the best place I have stayed. Animation team completely made the holiday for both adults and children, the reception staff are welcoming, cleaners amazing and the lovely team behind the ice cream and gyros counters all very friendly. The rooms are a little small but you don’t spend much time in them! I had a swim up room and these are directly outside the main pool too so perfect location for me with young children. Great location with bars and shops walking distance. The only negative was there were some rude staff serving round the pool bar when it come to ordering more than one drink and when you find a drink you like he told me ‘I can’t make this anymore as you’ve had it all day’ not really a response you expect when you are paying for all inclusive! They would purposely make them very weak too on a few occasions, however there were also some very friendly staff! There are not many toilets around either so if you have a room further back then it’s a bit of a wait! I would definitely one day go back!!