Ialyssos Bay Hotel

Arrived here after having no choice as tui changed my hotel and location 2 days before I flew. First impression after arriving late around 11.30pm was ok. I didn’t really take much notice of things after long day of travelling and delayed flights I just wanted to go to bed and wake up fresh. I asked at the reception if there was anywhere we could get a bite to eat before bed and I was told they only have bread rolls. Went to the room. Bathroom was filthy. Toilet used and not flushed. Bath cover in little black bits. Told reception they said it would be sorted in the morning. No one came. Had to ask receptionist on the 3rd day for clean towels and toilet rolls because the cleaner hasn’t been in dispite me putting the towels on the floor and the sign on the door everyday to say they can enter. Same again on the 5th day. Was told by a “Karen” on the Facebook page that I wouldn’t need clean towels as “she doesn’t have clean towels everyday at home” well I do! I like to be clean. Food was bland repetitive and cold most nights and I left my table to go to the buffet and came back to find my table had been given to someone else and my stuff had been moved and my drinks poured away!!! By the big tall guy. Drinks are awful. I ordered a pina colada and it was off it looked like curdled milk. See photo!! I also ordered 2 glasses of pineapple juice in the lobby bar in the evening….. see my photo. Defo not pineapple juice tasted like chemicals. If your round the pool they are served in kids plastic ikea cups. I asked for a fresh orange juice and was told it’s 3€. Was also told I couldn’t have ice cream as advertised because it’s only for children. Huge ants covered the path from our room out so we had no choice but to go through them to get out. Staff were nice when you didn’t make a complaint. Pool opens at 10 and closes at 6 prompt. I do like an early morning swim so that was out of the question. Life guard is miserable! Rooms are very dated. When I opened the bathroom door it hit the toilet so you had to manoeuvre around the door to get in. Air con seemed to be decent tho! Spent most of the time away from the hotel. Was woken up very early (7 am early) one morning by the maintenance guy right outside the room strimming the grass with a petrol mower. I mean If this is your scene then go for it but I certainly won’t be returning!

Hotel Firstly lets dispel the rather poor reviews submitted, based on my experiences in Sept this year. First the lifeguard is a nice guy, just doing his job. The hotel and rooms are functional and clean and the food ok We arrived after a four hour flight, via a TUI organised transfer by taxi from the airport. We arrived around 1345 hrs on the Saturday 28th Sept. Check In took around 10 mins to pay the legally required Tourist Tax of €49.00 and €20 deposit and € 20 fee for the use of the room safe. I do not feel that either of these costs we unreasonable. By 1405 I was in the restaurant and 15 mins later in the pool. It was very hot, 28 to 30 °C with very little breeze around the pool, despite strong winds at the beach. A big shout out to Silvia in Reception. Rooms We had room 108, accessible by both stairs and two lifts. The room was in good condition, very clean, all fixtures, fittings and furnishings functional and working, albeit it slightly dated style. The rooms are large and spacious, although with limited storage space. The bedding and towels looked new and are changed daily as part of room cleaning, apart from Sundays. The free air con, even in Oct, was a god send. The shower is over a small bath with glass panel, so no wet floors. The doors are alarmed if you do not shut them properly, which however does not mean that the doors need to be slammed shut. Some of the guests did not respect the need to be quiet in the corridors. However, let us be practical, the room is a place to sleep, shower, manage general bodily functions and store clothes. Who cares if the style is dated and not to everyone’s preferences; the rooms are adequate for their proposed use, sized right and have the required functioning amenities. Food Generally the restaurant breakfast and lunch options were ok. No doubt those pickier guests may have some basis to moan, but I found the breakfast and lunch options varied and Ok from a vegetarians perspectives. If you need glasses to read, bring them as each food tray has a tiny plaque saying what it is, and it is hard to read. We never ate in the hotel at night, preferring to venture out in Ialyssos. The food in the pool area is also ok. Salad, rolls, chips, nuggets and fish fingers are the staple food offering. OK and of adequate quality. Pool There are two pools; a large one for adults and a smaller child’s pool. The large pool is immaculate, very clean, and in beautifully set grounds. The pool is normal water, not laced with chemicals so it does not sting your eyes; but it is very cold. The pool and associated sunbeds start to get occupied by 0800, even though the pool and pool bar do not open at 1000. Usually around 10 to 1030 the pool side sun beds are taken. The right hand side of the pool gets the sun first and around 1600 there is no sun on the sun loungers even right next to the pool. The best place is in the middle, near the lifeguard The sun beds are very comfortable and look new, and some

Spent 2 weeks at this lovely hotel at the start of September. If you’re looking for a lively and noisy hotel and nightlife then this is not for you. Hotel was very clean and an army of busy staff keeping it that way. Bedroom was pretty basic but spotless and maid was in every day bar Sunday. Had a problem with leaking air con unit but sorted as soon as I reported it. The pool was well looked after and very busy but loads of Sun beds and also a grassy area next to it with plenty of Sun beds. Warning the rules are no reserving beds before 10am and the pool guy will remove them. The lifeguard gets a bad rep on previous reviews but he is there all day and just enforces the rules. He is very helpful if you need help with a sunbed or parasol. The restaurant was pretty standard a/i and much as I expected. Plenty of variation and a pizza oven where they were making pizza from scratch where you could watch. Plenty of fresh fruit and veg and fresh bread and rolls. Self service drinks in restaurant including beer and wines. There is a fridge in the room but no water supplied but there is a very good shop by reception and it was 80c for a big bottle of water. The shop was very reasonable prices for most things. The bar was open from 6pm but there was always a queue as only one lad serving but doing a great job. Evening entertainment was not to my taste, Greek dancers and a couple of singing groups, karaoke etc, repeated weekly. The pool bar was busy and snacks available 10 till 6pm. Self service for soft drinks and food (burgers fries etc). There is a kids pool but very few kids in September. A mix of nationalities and age groups but all went well. There are a few smoking areas around for those inclined.I didn’t leave the hotel but the beach is on the doorstep and there was shuttle buses to Rhodes town several times a day. Close to the airport and planes roaring overhead all day but you get used to it. There was a tropical rainstorm on day 2 for about 24 hours but the staff were great clearing up and it was the first rain for 6 months. I found it very relaxing and laid back and I would be happy to recommend this hotel to everyone.