Labranda Blue Bay Resort

Overall nice experience. Line for pool towels was ridiculous... Aegean spa was very good, my therapist was Areti

We have just returned from a week stay at Blue Bay with our friends. 4 adults, 5 kids ranging 7-14. We chose this hotel as we had previously stayed (when in was still under Labranda) 3 years ago and thought our friends would like this hotel for their first time in Rhodes. Whilst our experience wasnt the worst, it is clear that the hotel has really gone down hill since our last visit, which is such a shame as the hotel has so much potential.

Pros: *Location, you cannot beat the views from this hotel. The beachfront location saves this hotel at the moment and the sunsets and sunrises are simply beautiful. It is also handy for a quick transfer time due to being so close to the airport and easy access to Rhodes old town.

• Great selection of pools. We were fully expecting sunbed wars and the pools to be heaving due to it being the height of summer, and we weren't wrong. The main pool was chaos and sad little people were out putting their towels down as early as 5am. However, this happens at lots of hotels and thankfully Blue Bay has so many pools that there are always lou gers available at one of the smaller and quieter pools, perfect if you aren't fussed about the entertainment round the main pool. Would highly recommend the little 'lazy river' pool behind the greek restaurant or the Annexe pools.
• Muses Greek restaurant - an absoloute highlight for me. The views from the restaurant and the food were both top level. Our friends did say they wished there was more choice on the menu but personally I dont think you can grumble and it has 3 or 4 delicious options for main and they bring out a huge amount of meze for starters as well as baklava for desert (ice cream for the kids). The kleftico and shrimps were especially good. The staff here are lovely and the waitress was so kind to our kids.
• Surrounding area - we love the immediate surrounding area, though people who like more action and a busy 'strip' would want to avoid. But for us, it is perfect, little shop, larger supermarket, few lovely restaurants, Karaoke bar, car hire place and Billy's sports bar (amazing staff and fantastic place for a cheap bite to eat and great drinks whilst) If you walk further out one way you have Ialysos with more shops/restaurants and the nicest little cafe/patisserie and you can walk the other way into Kremasti, again with more shops/restaurants etc. Both of these places are about 25 min walk or 5 mins in a taxi.

Cons:

• The cleaning has really surprised me. I couldn't fault the cleaning staff last time we were here, they were fantastic. However this time, we continually were left without clean towels, loo roll, water etc in our room and I must say the level of cleaning around the hotel in general has certainly slipped significantly.
• The welcome, or lack of. Last time we stayed we were greeted with warm smiles, cocktails, food, information galore and help with our luggage. This time, we were greeted with nothing but a basic check in and had to chase them for something to eat. However this may well have just been a one off and due to the time we arrived (around midnight).
• Food - this was honestly the most disappointing part for me. I am not usually a big fan of all inc food at the best of times, however during our previous stay the food had been perfect, which was one of the main reasons we chose to come back. However, the food now is not good. The greek night was shocking and the pork souvlaki was undercooked. During the Italian night my daughter found a long black hair in her food, which resulted in us downing forks and heading out to buy food. We always eat out plenty of times during holiday anyway, but the poor food here definitely increased the frequency we chose to do so, which is a shame as we had rated the food so highly during our previous visit! Breakfast was about the best, always lots of choice for everyone and the fresh pastries were always good. Top tip, head down to the beach for breakfast, less chaotic and lovely views.

Rooms: Last time we stayed we had a gorgeous room by the 'lazy river' and really couldnt complain at all. This time, we had a family sea view room in the main building overlooking the main pool and sea. The view was lovely, but sadly the room was very small and dated. I really dont complain much about rooms as not in them very long as out exploring and having fun, but if you are someone who likes a nice room, either avoid this hotel or ask speciaifically for one of the modern larger rooms. Our friends room was larger and nicer they had the family comfort room in the floor below us. However, they had problems with their air con all week, which was leaking all over the floor. *Clientele - now this one isn't the hotels fault at all, but it is something I noticed and bothered me a fair bit. There seemed to be a lot more 'rowdy' types shall we say and people letting their kids run absoloute riot touching the food, tripping people up, screaming and shouting in corridors past 1am etc. This could well just be due to it being the summer holidays so don't let this alone put you off but something to consider if you are planning to come during the busy main season. I will also add that sadly this seemed to be mostly my fellow Brits (and Germans) so not the hotels fault at all.

Tips:

• Request a modern larger room
• Come prepared to eat out a lot, it is a good little base but not fit for purpose as an all inc.
• Hire a car. An absoloute must to fully appreciate the beauty of Rhodes.
• Visit beautiful Symi island - dont book through the hotel or travel reps as they rip you off, head down to Mandraki Harbour and see what trips and offers the locals are doing. We did the Symi island and Panormitis trip and it cost us approx 100 Euro for 4 of us, including transfer there and back, absoloutely worth every penny.
• Don't forget your sea shoes. The sea is stunning to swim in, especially if like me you are an early bird and dont want to wait til 10am for the pools to open. But it is very rocky getting in and out so they are a must.

Overall, we had a lovely week, but thisnwas mostly in spite of the hotel, not beacuase of it. You get what you pay for, so if you want a cheap base in a lovely quiet area but close enough to the old town with the added bonus of gorgeous sea views and sunsets, then go ahead I'm sure you will have a lovely week like we did. However, if you are looking to book mostly for the all inclusive aspect or you are particularly fussy about room quality and service, then best to avoid.

Overall it was a great holiday,

Rooms, We stayed in the sea view family room on the second floor which was quite nice and had a good view of the sea and was cleaned regularly. There was a small issue of the bathroom floor becoming quite wet during showers, it seems the drain is slightly above the water level so the water can escape into the bathroom floor. This block is a short 4 min walk away from the main hotel and pool area which made it a lot quieter.

Pools We had a pool right outside our room with a decent amount of sun loungers. There was at least a couple of spare loungers available throughout the day. The main pool where they hold the day time entertainment was very busy and quite loud. Sun loungers here were impossible to get after 08:00 ! Most of the loungers were taken up here at 06:30. We walked over to this area during water polo and darts and retired back to the more quiet pool in between.

Towels, The first day we got there, there was only 3 towels left (we had a family of 4) and you had to get there when the laundry delivered them to ensure you had fresh towels to exchange. This was a bit of a chore throughout our stay with going back multiple times to keep checking.

Bars There are 3 bars located around the pools and never experienced a wait of more than a few minutes. The drinks are a good quality and the staff are very friendly.

Food The food in the main hotel buffet was ok and is what is expected for a hotel in this price bracket. Meal times can become a bit chaotic but nothing more than any other hotel we have experienced. There was a different theme every night and had all the basics for the non adventurous (fussy) eaters. We didn't manage to get booked in to the Ala carte restaurant as the timings available didn't suit us so I would recommend booking as soon as you get checked in. The snack bar next to the main pool was ok serving pretty basic Gyros, Burgers, Hotdogs and pizza.

Waterpark This is located over the road from the main hotel and was a great break from the pool. There are 5 slides to go on and our kids (aged 7 and 10) enjoyed them a lot. There is a small self service bar serving soft drinks and another bar further back that serves alcohol. We always managed to get a sun lounger here.

Entertainment The entertainment team are what made this holiday more enjoyable. Arthur, Noah and the rest of the team did a fantastic job organising various games throughout our stay. I especially enjoyed the water polo and volleyball. Water polo can get very competitive in the adult game ! Evening entertainment was ok with various magic shows and singers.

Beach The beach is quite stony and uncomfortable on the feet walking in to the sea so I would recommend beach shoes. The sea was around 29*c but a little bit cloudy near the shoreline so snorkelling was a no go. We took a hire car over to Anthony Quin bay which was incredible. Crystal clear water and a plethora of different types of fish to look at.

Overall we enjoyed our stay.