Ellia Hotel

We stayed at Aiora as a family of 2 adults, 2 teenagers. As anyone in our situation will know, it’s almost impossible to find a hotel that will accommodate 4 adult-size people in one room. This was a huge bonus, we had a room with a double bed and a sliding door to a completely separate bedroom with 2 single beds. No sofa beds etc, so everyone was comfortable.

Good points: Food was excellent, huge variety, loads of traditional Greek dishes to try, themed nights and amazing desserts. Throughout the day you could get pizzas, spaghetti bolognese and fruit from the snack bar near the main pool. This was a godsend with 2 hungry teens.

Bedroom was clean, modern, housekeeping would come daily. Towels changed daily if you wanted.

Gym was a bonus, equipment a bit tired and sparse but good enough for a holiday workout.

There is a nice quiet beach just across the road, around 400m walk. Watersports etc.

Staff were lovely, very friendly, couldn’t do enough for you. Animation team were good if you like that type of thing, we tended to go out in the evening.

All-inclusive Soft drinks were branded, beer was local and spirits not branded. Filtered water taps by the pool and restaurant so you could refill your water bottle.

Now for the not so good points: we travelled at the start of July, so most UK schools hadn’t broken up for summer yet. Despite this, the place was HEAVING, the main pool was so full of people you could barely move. Despite being told it was not permitted, people would get up early (6-7am) and reserve sunbeds. If you came down for breakfast after around 7:30am there were no beds left around the main pool. We ended up having to lie in a grassy area round the corner or going to the kids’ pool instead.

From 10am they would play really loud music beside each of the pools. I don’t mind a bit of background music but this was so loud it was impossible to focus on a book or hold a conversation. The same songs played on repeat all day.

Wi-Fi. The wi-fi in the communal areas was good but in the bedrooms it was virtually non-existent. Not a huge issue but obviously the kids are obsessed and would get frustrated about this.

With the all-inclusive package you get one free meal at Flames restaurant which is the à la carte hotel restaurant. We assumed this would be from the main menu, in fact it was from a different set menu which was very limited and the portion sizes were very small. We went to the main restaurant afterwards as the kids were still hungry. Food was good though.

Location wise, Lardos is a very small town, perfectly adequate shops and a few bars/restaurants. We got a bus to nearby Pefkos (10 mins) and Lindos (20 mins), which were both lovely. Lindos very busy, narrow streets and not suitable for wheelchair users or anyone who struggles with walking uphill.

In hindsight next time we’d probably hire a car to explore more of the island and shorten the transfer time to/from the airport. On the Tui bus it took nearly 2hrs with all the stops.

I hope this has helped others, if you get a good deal I’d definitely recommend the hotel for a relaxing holiday and Rhodes as a place is lovely.

We stayed for 11 nights in mid June. The hotel is excellent, well maintained and very close to shops, and restaurants. There is a bus stop right outside of the entrance which we used to go to Lindos and Pefkos, both trips were 2 euros each, each way. The is a bus timetable at reception. Meals were really good, with a good variety each day. We're not fussy eaters so had nothing at all to whinge about. 10 min walk to the pebble beach.

All the staff were fantastic, very helpful and always had a smile. Special mention to Urim and Olsi who were the dream team for the bar service. Also the lady greeting us at mealtimes, sorry we didn't get her name but she's a credit to the hotel with a fantastic memory for room numbers!

We had room 211 which is a swim up room. Made the world of difference having your own pool right outside on the terrace with a big comfy double lounger. Room was cleaned daily to a good standard.

Evening entertainment was mostly good and plenty of variety. Not something we usually go for but what we did watch was very good.

We would definitely return, as this was one of the most relaxing holidays we've had.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

We had such a lovely stay at Aiora Aqua Resort and would happily come back if we visit Rhodes again!

We travelled with our one-year-old son, and one of the biggest highlights of our holiday was how incredibly kind everyone was to him. This is a truly child-friendly hotel, and every member of staff made us feel welcome.

A very special thank you to Athina, who is an amazing animator. She has such a warm personality and is fantastic with children. Our son absolutely loved her! The other girls from the animation team were also wonderful and always made us smile.

We would also like to thank the lovely receptionist with the beautiful curly hair, who always took the time to play with our son Teo and made him laugh whenever we passed by. Those little moments meant a lot to us.

The pool bar ladies, the lifeguard, the restaurant team, the evening bar staff and all the waiters were simply amazing. They all work incredibly hard, yet they are always smiling, friendly and helpful. You can really feel that the staff care about the guests.

A huge thank you to the chefs as well. The food was delicious every day, with plenty of choice and excellent quality. And the pizza deserves a special mention—the pizza chef is outstanding! It honestly tasted like pizza from a really good Italian restaurant.

We especially enjoyed the gin & tonic, that was always a great choice.

The hotel is clean, well maintained and has everything you need for a relaxing holiday. The location is very convenient, with a bus stop nearby, Lindos just a short drive away and shops within walking distance. The rooms are comfortable for the family, baby crib and baby chairs available :)

A small tip for future guests: bring some mosquito repellent! The mosquitoes on Rhodes can be quite active, but that’s definitely not the hotel’s fault.

Thank you to the entire Aiora Aqua Resort team for making our family holiday so special. We created wonderful memories here, and if we return to Rhodes one day, this hotel will definitely be our first choice. Highly recommended!