Lindos Grand Resort and Spa

Beautiful setting, but lacking the personality and service I would expect from a five-star hotel. First of all, I want to make it clear that we have enjoyed our holiday. We did exactly what we came away to do — swim in the sea, eat and drink well, and relax — and we have definitely had a lovely time. However, having experienced the hotel, I do feel that there is a difference between a beautiful hotel and a truly five-star experience. For me, the views and poolside area are absolutely five-star. The setting is stunning and the hotel itself is modern and attractive. However, it lacks that extra something — particularly in terms of personal service and attention to detail — that would give it a genuine luxury feel. Reception and arrival: Unfortunately, our arrival affected our initial impression of the hotel. Having to use an app to check in and access information felt quite impersonal. I appreciate that technology can make things more efficient, but at a five-star hotel I would still expect a warm and personal welcome. We were also interrupted by a 'manager' which was incredibly rude. Staff: There were certainly some members of staff who were kind, friendly and helpful. The spa team, some of the breakfast and bar staff, and particularly the guys driving the buggies were all lovely. Sadly, I can't say that we found the reception staff particularly welcoming or friendly. On a few occasions we were greeted in the mornings, but this seemed to be the exception rather than the rule. At this level of hotel, I would expect a much more consistent and personal approach. We did notice that some other guests appeared to receive a more personal level of service, which did make us wonder whether the experience differs depending on how guests have booked. That may simply have been our perception, but it was something we noticed. Room: Our room was comfortable, modern and had a perfect view. The bed was comfortable, there was plenty of hanging space and drawers for our clothes, and the amenities were good. There was a complimentary bottle of water in the fridge, a bottle of wine — which was a lovely touch — and coffee pods with two small portions of milk. There was also a note explaining that additional coffee pods and glass bottles of water would be chargeable. The bathroom toiletries were nice, and it was particularly good to have conditioner provided. There were, however, a couple of significant negatives. There appears to be an air-conditioning or fan-type unit either on the roof of our room or nearby. It makes a loud, low-level, constant noise for around 15 minutes every half hour or so. Unfortunately, this continued throughout the night and was loud enough to wake us. We reported this to reception on three separate occasions and were told that it would be investigated. Sadly, we never received any further update and the noise continued throughout our stay. As a result, we have not slept particularly well during our holiday. We also spoke to other guests who said they had experienced the same problem and had complained about it, apparently without a solution other than paying to move to another room. Given that we had specifically requested a quiet room, I feel this is something the hotel really needs to address. Another issue is that there is no lockable door to the toilet. The door also knocks when opened, which inevitably meant that we woke each other when using the bathroom during the night. There are also a lot of steps around the resort, which some guests complained about. Personally, we didn't find this to be a major problem because the buggy service is excellent and the drivers are happy to collect you and take you back to your room. Breakfast: Breakfast offers a huge selection of food and, generally, the quality is good. It can sometimes take a while to get tea or coffee, but there are a lot of guests and the staff are understandably busy. Personally, I think I would prefer to see a slightly smaller selection, with smaller quantities being replenished more frequently. For example, some of the dried fruit was quite hard and seemed as though it had been sitting out for some time. Overall: There are some fantastic reviews of Lindos Grand Resort & Spa, and these were one of the reasons we chose to book it. Having spoken to several other guests during our stay, we found that some of them felt similarly to us. This is a beautiful hotel in a stunning location, and we have genuinely enjoyed our holiday. However, for us, it doesn't quite deliver the five-star experience we were expecting. The good news is that I don't think it would take much to change that. What seems to be missing is the personal touch, consistency of service and attention to the smaller details. With a few relatively minor changes — particularly around customer service and addressing the ongoing noise issue — this hotel could be exceptional.

Terrible staff, it was also very dirty everywhere. Not recommended at all.