Ialyssos Bay

Before I get into this review, I would start by saying that we were HEAVILY pressured by staff not to write this review after several complaints were made, so please don’t take the lack of negative reviews as a positive - there is a good chance that they were bullied put of reviewing. We were also informed by the transfer driver that he had heard a few complaints of racism from tourists at this hotel so hopefully this review will prevent this happening to the next family. I do not recommend this hotel in general but especially not to black or queer travellers, the hotel staff consistency made it clear that they do not like either. I travelled here with my partner and our 3 year old son and the entire experience has been awful. We arrived late in the evening and reception had made sure drinks, soup and bread were available, which was a nice touch. However, when we got to our room, we realised it was a twin room, whereas we thought we had booked a double. Apparently, our booking allowed for either, but we hadn't realised this at the time of booking. The next morning, my partner asked the reception staff if it would be possible to switch to a double room, as we are travelling as a couple. The manager then accused her of being aggressive, which was absolutely not the case. She was polite and simply asked if a room change was possible. The only reason I can see for the way she was treated is that she is black and they didn’t like that. They refused to move us to a double room and instead placed a thin mattress topper over the two single beds while leaving us with two single duvets. The beds constantly slid apart because the mattress topper wasn't even secured, it had simply been placed on top of the beds. The rooms are also not soundproof at all. Noise from both the pool and the hallways was extremely loud. We had to check several times that our door was properly closed because it sounded as though people in the hallway were inside our room. The female lifeguard genuinely needs a different job, and urgently. My 3 year old son ran and jumped into the deep end of the pool (which is 2.4 metres deep) about five feet in front of her, and she didn't react at all. I had to jump into the pool fully clothed to get him out. I am not a strong swimmer myself (especially while wearing long trousers and after slipping and injuring my leg while running to him). I was struggling to stay afloat while holding my toddler, yet she didn't even help me lift him out of the pool once I reached the edge. She remained sitting in her chair the entire time. It is not her fault that my son jumped into the pool. I wasn't expecting it, so she certainly wouldn't have been either. However, as a lifeguard, when there are two people clearly in distress (especially a mother and young child) it is her job and duty to help. I understand that opinions on food is subjective, but we did not have a single enjoyable meal here. The food was extremely bland, consistently cold, and frequently undercooked, including the chips, which are usually a safe option. I will say, however, that when a member of staff noticed that we weren't enjoying the food one evening, he asked the kitchen to prepare something that wasn't on the buffet. Unfortunately, it was still bland and the chicken was dry, but we genuinely appreciated the gesture. This was probably the only positive on this trip. We have eaten out for every meal, so if you're a foodie, expect to spend extra money eating elsewhere. I have stayed in several hotels across Greece and around the world, and this is the only time I have ever experienced this at an all-inclusive resort. That said, food is ultimately a matter of personal taste. The drinks are made with local brands, which I imagine is good for supporting local businesses. However, the bar staff have no idea how to make cocktails. They just mix cheap spirits, soft drinks and syrup together. Even if you order the same drink five times, it never tastes the same because nothing is to be measured, everything is just guessed. As a white woman, I had no issues with the snack bar staff personally. However, they were consistently rude when serving my partner, who is black. Again, I would urge caution if you are black and considering staying here. My partner was also refused a drink (a glass of water while completely sober) at the lobby bar, while everyone else around her was being served without issue. This was one of many instances that we felt racist treatment by staff, and the overall atmosphere throughout our stay did not feel safe or welcoming. As a gay couple, we noticed that whenever staff would see us holding hands or displaying very mild PDA, we would receive dirty looks despite there being no problems with straight couples doing the same thing. The Wi-Fi is also extremely slow in the rooms. We often had to use our mobile data just to send messages because the connection wasn't strong enough. I have travelled across five continents and visited more than 25 countries, staying everywhere from five-star luxury resorts to hostels in South America, and I can genuinely say this has been the worst holiday experience I have ever had. The staff we dealt with came across as rude, and we experienced what we perceived to be homophobic and racist treatment during our stay. Based on our experience, I would not recommend this hotel.

We spent a lovely 2 weeks at Ialysos bay hotel and had a great time. The staff are incredibly hard working and really friendly. We especially liked the two ladies serving each day in the pool bar area and the barman in the evening bar area. The dining room staff and maitre d were excellent also, always advising us at breakfast in advance of the end of service. The hotel is spotlessly clean and the rooms lovely. The food was great, so many choices of great quality meats at each main meal and vegetarians are also well catered for. The desserts are delicious! One of the best things about this hotel was the strict no smoking / vaping policy. So many of our foreign holidays have been adversely affected by other people’s smoke and overflowing ashtrays etc. I can’t believe that no other reviews seem to have mentioned this, it was a huge bonus for us as a family. The evening entertainment was enjoyable and better than other hotels we’ve stayed at. Points to possibly improve upon are: Shower / change facilities for the last day of your stay (recently mentioned in another review) - should really be available in a 4* hotel The beach area could be improved and sun beds on the beach owned by the hotel should be free to use, especially considering the beach is not that picturesque. We really enjoyed our stay and the proximity of the hotel to the airport and Rhodes old town was a bonus too!

Ialyssos Bay hotel was much better than expected given some of the reviews we read before we arrived. Spotlessly clean, maid service every day if you wanted it and the food was, on the whole, lovely. When you go all inclusive you must understand that its NEVER going to be fine dining. But there was always a very good variety available. Staff were friendly and welcoming and we would definitely return here. Its just a shame that the immediate locations outside the hotel are a little run down, its a little "ghost town" with some regeneration locally this would be a lovely little area. Again the hotel itself was fabulous.

Please trust my review based on my helpful votes, take with a pinch of salt reviews with no votes and new users… This place is ace and is highly recommended with no bad points only a few ‘niggles’ mentioned at the bottom Best mate and I have just returned from a 4 night break booked with First Choice last week at a bargain price. First tip - don’t book transfer to the hotel as €20 in a taxi from outside the airport and reception will book you one for the way back, so much faster both ways Absolutely no complaints about the food and alcohol selection/quality. We always enjoyed the food and our plates were always full, see pics! We mainly drank beer which didn’t taste weak or watered down, and rose wine which was palatable Pool area was clean with ample good quality loungers and pool water crystal clear from robotic vac cleaning from 6pm to 10am when it opens for bathing ! Special mention (please pass on manager) to Alyopa and Eireena serving at the pool bar 10am to 6pm ALWAYS polite with smiles on their faces even after serving rude guests with zero manners! All staff from reception to cleaning staff to lifeguards to dining room staff a credit to the hotel, thank you Our room (217) must have been renovated recently as it was modern by Greek standards with lots of room and storage with great balcony facing the pool and always hot water from the powerful shower without the bathroom getting flooded ! Hairdryer, kettle, fridge and free aircon! 5min walk to the lovely pebbly beach, don’t forget your crocs or similar to get into the sea as it’s a nightmare without €5 per sunbed with umbrella for 10mins or all day, bargain! Don’t miss the incredible sunset at 830pm ish My family and I stayed down the road at All Senses Kremasti in May, please find my review, Ialysos Bay so much better in every way. Particularly evening and day entertainment which was none existent at All Senses except bingo which you had to pay for Magician, Greek night, live band, karaoke, many tv screens showing live sports and even a live band playing one day around the pool which was great Few niggles, no need for comeback manager, just my thoughts: - We sat at the pool from 830am every morning and were pleased/grateful that pool guy removed all the unattended towels from sunbeds but ONLY on Tuesday .. why not every day. - Young guy cooking fresh food in the dining hall could do with supervision/ training. One lunchtime, poss Wednesday he was burning more pizzas (which he was binning) than he was putting out and on another occasion he was ‘forgetting’ to put more fries in the deep fat fryer so there was always a constant supply, long queues waiting for them! - The 2 staff at the bar on an evening were excellent but whenever 1 left to clean tables etc the queue for drinks grew massively. Have you considered self serve beer and wine as in the restaurant? This would cut down on the wait time and queues which is caused by holidaymakers wanting to try every cocktail on the menu…. I resent sometimes having to wait over 5mins for a beer or wine that takes seconds to pour Anyway after my ramble I would like to reiterate that we’ll be back here (and not Kremasti!) and would recommend to all.

We’ve just returned from a 5 night stay and this is my honest opinion. Reception staff were friendly and very helpful All inclusive food was absolutely fine, always found something tasty to eat and the dining area was clean, waitresses were extremely efficient. Pool area was clean, no problem finding a sunbed at any time of the day. All communal areas were very clean and our room was great. We had a leak in our bathroom and it was sorted out immediately. We really enjoyed our stay, the only slight negative was that there’s not much entertainment for small children early evening. I would recommend this hotel and hope to return!