Kalithea Mare Palace

Pros: Amazing sea views. The resort is like a little village with over 1,000 rooms, according to a staff member. It has 5–6 restaurants, as well as a store where you can buy food, water, souvenirs, and basic medication (e.g. for a sore throat). Beautiful gardens, beach, and a stoney path along the sea with benches, sun beds and other possibilities to stop and enjoy the sea views—simply wonderful. The beach has a mix of sand and small stones, four showers, an air compressor, and plenty of sunbeds and umbrellas (€3 per sunbed, umbrella included). There's also a beach bar and rocks with lots of fish around them if you enjoy snorkeling. At Kalithea Mare Palace, the rooms are spacious enough to open your luggage and still have plenty of room to walk around. The balcony (with a sea view) was nice, although we mostly used it for drying our clothes. The property is so large and has so many beautiful spots that it would be a shame to spend much time on the balcony, especially if you're surrounded by smoking neighbors. Delicious food with plenty of variety. Friendly staff throughout our stay. A special thank you to Evelina, the waitress who served us at the Thalassa Restaurant, always with a smile on her face and ready to help. Zoe, at the Delfinia Restaurant, was also friendly, attentive, and provided quick service. There is the possibility to rent a car at the resort, although we found similar offers for almost half the price just a 10–13-minute walk away. Clean bathrooms throughout the resort (in the room, by the pools, and at the beach). Spa services: for example, we paid €85 for a 50-minute couples' massage in Rhodes, which included transportation (to the city and back to the hotel, about 25–30 minutes in total) and one complimentary drink each. The massage was professional, and we already felt relaxed after the first 10 minutes. A big thank you to Evita and Despina. Manicure and pedicure for €55, also including transportation, professionally done by Yota. Thank you! If you rent a car, there are, I believe, four parking lots around the resort, so parking is not an issue. Good internet connection. Cons: There was a foul smell at random times during the day near the Kalithea Mare Palace. We occasionally noticed it when the window was open, but we didn't find it very disturbing, and simply closing the window until it passed solved the issue. We didn't notice the smell at the pool or on the beach. If you have a sensitive sense of smell, we never noticed it while walking around the Horizon Royal part of the resort, so I'd recommend booking a room there. If you book a half-board room at Mare Palace, you might be offered an "upgrade" to all-inclusive for €30/person/day. However, you may also be offered a room described as "without a balcony," which is a major understatement. When I asked to see the room first, I was taken to an underground-level room that not only had no balcony but also no windows. So be careful. Although the bathroom was cleaned very well every day, by the end of our stay there was so much hair and dust on the room floor that I found it quite disturbing. The apps on the TV lag if you want to use them, although if you get through the first minutes of waiting, you'll be rewarded with a video that runs smoothly without stuttering. The surface of the tennis court and several of the mini-golf holes were uneven, which spoiled the experience a little. All in all, I definitely recommend the hotel for its amazing location, well-maintained beach, gardens and the delicous food that you can enjoy in the friendly atmosphere created by the staff.

This is a long review, but the details are important, so please read to the end. Kalithea Mare Palace is an enormous resort spread down a hillside roughly the size of a golf course. What may not be immediately obvious when booking is that the resort is actually made up of several hotel sections within the same grounds, including Kalithea Mare and Kalithea Horizon Royal. Each section has its own pools, bars, and restaurants, and some offer a higher standard of accommodation and facilities. Because of the size and layout of the property, a map is extremely useful. Unfortunately, reception staff seemed reluctant to provide one, which made navigating the resort more difficult than it needed to be. The resort also operates different board packages. Guests wearing blue or yellow wristbands have access to different levels of service and amenities. An upgraded all-inclusive package is available for approximately €40 per person, per day. There are four separate pool complexes throughout the resort, some of which appeared to be more exclusive than others. When booking, we specifically chose a half-board room with a sea view and requested accommodation close to the beach. However, we were allocated a room in the Kalithea Mare section at the very top of the hill, near the reception area and adjacent to the main road. The "sea view" was disappointing, as it was largely blocked by a row of trees, with only small glimpses of the sea visible through the foliage. In addition, the location was far from what we had expected. The beach was approximately 1 km away, requiring a long walk downhill (and later uphill) or the use of the resort's golf cart service. While the resort itself is impressive in scale and offers a wide range of facilities, prospective guests should be aware that the location and quality of rooms can vary significantly across the different sections of the complex. Now here is the kicker. Hidden just beyond the hill and behind a row of trees is a large sewage treatment plant (take a look on Google Maps). Our room was closest to the road used daily, except on Sundays, by large tankers transporting effluent to the facility. Whenever the wind shifted to a north-easterly direction, the stench of rotten eggs became impossible to avoid. The smell permeated the entire area, both outdoors and inside the room. It was particularly strong at the upper part of the resort, especially around reception and the Delfina Bar. Several guests commented that the problem had become worse over the years. The odour is likely associated with gases such as hydrogen sulfide and ammonia, which may be especially problematic for guests who are sensitive or allergic to these compounds. f it weren’t for the unpleasant odour, this would be an excellent resort for families. The grounds are extensive and beautifully maintained, with playgrounds, water parks, and scenic walking trails throughout the gardens. The room itself was very basic and certainly not what would be expected from a 4 star resort. It contained three single beds, a small TV with only two English-language channels, a small fridge, some kitsch artwork on the walls, and a tiny safe that was only large enough to hold a tablet. Surprisingly, there was a €20 charge for the safe key. There were only two power outlets in the entire room for charging devices. The bathroom featured a shower over the bathtub. Soap and shampoo were provided in a combined dispenser, and there were no additional toiletries. The bath plug was broken during our stay. Bath towels and pool towels were supplied. The balcony had a table, two chairs, and a clothes drying rack. However, due to the noise from the passing effluent trucks and the awful odor, it was effectively unusable. On a positive note, housekeeping was excellent, and the room was cleaned thoroughly every day. Breakfast and dinner were served buffet-style in the Thalassa Restaurant. The selection of hot dishes and salads was extensive and varied. However, after several days it became apparent that many of the cold starters and desserts were repeated regularly. We chose not to sample the uncooked items. The restaurant could become very busy and crowded, particularly during peak periods. The waiting staff often seemed more interested in chatting amongst themselves than assisting guests. Tables by the windows also appeared to be informally reserved for certain guests, usually those with wine buckets already set out. Reception at Mare Palace was extremely busy and appeared to be significantly understaffed. The staff were friendly, helpful, and clearly doing their best, but the queues were often so long that it could take up to an hour to receive assistance. Information available at the front desk was surprisingly limited. Neither resort maps nor maps of Rhodes were available, and there was very little information provided in the room apart from details of the restaurant dress code. By contrast, the Tourist Information Office in Rhodes was extremely helpful and supplied large, detailed maps of both the town and the island. The local bus to Rhodes Old Town cost €2.50, although services were sometimes so crowded that buses passed by without stopping to pick up additional passengers. Rhodes Town and its Old Town are delightful destinations and were among the highlights of our stay. The historic centre and harbor are full of character, with beautiful architecture and plenty to explore. It is well worth visiting several times.

One of the best hotels I've stayed at. I will have marvellous memories from those seven days. The complex is enormous and every part of it is beautiful. I especially would like to recognise two places: - The Roc Beach Bar - First of all, fantastic people/staff whom I'll miss a lot. Moreover, food, orange juice + greek coffee 😎 - Thalassa Restaurant - Super tasty, varied food and also great staff (special thanks to Alexandra 💪👌). Τα λέμε! Marek

I highly recommend staying at this hotel. Everything is of a very high standard, and the staff are extremely friendly and helpful. The hotel and rooms are well maintained, spotless, and cleaned daily 👌The bars and restaurants are excellently managed, especially the Thalassa restaurant. The food is delicious and varied, and the service is top-notch 🙂 A special mention goes to the lovely Evelina, who is clearly the heart of this place ❤️ She is kind and smiling every day, and at the same time 100% dedicated to her work ❤️ I wholeheartedly recommend it !

The best hotel I've been to in a long time. It was our first trip to Rhodes. This hotel certainly won't be our last visit. Everything was great, the food, drinks, pools, hygiene, the rooms. We had a amazing experience here. The staff were incredibly hard working and very helpful. Shout out to Alexandra in the restaurant who served us most days she was great. Always working hard definitely deserves a holiday. George was awsome to lovely man.