Lindos Village Resort & Spa

I really want to be six feet tall, 30 years younger and have a six pack and a million dollars in a safety deposit box tucked away for a rainy day. In reality I just have to admit that I’m 5ft 7” on a good day, I’ve sneaked into my seventh decade with not much in the way of physical fitness to show for it, unless you count a lightly protruding belly, high blood pressure and tinnitus-and as for wealth, I am the proud owner of a rapidly depreciating stamp collection which I’ll probably leave to my niece. Sorry, Rosie, you deserve so much better. This is what my stay at Lindos Village Resort and Spa Hotel felt like. The hotel boasts a Five-Star rating on some website or other and its five-star ‘credentials’ are embossed on everything from bath robes and towels to promotional literature and signage. First impressions on our evening arrival are best taken at face value because late night check -ins are never the best indicator of how a hotel operates during the better staffed daylight hours. I did, however, feel the pinch of an immediate tourist tax of 150 Euros paid on the spot by credit card. I also felt that I was doing the check-in process as part of an Ai experiment aimed at reducing the number of staff required on reception. Another part of the process was being issued with a special code that apparently gave you to access to an app, (boy! Don’t we just love those?) which maybe did or maybe did not give us a code to access our room WIFI account. Throughout our stay we were issued with three of these codes, none of them worked, we gave up on the room WIFI. Anyway, back to our first evening. We were golf-buggied to our room (golf-buggying henceforth known as a thing). The room was spacious but sparsely decorated with no pictures and fitted out with furniture in a similar “style” to that of a once beloved Swedish furniture retailer. It became clear that my face value strategy was already under pressure. The bathroom was the first canary in the coalmine. The bath, washbasins and showers were incredibly dated and an early indication that maybe one of the stars twinkling around the hotel’s marbled entrance was in danger of dying. On the plus side we had been left some food shrink-wrapped next to one of the bedside cabinets along with a bottle of water and a bottle of red wine. It was getting late, but we put all our clothes in their various spots using the hangers available (never enough hangers), and I doom scrolled through the limited English language channels before turning in. Next morning we climbed the 83 steps to breakfast, and I breathlessly asked for coffee, which seemed to be an optional extra by the look on some of the faces of the waiting staff. Asking for coffee during the rest of our 10 days felt a bit like negotiating a truce through the UN without a translator. Don’t get me wrong, the staff never refused us coffee, they just never once asked if we wanted coffee and I got the feeling that it was a bit of a trudge for them if you ordered a cappuccino or a latte. Breakfast was excellent, absolutely no complaints about the food, or the magnificent view of Lindos Bay from the hotel’s many terraces, just the beverage ordering process. Then it was down the 83 stairs to get ready for a day’s relaxing by the pool. It was around then that we noticed that the bathroom in room 154 wasn’t really up to standard, unless flooding the entire room is standard procedure in a five-star hotel. The frame around the mirror had also become detached and there was a light out. We asked for maintenance through, you guessed it, the hotel app. Maintenance came quickly and the light was replaced but the mirror frame remained detached from the mirror. Over the next day or two it became clear that the bath was held together with a wing and a prayer, and we decided to ask for a room change which was granted without a fuss. Weirdly, the second room 160 also had a loose frame around the mirror, and a broken light and I began to wonder if it was supposed to be like this. The safe in the room was also broken and took two attempts to fix. Again, the app for reporting these faults worked fine and the maintenance people were happy to help. The hotel offered us a complimentary late check out for the inconvenience, and I breathed a sigh of relief that maybe things were taking a turn for the better. The relief was short-lived and came in the form of our upstairs ‘neighbour’ who apparently liked to bounce up and down on a pogo stick whilst failing to juggle grenades. (Trust me, I know what a grenade sounds like). After three nights of this I contacted the reception using a mixture of Apps, What’s App and a visit to reception. Again, there was no problem with a room change, but we were now into day seven of ten and this meant another suitcase pack and move. (By now we had packing down to 8 minutes and 53 seconds including one sneeze and a pee break) and we decanted to room 357 in record time. The bathroom in 357 had no shower screen and the shower head and mixer taps were rusty but we just put up with it because 3 room changes in ten days is more than enough. Throughout our ten days stay music blared from a nearby hotel’s amphitheatre until 11pm every night until one night, thunder and lightning cut short one particularly enthusiastic performance. I have never been so glad for the arrival of thunder and lightning in my life. We managed two good nights in our third room at Lindos Village Resort and Spa and there were a few decent meals in the evening. There were some really welcoming staff and of course as the son of a cleaner who work in hotels, I’m always grateful to cleaning staff for the amazing job that they do. I also appreciate that big resorts like this need constant maintenance, but it looks like the management, and staff are tinkering around the edges, and I reckon they use a ton of Polyfilla each week just papering over the cracks. In my opinion they appear to be fighting a losing battle with the aging process, and the physical cracks are showing. The long driveway up to the hotel is littered with rubbish and the closer to the hotel you go the more it begins to resemble a scrapyard, albeit a scrapyard with a beautiful tiny Coptic church at the car park entrance. I asked one of the staff if the hotel was due for a refit and they looked surprised as they answered with one word ‘no’. On my last day as we waited for our luggage to be picked up I looked into my third room’s bathroom mirror and I saw a rather frazzled 5ft 7” pot-bellied, middle-aged man who could benefit from a makeover and some new clothes and I reckon Lindos Village Resort and Spa could do with the same.

Really struggle to understand how this resort received a five star rating. It’s completely misleading and not what we expected. The rooms are extremely dated and need major refurbishment. On the first day the shower flooded the whole bathroom. When I lifted the plug hole up it was clear it hadn’t been cleaned for a long time. Speaking to other guests, they experienced similar issues with the drainage. The bathroom regularly smelt damp and moldy and there was signs of rust and mold on most of the hardware in the bathroom. The room was basic. There was no hooks for used towels or shelves for storing toiletries in the bathroom. The bedroom had no chair or full length mirror. The plug by the main mirrior was hidden behind the tv so when I wanted to use the mirror to do my hair you had to move the whole tv. The fridge in the wardrobe leaked and made everything wet. The aircon unit starting making a very loud noise, we reported this to reception but nothing was done. We just had to put up with it and try and sleep through it. There is a coffee machine in the room and four capsules provided. Two decafe and two regular. We only drink regular. After using the provided capsules, if you want more it’s €2 per capsule. So, for a ten night stay we are offered one coffee each? Never experienced this in a ‘five star’ hotel. We headed to breakfast and asked for a cappuccino when we sat down, it took over twenty minutes for our coffees to arrive which when they did, were black Americanos! We said not to worry but again, not the five star experience we hoped for. There is no lock on the balcony door, which didn’t feel safe. The balcony wall is very high with low (and uncomfortable) seating, so although we had paid for a sea view, it was almost impossible to actually see it! The overall cleanliness of the room really wasn’t what we expected. The drains smelt so bad, even sitting on the balcony you could smell it. The balcony was cleaned only once in our ten day stay. The pool area is also pretty run down. Sunbeds were half broken and the pool area was really grubby. We like to book adults only hotels for the relative peace and quiet but this hotel’s pool area backs directly onto a hotel with water slides and late night entertainment, which wasn’t ideal. Also the music around the pool isn’t the most appropriate … loud, explicit rap music whilst you are trying to relax isn’t great 😅. The WiFi throughout the complex is really weak and so we had to use 5G and ran out of data! The beach which is a short buggy ride down to is also pretty scrappy. We much preferred getting a taxi to Lindos main beach. The one positive experience we had at the hotel was the food and drink. The food in Ambrosia was very good, however was €111 for one shared starter, two mains and two glasses of house wine! There isn’t much atmosphere in the restaurant. I think there are much more reasonable dining options in Lindos. Also something to bear in mind in Lindos in general is the constant requests for cash payments. We were told by the hotel that the taxi picking us up would accept card. Not true. The taxi driver told us to go to the cash machine before we got in and then said we can get most of things cheaper in Lindos if we pay cash. Each time you use the ATM at the hotel it charges €5 service fee. We then booked an excursion with the hotel and was also required to pay that fully in cash. I found this strange as they could accept card payments for food and drink. Waiting for a taxi sometimes took up to twenty minutes. There is only one bench at the front so everyone just stands around. One night someone jumped in our designated taxi and we found ourselves at the back of the queue again. Something to bear in mind if you have dinner reservations. All in all, this really isn’t worth a visit. We made the most of it and were lucky with the weather but I’m genuinely baffled how this has been awarded five star status. Save your money and go somewhere else!

Just arrived back from a 9 night stay. We had a lovely time but there is definitely some positives and negatives. Negatives Our room was in a lovely location, not too far from the pool or reception/ breakfast area. We had a lovely view of the pool/ sea and mountains although we did book a sea view room- I would definitely recommend as some of the rooms balconies didn’t have a view at all. Bathroom was a little dated, the shower flooded if you used the hose part of the shower and the overhead shower trickled out. Working safe was nice as I’ve never been able to get a safe to work. Cleaners were probably the nicest staff- always said hello. Reception staff wasn’t very friendly I felt as though I was a pest for asking simple questions. Although they do have a WhatsApp chat with them and you can ask them questions and they were quick to respond which was really good!! Rooms are cleaned daily- there is a nespresso coffee machine in the room however only give you I think 3 complimentary pods and after that I heard you had to pay for more. Leads me onto the breakfast, breakfast was okay, you can sit on the rooftop and the view is unreal. Okay selection, the fruit was nice. Although there isn’t a self serving coffee machine, we only got offered a coffee twice the whole time we was there and when I did order a coffee I asked for oat milk and when they brought it they guessed which one was the oat milk one which I was a little concerned about. You had to ask a member of staff for a coffee but the staff were always busy collecting plates never going round asking people if they wanted a coffee. Me and my partner had to buy and make our own coffee. You cannot walk into Lindos- my god Lindos is gorgeous!! Although taxis were £12-18 each way. The reception will book it for you and give you a card with a number on and when the taxis arrived they never had the corresponding number and they would take anyone. We did a lot of the time ask other couples if they would like to share a taxi as everyone is more a less going into Lindos to cut the cost and time I would definitely recommend this. Busses you catch from the bottom of the dirt road, it’s very off road and takes around 10-15 minutes to reach and slight incline. Elderly people would struggle. They are pretty regular one way takes you into Lindos and the other way will take you to Rhodes old town. Takes around a hour to Rhodes old town. The busses are very organised and at Lindos bus station and Rhodes there is a designated person to direct you to your bus they will shout out where it’s going. Around €20 for there and back to Rhodes and around €10 to Lindos. Although when catching the bus to Lindos you have to cross a very fast busy road with no real walk ways on either side. Positives We never had a problem with getting a win lounger, people would start reserving them at around 8:30am. But still plenty to go round. We went down to the pool early around 9am as the sun was shining and was lovely and warm at that time. They are also lovely lounges really comfortable and they are padded. You also got a hotel beach towel which you can swap at the spa when needed. The pool is freezing but very refreshing but isn’t very deep. I loved the fact you could order drinks and food from your sun lounger also, you can order through the hotel app or from a QR code from your lounger and they would bring it right to your lounger. Drinks were quite expensive around €12 for a cocktail. €6 for a beer. The food was lovely and the fredo cappuccinos. The beach is a 5-10 min walk down a hill. There is a buggy service which was always running people up and down but some of the times me and my partner just found it easier to walk. The beach is a stoney beach which I preferred and has padded sun lounges which I think were for the other hotels but we used them many times and nobody said anything. There is a beach bar but only takes cash. There is a on site shop which was good sold drinks and snacks however if you walked down to Lindos grand hotel there is an even bigger shop. It is down a hill about a 5 min walk but it had even more selection which I would recommend. Lindos has plenty of restaurants we never had a problem with not booking beforehand. It’s absolutely gorgeous!! Plenty of cocktail bars and cute little shops. Also the view of the acropolis is stunning. We would also definitely recommend hiring a self drive boat it was the highlight of the trip. Overall we had a lovely stay. We would definitely come back despite the negatives.

So first the good. The staff were friendly and polite. Our room had clean linen when needed. Location good although taxis into Lindos added to the holiday expense - average €15 each way - no reduction for sharing with other couples. The not so good - by UK standards this isn't a 5* hotel. We booked a panoramic deluxe room - yes we had a lovely sea view - but the room was pretty basic especially the bathroom - photos below. The shower was probably the same you might expect in a youth hostel. Sealant needs to be replaced ASAP. Staying in the shower for longer than a couple of minutes resulted in a flood. We ran out of loo roll and had to ask 5 times for a supply. The fridge in the wardrobe was unusual. The wardrobe itself needs replaving. The pool is ok but only 1m deep - no good for exercising. Breakfast ok - lots of choice - although the rave music was a little jarring at 8am. The entertainment at night was so loud - does anyone really need hotel singers in 2026?

Location - Very close to Lindos town, but nothing around the hotel apart from 2 mini marts and a SF Military base next door… so be prepared to either hire a car, catch a bus or take a taxi into Lindos (which the hotel will happily order for you). Taxi is 15-16 Euros one way into Lindos. You can attempt to walk into Lindos as its roughly 3 miles, but its not for the faint hearted as its over very rough terrain with elevation and no real designated path.. took us around 1.5hrs using google maps set on satellite imaging to work out a rough route (make sure you wear suitable footwear and take plenty of water & sunscreen if you decide to attempt it & I wouldn’t recommend walking along the road unless you have a death wish) Atmosphere - Lovely grand entrance, lobby area and restaurant balcony. Amazing views over Vlycha Bay with stunning sun rises. It may sound odd but the Hotel use a nicely scented room fragrance which you can’t fail to notice as soon as you walk into the lobby. Adds an air of exclusivity. Rooms - Rooms are clean and functional, but the bathrooms are in desperate need of a refresh and update. Our room (342) toilet cistern was broken as it continued to flow continuously after every flush. The hotel staff (bless them) tried to fix it on numerous occasions, but the fault kept recurring which was most frustrating. Room Safe was broken and again reported to front desk on arrival but no effort was made to fix or replace it. Air conditioning and fridge (inside the wardrobe!?!?) had seen better days and the loud noises they were making kept us up all night. To be honest it would have been better to have just moved rooms, but that old adage “out of the frying pan into the fire” kept springing to mind. Value - Value wise it’s definitely not a 5 Star hotel, but for what we paid it was perfectly acceptable. Just lower your expectation before you go and you’ll be fine. Think of it as 4 Star hotel in need of an urgent update. For a 5 Star resort you’ll be paying a lot more. Cleanliness - Can’t fault the cleaning staff. They were always smiling and couldn’t do enough for you. Rooms were always cleaned to a good standard and towels were changed daily. The condition of the bathrooms were not so good (Limescale build up etc), but that had nothing to do with the cleaning staff - just tired old suites that needed binning. Some of the other areas of the hotel (eg walkways between villas) had seen better days and could do with a deep clean. Noise Level - Oh my days! If you’re planning to use the beach bring ear plugs or noise cancelling headphones!!! The beach sun loungers are positioned right next to the Italian ‘BRAVO’ Alpitours events team, who pump out loud music at an unreasonable volume throughout the day. If you’re thinking of having a “quiet” relaxing day on the beach.. think again!!! You have been warned… And just when you think things quieten down again they start back up again in the evenings between 9-11pm in the amphitheatre next door! Service - can’t fault the service. Everyone at the hotel tries their best to please and accommodate your requests. Everyone is super friendly and helpful… just a shame a lot of the faults of the hotel are out of their control. I have enormous respect for the staff, managers included. However they look like they’re fire fighting half the time. Amenities - Didn’t use the gym or spa so can’t comment on them, but was a little disappointed that the size of the pool area was too small for the number of guests. We were staying mid September (so not peak season) and often struggled to find an available lounger around the pool. And it was because of this we ended up down on the beach on most days or sitting on the chairs around the jacuzzi. Another annoying thing was that the Jacuzzi was broken and out of order!?!? Why advertise a Jacuzzi if it doesn’t work? The restaurant was good though. Great choice at Breakfast and really enjoyed the 5 courses dining option in the evenings. Summary - Not a 5 Star resort. It’s obvious where the “group” owners spend their money in terms of refurbishment and upkeep costs (The Grand & Royal). Having said that still enjoyed our stay despite the flaws, due largely to the staff, closeness to Lindos town and incredible views across the bay. As long as you temper your expectations and can oversee some of the minor niggles you’ll have a pleasant time.