The Lindos Blu is now one of my top hotels, and definitely a place I wish to return to. The setting amazing, hotel immaculate and staff wonderful. I will not spend too much time describing the setting, as the photos already available on Trip Advisor tell the tale much better than I could. It is worth saying right out that this is a hotel to stay in to relax, so those expecting activities and energy should look elsewhere.

We opted not to take one of the package tours, but rather travel under our own steam from London via Athens (Aegean Airways), which we felt would be a more peaceful mode of transport than the direct flights to Rhodes. The Lindos Blu booked our airport transfers for us, using the slightly more expensive Mercedes taxi transfer rather than the standard taxi, which greeted us in the terminal building in the arrivals hall. In actuality, all taxis on Rhodes are Mercedes so what you are actually paying for is a newer, cleaner car with a more careful and friendly driver. I would recommend taking this option by emailing the hotel prior to your arrival, as some of the standard taxis do drive at serious speeds around the island. The drive was about 50 minutes from Rhodes airport to the hotel at a cost of €73 each way, compared to €63 for a standard taxi picked up from the airport rank.

Upon arrival at the Lindos Blu our room was upgraded from the Double we booked to a Junior Suite, which I suspect was because we booked via the Small Luxury Hotels of the World club. The front of house manager was especially helpful throughout our stay, and upon arrival she took us to the Luna Rossa bar and presented us with a complementary glass of sparkling wine each. We then retired to our room to find another bottle of complementary sparkling wine, which we enjoyed with some room service dinner on our balcony overlooking the bay.

The food in the hotel is fantastic and well-priced. We chose a B&B rate rather than half-board so we had the flexibility of eating both a la carte as well as buffet meals. The Smeraldo restaurant is pool side and offers both the buffet (the half-board option) as well as an a la carte menu. Both options are wonderful, with the buffet actually providing your main course from a menu direct to your table from the kitchen to ensure it is of the highest quality. The a la carte menu in Smeraldo is the same as the room service menu, and is equally first class. The third option for food is called The Five Seasons restaurant, and must be tried. The standard of food in The Five Seasons is way above the price, and easily one of the best restaurants I’ve been to anywhere. Evening bar food is also available in the Luna Rossa bar if you are looking for something lighter. During the day, we snacked for lunch at the Allegro pool bar, which serves both at the top pool where it is based and delivers down to the lower pool.

The hotel has two pools, one main pool plus a smaller pool further down the hotel. Not all sun loungers are in direct sunshine all day, however we never had trouble getting some in the sun when we wanted (we were told that the hotel was full). The smaller bottom pool is definitely warmer than the top, as this pool gets sunshine all day. The beach is shared with a number of other hotels in the bay, but primarily the Lindos Mare which is located directly below the Lindos Blu. Do not expect the beach to be as quiet as the hotel due to its shared nature, however it is still perfectly relaxing with the sea wonderfully warm to swim in. Food and drink is available on the beach, courtesy of the Lindos Mare hotel so bring cash if you wish to purchase any. We opted not to buy this food, but instead purchased 2 litre bottles of water from the shop within the Lindos Blu for €1 each. I would buy your water from this shop, rather than any of the bars as it is much cheaper.

All in, this hotel is brilliant and definitely worth a visit.

+ Wonderful rooms
+ Brilliant food
+ Attentive and friendly staff
+ Quiet and relaxing

- Shared beach can be less relaxing at times