Cosmos Maris, Rhodes

Booked this hotel to travel in May 2009 with my parents and boyfriend. My parents had been last year and recommeded it to me, but I was still a little dubious
because of the 2* rating.

My worries were completely unfounded. This hotel is amazing, and was one of the very best holidays I have ever had. Having booked through Thomson we arrived at the hotel to a warm welcome from George the owner of the hotel, who had remembered my parents from the previous summer. We were shown to our rooms by George, which was a nice touch as many hotels are happy to let you stumble around in the dark. When we got to our rooms I was amazed. The room was huge! It was located in the newer wing of the hotel, and as such was of an excellent standard with a new kitchenette and bathroom. The room had everything you would need for a self-catering holiday, with a fridge that actually worked (which anyone who has gone self-catering to Greece will recognise as a bonus) and a hob and plenty crockery, cutlery and pans.

There was also a lovely balcony, with sea views and some very friendly birds who were always happy to eat your crumbs! The hotel was very quiet, as there is very little development around it, with a patch of grass in front of the hotel separating it from the next building.

The high standard of the apartments was matched by the pool and poolside bar. Always meticulously clean, the poolisde area and pool were lovely, with plenty of comfortable sunbeds. The pool bar did some of the best greek food I have had, along with the usual standards to cater for the English clientele.

The hotel was an approximate five minute walk from a lovely sandy beach with a sea perfect for swimming. The village of Lardos was around twenty easy minutes walk away, or a very short cheap taxi ride. The village itself was gorgeous, still managing to retain authentic Greek feeling in spite of the presence of tourists, and the local people went out of their way to be friendly. The restaurants and couple of bars were of a high standard, with great food and reasonably priced drinks. Around the hotel there were a few bars and supermarkets, which were very quiet. However we did visit in the first week of the season so they may be more lively later in the summer.

We did visit Lindos one night, and although the town was lovely and I would recommend a visit to anyone, we feel we were ripped off a little for our meal we had there at a rooftop restaurant. Although the views were beautiful as the sun set the food was overpriced and below standard when compared to the meals we had in Lardos, costing three times the price and being nowhere near as enjoyable!
Overall the Cosmos Maris is a special place to go on holiday, in a perfect setting with a warm welcome and a family feel. I would recommend this hotel to anyone looking for a relaxing break.