Following yet another brilliant holiday at the Esperides, I decided to write a review detailing what makes this such a perfect holiday for families. This was my second visit to the Esperides and I am one of those people that normally does not visit a place more than once, but with so much on offer and two children who I never saw for much of the holiday I decided it had to be the one again for next year as well.
The first impressions of the hotel are one of cleanliness, friendliness and a great sense of warmth. As you walk through the doors you are welcomed by the Reception Desk, as this is an All Inclusive Hotel, you are immediately issued with your wrist bands, for Adults these are clear and for children they are black. The children's are black to ensure that no bars serve them alcoholic drinks, which in this day and age of children looking a great deal older than their age, is a unique idea. In the main foyer you have an Internet Cafe, where 7 Euros enables you to surf the Web for an hour, longer periods of time can be bought and it gets cheaper the longer you are on. There is also a Cash Dispenser which accepts all Credit Cards and Debit Cards which is very handy. There is a Main Bar here which is rather posh and is the only bar in the hotel where you will have your drinks served in Glasses. There is also a table situated in the Foyer, which is eagerly supplied with bottles of Ouzo,
Fresh Orange and Water for your consumption as and when. It is there 24-7, so Ouzo lovers beware. Also in this Main Foyer is the entrance to the Restaurant, Breakfast is served between 7.00 and 10.00. This consists of an abundance of good old English Breakfast Items, Continental Style Breakfasts, Fresh Fruit, Coffee, Tea, a variety of Fruit Juices and even Bottles of Champagne if the urge takes you. The variety of foof was incredible and is all self-service throughout every meal. Lunch was served between 12.30 and 2.30 and you could either eat in the Main restaurant or east al fresco in the Taverna by the pools. Again a wide variety of meals were available, something for everyone I would say. The evening meals were between 6.00 and 9.15, for both lunch and evening meals you had all soft drinks, fizzy drinks, beer, red, rose and white wine to indulge in and as much as you liked. They themed the restaurant three times a week into a Greek Night, Chinese Night and Italian Night. The food was amazing, Fresh Mussels, Kalamari, Whole Fish, Meat freshly sliced, salads in abundance, chicken, lamb, pork and beef dishes, there honestly was so much to choose from that you actually piled your plates up because you wanted to taste it all. The waiters/waitresses there to seat you and clear you plates away are all so friendly and the whole dining experience was a gastronomic heaven and a wonderful experience.
In total there are 6 bars around the hotel, all which open from around 9.00 in the morning and close the latest at 2.00 the following morning. As well as your standard whisky, gin, vodka drinks there are also an abundance of other drinks like Malibu, Campari, Liquers and so on and they even have a Cocktail list for you to choose from too.
During the day there is a room which is open where you can help yourself to soft drinks and ice cream (brilliant for the children) and there is food in here 24-7 from Pizza, Croissants, Cake, Rolls, Sandwiches and alot more so you never go hungry, not that you would after being in the restaurant.
For the children there is a large area especially for them. This includes their own bar, from 4.00 onwards free candyfloss and popcorn. There are bumper cars, carousels, water slides, boucy castles, rock climbing walls, children's clubs and playhouses and even a playground all under cover to enure your child is comfortable and not exposed to the sun. All the above are totally free and a godsend if your away with children of any age. There is also an Air-Conditioned Cinema where they show films for the kids at 1pm and 8pm every day all in English, films like Pirates of the Caribbean, Cars, Madagascar and so on, ideal for getting the kids out of the midday sun.
There are in total four pools here, a round pool which has the same depth all around it, a splash pool for the toddlers where the water is no deeper than an inch, a large pool which has a shallow end and a deep end and another fun pool, filled with elephants, cows etc and fountains for the kiddies to play in. There is extensive gardens where you can sunbathe if you choose, filled with palm trees and a magnificent display of flowers.
The beach is a one minute walk away, where you can find you own exclusive sunbeds and parasols (no charge), a beach bar where you can get drinks and snacks like kebabs. There is a hut which is run by a couple of english fellas and you can take out pedaloes and canoes free of charge. There is also the usual Sausage, Doughnuts and other rides which you can do at a small charge. This place is great for booking up any boat trips independently as it works out much cheaper than the Tour Operators ones.
If you venture out of the hotel, there is a bus-stop at the entrance, one side of the road takes you to Rhodes Town (7 Euros for 4 people), or on the other side of the road you can go to Falaraki, we taxied it there and it cost 5 Euros each way. In Falaraki there is a place called Luna Park which is a big Amusement Park for the children, so that makes a nice change. Across the road and a 5 minute walk away is the Aqua Park, this cost us 60 Euros for the four of us for the day, but it was a great day out and there rides were brilliant. A five minute walk the other way takes you to a Shopping Centre where there is an abundance of shops, bars, restaurants for you to explore, all very cheap, especially for lace and jewellery. Across the road to the Hotel, is the hotel's nature park, although not massive, they do have tigers and a variety of other wildlife, and it makes a break for a couple of hours.
The rooms in the hotel were so spacious, we had a family room for 4, and I have never seen so much storage space, the children had bunk-beds but were partitioned off by sliding doors from our bed. There was a fridge, TV (with some english SKY channels), Hairdryer and a ready supply of Dove Soap and Shower Gel, which was filled up constantly. The rooms were spotlessly clean and all in all lovely.
The hotel entertainment was endless, from 10.00 in the morning to 11.00 at night, the Animation Team worked endlessly to ensure adults and children alike were entertained, from Five-A-Side Football, Volleyball, Games and in the evening shows, which included a spectacular Fire Show, a brilliant Musical Extravanga, with Grease, Phantom of the Opera, Cats, The Rocky Horror Show and each and every night they showed us all great entertainment.
To sum it up, this holiday cost us just under £2,000 for the four of us. It was excellent value for money, the children had a whale of a time, and me and my wife had a relaxing holiday. There is not one negative comment I can make about this Hotel, it is ideally situated, the food is first class and the hotel staff are helpful, polite and friendly, a brilliant time had by all, and I highly recomment it to one and all.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
NH Hotels, the hotel chain leader in Europe, with more than 300 hotels in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Enter into our web site and find the best available tariff at all times
very helpful by (88%):
helpful by (13%):
