Faliraki, Rhodes > Reviews (5)

For those of you who read my last travel report on Cyprus, you will know that this was my best ever holiday, mainly because it was where I got married. But my last holiday to Rhodes came a close second and takes some beating.

After much umming and ahhing about where we were going to go for our summer holiday 2 years ago we decided to go to Greece for the first time. Cyprus had got really expensive since our last visit, and I was bored of Spain, so Greece it was.

After troughing through brochure after brochure we found the Hotel Espirides in Portland Direct's summer brochure. It looked ideal. It was located just on the outskirts of Faliraki in an area called Kalithea. We thought this would be perfect as it would be away from the noisy nightlife, this being important as our daughter was 4 at the time, and we are past night-clubbing.

Still, don't let the fact that Faliraki is not a place to go if you don't like rowdy pubs and clubs. We travelled there in late September and it was a lot quieter than the height of summer. There was plenty to do in the town, lots of cafes and restaurants to choose from and although a little more expensive than other resorts, still reasonably priced. Because we were staying in our hotel on a half board basis, we didn't tend to eat out much, but we did go out for a meal once or twice for a change and found that a 2 course meal for 3 people with drinks worked out at just under £20, so quite reasonable.

Back to the hotel, I can't comment enough on how excellent our accommodation was. The hotel was well run and it catered for all. Children were mesmerised by the carousel and dodgems, and there were water slides also. There was a kids club which was excellent if you wanted a break from the kids for an hour or so, and loads of entertainment for the mums and dads. We went on holiday for a rest, but we always ended up being dragged into taking part in Volleyball, aerobics or wat
er-polo. But it was all good fun.

There is a poolside taverna serving light snacks and drinks during the day, and there are various other eateries located in and around the hotel, offering an array of food and drink. If you are half-board, you have the choice of either having lunch or your evening meal at the hotel, so you are not tied in any way. The evening meals are A-la Carte and were all well presented and tasty. Children are well catered for, pizzas and fish fingers are on offer to keep the little ones happy.

During the day there are lots of things to do outwith the hotels. We were located just across the road from the waterpark and we spent a day there. It was brilliant as it was the end of the summer and there were no queues for any of the rides.

We also walked most days to Faliraki as the beach there was one of the best on the island. There were many beach activities on offer including paragliding, jet-skis, banana boats and cruises. We went on an island cruise and it took us to Rhodes Town where we were dropped off for a couple of hours and allowed to explore the old town.

We liked it there so travelled by bus to Rhodes town a couple of days later as there was so much to see and do. Transport in Rhodes is very cheap, although buses are usually infrequent and crowded.

Most of our evenings were spent at the hotel, where the entertainment was second to none. We were given peace for half an hour while our daughter went to the mini disco before the evening entertainment began. The Michael Jackson experience was probably one of the best shows I have ever seen. But all the shows there were excellent, the entertainment team knew how to get the holiday makers in the mood and I was sad to go home.

During our stay in Faliraki we didn't encounter any trouble, but this was probably because we went in low season. This for us was a good choice as the weather was still excellent. We had really hot days and feel that June-July would be far too hot.