Lydia Maris Resort & spa

Just returned from a week at Lydia Maris. Family of 4, with 2 children. Firstly, lower your expectations. If you’re expecting 5 star, it isn’t. We booked with TUI, we’re staggered it’s a TUI 4 T rated hotel. We loved our suite, our pool, the ease of getting the bus right outside to Rhodes/Lindos, the ease of walking to the shops and the pebbled beach. We met lovely people and the sun was honestly shining from 7am. The pizzas were fantastic and the staff work hard, with a smile. However, this is where the positives end. It was not the relaxing break we envisioned, it was over crowded, the food repetitive and the grounds dirty and damaged. It certainly felt like this was once a smaller hotel, with everything based around the pool and what they had was enough. But more rooms and the private pools brings more guests, which in our opinion the hotel can not cater for. Sunbeds and parasols, seating at the evening entertainment, toilets- there just isn’t enough. €15 per night tax- this is outrageous, you only need to look at a couple of hotels close by to see that Lydia Maris is not 5*. The staff work hard in the dining room, their priority is clearly cleaning plates and setting up tables. Food is quickly replenished when the serving trays are empty. There is a self serve ‘fizzy drink machine’ yet this was always serving flat drinks. One day there was pure fresh orange in the morning, it was amazing! But it was never there again. There were several jugs of water to pour yourself a small glass to drink, but these were not on tables, you had to queue at the drink station to pour. Even for a beer with your meal, you had to stand through the dining room and wait, often for staff to stop clearing up and serve you. The place just didn’t have enough staff doing the right things. One bar for the hotel is simply not adequate, not when there is only 1 member of staff serving. The bar is in the middle of the large pool. If you have a private or shared pool, you’re not close to this. It does stop you going to get a drink as frequently as you probably should. The cocktails were okay, the Prosecco/sparkling wine was really good, the beer was okay too. Sadly you were unable to fill your bottles up with water. The squash/juice was okay but in my opinion left you thirstier! The pizza and grill snack bars were a great addition. The pizza was very good, and the pizza chef worked hard to create custom orders too! The lady in the grill worked in unimaginable heat, literally sweat dripping off her. There were several times we visited and felt she needed help to prepare and serve. Food wise the salad and fruit were always fresh and tasty, the chips were surprisingly good. There were chicken nuggets most evenings. There was always a pork/chicken/beef option and pasta with bolognaise or carbonara. The signs near the food wasn’t great and sometimes you were left guessing what it was, there were no allergens obviously stated either. There was also no kids buffet as advertised on TUI. Sadly our flight was delayed and we missed our first night/day; the hotel still charged us the nightly tax for this even though we weren’t in the country! Lots of things were an extra charge- you would not expect this at a true 5* hotel. Simple things like the toilet roll being rough to use, the towels being on the smaller size, the soap dispensers being empty and there being no toiletries in the bathrooms. We were also shocked at the lack of toilets. No toilets around the pool area, only 2 toilets in reception down the stairs. This meant you had to dry off and get dressed to nip to the loo out of the pool! There was no courtesy room- you could pay to keep your room. For instance €30 for 3 hours… up to €70 for early evening. You don’t want the room all day, just somewhere to shower, dry and change at the end of the day before a late flight. Just another thing that does not make this a high rating holiday destination. Our main concerns were around the pool. As the photos show the main pool was unusable for several days due to dirt/murkiness. The ‘children’s pool’ was slippery underfoot and the bars around the edge sharp, little children do put their hand through, they do reach out to get their toys, the railing shouldn’t be sharp. Things like this should be thought of. Having the evening entertainment so close to the pool was also another great concern. Our room had ants and cockroaches. The flooring at the bottom of the steps was also coming apart. We’re so glad we did not pay more than we did and we’re disappointed it wasn’t the high quality experience we were expecting. We booked this as a family holiday, but in our opinion this isn’t a hotel for children under 5. Too many levels, too slippy, too many hazards and not enough to do within the hotel grounds. Having to sit on sunbeds to watch the entertainment, not 5*!! Not even 4*! We had a lovely holiday and made the most of it, but this was because we made the most of what we had. Sadly we expected more and Lydia Maris did not deliver.

Overall I enjoyed my 5 night holiday with my daughter and her friend (both 15 years) The cases were brought to the rooms on second floor. The room was a little more dated than the pictures, however the bathroom was new with walk in shower and very clean. The balcony was large and the walls between are low, so you can see your neighbours! The restaurant food was very varied and enjoyed most things each evening. The outdoor pizza oven was great and the girls loved the Gyros available throughout the day. The pool bar was good, however the alcohol drinks were very weak! The large pool was very busy in August. Be prepared to get up early and pop your towels out to get a space! The staff were all lovely and very hard working. I thought the entertainment was great for the kids and I liked the named t-shirts which you could buy (even for adults). The short walk to the beach wasn't too bad and the shops and restaurants seemed OK to the right of the hotel. Bus stop outside to take you places. It's about 1 hour to rhodes town and is 4 euros each. Taxi is 45 euros. Overall a lovely stay. Girls had a lovely time. The air-conditioning could be better, but positives definitely outweighed the negatives. I would book a swim up pool room if I returned! 🙂

Myself, partner and 2 children have just returned from a 7 night stay at this hotel. I unfortunately would not rate this as 5 star due to a few reasons. The food at the buffet we found there was not a huge selection compared to other 5 star hotels we have stayed at and the food choices were quite samey. The hotel could maybe offer themed nights and maybe introduce some Greek meals into the offering. The baklava they offered were lovely though! Another issue was the machines of fizzy pop ran out or were flat most days, the same for the beer tap unfortunately and also there was no ice creams apart from meal times which isn't the norm for AI. However the pizzas and the gyros and the lady who made them were the best food options at the hotel. She worked in the heat and always had a smile and worked tirelessly, maybe an extra fan to keep her cool would be of benefit. The cocktails included in the AI were great as there was plenty of variety, however they were only available at the pool bar as the bar in reception area never seemed to be open. The entertainment team were top notch, they really go above and beyond, the foam party for the kids was great but they don't pressure anyone to join in if they really don't want to. And the evening entertainment was also good by the team. The hotel room was cleaned daily and spacious, the maid who cleaned our room always had a smile and made conversation with us which was lovely. A bottle of water was left in the fridge for us and a fruit platter and a bottle of wine was there on our first day which was a nice touch. However the safe wasn't included in the holiday price and pool towels weren't either, you had to have a refundable deposit of €10 a towel. The grounds were very well kept Although the pool started to look murky and cloudy by the day we were leaving and there wasn't enough loungers for the need of the hotel and some were damaged. The hotel was in a lovely area with a great cheap bus route to access different parts of the island. All in all I think the hotel either needs to do a few things to get it to a 5 star status to justify the tourist tax charge and the price of the stay. Top tip hire a car from rodos cars outside the hotel for the day and go see the Island.

This is a lovely resort. Hotel is a smaller than what we are used to but was a pleasant change. Food was plentiful although a bit repetitive (lots of pork). But we enjoyed it. I found all staff friendly and helpful. Lovely pool and pool bar. We had a family suite which had dividing glass doors which gave our teens and us a bit of privacy. The hotel is close to all amenities. The entertainment was the usual stuff you get at most small all inclusives. The entertainment staff interacted well with the guests. My kids enjoyed the water polo. Things I’d like to see improved. The beds were extremely hard and uncomfortable. I woke several times in pain with my hip. I’d like to see more of the food/sauces labelled. The gyros we had twice. They were absolutely delicious but I felt very sorry for the lady serving them. Each time we went there was a long queue and quite a wait. She worked tirelessly in the heat on her own. I felt at busy times she could have done with some assistance. She looked very uncomfortable cooking outside in the heat. Despite this she was friendly and the food was lovely when we got it. Would we return in the future. Yes.

Stayed for 10 nights with my daughters age 14 & 10. First impressions- larger resort than expected. Large pool with plenty of sun-beds & umbrellas. Large outdoor shaded eating area- gets a bit messy after eating times. This isn’t down to staff this is down to individuals or groups not clearing up after themselves. Same around the pool, rubbish & empty cups everywhere. Food/Drinks- average & gets a little samey. Having to help yourself at drinks machines with re-useable plastic cups is where the ratings go down for me. No ice creams for children on the all inclusive. Staff work around the clock including the entertainment team. Room big & cleaned daily. I wouldn’t return due to not being a 5* as advertised. Pool not cleaned daily & pool water murky. Not worth the 15 euro room charge per night. Safe not included without extra charge either.