I have always been more of a city break kind of gal and even when I've been on family holidays in the past to Florida, you best believe that I had written up a packed itinerary for every single day of our trip months before we even boarded our flight. But I definitely needed a bit of a break from my laptop and time to just sit in the sun and do nothing. And that's when me and my Mum settled on visiting Rhodes.
Despite the fact that neither of us had visited Rhodes before (my Mum was last in Greece when she was in her twenties, so before I was even born), we loved the look and vibe of the Greek island. We had such a great experience travelling with Jet2 Holidays last time that we decided to book with them again. And our holiday included seven nights at our hotel with bed and breakfast, return flights to and from our nearest airport (Glasgow), along with coach transfers.
The accommodation itself
When booking we noticed that you could opt for a pool or sea view and we instantly loved the sound of waking up to a view of the Aegean every morning. And we were so happy that we paid the little bit extra to stay in the block of rooms closest to the sea. Because our flight didn't get in until around 10:30pm Rhodes-time, it did mean that we didn't check in until midnight but we were greeted with such a lovely welcome and even found a bottle of wine in our room for our welcome drink.
We were at the very end of one of the blocks, which we loved and I personally spent so much time out on the balcony. The room itself had everything you could need such as a mini fridge, large open wardrobe, desk and chair, a huge flat screen smart TV (which made logging in to the likes of Disney+, Netflix and Prime Video so easy) and an incredible rainshower. And it was so well laid out, with modern furnishings. We weren't expecting to receive slippers either, which was such a nice touch.
Breakfast
Now breakfast was one of the biggest highlights of our stay, even if we both came home about half a stone heavier (no exaggeration there). We loved the fact that they switched up the breakfast offerings each morning. This meant that there was always something new to try and indulge in. As someone with a serious sweet tooth I was 100% here for the hazelnut filled croissants, pancakes, waffles, cakes and smorgasbord of fresh fruits. While my mum tried everything from the usual breakfast fare to lots of Greek specialities.
As I say, it's easy to see why our waistlines took a serious hit while we were there.
The private beach
Another one of the huge pluses about staying at this particular hotel was the fact that they have their own private beach. It is a pebble beach, which means you have to be careful as you make the journey into the water. Or you can buy a pair of swim shoes (or bring your own from home if you have a pair).
I spent most of my time under the shade of the fabulously oversized umbrella with my Kindle in one hand and a drink in the other. There were also plenty of beds and tables, for hotel guest use only, which meant that you didn't need to worry about staking out a bed early in the morning like you might at other larger hotels.
The pool
The freshwater pool was such a relief in the heat and it was a lot bigger than I anticipated, even from the photos on the hotel website. There was also a swim up bar, which was so fun and plenty of loungers, beds and chairs with parasol shades to allow you to get the most out of the space. Between the pool and the beach, you didn't feel like you really needed to leave the hotel, which was such a bonus.
The hotel restaurant
We had lunch and dinner at the hotel a few times and there was a great mix of greek dishes and international ones. For example, we couldn't get enough of their margherita pizza and my mum had some of the dishes of the day, which were some of her favourite meals during our entire trip. Add in the added fact that the hotel grow their own herbs, vegetables and fruits on the hotel grounds and it just elevated the whole experience.
The location
Located less than 2km from the airport, with us very much enjoying the fact that you could see the planes taking off each day, the hotel is only around 30 minutes by bus from Rhodes town. We did make the trip one day but it was swelteringly hot, with us having to duck in and out of the shops for some respite, instead of being able to stroll around leisurely like we'd planned.
In terms of the hotel's location, we also really liked the fact that there were some lovely family run restaurants and three supermarkets across the road from the hotel, making it a breeze to grab snacks, ice creams and ice cold drinks whenever we needed to. And during the evenings we ventured a bit further afield with our after dinner walks and discovered a great gelato spot and more restaurants that definitely piqued our interest.
A return visit?
The only slight struggle during our trip was the heat. As a pale, freckly redhead I had a feeling it would be pretty hot in June but there were a number of heat warnings with it reach 36 degrees one day. It wasn't too much of an issue in our air conditioned room or the shaded balcony, pool area and beach. But even running across the road to the supermarket was a struggle that left us feeling like sweaty messes every time. So, we would definitely love to come back in late September/early October to properly explore more of what Rhodes has to offer.
I was pretty disheartened to not be able to go on a ferry to another island or to visit any of the archaelogical ruins during our stay. But I definitely would have passed out in that heat, especially as someone prone to fainting and feeling dizzy in hot temperatures, if we went somewhere that exposed. However, that just gives us a reason to come back.
Honestly, we couldn't fault a single thing about our stay at Ixia Dream or our entire holiday package with Jet2.
Have you ever wanted to visit Rhodes or the Greek islands? What do you think of the hotel? And are you more of a fan of beach holidays or city breaks?
28