Я люблю Грецию ) I like Greece )

Rest time 04/30/2011-05/09/2011.
Location of the Atrium hotel: Almost in the middle of the island on the east coast, 1 km from the village of Kalathos, which I would rather call a farm, there is nowhere to walk except for one street and there are only a couple of taverns, shops and a pharmacy on it. 6 km from Lindos.
Rooms: There is something to think about... We had a standard Side Sea View and we were completely satisfied with it: clean, not very old, bidet, slippers, bathrobes, kettle, tea, coffee. Cleaning and change of bed linen (! ) daily. So Suits, Suites and Villas should only get better. Cons - the view from these Sidovski buildings on the one hand goes to the entrance to the hotel and parking, on the other hand to the unfinished building, and then of course there is a side view of the sea. The first minutes it was frustrating, but considering that we spent only a couple of hours in the room, with the exception of sleep, the view from the window was rarely observed. But, having walked around the territory and looked at the location of the villas, I would not have ordered another room... Only Presidential villas have a sea view, which is 150 meters from the field, all other villas with private pools do not have it, they are Garden View. The distance to the sea is the same for all residents of the hotel, and villas, and standard rooms, sun loungers on the beach are the same for everyone. In the buildings that are closest to the sea, there are 2nd and 3rd floors that have a direct view of the sea, but there are literally a few such rooms. Rooms with a beautiful view of the cascade of pools in May would not be bad, but during the active season it is noisy for us. Personally, I liked the location of the rooms that overlook the lawn and the "wavy" pool (there is a photo in all complaints), behind the pool there is a "living green" fence. These rooms are quiet and secluded, only those whose rooms face it swim in the “wavy” pool and there are no terrible concrete barriers like in villas. In this hotel, I would not order a villa for the future, because for me on vacation, access to the sea and nature is more priority, and not a constant stay indoors, even very comfortable.

Beach and sea: The hotel is on the first line, 200 meters to the sea along the paths past the pools and villas. Umbrellas and sunbeds are free. The beach is large and small pebbles. The water is clear even with waves. The sea and the beach are one of the main advantages of this hotel.
Buses: Run regularly on the two main roads of the island on the east and west coasts with an interval of 40-60 minutes. Schedules are available at stops in all cities and towns. You can also check the schedule at the reception. The bus stop is 5 min. walk from the hotel near the Stefanus family tavern on the main road. The price of the Rhodes-Lindos ticket is 4.10 euros. We did not work out with buses, we stood at the bus stop for half an hour, and then stopped a taxi passing by. But other tourists said that the price to Lindos from the hotel by bus was 1.60 euros.
Taxi: Prices are fixed. We have not encountered fraud, but they say that anything can happen, it is better to specify when landing how much the trip will cost. The price for a taxi from the hotel to Lindos is fixed - 8 euros, back the price is the same. If you go for two or three, then in general it is almost the price of a bus.
Car rental: Rentals in Greece are everywhere, but the prices are different. In general, a car in Rhodes in May 2011 cost us 2 times cheaper than in August 2010 in Crete. So, near the hotel towards the sea there is a souvenir shop and right next to it is a car rental HB Rent a car, their offer for a small car for 3 days is 70 euros, for 5 days 100 euros. They do not ask for any deposits or credit cards, they accept back without any problems. At the hotel rental 160 euros for 5 days with a deposit of 150 euros. The same class of car cost in Crete in August 40 euros per day for 10 days. We got it like this: Citroen C3 for 6 days 138 euros, refueled for 50 euros and all 6 days we rode aimlessly. All cars, of course, with full insurance. Such a car suited us perfectly, we had nowhere to rush, which is generally pointless given the length of the island 80 km. in length and 48 in width, pulling up on serpentines without problems, given that the driver is experienced behind the wheel. The neighbors did not dare to go to Tsambika, drove half the way and, as it was getting dark, they returned - the road was too serpentine and with little driving experience they were uncomfortable. The roads are good, I repeat about the two main roads that start from the city of Rhodes and go along the east and west coasts, and all other smaller roads branch off from the 2 main ones inland and are connected to each other. It's impossible to get lost.

Meals: We only took breakfast. The agency offered a surcharge for dinner of 20 euros per person. It didn't work for us for a number of reasons. Firstly, for 2x for 40 euros you can eat absolutely everywhere, and mostly less. Secondly, for people who take a car, it makes no sense to be tied to dinner time and return by 18-21. Thirdly, the food in taverns is definitely tastier and more colorful than even in a 5 * hotel, since for me all hotel food in any country + is of the same type. Fourthly, these are new places and impressions every time. I recommend not to eat in obvious tourist establishments, to stay where the Greeks eat, to leave the tourist trails. Coming back to the hotel… Right next to the hotel there are 4-5 catering establishments. I would like to note 2 of them with my attention: Konstantin restaurant, a place worthy in terms of food and interior, there are multilingual waiters, excellent chefs, properly decorated and served dishes. The average price of a full dinner in Constantine is +- 30-45 euros for 2 people. And the Stefanus family tavern. The owner Stefanus, the chefs - his wife and son, daughter, together with their father Stefanus, take orders and serve. The nicest people, excellent food. The place is not glamorous, an ordinary tavern where you can sit, chat, eat delicious food and leave happy about the price-quality ratio. The average price of a full dinner at Stefanus's is 20-35 euros for 2 people. At what 35 is in a state of gluttony and with alcohol. Here are the approximate prices of some dishes in Greek establishments. Moussaka 7-9 euros, Greek salad 3.50-5 euros, tzatziki 2-4 euros, meat in different types on the grill, kleftiko 8-12 euros, seafood 8-18 euros, orange juice 2.5-3.8 euros , house wine 0.5l. 4.50-7.50 euros. There are more expensive, there are a little cheaper, the portions are large. I also want to note the institution not at the hotel, but after the first visit, we returned there several more times. If you drive from Rhodes and before reaching the Terme Kallithea, there is a right turn with the sign Tavern, which is called Neo Panorama. The owner, 65 years old, receives guests himself, his name is Janis, he takes orders in Greek / English / French / Italian. He has the most delicious grilled meat of all the places we visited in Rhodes. I especially recommend the lamb.
Tours: Not recommended. Very expensive. If you take at the hotel from the guides, the cheapest for half a day is 35 euros per person. For 2 it's 70 euros = 3 days of car rental. Excursion 3 cities - 110 euros per person, for this money you can ride around the island for 5 days by car. Separately, about the excursion to the island of Symi. All boats depart from the harbor of Mandraki, Rhodes. From the Atrium Palace hotel costs 45 euros per person. Walking around the city of Rhodes, you can find a lot of kiosks with excursions and we saw the price of Symi for 23 euros per person. This excursion takes a whole day and is held on certain days. That is, walking around Rhodes, you can buy a ticket for a convenient day, get from Lindos / Kalathos to Rhodes for 4 euros. Thus, you will be taken on a boat for 1.40 minutes to Symi, where you will enter the main harbor, review / photos / souvenirs, then along the island on a boat they will bring you to the Church of the Archangel Michael. Some offer swimming in the bays, some climb to the monasteries, some lunch, it all depends on the price of the tour. Back on the boat 1.40 min. Our visit to Symi was different. In the harbor of Mandraki, we bought tickets for the high-speed catamaran Dodecanisos Express. The price is 16 euros per person one way. Travel time 50 min. Leaves at 9.00, back the same day at 16.00. There are 340 seats, so, probably, the season must be VERY high so as not to sit on it. It can also include 6 cars and a certain amount of other small equipment (unfortunately, I did not specify prices for this). Upon arrival at the most picturesque harbor, after photos / souvenirs, etc. came to the taxi stand. For 55 euros and a few hours, the taxi driver drove us along the serpentines of the island, past the temples, to the Church of the Archangel Michael, stopped at the most beautiful viewing platforms and brought us in a circle back to the harbor to the place of arrival. We were lucky, the taxi driver Konstantin loves his island and tourists very much, he more or less speaks English, this is enough to communicate, tell legends, historical facts and joke. Symi is famous for seafood, but the taxi driver Konstantin said that all decent taverns that the local population goes to open only in the evening. Well, in the afternoon (departure at 16.00 if you remember) you can go to any port tavern, there is also fresh seafood. He recommended Manus to us. But we're out of luck here. The institution is exclusively tourist, although the seafood is fresh and there are aquariums - they cook disgustingly. We ate a portion of Sim shrimp - tasty, but like an appetizer. But the octopus and cuttlefish were returned and told not to be included in the bill. Rubber. The owner tried to prove that this is what they are. But if you have eaten before and you know how it should be, then of course this does not go away. Our tourists ordered mostly red mullet, maybe not bad, but we left hungry.
Epilogue: The vacation was a success, I really liked the island, there are many more positive feelings than some occasions). From personal experience, Rhodes is in no way inferior to Crete and gather there with joy. Everything will be great!