Hippocampus Boutique Hotel — Hotel in Municipality of Rhodes

Friendly family run hotel. Staff are wonderful, always have a smile and customer service is excellent. Located a 10 minute bus or taxi ride from Rhodes old town. ( Taxi €12, bus tickets €2.30 if bought from nearby shops - buses can be crowded and a bit unreliable in the middle of the day) Beaches are monopolised by the large hotels with a public access beach 15 minutes walk North away ( in front of Anna's Place - opposite Oceania Beach hotel, the one that looks like a UFO has buried itself in the cliff. ). The nearest access to a pebble beach is down the streets opposite the Hippocampus, located between the Avra Beach resort and Ixian Grand, but it has no facilities.( just the beach, no sunbeds, bar or toilets) fishing boats are on the shore and there's O Brien's surf rental shack. We were told that at top of the street - Hotel Natalie - you can use their pool, sunbed and bar. Described as a 'gastro pub' the hotel food does not disappoint and local dishes appear to be their speciality. Breakfast in particular is huge. Tea, coffee, orange juice with croissants cake and toast to keep you going while they cook a fresh English breakfast, for you - or an Omelette or scrambled egg and more toast.

As mentioned by other reviewers the rooms can be on the small side ( e.g. nowhere to store suitcases) but they are clean, functional and with electrically operated blackout blinds. Rooms are kept spotless by the lovely Artemis, who will usually try to clean your room while you are at breakfast. All rooms have a balcony ( or terraces if on the ground floor) which is a nice place to chill out and relax. A/C is available for €7 per night extra. We didn't need it in early June ( 27° daytime , 22° nightime) but it could be essential for comfort in the hotter months. We had an early pick up for trips so would miss breakfast, which starts at 8am. No problem - Costas arranged for a 'packed breakfast ' of fruit, sandwiches and iced tea.

We have just a couple of observations ( not complaints).

Our coffee, tea and sugar was not replenished after the first day. Maybe this is hotel policy. We just bought a small tin from the grocery store over the road.

On checking out at 11am, and our pick up time for the airport being 9pm, we were faced with the problem of the last day. No room extension was mentioned or offered, and we had seen reviews from 2022 where a courtesy room was available. It seems this practice has now finished. Luckily the weather was ok and we ended up leaving our luggage behind the counter in reception ( not in a store room) and went to the beach for the whole day. It would have been nice to have a shower before our coach pick up, but we ended up changing clothes in the ground floor toilet with a quick face wash in the sink.

These are just minor niggles though, and we would certainly return to this hotel.

if using the pebbly beaches of Western Rhodes I suggest buying a pair of water shoes ( under €10 in the beachfront shops) as getting into , and out of the sea across pebbles is awkward...

Positioned at the far south west end of Ixia strip, perfect for a relaxing outpost base to explore the island, and to walk up and down the sea front of an evening.

Hotel clean & modern, basic but all essential facilities, lovely staff. Air con costs extra (€6 a day) and you might not need it depending on your sensibilities. Books available to read in the reception area. Good knowledge of recommended tours (we did Lindos by boat for about €50 each) and access to competitively priced car hire (€58/day from the hotel in summer peak) so you can explore the island. Roads can be hit and miss - Google Maps did not do well 😂

Public transport local buses every 15-30 mins out to the airport and up to Rhodes town (single tickets €1.80 at the shop, €3 on the bus) which can get very packed, standing only, but they're frequent and reliable. Public bus to the Butterfly Valley runs once a day each way, €5 each way set fare, very busy, but thankfully they squeezed us in before it was full. Coming back from Rodos town in the evening, it's a good idea to get off the bus early and walk off your dinner down the promenade, and laugh at the sequence of terrible hotel & bar entertainments on offer, while you head back to the peace & tranquility of Hippocampus...

Hot tip 1: restaurants. Walking up the road towards Rodos, there are 4 very good Greek restaurants within 5 minutes, all with similar prices and excellent friendly service. El Greco is the most expensive, while Hippocampus the quietest as it's down at the far end. You'll see them all as you pass! As you go further along it starts to become more about "sports bar" and BBQ type places. There isn't much beyond the Sheraton until you get much closer to Rodos. Better to go into the town by bus, and there you'll be inundated with choices: in the old town, Island Lipsi is great for a light lunch and then look out for the tiny hidden Koozina fish restaurant (up the street and turn right... keep your eyes peeled as it's closed until 5pm and just a black door with a sign outside) are my two recommendations.

Hot tip 2.1: killing time on your last day: Avra Beach Resort across the road has a spa, so for your last day, book a treatment after your last breakfast & check out, and you can use the rest of the hotel facilities including the beach sun loungers while you're waiting for your transfer coach. We had a 70 min Cretan massage for €100

Hot tip 2.2: there's a paleontology museum a short walk down the road, another good place to waste a couple of hours before your transfer, looking at pretty rocks......

We stayed here for 7 days with the half-board option and had a great time. ||Our room had everything we needed, a small fridge, kettle, safe, TV and a nice balcony. ||Breakfast was organised well with plenty of things to choose from.||Dinner was amazing! You eat in the restaurant and choose from a slightly smaller menu, but it's got all of the traditional Greek dishes you could wish for. We ate here every night and basically made our way through all the different Greek options. Each meal we had here was great. Don't forget to try out the cocktails. ||The hotel is in a perfect location, with a beach just a short walk away and a bus stop only a few meters away. Old Town is quite close, so it's not a very long bus journey. There are plenty of excursions you can book online that offer a pick-up from the bus stop (as it's across from a big resort).||All the staff were incredibly friendly and helpful, always up for a chat, which made our stay feel even more welcoming.||There's also a shower room available if you have a late flight back, so we were able to enjoy our last day without having to worry about being all sweaty. ||All in all, this is a great base for exploring the island and the perfect place to unwind after a...