Princess Andriana Resort & Spa — Hotel in Municipality of Rhodes

Overall this hotel is ABSOLUTELY, incredible. 100% worth the 5 stars for sure. Please ignore any other reviews saying ‘this is a 4 star at best’ or ‘this isn’t a 5 star’, those are the sort of people that go to Primark and expect Gucci. Those people don’t quite understand how ‘stars’ work in the hotel industry clearly. We have stayed in many 4 star hotels and this blows all of those out of the water by a country mile.

Arrival - this was an extremely nice experience. The reception alone was just wow and so grand. The reception staff, couldn’t be more helpful, explaining about the hotel, where things are located and what is included. After you have had a chat with them, another member of staff will show you to your room or suite whilst they carry or wheel your bags for you. Such a lovely thing to experience. Once you are at your room, the staff member opens the door for you and shows you your room.

The room, 9010! - We booked the Junior Suite with a private pool. First time we have walked into a hotel room and said WOW! 2 TV’s, 2 sinks, 4 poster bed and an extremely comfortable sofa, especially to sleep on if one accidentally snores. The room has a mini fridge (free of charge), with fizzy drinks, beers and water, this gets stocked every 2 days. The air-con is just enough and keeps the room to a perfectly cold temperature and isn’t noisy like some air-con’s can be. The bed is extremely comfortable and is an actual king size bed, rather than 2 beds pushed together, this is good because you don’t end up on the floor in the middle of the night. It’s clean, tidy and maid happens around 1pm-2pm, so please don’t think that they have forgot you, I think due to the hotel being so big, the private pool rooms are on the other side of the road, so it takes them a while to get round. Fresh towels get delivered around 4:30pm - 5:30pm, which is a lovely touch as you will ALWAYS have fresh towels. The bathroom is lovely, huge bath, hot water, even has a floating toilet. Now, there are little bits that could be improved on for sure, for example, the grout in the tiles could be scrubbed, the sealant on the bath could benefit from being re sealed, just odd bits and bobs, however, how long do you actually spend in the bathroom? Some of the pool ties are missing, now, this never bothered us really as let’s be honest, you don’t stare at the pool do you? The pool is there to be used not to be inspected. Sun stays on the pool and patio area from sunrise until around 3:30pm - 4pm, essentially most of the day. The sun beds are also extremely comfortable and do feel a lot better quality than normal. Every single hotel even brand new ones or Ibero Star hotels will have bits and bobs that could be improved. Overall this is such an amazing room, we have never had a room like this before and will 1000000% be re booking this room again.

The private pool - this is actually in fact a private pool, I know some hotels will advertise pools being private and then when you see it, it’s more of a shared pool. But no, this is 100% a private pool, you have your own area to relax, sunbathe with 2 sun beds and get cool from the pool. It is also not a small pool, enough to certainly achieve some lengths. The private pool isn’t heated, so does give you a savage shock when you first get in, but after the initial system shock, it’s absolutely lovely. As stated in the room section of this review, some of the pool tiles are missing, however, this does not affect your ability to swim or have fun, nor does it cut your toes. We found the private pool such a lovely idea, as you can relax and stay cool without anyone else splashing or bumping into you. The pool also is clean and clear and even though there are people either side, once you are in the pool, you cannot see your neighbours, it actually does feel private.

Overall, this is an outstanding 5* hotel and in our opinion should be more stars as it’s just amazing! We HIGHLY RECOMMEND this hotel and please do not let any of the negative reviews put you off.

I have posted a more in depth review on...

Overall, a disappointing experience really - from check in to check out. Let me start with the good things first:

The main restaurant: a huge place with plenty of tables, never overcrowded and with the most amazing food I’ve ever experienced: Huge diversity, the best quality of everything (fish, vegetables, fruits, vegetables, salads, cheeses etc.). You just could not ask more. The pasta and the grill sections were always carefully taken care of by polite chefs who were giving you all the information you might need plus a few jokes on the side. I also liked the fact that the wine and the water in the restaurant came bottled.

The beach - clean, sandy, with plenty of beach chairs. Also the access to the beach is made through a tunnel straight from the hotel so you don’t have to cross a busy street or walk very far.

The bad things: the staff from reception and food & beverage. Most of the people we interacted with didn’t have, in my opinion, the necessary skill set for working in a 5 star hotel, starting with the soft skills and continuing with the most basic stuff like smiling, meeting and greeting, politeness, willingness to solve your problems, attitude. Unfortunately, the staff can put a negative mark and influence your experience decisively, even if all the other check-boxes are ticked:

Our unpleasant experience started right from the check in: we requested (through our agent) a room that was not on the ground floor. Instead, the room we were given was not only on the ground floor but the “garden view” that we paid for was actually a view to their car park including (as a bonus) a view to a road that was leading to their underground car park. We notified our agent who confirmed not only that she has passed over our request but that the hotel confirmed they would do their best. Our agent encouraged us to go to reception thinking that it was probably a mistake. Unfortunately, the interaction with the receptionist was far from reassuring. We found her impolite, towards being rude. We were actually asked for proof of communication with the hotel (emails). We decided to let it go and left reception with the “promise” that they will get back to us. They never did, although a simple call back or letter with “unfortunately …. no” would have been enough really. After all, when you pay all that money for your most anticipated vacation, you should expect to be treated respectfully at the least.

On the same first evening, after we got to our room after a long day of traveling, we phoned reception to get some drinking water to have overnight. We were refused although we tried to explain that it was our first night there and didn’t have time to explore the area and purchase additional water from the hotel store.

Check out was as weird as the check in with more samples of unprofessionalism from reception. Also the shower room we were booked in by reception (to use after going to the beach) was dirty, with food crumbs on the floor and the fresh towels sitting in a plastic bag at the entrance of the room.

On restaurant staff: the only one who we interacted with and acted to the standards of a 5 stars hotel was Ramis, the others, not so much, unfortunately. I have so many examples here, it's just not worth mentioning.

Bar staff - I’d start with the fact that they are under trained. The cocktails we had were ... undrinkable, being either too sweet, or having too much of an ingredient that would spoil everything. Also the presentation of some of them was certainly reminding you of a local pub in a suburban area.

Also if you decided to spend your day at the beach and therefore use the beach bar to get food and drinks, after your 3rd or 4th order they will ask for your room number and starting from that point, every time you order something they will write it down in some sort of notebook that they have aside. It’s just weird behavior for an Ultra All Inclusive package at a 5 star hotel.

Our best day was when we rented a car and spent our day cruising around the island. Never again, Princess Andriana...

I would give this hotel 5 stars for the receptionist named Jana, the man who carried our suitcases during the morning shift, and the guy who works at the outdoor bar, Marios. Jana's willingness to do the impossible to accommodate our family, particularly with a small baby, due to the hotel's name, was impressive. If you only speak German, you will have trouble communicating. I would give 1 star for the food, which, even though there was a lot of it, did not resemble food at a seaside location but rather unlimited fast food. There were no seafood, fish, or soups, just a constant rotation of the same dishes, so while you can fill up, it's not in a way that befits a 5-star ultra all-inclusive hotel by the sea. The drinks resembled cheap syrups and imitations of Coca-Cola, Fanta, and Sprite, and the coffee was terrible. The children's high chairs were consistently dirty and greasy. There are several restaurants that require reservations to dine in, and these come with an additional charge. I found a spot in the last two days of our vacation; otherwise, everything was overbooked. In the end, we didn't visit the restaurant because our child was already asleep by that time. A big minus goes to the entire kids' club, which is nothing like what it should be. The staff was very unpleasant or worked reluctantly, and if you don’t speak Greek or English or don’t have a child who is independent (ideally 8+ years old) and realistically doesn’t need anyone, it’s not worth it. I have a 1.5-year-old child who had no place in the kids' club. Among the toys, you can find a play kitchen with about 20 pieces of plastic fruit, a few ladles, and wooden spoons. The child could draw, but not use more than 1-2 blank sheets of paper because the “animators” would give you dirty looks. The outdoor playground is so small that when more than 5 children are there, they literally bump into each other, but children, being children, will find a way to be happy. During the day, it's impossible to visit the playground because the sun is so intense that it’s genuinely dangerous for a child. Everything there poses a risk of burns. Everything is so hot that even an adult cannot sit down without getting burned. There are no animators or any possibility or willingness to watch a 1.5-year-old child while you go to the bathroom. The children's disco starts at 20:30 in the evening, but naturally, a 1.5-2-year-old child won't be attending because it's their bedtime. The amphitheater where the disco takes place is standard, but the stage is too high, posing a risk of falling, again making it unsuitable for children under 5 years old. Still, the kids run, dance, and have fun. The kids' club is open from 10:00 AM and operates in two shifts until 17:30, but is closed on Sundays.1 star for the indoor pool as entry is prohibited for children under 15 years old. 1 star for the “operating hours” for swimming, which are from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. At exactly 18:00, the lifeguard whistles and clears everyone out of the pool. 2 stars for the cleanliness of the pools, especially the children's pool. I wouldn’t want to ban eating or drinking around the pool, but it leads to dirt from food residue getting into the pools, which doesn’t look nice at all. I don’t know when the pools are cleaned, but in the morning, you’ll only find neatly arranged sun loungers, and it seems the pool, especially the children’s pool, hasn’t been cleaned overnight. I would definitely give 5 stars for the Greek night by the pool with live traditional Greek music. A big minus goes to the cost of calling a doctor. Those of us with children have to consider the possibility that a child might get sick. There is a doctor available, but it will cost you €150 just for him to come. 3 stars for cleanliness at most, because a 5-star hotel should be cleaner than this one. my family and I will not visit it again. Many thanks to everyone who genuinely puts their heart into this hotel. Dear parents, I do not recommend this hotel unless you have a child older...