The Ixian Grand & All Suites

Patrick José

My honest review: I was not expecting too much from this hotel, but I was actually pleasantly surprised. **The good points:** The pool areas are very nice. There are two pools: one that feels more private, although it has very few sunbeds, and another one closer to the sea. The bars serve some good brands included in the all-inclusive package, and the cocktails are good too. Also, there are night concerts, which is cool. Around 95% of the staff were very friendly, polite, and always ready to help. The hotel is also very clean, and the cleaning team does a very good job throughout the property. Regarding the food, there were good options for lunch and dinner. I am a picky eater, but I always found something I liked. The hotel also made some nice gestures during our stay, including offering us two extra dinners at the à la carte restaurants, plus a bottle of wine and fresh fruit upon arrival. That was appreciated. Another very nice feature is that you can order drinks from your sunbed using their app, which is practical and modern. Overall, I think the hotel offers a very fair price for what you get. Might be the best around this price. **The bad points and what should be improved:** The hotel is old and does not look very attractive from the outside. The rooms are also dated, although the bed was comfortable and the shower was spacious. Breakfast needs improvement. It was almost the same every day, especially the fruit selection. During the whole week, there were basically only three types of fruit: orange, apple, and pineapple. There was no melon, watermelon, papaya, mango, kiwi, or anything more varied. The cold cuts were very low quality and sliced too thick, which was not nice. The cheese selection was also quite basic, with only a few options such as Edam, feta, and Gouda. They should add better and healthier options like light cream cheese, cottage cheese, or more variety in general. The bacon was often undercooked and stuck together, probably because it was prepared in a rush. There were also no avocados, which would be a nice addition for breakfast. The juice glasses in the buffet looked old and not very clean in my opinion. They should renew them or clean them better. The breakfast coffee was okay, but the espresso from the bars was extremely strong. The experience I didn't like was in one of the separate restaurants that you need to book. I was served a ribeye steak that was so overcooked I could barely chew it. It was really disappointing, especially because ribeye is not a difficult cut to cook properly. That dish needs serious improvement. The spa prices and car rental prices at the hotel are also very overpriced. In my opinion, they should review those prices because they feel excessive compared to what you can find outside the hotel. I also did not like that the spa staff at the entrance kept approaching guests. One more thing: I saw lifeguards at the pools, but I did not see one at the sea. I am not sure why, but I think this is something the hotel should look into. **Final opinion:** Despite the negative points, I still think this is a good hotel for the price. The staff, cleanliness, pool areas, drinks, and general all-inclusive value were good. However, the hotel should improve the breakfast quality and variety, modernize some areas, review the overpriced extra services, and improve the quality control in the à la carte restaurants.

Emma Skouse

Stunning hotel. Fabulous service, including sun lounger service. Fresh water pool and salt water pool, and the hotel is literally on the beach. €13-18 into Rhodes old town by cab. Food was great too - loads of choice. Literally something for everyone. And the best bit? Adults only 😁 Only gripe was the TV. Not that we spent much time in the room but when we did, the only TV channels were German, Greek, Chinese and some French, despite the largest guest contingency being made up of British visitors, so massively underrepresented. There was BBC World news if you wanted to be depressed on the daily but otherwise, only random movies on random channels in English late at night. There was no satellite TV as the Thomas Cook said, nor could you stream from your phone to the TV. So a bit crap. But, that was probably our only serious gripe.

Eliza -

We’re a couple aged 28 who travel quite a lot, so here’s our honest review. Not a 5 star hotel in the slightest! The food was below average overall and pretty disappointing. We got to upgrade for one night to eat at Milonges restaurant, and that was actually really nice. The alcohol was also poor, all cocktail mixers are pre-made in bottles rather than freshly made & not a lot of variety. The iron situation was frustrating for a 5-star hotel. You have to call to request one, wait ages for it to arrive, and then they want it returned immediately after use. The pool was absolutely freezing, which made it hard to properly enjoy. The gym itself was poor to say the least.. you’d think for a 5 star there would be a decent gym but all machines/ weights very old & outdated. Barely any lighting too, almost feels scary to be in. Staff were about 80/20 most were really friendly and helpful, but a small number let the experience down slightly. Nothing major though. The downstairs lobby toilets were also completely dark and not what you’d expect from a 5-star resort. Upon arrival at the hotel we had to pay 105 euros for tax which we were NOT told about at all. Things we did enjoy: Great live music in the evenings Very comfy beds Amazing views if you pay for the upgrade Beautiful sunsets every evening Cats everywhere, which seemed well looked after by guests and staff During our stay we visited Old Town which was brilliant, took a trip to Symi Island which was beautiful, did a catamaran boat tour with Freedom via Get Your Guide, and visited the waterpark which was average. We also hired a car for a couple of days from EFREM 100% recommend, and very reasonably priced.

H K

Nice, clean hotel. Right next to the beach, staff were very accommodating and lots of friendky cats. However the hotel does not meet 5* Some electrical sockets were loose and needed work. TV wasnt working. Overall room looked like unfinished work. There is no ATM at the resort, but 5mins away within other shops nearby so location was good. Few options for food in the buffet area if all inclusive is chosen. Bar staff were friendly and attentive. Tgere are other restaurants, but need booking in advance. Had some good entertainment. The Rhodes island is beautiful with lots of history and sight seeing! Old Town Rodes, Lindos and the Butterfly Valley were amazing.

Oluranti Fowler

I recently stayed at The Ixian Grand Hotel and unfortunately I wouldn’t recommend it, especially if you’re expecting a true 5-star experience. There were a few positives — there was always a sun lounger available which was a huge plus, some of the evening entertainment was enjoyable, and there were some lovely views around the hotel. The staff who greeted and seated guests at lunch and dinner were especially kind and welcoming, and the bed in our room was very spacious and comfortable. However, the negatives massively outweighed the positives. The food was honestly awful. It was extremely repetitive every single day, mostly consisting of dry meats and slightly different variations of pasta for both lunch and dinner. Some of the food choices were genuinely questionable — at one point they served chicken with spray cheese. Breakfast wasn’t much better unless you absolutely love eggs, as the options were basically scrambled eggs, pre-made omelette, boiled eggs, and fried eggs. The hotel itself is very outdated and in desperate need of refurbishment. The bathroom flooded daily, the air conditioning was either freezing cold or completely ineffective, and there was a strong sewage smell in the room regularly throughout the stay. The curtains also didn’t fully close, meaning you get woken up by daylight every morning. Most of the communal toilets didn’t even have toilet seats, which honestly says a lot about the upkeep of the hotel. The gym was also one of the worst hotel gyms I’ve ever seen — less than basic equipment and definitely not what you’d expect from a “5-star” resort. The pool bar snacks were also very poor and repetitive, and the hairdryer was so weak you’d probably dry your hair quicker by blowing on it yourself. One of the biggest annoyances was the spa staff constantly approaching guests trying to sell overpriced treatments with “special discounts” — it became borderline harassment by the end of the trip. Even the entertainment was misleading at times. One evening was advertised as “Diana Ross and The Supremes” which sounded brilliant, but instead it turned out to be three Italian opera singers… slightly depressing to say the least, although they were very talented. To top it off, the pictures online are nowhere near accurate. It genuinely feels like you’re being sold a dream compared to what you actually arrive to. If this hotel was advertised as a 3-star resort then fair enough, expectations would be different. But this is absolutely not 5-star standard in my opinion, and I wouldn’t stay here again or recommend it to others.