Aulus Lindos Rhodes, Curio Collection by Hilton

There’s a lot to like about the Aulus Lindos, but after a week there we came away feeling slightly disappointed. The main issue is the gap between how the resort is marketed and the reality of what’s delivered. The advertising presents it as a luxury ultra all inclusive 5 star resort, but in practice almost everything felt just a little underwhelming. None of the issues on their own were major, but together they added up to an experience that never quite met expectations. To start with the positives, almost all of the staff we encountered were fantastic. Friendly, hardworking and genuinely keen to help. The manager and sole server in the Italian restaurant deserves particular praise, he was constantly rushed off his feet but always remained cheerful and attentive. Likewise the barman in the evening cocktail bar, who somehow kept the entire bar running on his own while making cocktails at impressive speed. The grounds are beautiful and very well maintained, with lush greenery and a lovely artificial stream running through the resort. The beach itself is rocky, but there are plenty of sandy beaches nearby if you’re happy to drive. A quick tip, some cocktails are pre mixed from a machine, but if you order off menu drinks like an Espresso Martini or Old Fashioned they’re made fresh and are much better. The rooms have clearly been recently upgraded, but the refurbishment feels rushed in places. The bedroom itself looked nice, but the bathroom still felt dated and far from premium. Our tap leaked, the shower screen didn’t fit properly and left water all over the floor, the bath looked stained even after being cleaned, and the insect screen on the window was broken. The balcony also looked neglected, with stained tiles, marked sun loungers and a dirty hot tub that we had to ask to be cleaned. Food was decent overall, but not what you’d expect from a luxury resort. Breakfast and the evening buffet were acceptable, but details like serving tinned pineapple and mixed fruit instead of fresh produce felt disappointing given the hotel’s marketing. The Italian restaurant was enjoyable, especially the pizzas and pastas, but ingredients felt stingy,, particularly when it came to meat and seafood. For example, the prawn pasta contained just three prawns. The menus are also fairly limited, so after a week the options started to feel repetitive. The Yellow Sea restaurant was probably the weakest of the speciality options. The duck bao buns in particular were poor, with two tiny pieces of grey duck and what tasted like supermarket coleslaw. The biggest mismatch between marketing and reality was the Surfer snack bar. Online it’s described as serving “inventive bites” and “bold flavours”, but in reality it was mostly pre made sandwiches and salads sitting in a van for hours. It genuinely felt more like motorway service station food than a 5 star resort snack offering. The spa treatments themselves were excellent, genuinely first class, and the products used were lovely. However, the spa facilities still felt unfinished. One toilet was missing a seat, taps in the changing rooms didn’t work properly, and parts of the pool area looked hastily painted with visible drips and damaged fixtures. It also lacked the atmosphere and finishing touches you’d expect from a luxury spa. The included trip to Lindos was also disappointing. We were told the evening shuttle only ran on Monday during our stay, departing at 18:45 and returning at 21:30, leaving less than two and a half hours to explore while also missing dinner at the hotel. In the end we drove there ourselves instead. Overall, the hotel has a lot of potential and some genuinely excellent staff, but right now it doesn’t live up to the luxury image being sold in the marketing. If you get a very good deal, it may still be worth considering, but at the moment it needs significant refinement before it can truly justify its 5 star positioning.

Beautiful setting, decor, rooms, pool areas, sun beds and located just outside Lindos so what’s not to like….. Staff are efficient and attentive and Andreas will do everything within his power to make sure you have a memorable stay. If I’m being picky, the food could be warmer in the main buffet (but I always eat late) and they could really do with a smart, comfortable, internal bar/lounge area to finish things off. If you’re looking for a place to chill and relax for a week, then it’s very much a contender and I think, with time, will only get better.

We have just come back from 10 nights away here. We had a lovely time. It is clear the hotel are working hard to make it 5 star. The staff were all incredibly friendly and couldn’t do enough to ensure you had a great stay. We would certainly consider staying here again.

My friend snd I stayed here for a week. We got the early flight specifically so we could get an afternoon in the sun, but unfortunately when we arrived our room wasn't ready until 6pm, which meant we missed the first day completely. However, Andreas was very kind to us, apologised profusely and tried really hard to make it up to us. He gives you his number and you can WhatsApp him at any time with any concern and he will sort it out for you. His care and attention to detail throughout our stay was exemplary and it really made a difference to the enjoyment of our stay. The resort has changed ownership/management recently and is trying really hard to improve and be worthy of its 5-star rating, and whilst we really appreciated their efforts, I do believe they have a way to go to achieve this. Andreas, Nicos and Siri were fantastic, they were really attentive, friendly and their customer service was fantastic. The hotel itself is great; it's really clean, modern and has a bougie feel to it. The pools are lovely, the bar staff at the pool bars were great and really friendly and the sunbeds and bean bags are very comfy. The food is fine, there's a good choice available everyday and we ate at the à la carte restaurants which, despite the limited menu, we thoroughly enjoyed as the food was delicious. The beach is shingle/pebbly and you will absolutely need beach shoes. Overall, we had a lovely holiday in the sun and I wish Andreas and his team all the success they deserve for the future.

We stayed here for a week, in a room with a private pool and garden on an all inclusive basis. 2 adults and a baby who turned 4 months old while we were away. After being taken to our room via golf buggy, we were blown away by the size, cleanliness & special touches in our room. (Le petit prince bubble bath & shampoo for the baby as well as her very own bucket and spade set) , a bottle of local alcohol and snacks , full mini bar stocked with beer and soft drinks , nespressso pods & a giant TV (where we could easily log into Netflix). Outside, the garden was large and had a huge day bed and 2 wooden sun loungers (all so very comfy) a decent sized pool and a table and chairs on the patio. Did we have to ring reception every day to have them clean the pool ? Yes - did we mind ? No. The rooms were spacious and comfortable and we very much felt at home here! Around the resort was pleasant and clean, the river running through and the landscape were all very well taken care of. Greek restaurant- amazing food , strange quiet atmosphere on the evenings we went (no other couple or family seemed to be talking to each other on that particular evening) but the staff as always were very friendly and we were fussed over and waited on regardless of the eeriness around us. Italian restaurant- amazing food and setting, we ate here for lunch every day ! Asian restaurant- we actually didn’t go here, not because we didn’t like Asian food but because the buffet was so nice we didn’t fancy missing out! Buffet - amazing food, both selection and quality! Ice cream shop - this opened in the afternoon and had more choices than in the buffet , delicious every time! Beach snack bar, again super convenient to grab some fruit or crisps or even a soft drink. Spa - wow! They use Elemis and the team are very well trained. We both had a 39 min back shoulder and neck massage (taking it in turns while the other had the baby) 10/10 Communal Pool / Pool Bar - we didn’t actually use the pool because we had our own but we did visit the pool bar a couple of times a day. The pool itself did seem smaller than the photos suggest, however , it was always nice and calm (no kids jumping and splashing or loud families/groups of friends disturbing the peace) it felt like everyone using it was very respectful and we noticed that there wasn’t ever a shortage of sun beds either. Fresh towel stations were located by the toilets and you didn’t need a towel card to get extra. Beach - very rocky, but also beautiful!! The cabanas were a great touch (although we noticed many people would reserve a cabana with their belongings and then go and use the sun beds) we did find this frustrating because we had a baby and actually would have very much appreciated a cabana for the shade it provided - I appreciate that it isn’t the hotels fault that some guests are greedy. Faults if any - the communication between reception staff & maintenance / housekeeping is very poor. If you need anything, just find a member of staff in the matching 2 piece blue clothing with the hotel logo all over it - I believe they are guest relations and are amazing!!!! Expectations v reality - overall I couldn’t complain, and I didn’t want to either! We noticed some guests, namely a group of girls who found something every day to moan about , “the Italian wouldn’t put olive oil on only half the pizza” , “the ice cream shop didn’t have crepes” … honestly, if you’re going to let these small details ruin your holiday, or you feel that they are likely to then you should book an air bnb and avoid going to this hotel. It is an all inclusive resort and they cater to the masses, of course they try to make each guest comfortable but they are not able to cater to each individual request or need. (And nor should they in my opinion). What would make it better - Somewhere other than the “main square” for drinks in the evening, there really is only this one option unless you leave the resort (which wasn’t an option for us due to the baby). The hotel wasn’t at full capacity and I am unsure how at full capacity this would work… there is just the one bar in the evening and it is outside in the central walkway. A book exchange, I finished both of my books and this is the first hotel I have been to which didn’t have a shelf for you to take and leave books. We would go again? 100% and we would absolutely still pay extra to have a private pool