Tholos, Doreta Beach Hotel

great holiday been at doreta 18 times just heard new bar staff. will miss all our friends when we next go.

we arrived at Doreta Beach Hotel to stay for fortnight had been booked for two months in advance only to be told they had been overbooked for two weeks and didnt evev have a room for us after been up 48 hours put in another hotel with everyone who came after us and they didnt have a room

11 of us went for a family holiday to Doreta Beach Hotel unsure what to expect due to reveiws my son and myself arrived 2.30 am no drink or sandwich but given key to 3rd floor room which had been refurbished we were over the moon the room was great bathrooom luxury throughout.Other members arrived 3 hours later and told they could not have a room till 2pm that day as the holiday co. messed up big time, this was sorted quite quick but they got 1st floor which was a great let down to what I had got it was very old and shabby but very clean.

The day reception staff are great could not do enough to help you always smiling(condidering they also had not been paid). The food we all found to be really nice yes by the 2nd week it all repeated but hey they can only cook so many dishes it was still good food.

pool bar staff the girls in the day were great the men at night quite uptight rude and cocky but the the staff had the hump as no bar staff been paid that season as hotel has no money .Main bar the staff there are great at fist they seem to be abit off but they turned out to be great.

The animation team is very sad they have no get up & go they need to get together and come up with some new ideas the evening entertainment was very poor.

Overall we all had a great holiday and there were alot of laughs we even found our own little nightclub over the road called Mambos open till 5am a great little place and they do a great pizza at the end of the night. yes I would recomend this hotel and you could have a great time aslong as dont go expecting 5* and you can see through some of the lilltle problems as nowhere is perfect.

The animation team and the food staff were amazing and very helpful, i had injured ma knee during this holiday and got really good support, the food they have all diffrent days they have italien, indian, regular and others. The animation team have a great routine and i hope they keep it up, although some animation had left because the hotel was in finace crisis they have overcome this and had a new start, the gym is not avaliable which was not that great, the internet site is good for tennagers and if you want a walk the beach front is a lovely walk for you. The rooms are first class and are making them really spectaclar. There is also a Dundees bar along the road which is reall good because they reduce prices of drinks.Over all i would give Doreta Beach Hotel a 5 star rating because they made my holiday worth while.

The Doreta Beach Hotel is basically a concrete jungle wosrt from view from beach definatley 1970 style as we knew one of the old bulders from the village,should all have being revamped together

This site shows that it is a 3 Star, it is in fact a Greek 4 Star and more to the point, from next year it will be a Greek 5 Star as they are refurbishing the whole Hotel and from the work already undertaken, it'll be worth another visit! It's looking really good already and they say all the major work will be complete before next season and I believe them, so much so that I'm thinking of booking again I'm that confident.Anyway, the review....The Hotel is really nice and the front of the building as you enter does it no justice as when you walk into the reception area you know you are not going to be disappointed.The Reception Staff were very helpful and there were always more than 3 available so queues were never seen, even when new arrivals came in, the queue was very quick to shrink.The room we were in was a Family Room which slept 5, 3 single beds and a King Size Double which was nice to see. Plenty of wardrobe space to get your things away and a fantastic sea view which was great to wake up to in the morning. The room we were in had not yet had the refurb and I was still very happy with it. I've been to other Greek Islands and been knocked back by how basic they can be, it was not the case here, the white wash concrete walls were clean, the bathroom was very clean and as far as we gathered from other guests, all rooms have a full size bath with Shower over the top.The beds were made everyday and the bedding replaced every couple of days, only the top sheet stayed with you the duration of the stay. Towels are changed EVERY DAY! and all very clean well presented. The only thing the room we had lacked was a shaver point in the bathroom which found a little odd but I imagine this will be addressed with makeover.The thing that took some getting used to was the Air Conditioning. They are more like a little storage heater which blows cold but after the first 3 days of being there and getting used to the 38 degree heat it cools the room very well on an evening when you need it the most. (There is always a welcome breeze on the west coast and believe me, you need it but it's not too intense once you get over the shock stepping off the Plane)A Point to note is that as part of the refurb all this is being replaced/upgraded so I think it will be far better next season. The room key had a large brass keyring attached which you inserted into a slot as you entered the room to give the room electricity but any old card did the job and the staff didnt mind you leaving them in all day long as long as the lights were turned off, this allowed the Air Con to be on all the time and kept the room nice and cool when you returned.There were 3 Lifts for all 5 floors and they were never not available, again, very clean and well maintained. Stairs were also available and as we were on the first floor, you could climb those quick than the lift. I imagine any other floors will use the lifts more so.The Food Hall was really nice but as always with the All Inclusive arrangement, busy and a little cluttered but you always found a way though and you didn't feel you were walking to another part of the Hotel just to get a drink. It was a Buffet Style arrangement and there were two places with the same food to avoid huge queues. This again may change with the refurb as it was mentioned by the staff that it MAY change to a waiter service from next year but still all inclusive. (Don't take my word on this, only what was mentioned in conversation)Breakfast times catered for all, with local versions of Cereals, Alpen and dried fruits, you had the choice of a Continental Breakfast and the Full English was always available though fried eggs were only on certain days, other days were omelettes and scrambled but all really nice. Real toast was also available with sliced bread as well as local breads and rolls etc. The Breakfast is served from 7:00am which is great if you planned a day trip away and wanted your fill before leaving.The food was excellent and I cannot believe that anyone would struggle to find anything to eat. You'd have to be VERY picky about what you ate to starve here! The Lamb and Veal were to die for as were the Turkey and Chicken. Veggie options were always available also, you didn't have to ask as I have known in other All Inclusives. There were Themed nights for food like a Greek Night, Fish Night and a typical Sunday Roast Night including really nice Yorkshire Puds, though not on Sunday. The Kids were well catered for also if you have picky eaters there was a section "Just for Kids" which had the usual Fish Fingers, Chicken Nuggets, Chips, Burgers etc.. but we didn't tell ours and they just went off and picked what they wanted from the normal section. Surprising what they will eat when they can see it and pick it themselves.The Staff were very friendly, spoke a little english and always had a real smile on their faces which helped to feel relaxed. They were always clearing your table as you finished a course and keeping your tables clutter free but not hovering over you waiting until you finished, only in passing.High Chairs were always available for little ones and were very clean and in good condition. All UK spec too, no tall wobbly wood things here! all good stable chairs.The Pools (Main pool and toddlers paddling pool) were very well kept and although the details state it is Salt Water it is not infact regular chlorinated water. It was all very clean. The Pool is slightly heated but by 13:00 it's warm anyway. The Pool opens at 9:00 and closes at 18:00 which fit well with food times. A Life Guard was on watch during these times all the time also. A flag indicated if there was or not. There were plenty of Sun Beds and the Staff insist that they are not reserved to the point that if you come down too early and drop your towels on them, they were removed and placed on a table to collect later but I have to say in you wanted to be sure to get around the Pool Area, you had to be down for about 7:45am and stay with them until Breakfast was over. There is also a snack bar which opened from 10:00 serving "Late Breakfast" if you fancied a sleep in. Food is available all day here and closes at 11:00pmAll nice foods, build your own Greek Salad or fill on Souvlaki (Local Pork Kebab, not spicy) chips, curries etc.. and Toasties were availble from 12:30pm. Drinks were always available and Icecream was available from 11:30am.The Bar was always well stocked and the local versions of spirits were just as good as the brands we know. The Lager was good too, not the cheap gassy rubbish I've had to endure before. Branded bottles were available if you just had to have them but you paid for these. They were still cheap though if you just had to have them.The Beach is literally a 5 second walk from the main Pools and sunbeds are available here too though you get your own as they are stacked on an evening. This was better than the pre-set out arrangements you see elsewhere because you could pick the right spot for you. The Beach is nice and sandy but as you get to the water it becomes very pebbly and quite soft so I'd recommend getting some beach/swim shoes if you plan venturing into the Sea. The Sea was very warm, warmer than the main pool actually and very salty so ideal for snorkling etc. as you just float. It did tend to get a little windy on the beach but again, very welcome and never too much to annoy.There was a kids club if they fancied a break from us parents and they were all well looked after. There was even a really good park with hugh climbing frames and swings etc.. all very new and well looked after. No concrete to land on either. All in all I have to say its been one of the best All Inclusive Hotels I've been to and as mentioned early in the review, I'm seriously thinking of going again next year I enjoyed it that much. The Staff were so helpful and if you had any questions, they were always able to help. The only 1 thing I would like to make you aware of is you are quite close to the Airport, literally 15 minutes drive so if you are a very light sleeper you may not get much sleep and this Airport does not sleep at all though as we all said, after the first couple of nights, you forgot they were there and they actually gave you something else to look at other than Sun, Sea, Swimming Pools and Food :-)For a day or 2 out I'd recommend taking the local bus to Rhodos Town. The Bus Stop is directly over the road from the Hotel and runs every 20 - 30 minutes. It only cost '2.50 each and takes about 40 minutes but even the local Bus's are Air Conditioned so this is nothing to worry about. The Old Town is worth a look but is quite expensive compared to the New Town. (Both towns are the same place but when you get off the bus at the terminus, you go left across the road for the Old Town or stick around where you are for the New Town)So to finish off off I would say that I'd highly recommend anyone to try Doreta Beach Hotel and more so if you have kids, Kids are so well catered for but still ideal for young couples or people who just want to get a tan and enjoy the weather.

It is awful. No way by any stretch of the imagination is it 4* by any countries standards. Bog standard 2* would be more realistic.

Entertainment? A handful of kids up on a stage making proper fools of themselves and anyone who wants to join them.

I could go on forever but as I have just finished writing a four page letter of complaint to Kosmar I can't be bothered.

Well we arrived at the Doreta Beach Hotel at 5:30am after having a delayed flight, and were greeted with a sandwich and a bottle of water which was nice. We swiftly went up to our hotel room and was bitterly disappointed, an overview of the car park, with all the building material stored in it - great. Anyway we got some kip and came down in the morning to have a chat with our rep, and she sorted us out a sea view room by that lunchtime.

I was really impressed with the food that lunchtime, although none of the show cooking was on as we were at the start of season. Only one of the mornings we were a bit disappointed - greasy, fatty, bacon, yum. But again we just let someone know and it was sorted.

Something that made me laugh however was the tennis courts, basketball and darts etc. We were advised that all the equipment was behind the reception, but the ladies on reception had no idea what we were on about! Eventually we got some Tennis rackets out of them (20 Euro deposit), and then we found out that the entertainment team are the people who hold the basketball, snooker cues and darts. But as they didn't turn up till Wednesday we'd already brought our own basketball and darts by then...

The pool was huge and really clean, fun to swim in, had some jets and a waterfall and every night we saw someone outside cleaning all the tables/chairs/ floors down.

There was also no entertainment on until the Wednesday when all the tourists turned up, oh the joy of drunk English people. But to be honest, even when it did start, it doesn't begin till 10pm, which sometimes was too long to wait for.

Hairdressers was great, yeah its a bit poky and the lady doesn't speak a word of English, but she was lovely and did a great cut on my hair for only 15 Euros. The internal shop was good, had most things we needed. Internet Cafe was brilliant, and very cheap.

The beach was the biggest disappointment, not only did it have pebbles and stones, but it was covered in rubbish, and it was not till the Thursday they started to clear the beach, and even then, they only did half of it??

Also, and I still have no idea why, they decided to do all their re-decoration at the beginning of May!! So we were woken up to people banging and smashing stuff up most mornings, we were told they would only be working 9am-1pm everyday, but that was not true. Thomas cook only advised us 9 days before we went.

Everything outside the resort was a bit dull, same old supermarkets everywhere, some cheaper than the others, but all selling the same stuff. There is a cash point to your right about 200 yards. Mike's bar (to your left about 100 yards) was really nice, lots of English people congregate there.

Not many excursions were on, but we managed to book one for Saturday, the day we were leaving, for an off roading adventure round Rhodes. I have to say the off-roading was awesome!! Best excursion I've ever done, the drivers were a complete laugh, and I would highly recommend to anyone. On the downside, because we were being kicked out our rooms at midday, and we weren't back till 6pm and there is NO secure lock up at the resort, we had to pay 47 Euro's to keep the room till midnight that eve (our flight was at 2am Sunday morning) my partner was extremely angry about that, but has blamed Thomas Cook.

Not much else I can say, there's a few stray cats and dogs about, all very friendly and well trained. Bar staff were a complete laugh, very entertaining, rooms were average, annoying that you have to put your key in a swipe to turn the power on in your room, so obviously if you leave something in the fridge it wont keep cool during the day.

Myself and my partner are early 20's and spent pretty much every day by the pool which was great, but I would NEVER go back to this resort.

We arrived at 2.30 am. and were given a key and a bottle of water, and sent on our way to the top floor, struggling along with 2 cases that had broken en route. No offers of help from the desk staff.

The room itself was reasonable, although nothing like those we had seen in the Doreta Beach video. The air con was cheap and nasty and leaked over the floor when it was turned off. We had two power points, one of which was in the narrow corridor by the door. Therefore we had to run the fridge and the tv off the same plug socket, which meant unplugging one or the other. Hence the defrosting water across the floor at night when we were watching tv.

The rep was very helpful, and gave us lots of tips about where to go and how to get there. Tholos is close to the butterfly park, which cost only 10 euros to get to, by taxi. Going by bus was the best way to get to Rhodes town. It cost six euros for three of us. The new town is ideal for designer shops, but we had a great time in the old town, buying lots of inexpensive goods. There were also boat trips and coach trips daily from the hotel.

We did spend quite a lot of time around the pool, although there were constant arguements about reserved sunbeds. The hotel rule is that no sunbeds are to be reserved, but everyone did anyway. Some people were out at 1.30 am. laying out their towels.

There was also a bridge over the pool, which was often slippery, and we saw about 6 people injured after falling there over the two weeks. There did not seem to be any staff with first aid knowledge either, and most times other guests sorted out the injured persons.

The water in the pool was warm and the kids spent all day there when possible.

The sea also is very warm, and I found myself able to spend hours in it, even though I rarely go in the sea otherwise.

The restaurant was reasonable, although we were bitten by mosquitos every morning at breakfast, and the food tended to be repetitive. Most days menues had pork or chicken, or pizza and chips.

The entertainment was a bit of a joke. I had read on other reviews that it was 'Butlins' type entertainment, but that would be an insult to the redcoats. It really was awful. The kids had a half hour disco every night, and the kids reps were good with them, and most children ended up with sore throats from all the screaming and shouting.

All in all this was a typical Greek holiday. 4 star there is the equivilent of a 2*+ here, so dont expect too much luxury.

We enjoyed our stay immensely, as we went prepared, more or less for what we received, other than the lack of entertainment or an adults comfortable lounge with decent music!

We were three women on a "girly" break - there for a good laugh and an unwind, and this we definitely achieved! The Doreta Beach Hotel in Tholos, Rhodes, is not 4 star by British standards, but the staff work hard, and the food, although a bit repetitive, was well done and there was a good variety. We did find the staff a bit "tired" and short tempered at times, especially the receptionists, but in general they were helpful. There did seem to be a problem with over booking, as we spoke to a number of new arrivals who had been farmed out to a hotel down the road, and as they were supposed to be all inclusive, they were not happy. The cleaners were all lovely.

There were an awful lot of families with children for the first 4 days we were there. Once they had all departed for school, we were then left with families who had toddlers and babies only, which was much easier, quieter and more civilised. I would not consider booking during half terms or school holidays, as I think the whole place would be overrun with children at these times! September, October and possibly May would be best times to go.