Kolymbia, Atlantica Imperial

The Atlantica Imperial has won the Thomson Gold top award for the last 5 years running, and it's easy to see why once you've stayed there. The place is spotless, and if you do find a problem it's dealt with very quickly. The rooms are spacious and well furnished (ours was even carpeted !!), and most appear to have some degree of a sea view. The hotel pool has both stepped & sloped access, with a small waterfall and water spouts to sit under. The food was good qaulity, plentifull, and varied, with special "theme nights" - when the dishes were mainly of a certain Country's origin (Chinese, Italian, etc.) - it's possible to have a different meal every night of a two week stay. Even the veggies have a good selection to choose from. Other reviews have said it's "samey", but could they honestly provide 12 different dishes each night for 14 nights ? The local resort of Kolymbia used to be a small fishing village, and still retains some of that charm. There's a handful of bars and restaurants along the very straight, narrow, & long (1.5km) tree-lined main access road, along with a few souvineer shops and specialist outlets (there's even a boutique selling fur coats ! in Greece ?!). Kolymbia is half way between Rhodes & Lindos, and makes an ideal base from which to tour the island (Rhodos car hire next to Hotel, or 'bike hire in the town). If you don't fancy venturing too far, there's always the hike up to the monastic church on top of Tsambika mountain, which overlooks the resort , or take a trip to the Butterfly Valley (be warned, there's some steep climbs there, so not suitable for everyone). There's a cashpoint machine opposite the hotel, and the Pharmacy nearby is open untill 23:00 most nights. The Thomson Gold entertainment team put on some very good shows in the evenings, although we found the resident husband & wife duo (Jango) to be somewhat dull and boring. There was no compulsion to join in with the daytime activities - unlike some places we've been to - but there was always an air of friendlyness if you did, with silly prizes on offer (like Thomson Gold pens, or T-shirts). If the weather's bad, the stage is reversible, so the entertainment goes on in the air conditioned Ballroom. Although Thomson Gold here in the UK advertise their hotels as "child-free", we did find families at the Atlantica who'd obviously booked with other TUI companies elsewhere in Europe (Dutch & German). Don't miss the Managers Cocktail Gala night on Tuesdays, with a spectacular firework show from the beach, when he personally thanks all the guests for choosing his Hotel, and introduces all his staff to the audience. Finally, if you want a sunbed by the pool, get the towels on before breakfast. Don't do it the night before, or too early in the morning, as the automatic lawn sprinklers come on before dawn and spray everywhere !!