Hotel Louis Colossos Beach

The Louis Colossos Beach is in Faliraki, on the east coast of the island, 7 mi from the historical treasures of the city of Rhodes and 9 mi from the international airport. Built next to a fairly busy road, the hotel shares the large beach and clear, calm waters of Faliraki with its neighbouring hotels (Blue Sea, Pegasos Beach, etc.). Don't bother coming here if you are hoping to work on your windsurfing skills though! You will not find any shingle here, which is a real luxury as it covers 90% of the island's beaches, but you will need to watch out for the small pebbles here and there! The seaside resort of Faliraki has been very popular, for a few years now, with holidaymakers from all over the world, but mainly the Germans, English and Italians. The souvenir shops and mini-markets fill with shopping addicts by day, while the pubs and bars pull out all the stops by night, with lights and music in a bid to attract night owls...

The Louis Colossos Beach was built in the 1980's, and, just like its neighbours, has had to accept the need to spruce up a bit. Renovations were carried out in 2005, the year that the hotel was bought by the Louis Hotels group, and it now offers the basic comfort of a 4* establishment, without, however, offering anything to make it stand out from the competition. In terms of catering, guests can choose the package that best suits them: all-inclusive until midnight, full board, half board, etc. As for entertainment, about ten reps are responsible for organising activities throughout the day and putting on a different show every evening.

The hotel is a modern concrete block, which winds around three swimming pools (two for adults and one for children) and has pretty sea or mountain views, depending on which side you are staying in. Three lifts are provided to access the rooms and communal areas and there is a large, well-equipped miniclub available which entertains 4 to 12-year olds. Night owls will be pleased to hear there is also a club for them, open from 1:00pm until 1:30am. In the day time, there is a large mini-market where you can buy souvenirs or invest in a beach towel in case you forgot to bring your own, because the hotel certainly won't lend you one!

The hotel houses a total of 742 rooms: 616 single rooms (about 215 sq ft) or family rooms, 114 studios with a small kitchen, and 12 bungalows. Where you decide to stay, therefore, depends on the size of your family! All rooms have individual air-conditioning, a satellite television, a refrigerator, a direct international phone line, a simply furnished balcony, a safe (charged) and a small bathroom from another epoch with a little bathtub, mirror and a hair-dryer. Don't bring the entire contents of your vanity bag with you, because there is only a glass shelf to hold all of your personal effects! A shower gel dispenser is provided, so at least you won't have to worry about bringing your own. The rooms have tiled floors and Ikea-style wooden furniture, white walls and a single traditional painting for decoration.

The four hotel restaurants are big enough to feed the 2,000 guests that the hotel can accommodate, in total: these consist of two restaurants (a main one that only opens for dinner and a self-service cafe serving lunch), and alternative options provided by the grill and Chinese take-away. During the high season, guests can choose between these two types of cuisine, because the restaurants are open at the same time. As far as drinks are concerned, you will be spoilt for choice! As well as the cocktail bar, beach bar and pool bar, there is the 'Oasis' bar and 'Rendez-vous' cafe. The main restaurant hosts two weekly theme nights, the unmissable Greek and Italian nights. On the other evenings of the week though the restaurants serve up standard dishes of acceptable quality, inspired by Greek and international cuisine.

The Louis Colossos Beach enjoys the huge brown sand beach of Faliraki bay, which extends over more than half a mile. You might come across the odd patch of shingle or a few pebbles, but you can leave behind your beach sandals - provided your feet can brave the hot sand of Rhodes! Wooden walkways wind their way along the beach and deckchairs (payable) are set out from one end to the other, under the shade of parasols. Guests at the hotel can try their hand at watersports, although these incur an extra charge because the centre organising these activities is independent from the hotel.