Kresten Palace Hotel

The room had outdated furniture and didn't meet the standards for its star rating. The food was decent but lacked variety. One positive point was its location, with taxis and public transport nearby. The entertainment team was friendly.

Kresten Palace October 2025. We are not very impressed with Rhodes, everything seemed right rip off for tourists. I don't normally leave a review for anything but this time I need to put a review on because of we didn't enjoy the holiday apart from the sunshine. First of all, how dare they calling Kresten Palace as 4 stars hotel??? We stayed at the old building (the same building where the reception and the glass lifts are), we booked a sea view family room, end up got a double bed and another sofa bed for 3 people. Beds were very worn out just like a sponge sinking in the middle, honestly we can't sleep, pillows were like a lump or a sack of potatoes, nothing comfortable. The bathroom, rusty old leaking shower, water pressure was okay but the hot tap wasn't red hot. The first night we checked in very late because of the flight we checked in around 9 pm. The receptionist told us we can get something to eat at the hotel restaurant before it closed at 9.30 pm. That was good. We went for 7 days half board we don't drink alcohol. At the restaurant the breakfast including the hot or cold drink but in the evening the dinner we had to pay for the drink ourselves €2.50 for a bottle of water, €3.50 for ice tea etc. This was the first time ever that we went half board and got charge for the drink with the meal! We asked the receptionist if it's possible to change the room in the morning because we can't sleep. She asked us with a mardy face "What is wrong with the room?" We explained and she said you need to talk to the manager only at 9.30 tomorrow morning so we didn't bother. WiFi is €8 per device for a week. There's a small shop inside the hotel which was convenient for us, the price is as expected 3 times more expensive than average. Kalithea town is in the walking distance around 10 minutes walk but nothing there just local souvenir shops, chemist and small supermarket. My daughter wanted a Toblerone ice cream it was €4.50. Most of the shops hardly put any prices on their stuffs, basically they charge what they like. The bus to Rhodes Old Town is €2.50 for a single ticket. The old town is beautiful but chaos. Their bus system just keep picking people up until nowhere to stand unless you stand on top of the roof. The bus we took to town, the driver was on his phone, the passengers standing right up to the front where the driver was. We felt like sardines in a tin. Back to the hotel, on Wednesday night my husband had a food poisoning, he was in the toilet all night, we went to the chemist next morning bought imodium €8.50 and miniral salt €13.50, again no prices on the items. Then I had a food poisoning, upset stomach on Thursday night and threw up so many times on Friday. It was my worst food poisoning in 20 years. Only our daughter that didn't get a food poisoning because she hardly ate anything. Without the friendly hard working Philippino cleaners and the waitresses, this hotel will not be welcoming at all. We went to Crete a few years back and like it there very much. This time to Rhodes, it was not our cup of tea. We will definitely not going back to Rhodes.

Unfortunately, our vacation at the Kresten Palace was marred by several issues. It started with extra charges that, in my opinion, have no place in a 4-star hotel. (I've never experienced anything like this in any other "higher-end" hotel before.) Wi-Fi in our room and access to the in-room safe were only available for an additional fee. Our room looked fine. However, the shower was rather difficult for taller people (I'm 185 cm tall). I could only shower standing upright. The water was only warm one evening during our week-long stay. It's also best not to sleep on the bare mattress. The linens themselves were clean and perfectly fine. You should definitely bring mosquito repellent. I have no idea where they kept coming from. Every evening, despite the insect screens, we had to constantly fight off mosquitoes. The chairs on the balcony were uncomfortable, as they were simple metal chairs without cushions. The walls are thin. If the neighbors were talking, you could easily write everything down. Sleeping was so difficult. The buffet was, at times, a real disappointment. The food tasted of nothing, cutlery sometimes had to be borrowed from other tables, and overall, the friendly staff seemed a bit overwhelmed. Check-in was possible earlier, and the on-site car rental service was excellent. Also, read other reviews. They paint an accurate picture...