Akti Imperial

Holiday at Hotel Akit Imperial, Rhodes We have had some really good holidays over the years (and some not so good), but I have to say my partner and I both rate this the best yet. So where do I begin? I suppose the reason was mypartner had been to Rhodes many years ago and wanted to return. This complex was only about 3 miles from Rhodes town and the photos and write ups suggested it was good - and it was. Reception The welcome at reception was friendly and efficient and remained so for the entire holiday. Nothing was too much trouble. Any problems we needed to get fixed were usually done either immediately or within an hour. You cannot expect better than that. The Room Nice room, well-appointed and clean. The cleaners did a good job. Only complain is that we had asked for a double bed and got two singles pushed together. I think the casters had been well oiled as once you got on them they became the reincarnation of Torville and Dean doing their own version of Bolero. Gym and Spa Lovely people running it and we had a very enjoyable and relaxing massage. Restaurants We were welcomed each day by the restaurant manager Hercules) and his team and they made the time to make you welcome. The staff in the spotlessly clean restaurant area were friendly, efficient and attentive. Used crockery and cutlery were removed usually within a minute, so you were not trying to eat in the midst of a clutter. There was a wide selection of food to choose from, which was fresh. Once food had been there for any time it was changed for fresh. The highlight in the main restaurant was the Asian/Chinese chef. His food was amazing and after discovering him toward the end of our holiday I made a beeline for his section every day. Some of the puddings were disappointing, but still perfectly edible. There was always fresh fruit. There were themed nights where you could have the Asian/Chinese, Italian and Greek. They were sampler menus and you got 8 small courses. We could only try the Greek and Italian as my partner is allergic to fish and seafood and the Asian/Chinese would have had fish and oyster sauces in the cooking. The Greek meal was the best. Lovely food and good, friendly service. The Italian meal did not go well for us. We had discussed this with the catering team two days prior to our the meal. On the night a gentleman at the next table advised the waiter that he was allergic to fish and seafood As well. He got my partners pre ordered non fish alternative. Thankfully when the dishes that should have contained fish arrived I checked that this had been changed and was told it was not the alternative we were expecting. The waiter was visibly displeased that he had to take it back and we found we got the third course before the second and the same happened with the 4th course. We eventually got up and walked out as it was a shambles. I always say things can go wrong, but it is the way it is corrected. On this instance the attitude of the waiter did nothing to help. These themed nights need tweaking and the biggest improvement would be not to try and get two sittings per night. Eight courses in about 1½ hours is simply rushing it and does not make for an enjoyable experience. To really enjoy the meal you want to be able to eat it and then enjoy the flavours, have some wine and let it go down having a chat with your fellow diner(s). These two meals we went to were not full to capacity and so it would appear quite simple to have one sitting with more people. Overall these are minor issues that affected us because of allergies and does not detract from the fact that food wise this was a very good experience. Entertainment Entertainment was a mixture of very good and okay. They had some good bands at the Greek bar area and a varied mix of things at the main stage. Daytime activities were organised by the lovely and enthusiastic Rachel and her team, were usual things like pool games, table tennis, darts, boules, quiz etc. The pool area was nice with plenty of sunbeds. There were also plenty of sunbeds on the beach and a bar as well. Bars There were plenty of these dotted all over the complex. The one on the beach was a nice touch. We used that a few times. It was a shame the beach was so stony. Greek Restaurant Bar was lovely and the staff worked hard and remembered you drinks when you asked for another – in fact normally they kept their eye on you and came over to ask you if you wanted another. The bar near the Italian restaurant was not quite as efficient, but still pretty good. Then we get to our favourite – the Lobby Bar. You had a choice of sitting in or out on the balcony (we opted for the balcony most of the time). The Bar manager Chris had a great personality, good sense of humour, and really made us welcome introducing us to some drinks we had never tries before. There was also one of his team that stood out from the crowd and that was Anca. She had to be the most bubbly person in the complex. We told her we were going to put her in one of our suitcases and take her home with us. Chris and Anca stand out as the two who really made our holiday. One little niggle was on departure. The weighing scales in out bathroom did not work properly and we had to use the scales in the baggage area in the hotel. It cost 1 Euro each time you used it. So if you were near your limit for the plane and had to mix and match your baggage you could end up spending quite a few Euros’. It is these little things that annoy me. I would rather have say 5 Euro added to the cost of the holiday than feel I am having the last bit squeezed out of me at the end. Overall though this was a really good holiday and our thanks go to everyone at the complex who worked so hard to give us an enjoyable stay. We hope to come back. Robert Wilden & Yvonne Botwood

We arrived as a couple on the 5th October for our second visit to this hotel. Our first visit was as a group of 6 and we stayed here in May 2019 and we loved it then. On arrival at the hotel as we were checking in we were offered a welcoming drink by Sofia and she recognised us from our earlier visit which made us feel very welcomed. We were shown to our room 556 which has a side sea view and we were more than happy with it. The next morning we had our breakfast and then collected towels from the spa centre and just popped into the mini market and again we were instantly recognised by the lady in the shop. Finding a lounger by the pool was no problem as there were always plenty available and all through the week we had no problems. The food in the restaurant was of a very good quality and plenty of it and would always be restocked before it ran out. Many thanks to Dimitris the restaurant manager, Ionna and Anastasia who when they saw us entering the restaurant always went out of their way to help us to a table as my wife uses a wheelchair. They always had a smile and a pleasant welcoming. Each day after the pool we would stop for a coffee and hot chocolate from the Lobby bar and served by the lovely Sofia, who after the first day would have the drinks prepared as soon as she saw us nearing the bar. She was always so welcoming and very pleasant. She also arranged for a bowl of fresh fruit and a bottle of wine in our room to celebrate our return visit to this hotel. At lunchtime we would eat at the pool bar and the salads were lovely and fresh. We would definitely return to this hotel as we found the staff friendly, food, pool and access for the wheelchair was very good and we could not fault it

Hotel is very good we had a sea/pool room which was well worth paying that bit extra for and the fridge was refilled daily. Food was excellent, as was the pool area ( wooden sunbeds very uncomfortable) and the entertainment team were very good. We found all the staff very helpful. Took the bus into Rhodes which was easy and cheap. Would go back.