Olive Garden Hotel

The Olive Garden Hotel is an all-inclusive, affordable property that's particularly popular with British tourists of all ages. In 2014, it merged with what was formerly Elioula Hotel, modernizing and expanding the property. The Olive Garden is housed in a beige masonry building with an all-white, marble-floored lobby featuring a modern slatted-wood reception desk and a few contemporary leather sofas and chairs scattered about. The main restaurant is on the roof and has a pergola-style awning and ladder-back chairs, but it's small and crowds easily. There is also a casual restaurant at the pool along with a bar. The two other bars, one on the covered rooftop restaurant and one inside the main hotel, are simple, but the vibe can get raucous. The grounds are well-kept with grassy areas and tended gardens, but there's nothing particularly Greek or Mediterranean about the property; it could just as easily be a mid-range property in the Caribbean. 

The Olive Garden Hotel is located just outside Lardos Village in a remote neighborhood on a road that runs parallel to Lindos-Gennadi Avenue. Lardos Bay is a three-minute walk, and it's a 10-minute walk to the nearest beach. The popular Psaltos Beach is a 13-minute drive, while the Ancient Theatre of Lindos and St. Paul's Bay, with its striking, hilltop church, are both around 15 minutes away by car. It's 19 minutes by car to the Pefkos resort area and 49 minutes away to the Acropolis. The Archaeological Museum of Rhodes is a 54-minute drive, as is the Rhodes International Airport. 

Rooms at the Olive Garden are simple and streamlined, with views of the mountains and the sea from plain, concrete-floored terraces. The interiors are predominantly white, with beige, charcoal, or lime accents -- and can either be read as airy or sterile. Even the bedding is basic, crisp white sheets pulled into hospital corners. Some of the rooms have true queen beds, but others have two twin beds pushed together. Each room has a tile floor and a terrace or balcony with sliding glass doors. All rooms have small closets, air-conditioning, flat-screen TVs, robes, and slippers, but it costs extra to use the safes. Superior Rooms also have tea- and coffee-making facilities. Bathrooms have privacy-compromising frosted-glass doors and either walk-in showers or shower/tub combos, with pale-green walls or variegated brown-and-white patterns.

The Olive Garden offers a good selection of amenities for an all-inclusive, including all-day buffet dining at its two restaurants, which serve Greek, Caribbean, and Mediterranean fare, plus snacks. However, the quality of the food gets mixed reviews. The property also has three bars, including a pool bar that specializes in big, colorful cocktails. There's a regular pool plus a kids' pool for children, both surrounded by white mesh lounge chairs and yellow-and-white umbrellas. There's a beach that's unaffiliated with the hotel a 10-minute walk away. Fitness facilities include a tennis court and a sky-lit gym with cardio and weight-training equipment plus free weights and exercise mats. The simple spa has a sauna, a steam room, and treatment rooms plus a whirlpool. For children, there's a kids' club and an awning-covered playground, plus an arcade, with video games, Foosball and air hockey. Adult entertainment includes themed music nights in the open-air theater. Laundry, dry-cleaning, motorcycle rentals, and car rentals are available through the front desk. Wi-Fi and parking are both free, and there is limited free shuttle service.