Maria Apartments Reviews

we have just spent yet another holiday in our little piece of paradise!

we have been visiting haraki for 8 years and for the last four, have stayed in marias. manilos, the owner, and his family are just wonderful and nothing at all is a problem. the apts are spotless,regularly cleaned and the perfect spot to chill out. we have made so many friends - true friends, who once they know you, will remember you year after year. how refreshing to know when we leave the cold shores of scotland, that there is indeed a welcome waiting in haraki. aristos the ";banker"; is just wonderful and takes most people to his heart. jack's bar, owned by jack and paula is indeed the place to be seen!!!! manolis and dina's taverna with their wonderful daughter dimitra is a joy to behold and oh boy can dina cook!! we love haraki and the villagers of malona(haraki is owned by them) and hope that it will always remain the same. actually things haven't changed that much, but hey that's greek village life.

thank you haraki people for giving so much pleasure to so many people

Maria Studios are very clean, very small but functional and quite dated in their furnishings. In our ground floor apartment, therefore no balcony, the bathroom didn't drain properly so it was continuously flooded for the whole week. The locality of the apartments is in an excellent position, although most of the apartments in Haraki are situated on the beachfront. All apartments have air conditioning that cost, apparently, 8 euros per night but we used ours every night and nobody asked us for any payment, so there's a definite positive.

The small resort of Haraki is absolutely beautiful; you could not hope for a better holiday destination. Although there is a small number of restaurants and bars it is ample enough for variety. The bars of 'Haraki Dreams', 'Haraki By Night' and 'Cocktails and Dreams' will all sell you an ice-cold pint of Mythos lager for one pound (1.5 euro), any spirit with mixer (2 euro). I believe you could not get a cheaper pint on the island. 'Cocktails and Dreams' is run by Jacob who is probably the most friendly and accommodating bar owner I have met in twenty-eight years of visiting the Greek Islands. Jacob, and his son, will invite you to write down the names of any songs you like and download them in minutes then play them for you at the same time as feeding you free snacks all night long.

I particularly liked the fact that Haraki is still exclusively owned and run by Greeks: not a British bar owner in sight which probably explains why it is still a cheap place to eat and drink. Also, you will discover that the resort is the much loved holiday destination for Greek people who live on Rhodes, and what a friendly lot they are.

It is fair to say that if you like the Faliraki or Ibiza type holiday then Haraki is not for you, but for everyone else it is a must. Don't take too much notice about negative reviews for some accommodation because the excellence of the resort will compensate, and it is a fact that you will spend most of your time outdoors anyway.

We eventually got to our resort 6 hours late (nothing compared to the 13 hour delay on the return journey, my advice if you can, try to avoid travelling with Kosmar or Scandic Airways, they we very unhelpful, vague with the truth regarding flights and not willing to follow the correct procedure regarding flight delays etc)

However, the resort was perfect it was like a small village with about 10-12 bars and restaurants each with a different atmosphere. Everyone was so friendly and accomodating it really was like nothing before. The beach although shingles was perfect, with a calm clear sea (so much so you could position the sun beds 1ft from the sea without the tide moving) you could also see lots of fish in the sea. The beach is the main area of the resort with all of the bars overlooking the sea.

The resort has no cash point so make sure you draw some money out at the airport, there is a cashpoint in the nearby towns though for which you need a taxi. I would also recommend hiring a car to see the rest of the island and you can see the sights as your own place. I would reckommend going to the south of the island to see where 2 different seas meet on a huge beach. Also Rhodes and Faliraki are a huge contrest the Haraki, especially in the evening. Be careful though, we got lost in the mountains for 3 hours on the West of the Island, STAY ON THE MAIN ROAD!!!

A few recomendations:

Bars.

Haraki Dreams - A very friendly bar on the seafront. Costas the barman is friendly and as well as a view over the sea, the bar also has a pool table along with numberous TV's showing Sky Sports, Sky News or whatever you request. Keep an eye on how much of the popcorn you eat if you are planning on going for a meal later!!

Cocktails and Dreams - Just off the seafront, but the lack of view is more than made up for by Jacob and his family who were so friendly it was untrue. This bar also has a pool table and a couple of TV's but we enjoyed talking to Jacob about all of the sights we should be looking out for. He also asked on our second visit what our favorite songs were and he tried his best to play them when we visited.

Jacks - Next door to Cocktails and Dreams, we didn't spend much time here inthe evenings but if you are looking for a breakfast this is the place to head.

Restuarants.

Marias Taverna - Don't go here, food was average and half the items on the menu were not available.

Argo - Great view and great food, a bit more expensive than some but well worth the money, especially the fish.

On the road past Tommy's Taverna in the direction of Lindos is a great restarant we found towards the end of the holiday(ask Jacob for directions) this was probably the best meal we had, and also very reasonable. The Italian was also very good but I can't remember the name of it.

Overall a great holiday and I would deffinetly be returning given half the chance, although not with Kosmar or Air Scandic.

Stayed at the Maria Apartments in Haraki for the second year in a row. Ideal situation literally 1 minute from the good bars and tavernas (avoiding Marias restuarant as the quality of service is second to poor!)

Hired a new and very clean car for the first week from Simons (on the main road into Haraki, two minutes walk from the apartments), and a scooter for the second week. Be advised that only people who are confident on two wheels should hire a bike or scooter, as the Rhodians are CRAZY drivers. Always wear a helmet as even the locals are getting fined for not wearing one. Ask Simon!

Manilos is the owner of Maria Apartments and is so accommodating (sorry!) and friendly it is a pleasure to stay there. We had a problem with the kettle in the room, and as soon as we meantioned it, he had it replaced and supplied enough freshly picked oranges for juice in the morning!

Every day we made a trip to Agathi Beach which is only a 5 minute drive away, or a walk of 25 minutes which goes right past the castle, and is very pleasant, except during the really hot time between 11.00a.m. and 4.00pm.

Jacks Bar is always a winner at night, with great friendly service, and don't forget the full BRITISH breakfast too!

Jacks Bar also stays open late for the poor sods leaving on night flights back to the UK.

Spare Ribs from Manilos and Dinas House Grill (near Simons car hire on the main road) were a wonder, as well as a ";Belly Buster";. Great food and ate there several times at night.

Shopping was best at Marias, Haraki Beach, and Evas supermarkets, but remember there is no fresh bread on a sunday.

Booking up for our third year in Haraki soon, and can't wait to see all our friends again!

You can't help but love it!

We chose Rhodes as we couldn't go away until October. Luckily the weather was fantastic - much hotter than is expected at this time of year.

Accommodation at Marias. We had read the reviews here but were pleasantly surprised - our main gripes were that there were no proper towels (apparenlty it says in the Kosmar brochure to bring your own) and the noise. Cocktails and Dreams, the much recommended bar is just over the road and is loud at night.
We had a lovley balcony on 2 sides but it would have been horrible to be on the ground floor overlooking the road where you had room for 1 chair at most. We also had an oblique sea view.
Sheet chnage twice a week - fine.
As regards the toilet bin - there is a huge wheelie bin and we took our tied up plastic bag down every day.

Restaurants: Kostas and Elenas is the best, but on the front one called something like Paradisi was excellent as well. It has a view, unlike K and E. However, we had the worst meal we have EVER had in about 20 trips to the Greek Islands. Maria's restaurant in front of Kostas and Elena's - the food was cold, undercooked and at least 6 items were 'off'. Poor, inattentive service - when I finally went in to pay myself the staff were doing a jigsaw. Avoid Maria's.

Beaches: Loved llittle Haraki and hated Agathi - if you love sunbeds from one end of the beach to the other, with the noise of generators and abandoned 60s apartment blocks then Agathi is for you. Otherwise stay on pebbly , clear Haraki (great snorkelling) with 2 blocks of sunbeds only and be amused by the ducks swimming up and down.
Elsewhere on Rhodes: Lindos - for the day only - the beaches were heaving, too hot and dirty and it was mid October. All English food and English people. Up in the town, the top was nicer, the bottom very touristy.
Rodos (Rhodes Town) - nice for a day trip.

Top tip: (1) hire a car and explore the west coast. Prasonisi where the oceans meet is a bit over-rated. Monolithos up in the hills and ancient Kamiros are lovley. Great views towards Halki. Car hire from MandS (Mary) in Haraki still the cheapest 70 euros for 3 days.
(2) use the local buses and get around
(3)take the ferry to Symi and stay over, not the day trips.

Came to this site before we left for Haraki for the first time ever. The information we got here helped us to find our way around when we first got there. Thank you.

Haraki is a simply gorgeous place, we managed to spend some time elsewhere on the island of Rhodes during our week but were always pleased to come ";home"; to Haraki. It was very very hot everywhere but Haraki seemed to have its own breeze a lot of the time which made it much nicer to be out in.

Maria's Apartments - there were only 2 of us, so we got the basic set up sans balcony as described already in your pages but we found this ample for our needs. (Interesting the different ratings for the same accomodation..) We were therefore quite prepared to empty our own bins (there is a wheeley situated by the big gates to the inner courtyard) but were pleaseantly surprised to return on Wednesday evening to find the cleaning fairies had been. A couple of omissions though - no teacloths to dry glasses and mugs and no cloth of any kind (J cloth would do) to wash up said items or give bathroom floor (shower went everywhere!) a quick wipe round.

Argo Resturant - got lured in there after a glass of ouzo and were shown the kitchen, the freezer, the lobsters and fish still swimming round just by the sea and went for the seafood platter. It was superb and we didn't regret it, but it did cost an arm and a leg! Probably worth saving up for as a treat on the last night or some such thing. The surroundings of the resturant right out on the edge of the bay were fabulous.

We tried to change the places we eat at every night to try as many as possible but we did go for the lunchtime ";gyros"; at Kostas and Elenas more than anything else (much better than ";Toasties"; which are everywhere) and we had our evening meal there twice. Lovely food and very friendly.

It was nice to eat and drink at any of the other places which are more directly on the seafront (Haraki Sun in particular)but we usually wound up at Cocktails and Dreams most nights, not only cos they were the cheapest (Mythos for 1.50 euros (about £1) per pint) but because the atmosphere was so nice - a mix right across the age groups. There were quite a lot of families and a few teenagers in Haraki as well as us oldies! We enjoyed the popcorn as well! They had Greek Dancing in the bar at 10.30pm on the Thursday night that we were there.

We had a fabulous day out on Captain George's boat thanks to reading it on this site - not to be missed!

Manilos, which is on the road in to Haraki opposite some other holiday appartments (Olympic?) had a family atmosphere of its own with its own regulars amongst the holidaymakers and some locals but be warned - Manilos spare ribs are not for the fainthearted and would be better shared by 2 or even 4 people!

Trip to Symi was worthwhile but very very hot - the boat wasn't enclosed when we went so sun deck was available. The Kosmar rep (Maria) takes you to 3 shops in Symi who will give you a discount on the products before she lets you lose in the harbour which is fine but takes up a large chunk of your time. All the shopkeepers (herbs, sponges, jewellery) were intersting and had a nice line of patter in English. It was far too hot though to do any real exploring or step climbing, just to meander round the harbour and have a drink and a gyros for lunch.

We also took Kosmar's trip to Rhodes by night - beware of getting ripped off in the old town. Would prefer to go there in daylight another time and we got lost in all the old streets just before it was time to go back for the bus! Glad we went though. (Our coach also got stopped by the Greek Police for what seemed like ages on the way there, checking documents from our driver Janis and the luggage compartment etc!) The rep said she'd never had that happen before.

We didn't hire a fan and it was still very very hot at night.

Even on a Friday night everything winds down before 2am or thereabouts - we know cos that was the time we had to get up to meet the coach back to Rhodes airport - and we took a stroll along the front, lovely and cool at that time outside.

Haraki is only really bars, tavernas, and appartments - 3 mini-supermarkets, also selling beach stuff, no bakery or other shops.

The beach never got too crowded, it is pebbles so there was no sand getting everywhere either. Forgot what that was like until we stopped at Lindos beach with Capt George. Both beaches were so hot underfoot that you needed to keep sandals on anyway.

Never went to Agathi and from the boat it looked as though it was more crowded so another reason to stay in Haraki itself.

Loved the place, its ambience and had no real problem with the accomodation. Would love to go back again.

Travelled to Haraki in Rhodes with Kosmar. Staying at the Maria Studios and Apartments. The studio we were allocated was very small. Consisted of a double bed, small wardrobe, small table, 2 chairs, tiny kitchen with had a sink and a 2 ring hob and the usual greek bathroom. Although the apartment was clean when we arrived in the early hours of Sunday morning it wasn't cleaned again until the Thursday. The bed and towels were changed then and the toilet bin finally emptied !!! We had no proper balcony as such, just a table and 2 chairs outside our door.

Fans were available to hire at a cost of 15 Euros per week and boy was it hot when we were there.

The resort of Haraki is just wonderful. There are about 10 tavernas to eat/drink in, all facing the lovely bay of Haraki (sand and shingle at the far end and large pebbles at the other, crystal clear water). A few boats bob about in the bay and there are at least 4 ducks and swans walking about !!!! There are around 3 supermarkets within the resort centre and a further one on the main road out of Haraki and a couple of small shops to browse around and that's about it. There are no cash point machines in Haraki, the nearest one is Lindos and some of the supermarkets charge a percentage to use your visa. However the supermarket (Eya I think) on the road out of Haraki does not charge you to use your visa, and she is one of the most friendly and happy people I met over there.

We ate nearly every night at Costas and Eleanor Taverna as the food there is just goregous. Try their Lamb Kleftico and Mousaka, fabulous and it is all home made, fresh every day. Main meals here were around 7 Euros. We also tried the Kiss Grill, which was very nice. The new Italian on the road out of the resort Da Vincis was also excellent, lovely pizzas. We ate breakfast every morning in Jacks Bar and it was very tasty and only 4 Euros for a full english, including coffee or tea. We spent each evening in the Cocktails and Dreams Bar, obviously watching Euro 2004!!! This is a lovely bar, very friendly bar people and owners. Cocktails and shorts are good value around 2 Euros each and you get a tasty bowel or 4 of salted popcorn !!!

Try the trip on Captain George's boat which goes to Lindos every day, leaving from the far end of the bay. This trip was 18 Euros each, leaving at 10.30am and arriving back at 4.30pm. You sail to Lindos taking in a few sights along the way (the location where scehems from Guns of Navarone took place), you spend 3 hours at Lindos and then set sail back taking in more sights (including stopping at Red Sand Beach for 30 mins, lovely).

We spent the majority of our time lazing around on Agathi Beach, which is just a dream beach. Lovely sandy beach, the sea is crystal clear, being up to waist deep for at least 100 yards, so very safe for children. Loads of sunbed and brollies, which cost 7 Euros for 2 sunbeds and a brolly. There are 3 ";mobile tavernas"; to eat/drink from at Agathi and each one was very good. Had a good selection of snacks on the menu, again very reasonable prices. To get to Agathi Beach you go through the field at the base of the Castle (at the side of the Castle View Apartments, follow the worn tracks through the field) and then follow the dusty road. Or alternatively walk on the main road going out of the resort and turn right up the road at the side of the Agathi Apartments, either way takes around 25 minutes.

We were so pleased that we decided to go to Haraki, even though we had never heard of it before. It was a very laid back and chilled resort, which is unspoilt by tourists. Apparently the greeks go to Haraki at the weekends to avoid the tourists in other resorts.

We will be going back again next year, not staying at the Maria Studios though, we are going to try the Castle View as they are meant to be excellent. Kosmar were helpful when needed, so would have no hesitation using them again.

Haraki is a wonderful place for a relaxing holiday. It's quite a small resort - maybe 7 or 8 tavernas, and a handful of bars. At the end of May it was VERY quiet, but we believe it gets quite busy in July and August.

Most of the places to eat are right on the sea front, so you can enjoy your evening meal watching the mountains and sea getting darker and darker. All the places we ate were great, but we particularly enjoyed Marias (where the road into the village joins the sea front) and The Porto Haraki (a very Greek Taverna next to the `Haraki by Night` cocktail bar on the sea front). Haraki by night was a lovely place for pre- and post-dinner drinks.

We hired a car from M and S on the front - it was the cheaper of the 2 car hire offices (30 Euros per day for a Corsa) and Mary the owner was very helpful. Every time we passed the office we had to stop for a chat.

It's worth getting out and exploring the island, but beware many of the historical sites are either closed (particularly in Rhodes Old Town) or only open between 8am and 2:45pm. We followed our guidebooks advice to visit Lindos either late or early because of the crowds (good advice as it VERY busy). We arrived at the Acropolis at just gone 3pm to find it had closed at 2:45. We had a similar experience at Kamiros - we arrived at 2pm to be told it would be closing at 2:40, so we had to leg-it around the site.

And now Kosmar and the accommodation - Marias Appartments were poor. Old, small and tired, no view. The apartment wasn't cleaned until Thursday, and only after we'd chased the Rep. - choose somewhere else if you can.

Kosmar changed our flight time by just under 12 hours (so no compensation) from 6pm Sat to 6am Sun. The collection from Haraki was 3.30am . Checkout time was 12 noon and the Rep. didn't seem that keen on helping us finding somewhere to stay for the last night. The apartment owner could only offer us a room until 8pm. so we ended up trawling the village to find our own room - we ended up in the Haraki Beach Studios (coincidentally also offered by Kosmar) at a cost of 30 Euros, which were fantastic - spacious, clean, modern and great views.

Our Kosmar Rep. gave us the wrong information at the Welcome Meeting (said the Sound and Light show at Rhodes was included in the Rhodes by Night trip - it wasn't, so at 23 Euros each it was an expensive coach trip!). The Rep. apologised but didn't offer any compensation.

In summary - Harali is great - we will go back - it's the perfect place to unwind and the locals were so friendly.
We won't go back with Kosmar!

After reading other reviews on this accomodation - we didnt know what quite to expect!
We were very pleased,It was typically greek, bed, bathroom, small kitchen - but with the great outdoors what more would you need!!

We asked for low level accomodation due to disabilities, and this was just what we got (thanks Kosmar).

Resort was wonderful, everyone very friendly, Kostas and Elaina, Mike at Cocktails and Dreams, Jack at Jacks bar (great English Breakfast), and especially our new friend Stefano! What a welcome from a very new Bar, great hospitatlity.

Definately going back next year.

Stayed at Maria Apts in Haraki in late September for 2 weeks, and loved it.

The studios are compact and didn't quite have a sea view, but were clean and very well equipped, right down to a colander in the kitchenette! The bathrooms are the usual Greek style, shower in the corner arrangement, but bathmats and hand towels were provided.

The only real complaint about the apartment was that the bed was very uncomfortable - the mattress had no padding in it in the middle, so roll-together and hip bones on the wooden slats made for uncomfortable nights.

Haraki is a lovely place, a short curve of buildings almost all on the sea front with about 10 or 12 tavernas/cafes in total. The shops sell everything you need and there is enough variety for places to eat and drink without ever having to walk more than 5 minutes. I recommend Zographos' restaurant - lovely food, cheap prices, and friendly staff, but I didn't have bad food anywhere. The Argo seafood restaurant at the far end of tha bay was very nice, but incredibly expensive - don't bother, the other seafood restaurants are just as good.

If you do get bored in quiet Haraki, go by taxi in to Lindos for a day trip or night out (about £12 each way). There is car hire in Haraki for the same price as anywhere else on the island too. There is no cashpoint in Haraki, but there is a bureau de change and travel agents (and a book exchange).

Haraki is fantastic! Quiet, friendly, good food, good company. Ideal for couples or families with young children, it probably wouldn't suit teenagers who are looking for more active nightlife. In Haraki the evenings revolve around eating and drinking in the little tavernas. No clubs, no music, just quietly chilling out.

We had a 'studio apartment' basically a double room, en-suite with the addition of a fridge, kettle, 2 eletric rings, ample cupboard space 2 dishes, 4 plates, 3 mugs, 3 glasses and a rather odd collection of cutlery. The kettle was essential for coffee and the fridge for storing ouzo, Sprite, beer and the occasional melon or yoghurt. Eating out is cheap and easy - so why cook?

The apartment was well looked after - clean sheets and towels twice a week. Our only, minor complaint - a dustpan and brush would have been useful to sweep up the sand we brought in every day. No air conditioning - but fans can be hired for 12 euros/week.

The beach at Haraki is well stocked with sunbeds and shingly BUT a 20 minute walk across the 'field' below the Castle and down a dirt track will bring you to Agathi Bay - a dream beach. Golden sand, crystal clear sea, waist deep for at least the first 100 yds, 3 tented Tavernas and loads of sunbeds (6 euros each per day).

Bored with the beach? Take the bus into Lindos or Rhodes. Services run through the village. The Drivers are incredibly helpful and will get you back 'home' even if it means personally escorting you to the correct bus! Timing is a bit variable, but admire the view as you wait for the bus to arrive or depart. Car hire is also inexpensive.

We drove to some of the other noted sights. Ancient Kamiros is amazing. Butterfly Valley has to be seen to be believed - but avoid the overpriced Tea Room. Seven Springs is green and cool a sharp contrast to the beach. Falaraki is worth a visit if only to prove what a haven you have found at Haraki!

Back in Haraki be sure to spend some time at either the Maria Taverna with its helpful staff or its neighbour Jacks. Jack mixes up a wicked cocktail. The perfect ending to a hard day on the beach.