Elvita Studios Reviews

Hotel showing signs of age and no investment.Basic decorating had not been done for some while.Lack of care, causes bad and unprofessional atmosphere allround. Basically just a tatty place in desperate need of some good old TLC.

My hubby & I have just returned from a week at the Elvita. Firstly make sure you stress on having an upstairs room! We were in a basement room next to the laundry room! Our terrace looked out onto a bit of tatty grass with manholes & right next to the path into the hotel. We had no privacy as the curtains were very thin also the wall between us & the next doors terrace was about 2 foot tall! We spent a lot of the time getting rid of woodlice, ants,spiders & other crawlies that crawled out of the grass! Our room was basic (what we expected!) but not cleaned the whole time we were there! On the plus side the location was fantasic! The bar/restaurant was on the beachwith good food & service. The pool area was really nice as well with plenty of sunbeds all with umbrellas!The staff were polite & friendly & worked hard throughout the day. We would most probably go back to this hotel providing we had an upstairs room as apparently these rooms were excellent!

We stayed at El Vita in September 2008. I would recomend it thoroughly, it is in a quiet part of Rhodes, so maybe it would not be suitable for youngsters looking for busy night-life, although Pefkos is only a few Euros in a taxi away, and I think the night life there would be good. El Vitas rooms are basic, bed, dressing table, sink, hob, kettle and everything you would need, microwave. Bathroom with shower and loo. Everything was totally spotless in the room, our room looked outwards the sea, with a small balcony. Top marks, perfect. The pool area is lovely, always seemed to be enough sun beds, the bar was practically on the beach and is lovely. The staff always seemed friendly too. The food was nice, it was a bit samey Omlette, burger, pizza, spaghetti, toasted sandwiches, chips, moussaka, but reasonable prices and very nice. The views from the hotel, totally stunning. The beach is rather stoney/rocky,

We loved it and are going back next year

Stayed at El Vita 2 years running 07/08, would definitely go back, basic accommodation (request a top floor room),beach not ideal for toddlers and is therefore quite quiet. Best restaurant on beach strip Casa di Flavia,next to Lindos Princess, into Lardos try Valentinas, busiest but of course also the best. Ideal location within easy reach of Pefkos, Lindos, Lardos Village. Staff really friendly, good value cheap holiday, fab weather.

We stayed at the El Vita Studios apartments in May this year (2007). We arrived in Rhodes on a late flight shortly after 9.40pm local time, and after clearing baggage we boarded a coach which dropped us at the gate of the El Vita Studios after something like a one and a half hours journey.
Even though it was so late and we were the first guests of the season, the members of staff were all on hand to help us find our rooms and then direct us to the pool side bar, which was opened specially for us.

George, (AKA ";Crazy George";) the bar manager, deserves a special mention, as he is a real character and a genuinely nice guy. He is a great host and is extremely good at his profession and is definitely an asset to the complex.
While we were there a young couple were married at nearby Lindos and returned to the El Vita for the late evening festivities. A karaoke evening had been arranged and George presented the young couple with a beautiful bouquet, before performing a traditional Greek dance, in which he managed to involve most of the guests.

The El Vita is situated right by the sea and there is an area of the beach reserved for hotel guests, complete with sun beds and umbrellas, but the beach itself is quite stony and not good for walking or paddling.

Meals and snacks are available throughout the day at the pool side bar, and a short walk away are around half a dozen eateries offering everything from English fish and chips to Greek traditional cuisine. There is also a Chinese restaurant, but this wasn't open during the first week of the season.

A short drive away (or a suggested 20 minute walk - I don't who's watch they used for that estimate) is Lardos town, which has a good selection of restaurants and bars, as well as one of the prettiest churches on the island. Alternatively, there is nearby Pefki, which is somewhat livelier than Lardos and has many more bars and restaurants. There is also a wonderful bakery in Pefki, if like us; you have a penchant for Greek feta cheese pies and fresh bread.

I would recommend hiring a car, as this is best way to see the island. Driving around the south of Rhodes is a delight and some of the views are really spectacular. Alternatively, the local bus service is more than adequate.

Back to the El Vita apartments: The rooms were basic but clean, with the maids making the beds every other day and changing the bedding and towels twice in the week.
Although it is a family orientated complex, there is very little noise at night, even when the bar is open until the early hours. As the season gets busier this may change however, as there is another bar on the ground floor of the apartment block which was closed while we were there but will be open later. (We were told that you should avoid rooms numbered 20 and 21, as these are right next to the apartment bar and will be subject to a lot of noise as clients arrive and depart during the early hours).
Air conditioning units are provided but require an extra payment, as do fans. I would not recommend leaving the balcony doors open for fresh air at night because of the mosquitoes. (See below).
Self catering facilities are minimal but very adequate. Our room had a kettle, a two ring hob, a toaster and a combination microwave / grill.

The manager of the El Vita can be seen making regular inspections and giving the staff orders to clean up blossom or leaves that have drifted into the pool area, which is generally really clean and well maintained. The pool is always clean and there is also a children's pool for the little 'uns.

The hotel next door took in their first guests a few days after our arrival, and this prompted an increase in traffic on the extremely narrow roads leading to the two hotels. Although we had no problems, I can foresee that there may be problems with access or parking as the season gets busier.

There are two points to make about the local fauna; firstly, there are hundreds of feral cats in Lardos beach, all breeding freely. They congregate in a garden near the hotels and as many thirty or so cats can be seen sitting on the wall, waiting for soft hearted English tourists to feed them on the way back to their apartments. Most shops sell cat food, so of course being soft hearted English tourists we fed them every night!

The other point regarding the local fauna is that it was only after were arrived and had been well bitten that we discovered that the Lardos area of Rhodes is also known as the ";mosquito coast";. The little b*@$%s are immune to everything, except a well aimed magazine or a rolled up damp towel. They are voracious feeders and everyone at the apartments donated blood to them. Apart from keeping the balcony windows closed and doing a thorough search of the apartment every night, there is little you can do to avoid them.

One final point is that it would be helpful if room numbers were displayed with directions near stairs etc, as many newly arriving guests have trouble finding their rooms.

Overall the El Vita Studios was excellent value for money and we would be happy to return there for another week of that wonderful Mediterranean sunshine

We had a fab time at the El Vita apartments, everyone made us feel really welcome. Crazy George definitely made our week, the guy deserves a medal!!

We stayed round the pool pretty much every day, we did walk into Pefkos which was about a 35min walk and then we also took a ride into Lindos and had lunch by the beach which was good.

In the evenings we went out to eat, would recommend Roulas and Valentinas in Lindos and Greek House in Pefkos also. We ended up in Courtyard bar in Lindos on a few occassions where Jack made us all feel welcome along with Ellen, Joe and Scott then we went along to Qupi Nightclub where once again we were made welcome by Nick.

The rooms were basic and towels/linen were only changed twice while we were there. The BBQ at the El Vita is good value.

All in all a fab holiday and we will definitely go back to meet up with everyone we met again!

By the time we arrived it was gone 10.30 at night and after being on the go since lunch time we were starving. Although the snack bar had closed George kindly cooked us some pizza's which went down nicely with some chilled beers. As it was dark we were unable to see what the surrounding area was like but could tell that we were close to the sea as the seating area overlooks it.

The following morning we were really pleased with our decision to stay at the Elvita. The room was clean and although it was basic it was what we expected. At least they have a holder for the shower which we have not had in other studios in Greece. We were allocated Room 310 and although it was above reception and not over looking the pool we were able to see over the roof of the studios next door and see the beach and sea.

Unfortunantly the week that we went to Rhodes was the week that they had storms and although for two day we had torrential rain it was mostly at night. This affected the pool bar and restaurant which had to be closed during this time, luckly the Elvita also has a bar in the reception area which made up for this.

We choice to hire a car from George (he sits in reception for a few hours each morning) rather than from Thompson and it cost 50 euros for three days. With this we were able to explore the rest of Rhodes. Although the rep does not recommend that you go into Rhodes town alone we did and found that as long as you are an expernced driver this should cause no problems as long as you remember where you park the car.

Having the car also allowed us to go to Pefki and Lardos to have an evening meal. I would definantly recommend the Chicken Pie and Spare Ribs (not for those with a small apitiite) at Roulas and the Beef Stifardo or Lamb Kelftico at Valantinos in Lardos. But if you want a local restaurant try Casa di Flavia next to the Lindos Princess. Although we had a bit of a wait for our meal it was well worth waiting for.

Overall we had a great holiday dispite the rain and this was probabably because the El Vita provided us with the perfeect location for the laid back relaxing holiday that we were after.

Stayed at the El Vita for a week. My husband commented that 'it was possibly the worst apartment he had ever stayed in'on our arrival. But although it WAS very basic and they never changed the towels or beds in the whole week we were there (Although lucky for us we were sleeping next door to the Laundry room, so i helped myself) it was ok!!!!. Being right on the Beach made up for any disapointment in the rooms. Plus found all the staff polite and welcoming, even had a lovely British Receptionist, who was very helpful around directions etc. Be aware though they do charge 2 euros to order Taxi... Unbeknown to us.. walk to end of road, they pass all the time...
Avoid the Restauarant at the top of this road its awful.........................
Unfortunetly watch out for the Mosquitos in May... the bites itch like mad!!!! Take precautions better to be safe than sorry....

The Boat trip to Lindos we went on from Pefkos (20/30 Min walk)for 11 euros was excellent (Glass bottomed) but the 'skipper' made it more fun and he showed us some interesting sights (like were a member of Pink Floyd own ... Lindos is beautiful.... Although only went for this one day.. but had lovely luch of Gyros (Greek Kebab) and wine...
Restaurants are by far the best in Lardos village (Roulas and Valantinas... the food is lovely) averaged about 30 euors

for a two course meal with wine for two...

Pefkos is more 'holiday centred' with loads of bars and restaurant's........
We throughly enjoyed our stay in Lardos and would recommend it to anyone... But whether i would stay at the El Vita again.. No i wouldn't.................

Arrived a the hotel mid morning so couldn't see much. When we dragged ourselves out of bed to meet our rep we found our hotel to be right on the beach with out room leading to the pool and the balcony overlooking the beach.
Exactly what we were expecting. The rooms were basic but you get what you pay for and we had no moans about. Air con was a must and well worth the money!
We went when the world cup was on and the hotel organised BBQ nights when England were playing which were well worth going to, food was lovely, nothing like typical British bbq.

Tried all the restaurants around the area, I have a huge fear of wasps so spent alot of the time running around. the waiters also spent a lot of time trying to squash them for me (when they weren't laughing at me that is!). but the food was lovely and really reasonable prices.

I would definitely recommended staying at El Vita if you want a relaxing holiday with the essential sea sun and sand.

My partner and I in our thirties (and 3 kids aged 1, 6 and 12) went to the Elvita for 2 weeks in September 2006. I felt the accommodation was a bit disappointing but the pool is excellent. As with some of the other reviews, the cleaner should have been in more and we needed towels more often than we got them but it was okay. The beach is good but does have stones on it (in many places) so you need flip flops to walk on it. There is a well stocked shop but its slightly dearer that the 4/5 other supermarkets close by. The bar area is good with 2 pool tables and an air-hockey table.

The food at the bar is basic stuff such as chips, toasties, full english breakfasts (nothing greek really apart from the odd dish). There was a quiz on Fridays, BBQ on Tuesdays and Saturdays (which we did not try) and a Karoke on Saturdays. The bar is very loud at night and you can hear it in your appartment with the windows closed, which was annoying with young kids.

Overall, we really enjoyed this holiday and the pool area made the Elvita worth staying in. Just don't expect anything too fancy and if you don't want to each British food you will have to eat elsewhere. I hired a car, which was well worth it at 23 euros per day for a week. However, I noticed that you can hire a car in Pefkos for 60 Euros for 3 days (so could be even cheaper for the week). We visited Rhodes old town and took a 5 Euro glass bottom boat trip (adults only paying), which were both well worth it. The water park is brilliant and all of our kids from 1 years to 12 years (and ourselves) loved it.

I took the kids to butterfly valley and paid only 5 euros for myself even though there were four of us. It was lovely but don't expect too many butterflys. Its a valley so expect to walk uphill and you are not allowed to take pushchairs so I would recommend taking kids who can walk well. There is a restaurant on a hill on the main road between Lardos and Falaraki which only serves greek food which was amazing and very reasonably priced considering the waitress told us she would give us a meze without saying what we would get. Falaraki is much better than I expected as it is more of a family resort than for the 18 - 30 crowd. It also has the best beach although people just throw there cigarette butts on the beach. Someone advised us that they have been trying to quiet down the resort for 5/6 years and it has worked. You have to visit Lindos and its castle on its acropolis. Its a village on the hill below and has small winding streets which are covered by vines.

Lardos old village is worth a visit at night. The Pefkos bakery (which is also in Lardos and other places) makes amazing cakes and a piece is 1.5 euros (just over a pound) and puts British bakeries to shame. We never managed to eat on rooftop restaurant in Pekfos but would have liked to as they looked amazing. However, we did in the one rooftop restaurant in Lardos Village, which was nice.

We have just returned from 2 weeks in Lardos. Overall we had a lovely time. The weather in September is still very hot - beautiful sunshine everyday.

The Studios are clean and basic and RIGHT on the beach. There is a lovely pool and good poolside bar serving food and drinks. The food is not great but ok for a snack lunch!

There are several resturants which are approx 5 mins walk from the studios. Lardos main square is a disapointment with only a handful of resturants and no bars, however Pefkos is the same distance away and this is a lot busier with plenty of choice.

Elvita has its own car hire and at 75 euros for 3 days is well worth doing. We visted Rhodes town which is a must and also Falarki Waterpark and Lindos. Its very easy to get to all these places and is along one main road!

There are also regular buses running from just outside the studios to all areas! These are cheap and a taxi back from Lindos cost 9euros and from pefkos is 6! Lovely roof top resturants serving excellent food!

The beach is not great and is rather stony but the sea is lovely and clear and calm! There are not a lot of waterspots on Lardos beach but there is a glass bottom boat trip which is well worth the 15euros! Lindos has more choice of watersports!

The studios put on events such as a quiz night and karoke! Although we chose not to go to these they did look relatively poplular with other guests!

As 2 youngsters we found Lardos a bit too quiet so spent most evenings travelling! Although at this time of the year the bars etc in Lindos are fairly quiet! Only the one Club... unless of course you go to Falarki!

If you are after a quiet relaxing holiday with days spent round the pool and quiet evenings with good food you cant go wrong here!

It was lovely x

Loved the location of the El Vita, right on the beach. We steered clear of the pool which seemed quite busy and went for the beach. Apparently it costs 3.5 euros for lounger and brolley, but we didn't bother with them, so it cost us nothing. Although we were told by the rep the place was full, the beach was quiet. Very hot in September, and the aircon has gone up to 10E a night, or 60 for the week, or you can hire a fan for 15E for the week. Staff were fine and the supermarket very handy, didn't seem to be particularly more expensive than the others, they vary. As previously written Lardos is halfway between Lardos Village and Pefkos, half hour walk to either. Found Pefkos very commercialised and busy with tourists, Lardos Village also busy but much nicer, with some real greek people around. A nice bar in Pefkos was Buddies.

Best food was the Good Heart Taverna in Lardos Village where you can go into the kitchen and choose your food. The food was excellent and the prices cheap. Hired a car one day for 40E from the guy who is obviously approved by Thomson (George), the rep made a big fuss about him being much cheaper than Thomson directly, but the guy is located in the reception area for a couple of hours every day so presumably Thomson know about him as the El Vita is a Thomson owned place. We didn't go on any Thomson trips, but in the car went to the butterfly valley which was amazing and well worth the journey if you get a car.

We would definitely go back to Lardos.

Just returned from 2 weeks at the El Vita Apartments, Lardos.

The accomodation was exactly as we expected from booking. Basic but clean and exactly all you need for sleeping in. Cleaned regularly and had no problems at all with the room. Aircon an essential and costs 50 EUROS a week.
The apartments are seconds from the beach which is shingle but also very clean and water fabulous. Beach shoes probably a must.

Now for the best thing about the El Vita the staff and bar area. The bar is great fun and the staff make you ALL feel very welcome. Their was a BBQ and Karaoke twice a week run bu the complex. The star of the bar has to be Crazy George who was worth his weight in gold and great fun for all the kids. Hes a barman their and just very funny.
All the staff at El Vita were fab.
The two pools are lovely with plenty of sun beds and again very clean. Most people we had met were on at least their second visit to the apartments.
The food to be had in Lardos is fabulous. We really enjoyed the Angelica restaurant which provides lovely greek food and a good selection of english dishes for the kids too.
Rhodes old town is a must as is the water park at faleraki.

Been back for 12 hours and off to book for next year:D

Just back from 2 weeks at El Vita and had an excellent holiday.Booked 2 studios so kids 13/16 had their own gaff next door.

Rooms are basic but clean,we were in the block above the supermarket which was fine.
The pool is good and even at this peak time loungers are available most times.
The bar is excellent but the snack bar is basic and slightly over-priced.All this is forgotten when you wander down to the beach which is slightly stony but brilliant to have on your doorstep.
The staff are all really helpfull and friendly and god bless Crazy George.The area El Vita is in is equidistant from Lardos Village and Pefkos.The Casa Di Flavia next to the Lindos Princess is very good as is the more traditional restaurant next door.In Lardos village Roulas and Valentinas are superb sadly fell out with the rooftop guys after 45 min wait for starters.
Pefkos restaurants are excellent-Enigma,Hellas and Colliseum were all brill.
The people at Fuse Bar on the beach road are heroes as they have MSN access for huffy teenagers (and cold Mythos lager).
Lindos is a must see on land and sea,the glass bottom trip from the beach is excellent.

Water Park in Faliraki is well worth going to but could do with more time there,as with all Thomson trips it really is a pain picking up people all over the place so an hours journey becomes an hour and a half.
The lazy day cruise from Lindos started badly as the big boat cannot come in to St Pauls bay so two coachloads of people are ferried out by a small boat (12 seater)which took about an hour (in 90 degrees)
but an extra swim stop saved the day.
No way could the walk into Lardos can be done in the heat and scooter/taxi traffic at night,its only 5 euros in a taxi.

So if you like good grub,sun,pool and some great places to see the El Vita is an excellent base for your holiday

We spent 12 days at the Elvita studios and apart from a slight hiccup to begin with we had a wonderful holiday.

As already stated, we were also placed in a basement room by the bar where a wedding party had met up on the night of our arrival. However, the staff could not apologise enough when we complained and quickly found us another room in a much quieter part. The position is excellent, right on the beach and a lovely pool. We would recommend the Gallery bar close by on the main street -run by an English couple (Mark and Linda) who certainly go the ";extra mile"; and were so hospitable. Their toasties were delicious! We wish them good luck as this is their first season in Lardos. We also found eating at Stefanos was excellent, as was Valentinas and Roulas in Lardos village - well worth a visit.