Family hotels in Rhodes for quality time together in the sun

Guests young and old are catered for at Hotel Rodos Palladium Leisure & Wellness. The resort’s atmospherically lit spa centre soothes grown-ups and there’s a spacious outdoor pool area plus a kids’ pool for family time. Fancy a swim in the sea? This hotel’s also on the Blue Flag-listed Kallithea beach.

After dipping your toes in the water, admire the views from a family room with a bright white décor that contrasts with the aqua-tinted shores in the distance. You’ll have a furnished balcony to unwind on beyond the large French doors and individually controlled air-conditioning inside to keep your little ones cool after sunny days out.

For a clan dinner, sit down at the hotel’s Symposium Main Restaurant for a buffet packed with local and international choices including sumptuous seafood sourced from the Aegean. Cooking shows are organised to amuse the kids as you dine at the hotel. Or seek out an off-site shoreside eatery like Taverna Corali for Greek classics such as feta-filled salads.

With six swimming pools—some including slides and fountains—water babies will want to make a beeline for Lindos Princess. This hotel is also just a 15-minute drive from Lindos, regularly referred to as Rhodes’ most picture-perfect village for its labyrinthine streets that wind up a hillside.

As well as three kids’ clubs where the children can make friends, thrills for young guests include treasure hunts, archery and Olympic Games competitions. Quieter little ones can enjoy more sedate activities like painting and crafts sessions. A playground’s on hand for free play and families can spend time together taking on mysterious challenges, clue seeking and codebreaking in one of two on-site Escape Rooms.

For fuel after adventures, this family hotel in Rhodes has four restaurants and a couple of bars—try Thalassa for melt-in-the-mouth seafood dishes. When the sun sets, your room is a welcoming space to curl up in with its smart flatscreen TV. Plus, soundproofed windows mean less chance of disturbance when the kids are napping. Opt for a Beachfront Family Room for plenty of space and a sea view.

Mitsis Alila Resort & Spa is a 10-minute drive from the vibrant seaside village of Faliraki. Here, you can play with the children on the private beach or splash about in the refreshing outdoor saltwater pool and slides. Drop youngsters off for organised activities at the children’s club, or take a family trip into town for a boat tour around the island with snorkelling stop-offs. Other hotel facilities range from art lessons and air hockey to water sports and wellness services.

Even the pickiest little eater will find something to suit their palate at the hotel’s 15 dining options (which range from Mexican to Italian). Try the sushi restaurant to introduce kids to pristinely plated fish dishes then follow up with a fizzy treat at the sleek champagne bar once they’re tucked up in bed.

Fresh and airy marble-floored family rooms at the Mitsis have sitting areas with sofas—ideal for cosying up with the children while streaming a film on the flatscreen TV using the free Wi-Fi. Upgrade to a suite with your own pool facing the sea for a bit of extra outdoor privacy. If you have a baby in tow, you can borrow essentials like baths, buggies and bottle warmers.

Kids can hone their sandcastle-building skills at Amathus Elite Suites, one of the best places to stay in Rhodes for families. This hilltop hotel is set on a lively street in Ixia, just a minute’s walk from the nearest beach. Rooms with balconies mean there’s no need to leave the views of the Aegean Sea behind once you’ve packed up the bucket and spade for the day.

Opt for a high-end suite for facilities such as private pools, manicured gardens and roomy dining areas. If you’d rather eat at one of the four on-site restaurants, the retro-inspired Bakaliko Tavern is a low-key spot serving Greek market-style food indoors or out on a sun-soaked terrace.

Children’s activities and amenities at this hotel include a cheerfully decorated playground and high-octane water sports at the beach. Let younger travellers embrace the educational fun and games at the Pelican kids’ club, or gaze in awe at the magic and illusion performances. They can also have a go at giant chess, tennis or simply paddle around in the mini pool.

Mini discos, an indoor children’s area and entertainment programmes mean little ones will leave Atrium Platinum Luxury Resort with lasting memories. Huddled below the island’s magnificent Acropolis on Ixia Bay, this five-star Rhodes family hotel is also ideal for parents who appreciate the finer things in life.

Drop the younger ones off with an on-site babysitter and spend mornings in the sun beside the pool, fruit-spiked cocktail in hand from the circular pool bar. Then move over to the Hermes & Aphrodite Spa for serene sessions in the Turkish-inspired hammam chamber or soothing soaks at the hydrobath space. Follow up with a treatment, such as a hydrating algae wrap to infuse skin with moisture.

A relaxing coffee from the in-room machine is all the better when enjoyed in your very own Jacuzzi. Opt for a suite with a private pool and you’ll only need to leave for meals in one of the hotel’s four restaurants—make sure to sample the tender lobster at Porfyra Restaurant with its backdrop of glittering sea views from the wall-to-wall windows.

Featuring a small water park that includes a brightly coloured elephant with a squirting trunk, Esperides Beach Family Resort is ideal for little ones who love the water. They can whizz around on the colourful carousel too, or challenge friends made at the kids’ club to mini-golf and beach volleyball games.

Holidaying in a bigger group? Family rooms sleep up to five people and are neat spaces with bunk beds. Choose from those with balconies looking out onto the bright green gardens or turquoise sea. Mini fridges mean you’ll have thirst-quenching drinks on tap while you soak up the surroundings.

For food, the casual Tropicana Taverna is beside the pool so you can keep an eye on the kids as you dine. If you’re travelling with a baby on your Rhodes family holiday, high chairs are available in the hotel’s eateries and you can rent buggies (so there’s no need to bring yours on the flight). If you fancy a change from dinner at the hotel, venture off-site a short walk away to sample seafood such as a fresh salmon salad on the beachside Bali beds at Ammades Seaside Restaurant & Bar.

Three kids’ pools are on hand to keep children busy at All Senses Nautica Blue Exclusive Resort & Spa, one of the best places to stay in Rhodes for families. The private sandy beach right in front of the hotel is another welcome extra at this hotel, especially as you can borrow gear for sessions on the sand. Head for a game at the mini-golf, tennis court or petanque area in between sunbathing, or take yourself over to the kitesurfing centre nearby and learn how to fly across the sea.

Spend some quality family time at the open-air summertime cinema cuddled up with the kids before feasting at one of the three on-site restaurants. Share an authentic Italian pizza at the outdoor Sailing Bar, then settle in on the striped blue and white chairs at Poseidon for a well-deserved beer while watching the palm trees dance in the breeze through the wide windows.

Rooms at this hotel are bungalow style, so there are minimal stairs for little ones to navigate. Family spaces are decorated in cheerful warm colours and have sofa beds to spread out on as well as views of the manicured lawns just beyond the patio doors.

Pop your towel down on a sun lounger beside the adults’ pool at Princess Andriana Resort & Spa: this area looks out onto the kids’ pool, so you can supervise smaller members of your family while relaxing outdoors. Children can also join the mini club, explore the fragrant botanical garden or embrace adventure at the playground and games room.

Got as much energy as the children? Set up a game of tennis, darts or beach volleyball, or sign up for one of the aqua aerobics and archery lessons. Alternatively, you can bathe in the waters of the private Blue Flag beach in front of this family hotel in Rhodes knowing your little one is looked out for—a lifeguard is on duty here during the day.

In the evenings, perhaps after a tantalising dinner of aromatic meats at the open-air Greek barbecue restaurant, head to a fountain show where the water dances in synchronicity with the lighting effects and background music. If this lulls the kids to sleep, take them back to your room: family spaces are conveniently set on the ground floor.