14 hours ago
Casa Cook Rhodes hotel review: a relaxed, adults-only Greek retreat
No other Rhodes hotel has a setting as scenic as Casa Cook. Carved into olive and citrus groves, it sits at the foot of Tsambika Mountain: a wild and lovely cedar-topped peak pocked with caves and limestone outcrops. This natural backdrop makes the resort's mid-century-style architecture seem all the more striking. Low-slung, painted white and with tropical plantings — cacti, palms, banana trees — it's all designed to transport guests to a chilled-out holiday mindset (albeit one packed with Instagrammable spots). Adding to the fantasy are feature walls bearing whimsical tropical murals. It all feels like a James Bond villain's retro compound. Surely there's no accolade greater than that.
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Score 9/10The 119 rooms are spread between single-storey blocks whose bold architecture combines rough stone with smooth, white concrete and jet-black accents. Entry-level rooms (Double Standards) stretch to 22 sq m and have monochrome interiors balanced by elements of wicker, wood and linen. Sliding doors lead on to terraces with direct access to shared swimming pools. Bathrooms have walk-in, twin-head showers.
Premium Veranda rooms, the next category up, have larger outside spaces equipped with hammocks (plus extra shade for the less sun-tolerant); or go bigger still with a mezzanine-style Loft, complete with indoor whirlpool bath. For private pools and walled gardens, choose a suite or one-bedroom villa.
Score 9/10Kitchen Club, the main restaurant, serves a vast breakfast buffet covering eggs, porridge, hummus, cheeses, fresh breads, cakes and Greek specialities (plus a rarity in Rhodes hotels: decent coffee). Later on, the offering shifts to à la carte lunches and dinners of meze, salads, pasta and heavier dishes (gyros, lamb shank, falafel, grilled fish, plus a good range of veggie and vegan options), all attractively priced and presented.
Between 10am and 6pm Olive offers similar cuisine with a change of scene, plus a smattering of exclusive dishes (the Island Spaghetti is especially good). Drinks-wise, there's an interesting list of classic and signature cocktails and mocktails; for a local twist try the Greek palomino with tsipouro.
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Score 9/10Days here are spent alternating between the two good-sized swimming pools (the main one, with a deck abutting Tsambika's rocks, is particularly attractive). As for activities, there's a decent gym and open-air yoga studio, plus guided hikes to Tsambika's peak or Seven Springs, a nearby beauty spot. Too strenuous? Head instead to the peaceful, plant-filled spa for holistic hot-stone or relaxing knot-busting Swedish massages, or try more unusual offerings such as Ayurvedic treatments or the Korean head spa. Whether it's at the restaurants, spa or reception, service is friendly, upbeat and light-hearted. This is clearly a contented team, and they boost the guest experience greatly.
Score 8/10Casa Cook Rhodes sits on the fringes of Kolymbia, which is roughly equidistant from Rhodes Town, Lindos and the airport: a sweet-spot location that puts it within 40 minutes of all three. Kolymbia itself is a forgettably generic purpose-built tourist resort whose beach is packed with loungers and motorised water sports, plus a main drag — tree-lined Eucalyptus Street, a 20-minute walk away — offering shops, tavernas and services. There's little need to venture that far though: a supermarket lies just around the corner, halfway to the nearest beach (itself less than ten minutes' walk) for sea swims and rentable loungers.
Price B&B doubles from £146Restaurant mains from £7Family-friendly NAccessible Y
James Litston was a guest of Casa Cook Rhodes (
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