After viewing the reviews (always after I book! lol) I was as per usual worried, but have also come to learn that folk are all too earger to harp on about thier complaints, but are always too slow to compliment.

We had never been to Rhodes before so were unsure as what to expect. Travelling were myself, my huband and our two children (one 15 and one 9).

We arrived in the middle of the night and had not booked any transfers to the hotel as the company I had booked with assured me that there would be lots of taxis available and that they would be inexpensive. They were right. Just outside the door of the airport we were greeted by lots of taxis. Me, not being able to speak a word of greek, showed them details of the ocean blue hotel and we were there within ten mins! It only cost 12 euros, which is MUCH cheaper than the £125 we were quoted to book transfers via coach before we travelled.

When we arrived at the hotel, we were impressed, the foyer was really clean and bright and although lots of us arrived at once, the two night porters who were the only ones on duty did not hesitate to get us to our rooms.

Our room at first seemed a tad on the small side - we had two singles pushed together and two slightly sturdier than camp beds together. Once we had unpacked it didnt seem too bad at all.

We were very fortunate and had a room in the gardens, which had a much bigger pool than those by the main swimming pool. The pool was also in the shade which was great when we had been out for the day and wanted to cool off.

The bathroom consisted of the usual, only we had a shower attachement over the jacuzzi, which meant the floor got very wet when we used it, but they cater for that as it is more or less a wet room, my only concern is that it was slippery.

On our first day, we noticed quite a few ants in the bathroom, but the hotel staff sprayed them and that was the end of that small problem.

I dont know whay people complain about the staff! They were more than helpful at all times, always willing to help and had a smile on their face. I would like to see the people who complain about them, work the hours they do, for the lousy pay they propably get, and have to work in the scorching heat!! If you are going to be rude to the staff and treat them like second hand citizens, then they are going to treat you like [--]!

The food was ok - typical buffet style food. The staff cleared the tables really quickly and again it was kept spotlessly clean. Personally I didnt think that the snacks were up to much, very boring and quite stodgy - would have been nice if they had some fruit other than meal times so that you could help yourself.
The one dissapointment that I did have was the A La Carte restaraunt. You could have one free meal in there during your stay. I'm not one to complain, but my kitchen at home is more A La Carte than that! Lol. Dont expect lots of traditional cooked greek dishes or fillet steak etc... All it consisted of was pizza and pasta dishes, which sadly to say were not that great. It wasnt an issue as it was free, but I would have been dissapointed it I had paid for it. You do have to pay for drinks, I recommend the more expensive of the Rose wines, which was really nice. The house wine (which is always found in the main restaraunt) I found wasnt up to much, unless mixed with lemonade.

Animation Team: They were great and always full of energy - I could never do thier job! I prefer to lie quietly by te pool, but my daughter always joined in with them and a great time! I cannot comment on the nights animation as we didnt really stay for that, as it was so hot in the day, we were knackered so went back and sat by our room.

The pool was always clean and the staff again were constantly on the go, cleaning away cups and dishes from the pool side.
If you do go to the poolside bar, remember to wear flip flops, etc, it can get a bit slippery and both me and my husband slipped, thankfully no-one saw me fall though! At least I hope not! Lol.

I noticed that someone had commented on hiring towels from the hotel and that they were towels left by previous guests. This is true, some were and some werent, but whats the problem? Not heard of recycling?! The towels in the bathrooms have been used by previous guests, so whats the difference with pool towles? You had to pay a deposit of 5 euros per towel, they could be changed every second day. At the end of your stay, you just took them all back to reception and they gave you your deposit back, which I thought was pretty good. This was the first time I have gone away without my own towels and would definately do it again, as it saves kilos and I can pack more clothes!

The hotel itself was out on a limb a bit, we are used to staying in / near busy resorts, so that we can go for a wonder as and when we feel like. You cannot do that at this hotel, as its too far out from anywhere. Kremasti is the nearest village, but there is not a huge amount there. Its about 15 min walk. If you want shops etc, the nearest main village is Ialyssos (Pronounced Yalissos). its only about five to six euros in the taxi and if you tell them to take you to the shops they will, no proplem. When returning to the hotel via taxi, ensure you tell then that t is the ocean blue, Kremasti. Even tho the offical address is Ialyssos, the locals class it as Kremasti, we found this out when we went ot the wrong hotel! But the taxi driver was great and took us to our correct hotel at no extra charge! There is a bowling alley just up the road called strike, we went there on our last evening to kill some time before the flight back home. it costs 5 euros per person per game and if you play two games you get a third free!

Rhodes old town is a must! it costs 12 euros by taxi and really is beautifaul, day or night.......

We took a taxi most places as we found it easier, plus the money we saved as it was all inc, meant we didnt spend as much as we would have half board, so we could afford too.

The sewrage smell that everone seems to mention is noticeable, but you cope with it. It could be MUCH wrose, remember it is not as advanced in Greece as we are, so some things cannot be helped.

The flight path again is noticable, but you get used to it.

If you want a sunbed you DO need to get up early, but isnt that what it is like at most resorts? Thats one of the joys (?) of being abroad and from the UK!

The hotel caters for everyone, which must be hard for them as they have guests from all over, making it a very international hotel.

All in all I would recommed this hotel to anyone, its not a five star as we would know it, but to the locals it is. Greece is no way near as advanced as places like Spain etc!

Enjoy you holiday! And dont take on board the bad reviews too much - go and see for yourself!

The hotel:
We went all-inclusive and had a poolside room with private plunge pool. This was an excellent location during the day however on a night its a different story, don't expect to get any sleep til the early hours as the music on a night is far too loud and goes on till the early hours even though there may be only 2 people still there listening to it. However this is better than the rooms around reception ealier as there was a constant smell of sewage.
On the plus side the hotel was very clean and well maintained.
Food was the standard all inclusive buffet: pasta, pizza, fries, meats and veg.
Don't expect to sample greek food or hospitality as there isn't any. You could be anywhere as non of the staff are greek. The staff were generally ignorant and unhelpful and were happy to talk amongst themselves while you stood waiting for servce.

This is not ideal for a honeymoon or a quiet holiday as there are a lot of kids.
The hotel is under the flight path of inbound flights but they aren't all night and you forget about them after a while.

The location:
There isn't much around the hotel other than a shop and restaurant.
Rhodes town is a 20 min bus ride away and well worth a visit.
Kremasti a 5 min ride in the opposite direction and has some shops and bars.

Overall we were disappointed.

I booked a trip to Rhodes for me and my fiancee from a travel agency from my home town for 18 to 25 of July 2008 at The Ocean Blue Resort in Ialissos, in the north - west part of the island.
The agent told us about the fact that the resort is situated under the flight path and the beach was a mixture between sand and small stones, but I was very worried when I have read the previous reviews, especially from the British visitors.
We arrieved on the island and the landscapes were very beautiful with the sea near us, a typical greek view. But the real surprise was at the hotel, where all my worries disappeared. The resort is new, so all the things were very clean and sparkling. The staff from the reception was nice and helpful. An employee took our luggages to the room and he explained us all the things about their "all inclusive" and so on.
Our room was modern, nice, with air-conditioning with taste and, because of the position of the room, we had also a see view from our balcony, although we didn't payed for it. Also the bath was very big with jacuzzi, hair dreier, telephone and towels, although previous reviews said that the rooms don't have this type of "appurtenances".
The cleaning service was present every day in all the rooms from our flat.
The "All Inclusive" option was excelent. The food had all the ingredients to be stodgy and good, with some greek specialties. The service from the bar was also impeccable, but if you don't know English, Italian or Greek, you will have problems.
To come to my first two concerns, I would say that the problem with the airplanes was solved after the first night when I got used to it and the beach was acceptably, with free sun beds and sand in the water. Because of the isolation of the balcony the noise of the airplanes was not so bad for the ears.
The entertainment at the hotel is average. You can play some balls at the tennis court, or you can watch, in the night, a show with men spiting fire, karaoke or something like the lottery.
If you want to have real fun time, I advise you to go to Faliraki (the taxi is 17 Euro if you take it from the hotel, or 15 Euro from the station). We took it two times, also when we went to The Water Park from Faliraki, an incredible place for cool emotions with only 20 Euro the entrance.
We took also a trip to Simi Island with the ferry for 30 Euro per person and the experience was awesome. There you can admire real natural sponges and a true fishing town.
If you want to see the landscapes of Rhodes I advise you to rent a car with 100% insurance. We have rented a Fiat Punto for 40 Euro for a day and we went to The Butterfly Valley, to The Town of Rhodes and Lindos. The only problem was with the parking places, especially in the Town of Rhodes.
Comming back to the hotel, I could say that the gardens were looking well with many palm trees. The hotel had also a place for playing for little children and stuff hired to play with you polo or volleyball. The corridors were clean and very radiant, with interesting paintings and Dali type objects.
In conclusion, the experience at this hotel was more than incredible and the only regret was sustained by the fact that we had tickets only for 7 days.
More days maybe next time...

We booked this holiday quite late , using the teletext website we then looked online as you do and the photos on the hotel web look great....the reviews however were mixed...alarm bells were ringing.
Do you get what you pay for???? at the ocean blue you get more ...we paid about £320 for a week all inclusive board if you take out a flight thats leaves the hotel getting £0.46 pence a day for your stay....

This is a quality hotel not 5 star but a greek 4* if you know what I mean.

Its position means you need to hire a car for a few days to get the best out of Rhodes but its close to a beach (pebble) and 12 euro from Rhodes town (excellent) and a short walk to a waterpark..

Its proximity to the airport means you do get low aircraft but you do get used to this and the kids loive it....I watched people reading by the pool not even notice the planes most of the time..so dont let this put you off the facilities make up for this..
being close to the airport means you dont have hour long transfers to hotels just 10 mins in a cab for 10 euros....bliss.

The food is good plenty of choice, but some still complained, the
secret is not to have six meals on your plate because you can ....if your having pasta dont put salad on your plate along with potatoes and veg....this is why people get bored with the food, you dont do this at home so dont do it here and stop moaning...
.
The staff are overworked / underpaid so if you want to avoid queues at the bar give them a tip..a few euros here and there get you noticed and served quicker. I found them very pleasent and helpful.

The animation team do a good job my kids loved them.

Recommended for a quite break and for families.

Incidently whist we were there there was a 6.5 richer scale earthquake with zero damage to the hotel..