Margaret Studios

Against my better judgment I was persuaded to take a relatively cheap and supposedly cheerful break in Rhodes, and the Margaret Studios were recommended by an Irish tour operator.

I can safely say that this is the very worst place I have ever stayed in my life.

The studio was tiny. I measure it and it was 100 sq feet only, plus a tacky bathroom. Into that space was crammed two single boards of beds, a kitchenette, table and chairs, and wardrobe. There wasn't room to swing a mouse, never mind a cat!

Our room was in a basement, below ground level and indeed below pool level (and it was poolside). As there was no airconditioning we suffocated in this boxroom.

The brochure indicated that we might expect "some airport noise." I tell you I got the fright of my life the first day when, lying by the pool, a plane flew overhead so low that I thought it was going to crash. Other guests were similarly stunned. I quickly discovered that the studios are situated at the foot of the main runway of Rhodes airport and ALL planes fly this low over the hotel - the noise was deafening, day and night. Friends that we met took pictures from their room which appeared to show the aircraft actually flying into their room.

We also realised that some rooms had aircon, were a lot larger, and newly renovated. Who were these rooms alloted to? Apparently some people who had booked at the very last minute and got the holiday for about half what I had paid. It made a bad thing seem worse.

The staff were rude beyond belief. On the last day we agreed at reception to pay extra so that we could hold our room until we departed for the airport. Arriving back from dinner in Rhodes town, we were shocked to discover that our rooms had been cleared out. Someone from the staff had actually come into our room, dumped all of our possessions in our suitcases (we had not been packed), and left our luggage in the hall. A complaint to reception was simply answered by the ignorant attitude that we had come to expect from the staff here.

Unique Quality: The moral of the story for me is that you get what you pay for - I paid for cheap and cheerful and I got cheap, though far from cheerful. I alwasy figured I'm not a budget accomodation kind of girl, and I guess this just confirms it.

To be honest the whole experience actually put me off Rhodes in its entirety, which is a shame because I am sure it has so much to offer.