Rafael Studio Apartments

1 reader found this review helpful

My husband and I stayed for 2 weeks begining of September. It was very very hot the first week. Air con is a must and yes we nick named it con air as its costly at 110 euros for 2 weeks 18 euros for the safety deposit key 30 euros to keep your room on till 7pm [which we did not we showered under pool shower]. The air con is worked via a key that you insert into a holder situated near the door this also works the electric for lights and sockets, the fridge stays on constantly. You cannnot remove the door key from the fob as it has been conviently welded ! so not able to put air con on when you leave the room at night so its cool on return. As pointed out in other reviews you can close doors to balcony and sit a while of an evening for room to cool via air con or con air which ever you wish to call it. The apartments are not cleaned to detail grubby marks round door handles on furniture cupboards, towels bedding changed 2 x weekly bathroom cleaned every day except a Sunday, balcony mopped once during our stay. The room we had was large, shower room large which is unusual for small apartment which was a plus. The pool area is kept clean plenty of sunbeds no need to rush and put towels early in the morning to reserve. The aparment block as stated is quiet, Antonio the owner likes couples no children and no noisey parties. Antonio we found to be pleasant and helpful although at first he comes across as grumpy but this is not the case. We found once you start chatting to him he is quiet amusing and very helpful with queries of where to go and what to see etc. We booked a motorbike for a week via a company he promotes but later found out that in Lindos village we could have had the same bike for 40 euros cheaper so beware shop around for car hire etc. We felt that he was quiet shy and does not want to intrude which on times is nice. We felt Antonio has a nice balance of interaction with the guests and our opinon he is a lovely man, he loves his cats and feed lots of the ferral kittens in the locality. The snack bar offers basic snacks but again this is costly same with the drinks. No drinks or snacks bought from outside are allowed at the pool area. After speaking with him for a while on evening he informed us that he only recives a pitance from Thompsons for guests so putting 2 and 2 together he has to make up his money some how hence hefty air con price snacks and drinks.......... There is a litte shop just down from the apartments which we nick named Tesco that sells all you would need for a self catering holiday ..... bottles of beer are cheap there so is the wine ... which we sipped on our balcony many an evening. I would recommend Raphael studios for a relaxing quiet break, bit of a walk into Lindos village of an evening though but taxis are in plentyful supply to ferry you home up that hill! We enjoyed our stay at Raphael was not fussy on Lindos as a resort its a bit disney land and mickey mouse over crowed and expensive, visit for the day great but daily no........ restraunts plenty of expensive and food ok best meals we found at the Traditional House at the top of the hill by bus stop excellent ............. John and Mary from Wales

1 reader found this review helpful

I booked the rafael studios after reading good reviews and found the studios to be fantastic antonios was a wonderful helpful man.the snacks by the pool area is very good. aand reasonable..the walk into town takes just over 5 mins .. i had a wonderful holiday and will be going back to the rafael as soon as possible

1 reader found this review helpful

We have just returned from a wonderful week at the Rafael Studio Apartments, Lindos. Our apartment was basic, but very clean and provided everything we required, including private outside space. The location of the apartments was a little out on a limb, a 15 minute walk into Lindos itself, but had a mini-market within 5 mins walk and was quiet and restful. Lindos is an amazing town with small winding streets and a great selection of places to eat to suit a variety of budhgets. Our apartment was cleaned daily and the pool and pool area were outstanding on every level. There was a bar eatery, run by the manager Antonio, which provided simple but tasty fare. We would definately book again at Rafael and would recommend that you invest in the air conditioning which cost 60 euros for 7 days. Just becareful that on the day of departure we were required to vacate our apartment by midday. Extending our stay until the evening cost an additional 30 euros, although it was thoroughly worth it.

2 readers found this review helpful

Just returned from a week staying at the Rafael apartments and I have to say the whole holiday was lovely.
Antonios is a nice man so I can't understand why some people say he is rude - he is only looking after his business and wants to make sure that people treat his hotel with respect which you cant really aregue with.
Rooms are clean, very large with a lovely sized balcont over looking the pool. you also get a fridge / freezer and there is a little electric hobs.
The one bad thing I would say about the Rafael apartments was the fact the air conditioning was so expensive (60 euro's a week), you really need it as the heat just makes it so uncomfortable to sleep.
Lindos town is around a 10-15 minute walk downhill which is not bad at all, coming up however is a different story especially during the day in the baking heat! Use a taxi if fitness is not a strong point.
The acropolis is nice to visit with wonderful views, it will take around 10 minutes to walk up which provides good photograph opportunities, or alternitavely you can help cripple the poor donkeys that are available to carry you up there.
Night life is good, its not a wild clubbing or boozy atmosphere. They have fantastic bars and even better restaurants.

3 readers found this review helpful

I have been to Rafael apartments twice previously and plan to go there again in July 2010. The first visit was with a mate for a boys week away, the second time with my then fiancee. Indeed, we were married in September 2007 at the little church in St. Pauls Bay and stayed for part of the time at Rafael (wedding night and a couple of days at an isolated 5 star hotel). The apartments are just far enough out of Lindos town to be peaceful, yet only a 20 minute walk (downhill) for all the nightlife. The apartments are quite roomy and designed for couples, not really families (thankfully). Coming back at night (uphill) can be a drag but, like many other reviews have said, taxis are cheap and plentyful. I have never experienced anything other than very clean apartments. This apartment block has a fantastic swimming pool, which you cannot find in Lindos itself. There is an onsite bar / restaurant which I have always found handy. Prices always seemed ok to me, but then I don't have to watch the pennies perhaps as much as some other reviewers. Antonis can be a bit grumpy with some people, but the way some holidaymakers behave I am not surprised. I have personally found him to be a quiet and good host who takes pride in the facilities there. When I was there a couple of years ago one couple had an ongoing row and the result was the patio door was smashed and the young guy finished up in hospital. Wouldn't you get annoyed if this was your property? Antonis will help with any query and, prior to going to my wedding, he even helped calm my nerves with a couple of drinks....which was very welcome in the 40 degree heat! Incredibly, he even remembered me from 2 years earlier. Indeed, there are many people who return here so something must be going right. Lindos is a great place, with lots of tavernas and bars, shops, sugar cube houses and a remarkable Acropolis. Some of the prices can be higher than elsewhere on the Island but compared to Paris, Brugges or London it is eminently reasonable. If you want cheap beer and fast food I recommend you go to Faliraki further up the coast. If you want to travel round the island, which is definitely recommended, get Antonis to arrange a car hire rather than the rep. Also, if you want to get married abroad then Lindos is perfect. But plan well ahead as it is popular and the registrar quickly gets booked up....we nearly missed the only slot available on our holiday. But even the registrar arranged to perform the ceremony on a Sunday, which is normally his day off. Which is just as well as we had 26 guests over. Finally, the reception was fantastic on one of the many rooftop restaurants. Superb food, plenty of drink, etc, .......for an incredible 1500 Euro (26 guests, remember). Prices may have risen since 2007 but that still is fantastic value for money.
My advice, go to Rafael if you want peaceful surroundings, relatively close to town. And treat Antonis with respect and you will make a good friend. I will add a further comment after July 2010 and am looking forward to going there again. As a seasoned world traveller, Lindos is still one of the very special places.
Gary Bladen

1 reader found this review helpful

Just back from a great holiday at Rafael, Excellent all round, would recommend it to anyone who wants a quiet relaxing holiday.
Antonis was more than welcoming and even drove me to the dentist when i ended up with severe toothache half way into my holiday, Antonis couldn't have been more helpful or concerned.
The apartments themselves were excellent, although not as clean as last year.
Pool was great and very clean.
It is a bit of a walk to the beach, coming up's worse! but there is a free bus which runs till 3.30 and plenty of taxi's. lindos town is also very nice would recommend Ceasar's for a lovely meal with great staff and reasonable prices.
the bus service to everywhere in rhodes is also good and cheap so don't listen to any reps trying to sell you tours because the bus service is unrealiable...it isn't!
we will be back!

1 reader found this review helpful

We're very disappointed to read of such negative comments about the Rafael Studios and inparticular the owner. We found Antonios very pleasant and was more than happy to help with enquiries. The drink prices in the pool bar we're reasonable and no different to other prices in Lindos. We paid 7 euro's for 2 beers which at first seems alot but Lindos in general is expensive. Hiring of Air Con is expensive at 60 euros a week but is essential. The rooms are modern as the studios were only built 4 years ago and are kept very clean by the English maid. As mentioned below, the pool is superb with plenty of sunbeds. The rep came round the pool most days and was friendly.
The walk into Lindos in our experience took 10-15 mins not 25 as stated somewhere below. The walk back to the studios can be difficult but there are many taxi's available in the ranks by the square. The rooftop restaurants are beautiful and there are plenty of bars to enjoy a late night drink. On the whole food and drink are expensive but of good quality.
We will be returning next year and may hire a car as there are many more sights we would like to see. If you want a quiet, relaxing holiday then the Rafael Studios are for you.

Just returned from a great holiday at Rafael. This is an ideal location for couples who want a quiet, tranquil holiday. Location and pool are great and the rooms are spacious and well-equipped. The walk from Lindos takes 20-25 minutes and is only steep for the first 10 minutes. It can be a bit daunting at 40+ degrees but taxis are 4 euros and theres a free bus to and from the beach so it's not a problem.
I'm disappointed to see some negative comments about these apartments but I am not surprised. We noticed some other guests were negative about the walk from Lindos and the lack of close nightlife...the apartments are exactly as described so if you want everything in close proximity don't book! We found the manager to be helpful and pleasant but like anyone, he gets upset if people are rude to him and show no consideration to other guests.
Boat trip to Rhodes from Lindos beach was great and buses are regular and cheap. My favourite beach was Plakia beach at Pefkos which is a short bus/taxi ride away. This is a small quiet beach with sunbeds and a bar. There are also good restaurants in Pefkos. Mythos was our favourite in Lindos.

1 reader found this review helpful

The only positive comment I feel I can make about this accommodation is that the pool is a decent size and fairly clean. It is quite a walk from the main resort of Lindos, although we did not mind that so much; takes about 20 minutes if you walk briskly. Further down the road heading towards Lindos itself the Lindos Gardens and Lindos Horizon apartment complexes in particular looked very nice- we wished we had booked into one of these instead. We booked this holiday at the last minute and decided on the Rafael after reading a glowing and lengthy review on this site from someone staying there last summer. I agree with Mr Keylock in that the manager, Antonio Psaros, was inhospitable to say the least! We had several problems with our apartment on arrival which we reported- taps and air conditioning leaking over electrical sockets, broken door handle and toilet not flushing. Mr Psaros seemed angry when these faults were reported to him, although he fixed them. Later on during our holiday he actually accused us of breaking the door and became so abusive we had to report him officially to the holiday company. I have never experienced anything like this whilst on holiday before, in fact it was a real contrast to our other holidays on Greek islands where the accommodation has been of good quality, although often basic, and the staff have been friendly and helpful. Mr Psaros' dishevelled, unkempt appearance and depressed demeanour do nothing to encourage you to spend the evening in the bar.
The resort of Lindos itself is well worth a visit, although in July and the first two weeks in August the temperatures can be very high, reaching the 40's. It is in a very picturesque setting and traditionally Greek, it has a great choice of restaurants whose rooftop terraces have views of the acropolis. Thankfully the other inhabitants of Lindos are much friendlier than Mr Psaros. There are 3 lovely beaches there- 2 small ones and a larger one. We went to the larger one which has plenty of sunbeds and clear, safe water for swimmimg. We hired a car and visited the other side of the island for the day- the castle at Monolithos is off the main tourist trail and worth visiting. Other trips that we took and that I would recommend highly to others were a day trip on a catamaran and a guided tour of Rhodes old town. Despite our very unpleasant experience at the Rafael we enjoyed our holiday. However, I would advise others visiting Lindos to look for accommodation closer to Lindos itself and of better quality that the Rafael.

i thought the apartments where a long way from any bars and restaurants and there was no entertainment on site the air con was a rip off they charge 60 euros a week and you need it antonio wasn,t very hospitable i definately wont be going back there lindos beach and shops etc is a fair walk downhill and a killer back up we hired a car and got about that way more expense again we didnt drink in the small bar on site it was to dear for drinks there the only good part about the place was the pool area it was very clean and the pool was too