You’ll have your pick of all-inclusive resorts in Rhodes, but Mayia Exclusive Resort and Spa is for those looking for a luxurious, contemporary and utterly chilled out stay. Two creamy-hued low rise buildings of 250 rooms – some with pools – stretch out across the hillside, with various levels of the resort, including several tier-drop shaped pools, 13 restaurants and a vast spa, scattered across the tiers below. It quite literally dazzles, with cream stone floors and white pebbles dotted with palm trees, and a walkway of arches leading down to Kiotari beach, on the island’s east coast. Step inside the gleaming marble reception and you’ll immediately notice the tranquility that you can only find from an adults-only hotel; outside, couples stretch out on loungers listening to podcasts and reading books, the silence only interrupted by someone occasionally slinking into the water.
That’s not to say there are not livelier moments here, with high-energy performances in the purpose-built amphitheatre, poolside DJs and even a nightclub. If that’s not for you, then simply gazing out from your balcony may well be, retreating inside to a calming cocoon, with a palette of whites, taupes and pistachio. Take your pick from sushi, pastries, ice creams and more, but the stand-out restaurant would have to be the Greek a la carte restaurant, Thymari. Its breezy terrace, enclosed by shrubbery, is romantic in the evening, but it was lunch time that I enjoyed it most – when most guests were round the pool, and I could enjoy the place virtually to myself, sipping an ice-cold Alfa beer and salad of pinenuts, pomegranates and salty, squeaky grilled manouri cheese. If this isn’t quite right for you, the other hotels in the H Hotels Collection may well be: Boutique 5 has just 44 bedrooms and attracts a crowd of 60somethings, while Princess Andriana is a cheap and cheerful family resort with an incredible on site waterpark. Hannah Louise Summers
Price: Rooms from around £520 per night.