Atlantica Aegean Blue
Atlantica Aegean Blue is a five-star all-inclusive resort on the beach at Kolymbia, a quiet village on the east coast of Rhodes in Greece, set in 57 acres of gardens below Tsambika Mountain. Families come for a water park with a baby and toddler zone of its own, swim-up rooms that step straight into the pool and a beachfront setting with the meals and drinks folded into one price.
On this page
Is it worth it?
Who it suits, what the all-inclusive covers and the facts to skim before the detail.
Atlantica Aegean Blue is a five-star all-inclusive built around families with the youngest children. Its water park has a zone set aside for ages 0 to 6, there's a baby pool heated into the cooler shoulder months, and families describe a poolside baby lounge with bottle warmers and changing that makes a day out of the room easier with a baby. The resort sits directly on a sand-and-shingle bay in Kolymbia, a low-key village on the east coast of Rhodes, so beach and pool are in one place and the meals and drinks are in the price.
It suits you if you want that baby-and-toddler focus and you're happy with a quiet village rather than an evening resort town on the doorstep. It suits you less if you have your heart set on soft sand with flat, roll-on access, or you want variety and nightlife within walking distance, since Kolymbia is small and a car opens up the rest of the coast. A few things are worth checking before you book, and they run through the detail below.
Best for
You want an all-inclusive where a baby or toddler has a water park zone of their own, with beach and pool in one place, and a quiet village suits you.
Maybe not for
You want a pure-sand beach with flat access, an evening buzz on the doorstep or lots of variety without hiring a car.
Best ages
Babies and toddlers especially. The water park has a zone for ages 0 to 6, plus a kids' club and a seasonal crèche for young babies.
What stands out
The water park's baby and toddler zone, and a poolside baby lounge with bottle warmers and changing that families single out.
What to check
The crèche's current ages, hours and cost, and that the beach steps fit your pushchair plans.
Where is it?
On the beach at Kolymbia on the east coast of Rhodes, about 30 to 60 minutes from Rhodes airport.
Quick facts for families
What the resort is like
Where it sits, how it's laid out and the practical services worth knowing before you book.
The resort spreads over 57 acres of gardens in Kolymbia, a quiet village on the east coast of Rhodes known for a long eucalyptus-lined avenue running down to the sea. It's notably quieter than Faliraki, the livelier resort town about 20 minutes up the coast and covered later as a day out, so Kolymbia suits you if you want an evening that stays low-key rather than a resort strip on the doorstep. The east coast sits in the lee of the island's mountain spine, so it's more sheltered than the west, with Tsambika Mountain rising behind the resort. It's low-rise and garden-based, with a lagoon-style pool at its heart and the water park, restaurants and pools grouped together rather than spread far apart. The resort is on the beach at ground level, so you don't route through a tower and lift to reach the sand, though the beach itself is down steps. For the wider island, its beaches and when to go, see our Rhodes guide.
Worth knowing before you search: there's a separate Atlantica resort next door, Atlantica Aegean Park on Brussels Street, which is a distinct property in the same village. Aegean Blue is the more baby-and-toddler-focused of the two. The resort is run by Atlantica Hotels & Resorts, a Mediterranean group under Wavemaker Hospitality that has operated hotels across Cyprus, Greece and Egypt since 1980. Book direct and you earn nights and discounts through the group's Wayve loyalty scheme, and the group holds ISO 14001, EMAS and Travelife sustainability certifications.
On the practical side, there's free Wi-Fi in the public areas, a lift with wheelchair access, outdoor guest parking, a porter service, a luggage room and a doctor on call around the clock for an extra charge. An electric-car charger, a kiosk and mini market, laundry and dry-cleaning, a souvenir shop and a clothes shop are all on site, each at an extra charge. A car isn't essential for a resort-based stay, but it's useful for exploring the coast, and the resort arranges hire through its partner Rodos Cars.
Every restaurant and bar
The buffet, the three à la carte restaurants, the food stops, the bars and how the all-inclusive works.
Thalassa is the main buffet, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner in a casual setting looking out to the Aegean, with an outdoor terrace as well as indoor seating. Expect themed evenings, live cooking stations and Mediterranean and international food, including Mexican and Asian dishes. The buffet format is the practical one for a toddler: broad choice, no fixed sitting and you eat when a small appetite arrives. If high chairs and a children's menu matter to you, check both when you book.
Three à la carte restaurants open for dinner, each smart casual and each needing a table booked. Lagoon Asian Cuisine sits out over the lagoon pool and does sushi and Asian dishes with live cooking. Istories Greek Cuisine is in a garden setting, with meze, pita and dips, Greek salad and ouzo. La Trattoria is the candlelit Italian, with Neapolitan stone-oven pizza and mozzarella salads. Alongside them, the Snack Corner is a casual self-service stop for street food such as burgers, noodles and pizza, and Chilly's Gelateria serves more than fifteen flavours of Italian gelato plus sweet and salty popcorn, with lagoon views, which makes it an easy stop with children.
There are four bars. The Atlantis Lobby Bar is the lounge bar, with cocktails, beers and desserts and Aegean views. The Mesogeios Pool Bar serves the main pool and has daily live music and evening shows. The Blue Zone Pool Bar is a swim-up bar set into the infinity pool, for a drink without leaving the water. The Splash Pool Bar, by the water park entrance, is a stop for children with smoothies, ice creams and snacks, and it's the one venue that isn't in the all-inclusive, so drinks and snacks there are charged.
What's included, and what isn't
Everything runs on the all-inclusive except the Splash Pool Bar and the beach loungers, which cost extra. You're served one drink per person per order, and drinks after midnight are charged. Your board covers one free à la carte meal a week, at Lagoon, Istories or La Trattoria. If someone in your party is on a different board, note that guests who aren't on the all-inclusive are charged when an all-inclusive guest orders food or drink for them, which matters for a mixed booking such as grandparents on bed and breakfast joining an all-inclusive family. The à la carte restaurants all take bookings, so plan to sort yours soon after you arrive and book ahead in peak season.
Rooms and suites
The room types that suit a family, the pools and the water park, plus the beach along the front.
The room types confirmed here are swim-up rooms, family rooms with bunk beds, sea view rooms and a range of suites. The swim-up rooms are the ones families point to with young children, since you step straight from the room into the pool, which cuts out the walk to the water with a toddler in tow. The family rooms with bunk beds suit older or mixed-age children, and there are sea view rooms and larger suites if you want more space. Some families mention that rooms near the lift can be noisy, so it's worth noting a preference for a quieter room when you book.
The resort's booking flow lists the exact room sizes and the full run of categories, so check there for the specific size and layout that suits your family rather than relying on a room name alone.
Pools and the water park
A large lagoon-style pool is the centrepiece, with the Mesogeios Pool Bar alongside and the Lagoon Asian restaurant sitting out over the water. There's a separate outdoor activity pool, and an infinity pool called the Blue Pool that looks out to the Aegean, with the Blue Zone swim-up bar set into it. There's also a baby pool, heated in April and May and again in September and October, which extends the season for the youngest when the main pools and the sea run cooler.
The water park is the resort's main draw for a family, laid out in age-banded zones so the youngest have somewhere of their own. The baby section takes children from birth to age 6 with no height limit, which is the standout for under-threes: a designated water park zone rather than a paddling pool off to the side. The Jungle slides are for ages 6 to 12, the lazy river is open to all ages, and the bigger slides are for over-twelves at a minimum height of 1.20 m. That last band is the one to weigh with a mixed family: an older sibling under twelve is limited to the Jungle slides and the lazy river until they reach the age and height for the tall slides.
| Water park zone | Ages | Height |
|---|---|---|
| Baby section | 0 to 6 years | No limit |
| Jungle slides | 6 to 12 years | No limit |
| Lazy river | All ages | No limit |
| The bigger slides | Over 12 | Minimum 1.20 m |
Families describe the baby section itself as tipping buckets and a toddler-friendly splash pool alongside the gentler slides, rather than a single paddling pool, so there's more than one thing to hold a toddler's attention while an older sibling is off on the Jungle slides or the lazy river.
The beach
The resort is directly on Kolymbia Bay, a sheltered bay on the east coast. The beach is sand and shingle rather than soft sand throughout, and it's reached down steps from the resort level, so a pushchair stays at the top and you carry down what you need. That's the trade-off to weigh: the beachfront setting is a genuine draw, but the access is steps rather than a ramp. The waters are clear and calm on this sheltered stretch of coast. Rhodes as an island holds 55 Blue Flag beaches, though that's an island-wide figure rather than a status confirmed for Kolymbia Bay itself. Sunbeds on the beach cost extra, which is the one exception on an otherwise all-inclusive resort worth budgeting for. Water sports run from the beach through an outside provider.
Babies and toddlers
The crèche and kids' club, the baby lounge, the equipment you can pre-book and what fills a family day.
This is where the resort makes its case. The resort's own site groups its children's offer under "For young explorers": a kids' club, the water park's baby zone, a mini disco, a children's playground and a games room at extra charge. The kids' club age range isn't published, so check it when you book if it matters for an older toddler. Alongside the kids' club, a seasonal crèche for young babies operates May to October. Its ages, hours, days and cost aren't published, so confirm those with the resort directly rather than book a trip around them. Call the resort or use its contact form once your dates are firm, and confirm a place before you travel.
Families describe a poolside baby lounge, an air-conditioned space near the pool with microwaves, bottle warmers and changing, which lets you settle a baby without going back to the room. Guests report it's open all day, every day. Check the exact hours, whether there's one lounge or several around the pools, and any charge when you arrive. Baby and toddler equipment for the room, such as a cot, can be pre-booked; ask the resort for the current list and availability. For the very youngest there are parent-and-baby sessions, including storytelling and singing. The water park's baby zone, covered above, is the piece families rate most for an under-three.
On resortThings to do
Beyond the water park and pools, the included sports cover a padel court, beach volleyball, a mini-football court, yoga classes and aqua aerobics, with water sports from the beach through an outside provider. The daily programme runs live music and evening shows at the Mesogeios Pool Bar, plus the mini disco and playground for children, and there's a games room for an extra charge. The wellness side is a steam bath, a Jacuzzi and a sauna with an experience shower, all at an extra charge; there's no full spa treatment menu listed, so if a proper spa day matters to you, this is a genuine limit against the bigger resort spas.
Off resortThe area and days out
Kolymbia village itself has a handful of tavernas and a small supermarket within walking distance and no real nightlife, so it's a quiet base. The resort's own bay, Kolymbia Bay, is sheltered by headlands and used for water activities. For soft sand and shallow water the beach to head for is Tsambika Beach, a couple of miles (a few km) south, which the resort describes as a family favourite with soft sand and shallow waters, and it's the best nearby beach for children. Other nearby coves include Anthony Quinn Bay, a small sheltered cove about 4 miles (7 km) north with calm, snorkelling-clear water, Stegna Beach with its local tavernas and the sandier beaches up around Kallithea and Koskinou.
For days out, Lindos is about 12 to 16 miles (20 to 25 km) south, 25 to 35 minutes by car, and it's one of the island's most-visited sites: a UNESCO-listed acropolis above whitewashed village lanes, with local markets to browse on the way up and St Paul's Bay curving below. Rhodes Town and its UNESCO medieval walled city are about 14 miles (22 km) north, roughly 30 minutes, a half-day with older children that also takes in the Palace of the Grand Master, a fortified palace and museum. Closer to hand, the Seven Springs at Epta Piges is a cool, wooded spot with a tunnel leading to a lake and waterfall, a gentle adventure for older toddlers, and Tsambika Monastery is a short drive up the hill for its panoramic views. Further afield, the Valley of the Butterflies is an inland reserve where Jersey Tiger moths gather from June to September, and Kallithea Springs is a photogenic set of restored thermal-spa ruins on the coast to the north. Faliraki, about 6 to 7 miles (10 to 12 km) north and 20 minutes away, has a large water park and a sandy beach, a good day out rather than an evening spot with toddlers given its nightlife.
Loves and gripes
What families rate and what they flag, how it compares with its rivals, the journey in and the weather by month.
Family sources are consistently positive, and Mumsnet named it "Best with a waterpark" in its Rhodes round-up. The praise and the gripes below are the pattern across the family reviews we researched.
What families love
- The water park's baby and toddler zone, a designated space for the very youngest.
- The poolside baby lounge, with bottle warmers and changing near the pool.
- Being directly on the beach, with beach and pool in one place.
- Room equipment you can pre-book, so there's less to carry.
- Parent-and-baby sessions such as storytelling and singing.
- The all-inclusive convenience, and the setting and sea views below Tsambika Mountain.
- The swim-up rooms, straight from the room into the pool.
Common gripes
- Beach loungers cost extra, the one exception on an all-inclusive resort.
- Rooms near the lift can be noisy.
- The beach is reached down steps, so it isn't pushchair-friendly at the sand.
- The beach is sand and shingle rather than soft sand throughout.
- The tall slides have an age and height limit, which shuts out an older sibling under twelve.
- Kolymbia is a quiet village, so you'll want a car for variety.
How it compares
Aegean Blue's case rests on the very youngest: the water park's baby zone and the baby lounge are what set it apart from the family resorts it's usually weighed against on Rhodes. Where it gives ground is the crèche paperwork and, against the bigger resorts, the scale of the water park.
| Resort | Transfer | How it compares |
|---|---|---|
| Atlantica Holiday Village Rhodes | About 30 to 60 min | The other big Atlantica family resort in the same village, rated the stronger all-rounder and better for older children. Aegean Blue's edge is the water park's baby zone and the poolside baby lounge for the very youngest. |
| Lindian Village, Kiotari | About 90 to 120 min | A Hilton resort with a more fully documented, accredited crèche that takes babies from four months, but a much longer transfer and no baby water-park zone. |
| TUI BLUE Sensatori Atlantica Dreams, Gennadi | About 120 min | An Atlantica sister resort often confused with this one. It sits much further from the airport, with less clearly documented baby provision. |
| Amada Colossos, Kallithea | About 25 to 40 min | Much larger, with a bigger water park and a shorter transfer. For a family with an under-three, Aegean Blue's baby zone and baby lounge give it the edge. |
Getting there and when to go
Rhodes International Airport is about 16 miles (25 km) from the resort, roughly 30 to 60 minutes by taxi or transfer coach depending on the traffic and the type of transfer. The resort is open May to October. For a family with young children the shoulder months, May and June and September and October, are quieter and cooler than the July and August peak, when it's hottest and busiest. The baby pool is heated across the shoulder weeks precisely so a young baby isn't left with a cold pool early or late in the season.
When to goWeather
Kolymbia sits on the sheltered east coast, which gets the softer version of the summer meltemi wind and tracks the island's main figures. July and August are the hottest, with a warm, flat-calm sea, while June and September are warm and swimmable without the peak heat and crowds. May opens the season with warm days but a sea that still feels cool.
| Month | Daytime high | Overnight low | Rain | Wet days | Sea temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May | 24.5° | 18° | 16 mm | 5 | 20° |
| June | 28° | 22° | 2 mm | 1 | 23° |
| July | 30.5° | 24.5° | 0 mm | 0 | 26° |
| August | 31° | 25° | 0 mm | 0 | 28° |
| September | 29° | 23° | 6 mm | 2 | 27° |
| October | 25° | 19° | 57 mm | 7 | 25° |
Typical monthly averages from weather-station records. Sea temperature is the open-water figure, so a sheltered bay can feel a degree or two warmer. The resort is open from May to October.
Questions
The things families ask most, and where to see the photos.
How young does the crèche take babies, and what does it cost?
The crèche for young babies is seasonal, open across the May to October season. Its current ages, hours and price aren't published, so ring the resort on +30 22410 57100 or use the website contact form once your dates are set, and pin down a place rather than assuming one.
Can we get a pushchair down to the beach?
No. There are steps down from the resort to the sand, so you leave the pushchair at the top and carry a baby and the day's kit down yourself. If flat, roll-on beach access is a priority, that's the thing to weigh before you book.
Do we need to book the à la carte restaurants?
Yes. Lagoon Asian, Istories Greek and La Trattoria all need a table booked, and your all-inclusive covers one à la carte meal a week. Sort your bookings soon after you arrive and aim for the early sittings, which go first in July and August.
When is the best time to go with a baby or toddler?
The shoulder months, May and June at the start of the season and September and October at the end, are calmer and less hot than the July and August peak. The baby pool is heated in April, May, September and October too, so the youngest still get a warm swim at either end when the sea runs cool.
Are the sunbeds included?
The loungers on the beach cost extra, the one exception on an otherwise all-inclusive resort. Budget for them if you plan on beach days, or take a mat down instead.
How long is the transfer from the airport?
Rhodes airport is about 16 miles (25 km) away, roughly 30 to 60 minutes depending on whether you take a private taxi or a shared transfer coach. Arrange it through your operator or a taxi rather than expecting it to be laid on.
See Atlantica Aegean Blue photos
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Useful links
- Atlantica Aegean Blue: the resort's own site for rooms, the all-inclusive and the children's facilities.
- GOV.UK Greece travel advice: entry rules and safety updates before you travel.
- Rhodes with little ones: our guide to the island, its beaches and when to go.
Last updated 12 July 2026.
