Just got back from 6 nights at Iapetos Village with 2 grown up (18 and 21) children. We all loved it. Beautifully kept and maintained. Good sized rooms and pretty landscaped gardens. Staff were always helpful and friendly. The only reason we did not give it a 5 was because we felt the pool area was rather cramped and difficult to sit around. We would also have liked a sea view which is why we gave it 3 for location, but to be fair we knew it didn't have one before we went. Symi is a lovely island and we would definitely go back and go back to Iapetos.

Having been to other Greek Islands in previous years we decided to go a little further away from the mainstream holiday resorts this year... and it was worth every penny!

Symi is a beautiful little island with many different walks and beaches to explore, lots of crystal clear sea to swim in, and heaps of great food to try. Don't go expecting to find chinese restaurants, english breakfasts, nightclubs or booze cruises... you will be dissapointed. But if you do want a taste of a magical Greek island life, time to relax, unwind, swim, walk and explore an historic little Greek town, then you'll go a long way to find anything better than Symi.

The Iapetos Village Hotel was superb in all respects. The rooms are simple but modern and cleaned every day. The service we found to be very friendly and efficient, with the owner and his family around most days. The breakfasts included a good selection of home-made items every morning, and the bar was always open to provide drinks and snacks which helped to wash away some of the English World Cup dissapointment! The hotel pool is indeed fairly cool due to the roof, but in 35 degree sunshine it provided epic refreshment!

A walk up to Horio is definitely worth the effort of the Kali Strata steps. Possibly the best Lamb I have ever tasted (locally sourced) was served by Zoe and family in their taverna at the top of the town. Another fabulously good traditional eatery, also in Horio, is Giorgio and Maria's taverna where guests are invited into the kitchens in the traditional Greek way, no menus nessecary!

Gialos did get busy during the daytime as daytrips arrive but at night it calms down a little and the atmosphere is fairly cosmopolitan, especially as some quite large yachts spend time moored there. The food was good everywhere we went, with most tavernas serving tradtional Greek dishes and fresh fish, although one or two Italian restaurants were around, as were a couple of more expensive restaurants serving more 'refined' cuisine, though we didnt try these.

Beaches such as Agios Nikolaos, Agia Marina, and Nimborio are all reachable by taxi boat, though we did walk to them all via the mountain / coastal trails. Take some good trainers and the swim & beer when you arrive is all the better for it!

We travelled with Olympic this year who are definitely worthy of compliment. The transfers went smoothly, though you do have to walk a little way with your bags in Rhodes Port. Pack sensibly and this is no problem. The Olympic rep based on Symi (Ian) also did a fantastic job, was always friendly and is clearly very knowledgeable about what is his home island.

Overall a fantastic couple of weeks and we'd definitely love to go back!

I have been to various Greek isalnds and stayed in the (generally) poor quality, basic accommodation, even that rated at 4 stars. Iapetus is simple head and shoulders above all the rest, good sized rooms, great facilities, cleaned every day (!) and the most wonderful buffet breakfast you could imagine. One very minor criticism, they have the only pool on the island, but it's absolutely freezing cold, I only managed to brace myself and go in it fully, once and there are limited sun beds/seating around the pool. Symi itself is a magical, beautiful island and I actually cried when we got on the ferry to come home.

What can I say?
A beautiful place. Always clean. Staff were excellent and always went out of their way to make you feel welcome. As the ONLY swimming pool on the island the only downfall was occasionally the loacls came and used it for a swim - I am sure this novelty will wear out though.
The apartment was very spacious and as we were there for our honeymoon the added comfort of a double bed was welcome - something that we've not always found in Greece.
I cannot recommend this hotel enough!
Symi itself is a very barren island but a beautiful one too. I recommend hiring a boat from Yanni in Yialos Harbour by the clocktower and travelling around the island. Also try some snorkelling because the fish are beautiful - my husband was lucky enough to see a trumpet fish.
The only downside is they could do with a restaurant or the availability of more lunchtime snacks - the options for snacks were extremely limited.