White House Hotel-Apart

You get an aparthotel with the useful bits for an independent diving holiday: a kitchenette, fridge, air conditioning, Wi-Fi and somewhere to sit outside with a view towards the Aegean. The setting is central, the atmosphere is straightforward, and the beach, shops and restaurants are all close enough to keep your sandals in service.

English is spoken by the hotel team, alongside German and Greek. That matters when you are discussing arrival times, car hire or the day's practical arrangements, particularly if your brain is still underwater. The hotel suits couples who want their own space and families who prefer an apartment layout to a single hotel room.

Daily housekeeping keeps the return from the beach pleasantly uncomplicated. There is also a lift, soundproofing in the rooms and a non-smoking policy, while quiet hours run from midnight to 07:00.

In Karpathos Town, Greece, the hotel sits close to the centre of town and around 50 metres from the sea. The beach is reached on foot, with golden sand, sun loungers and parasols waiting for the non-diving part of the day. You are not marooned on a distant hillside with a taxi meter for company.

Restaurants and shops are roughly 50 metres away, while the port is about 0.3 miles from the door. The town centre is around 1.2 miles away, giving you access to town life without giving up the convenience of a nearby base.

For a change of beach, Afoti Beach is about 0.7 miles on foot. Vrontis Beach is around 2.1 miles away by foot, while the beaches around Little Amoopi are roughly 3.1 miles away. Apella, known for its white sand, is 11 miles away by road, and Achata is about 8 miles away.

The sensible choice here depends on how you use a room. Couples can take a sea-view apartment or a studio with a balcony, while families have apartment layouts with more room to spread out. Ground-floor veranda options make sense if you would rather step straight outside than negotiate stairs with wet towels and a dive bag.

Every unit has air conditioning, a fridge and cooking facilities, with a dining table, stovetop, kitchenware, toaster, kettle and coffee machine available for simple meals. That gives you somewhere to keep cold water, make coffee before an early start or put together something quick when restaurant timing no longer matches your appetite. Some units have a stove, and all have a private bathroom with a shower.

Balconies or patios look towards the Aegean, and selected apartments have a sea view. Soundproofing helps keep the room usable for sleep, while the tile or marble flooring is easy to live with after a day involving sand, salt and the occasional piece of gravel. A flat-screen TV, wardrobe and daily housekeeping cover the less glamorous but genuinely useful parts of the stay.

Breakfast comes as a buffet and is included in the stay. The main restaurant then covers lunch and dinner on its terrace, serving Mediterranean cooking with fresh local ingredients. You can eat in a relaxed dress code, which is exactly the right level of formality when the day has involved fins rather than formal shoes.

The restaurant serves breakfast from 07:30 to 10:00, lunch from 12:30 to 15:00 and dinner from 19:00 to 22:00. Vegetarian dishes are available. The rhythm works for a leisurely morning, although anyone heading out early for the water will want to keep the start time in mind rather than expect a pre-dawn buffet.

The Pool Bar handles cocktails, drinks and snacks beside the outdoor pool. It is the place for a cold drink without changing into anything more ambitious than swimwear, while the shops, cafés and restaurants near the hotel give you alternatives when you want to eat outside the property.

The main outdoor pool comes with a swim-up bar, so a non-diving afternoon can be reduced to swimming, sitting down and deciding whether the next drink should be coffee or something colder. The nearby sandy beach adds another uncomplicated option, with loungers and parasols for a few hours in the sun.

On the water, you can go snorkelling, kayaking or paddleboarding, with equipment hire and boat excursions available. Those choices suit a day when you want to stay active without committing to another full diving programme. A bicycle, a short walk and a change of scenery can also do the job when your legs have had enough of fins.

The hotel offers excursions towards Olympos village, Diafani and Karpathos Town, as well as hiking and cultural outings. Evenings may bring live music and traditional Greek nights. Families have access to babysitting and a children's menu, while the apartment format gives everyone a little more breathing room than a standard room.

Karpathos Airport is about 9 miles away, with a drive of roughly 15 minutes. Airport transfers are available as a paid service through the hotel. Car hire can also be arranged, which is useful if you want to reach beaches such as Apella or Achata rather than stay within walking distance of town.

Arrival is from 14:00 and departure is by 12:00. Early check-in and late check-out can be requested. You will need to give the property your expected arrival time in advance, particularly if your flight lands outside the usual daytime rhythm.

Free Wi-Fi runs throughout the hotel. There is a reception safe, luggage storage, concierge assistance, laundry and dry-cleaning services. Visa and Mastercard are accepted, alongside cash. Smoking is not allowed, parties are not permitted, and the quiet period from 00:00 to 07:00 is worth remembering if your own body clock is still operating on boat time.