"A very disappointing stay for our babymoon. At 28 weeks pregnant, we booked this holiday expecting a relaxing adults-only break, but unfortunately it was anything but relaxing.
This hotel is the equivalent of Fyre Festival — many of the facilities advertised simply did not exist or were unavailable. Do not believe all the social media hype!
Upon check-in, we were allocated a room with only a limited sea view despite booking and paying for a sea view room advertised with beachfront views. We complained and asked to move several times, but after wasting hours going back and forth with the reception staff on our first day, we were eventually told this was not possible and to ‘speak to them the next day’. We didn’t want to waste more time so cut our losses on this one.
Booking the à la carte restaurants was another frustrating experience. Before arrival, the app only allowed reservations for the Asian restaurant and the “Breakfast Stories” experience — which we later discovered did not actually exist. We spent more time on our first day repeatedly visiting guest services trying to secure reservations for the fish and grill restaurants.
The biggest disappointment came when we tried to use the indoor pool on our first day and were told it would cost €35 per person. The outdoor pools were freezing cold and, being pregnant, I was uncomfortable using them. I had specifically been looking forward to using the indoor pool for gentle exercise and pain relief. Jet2 advertised the indoor pool as included, and on the Ella website and other booking websites it is not clear that this pool requires an additional charge. The fee includes access to the sauna and steam room, which I obviously could not use. The staff were dismissive and unsympathetic, and the whole situation left me in tears within 12 hours of arriving.
Food and drink service around the pools was consistently poor. To add to our terrible first day, we visited a pool near the rodini bar to discover the menu was reduced compared to the menu on the app. We ordered tomato fusilli and, after a 45-minute wait, received pesto penne instead. After complaining and waiting another 45 minutes, we were served pesto fusilli with chopped tomatoes — still not what we ordered. The margarita pizza was good, but throughout our stay we found that overall service was extremely slow and inconsistent.
The main pool bar was equally frustrating. There were very few staff taking orders, and despite repeatedly being told we were “next,” nobody ever returned to take our order. When we tried ordering directly at the bar, we were told it was bed service only. On another occasion, our lunch order was apparently given to another guest and only arrived after we chased it up an hour later. And the margarita pizza this day was very bad and inconsistent compared to previously.
As someone who is pregnant, I was also disappointed when I ordered a non-alcoholic cocktail and was served a 0.5% beer?! We eventually gave up trying to order poolside and walked back and forth to the main Siana bar ourselves because it was easier to actually receive what we requested.
There were a few positives. The hotel offers a very nice 0% wine and the buffet restaurant had a decent variety of food, including vegetarian options, although these were not clearly labelled. The Asian restaurant was enjoyable and one of the highlights of our stay. Gregory, who served wine in the fish restaurant, was also lovely and very friendly.
Unfortunately, the grill restaurant was another major disappointment. On the evening of our reservation, we were informed they were operating a reduced “gala dinner” menu because of a corporate event taking over the hotel. We had not been informed in advance — either before arrival or at check-in — that this event would significantly impact the guest experience. The buffet restaurant was completely closed, every à la carte restaurant was overcrowded, and the reduced grill menu did not accommodate my dietary requirements. I was told I could either have “the chicken dish without the chicken” or nothing else. We left and tried the Asian restaurant again but their reduced menu consisted of raw fish only which is no good for vegetarian or pregnancy diet! We ended up eating at the family sister hotel, which was frustrating considering we specifically booked an adults-only hotel for our last holiday before having a baby.
The gala event continued late into the night, with noisy drunk guests walking past our room between midnight and 1am, making it difficult to sleep on our final evening.
On our last morning, we arrived for our booked “Breakfast Stories” reservation only to find the restaurant completely closed. Why allow guests to book experiences that do not exist?
The app also advertised several other facilities and dining options that were nowhere to be found, including an Indian restaurant, a lunch canteen, a cooking table experience, a late-night bar, a tennis court, and an outdoor cinema. We went to the cinema one evening only to discover that no film was showing.
We also received no hotel tour or map upon arrival, making it difficult to locate facilities such as toilets during the first few days. Being pregnant, constantly walking back and forth to our room at the back of the resort, including repeated trips up stairs, became exhausting.
I understand the hotel only recently opened for the season, but that should not mean guests are paying full price for facilities and experiences that are unavailable or do not exist.
Overall, this holiday was far from relaxing. We left feeling disappointed, frustrated, and misled. I would not recommend this hotel and definitely would not return."
