"Unfortunately, overall we were disappointed with our stay at the Concorde Deluxe.
We travel extensively around the world and regularly stay in five star hotels, so we feel we have a good benchmark for what a genuine five star experience should look like. Sadly, this hotel didn’t meet those expectations.
If we’d rated the hotel based on our first impressions alone, it would probably have been a 2.5–3 out of 5. However, the incredible efforts of the Guest Services team increased that to a 4 out of 5. They genuinely did everything they could to improve our stay.
The buffet was probably our biggest disappointment. Compared to other five star hotels, the food choice was limited. We like to get up early and were always at breakfast around 7am, yet the omelette station, toast station and other freshly prepared options didn’t open until around 8:30am, which was frustrating.
Dinner service was horrendous. Finding a clean table was almost impossible, guests were constantly on top of each other trying to reach the food, and the whole experience felt chaotic rather than relaxing. So many families letting children on devices playing music full blast while eating, it certainly wasn’t what we’d expect from a five star buffet. In fact, after our first few visits, we decided we wouldn’t eat there again.
Instead, we booked four of the à la carte restaurants, which were all absolutely exceptional and by far the highlight of the food offering. We also chose to eat outside the hotel on several occasions simply to avoid the buffet. Whether it was breakfast, lunch or dinner, the buffet never reached the standard we were expecting.
Reception staff were exceptional throughout our stay. Every interaction with them was friendly, professional and welcoming, and they were always happy to help. Unfortunately, outside of Reception, we found the standard of service to be inconsistent. Many members of staff didn’t provide the level of service we’d normally associate with a five star hotel, and we rarely felt like we were receiving a true five star guest experience.
One evening we tried to order room service and called four separate times, but no one answered the phone. We eventually had to contact Reception and ask them to intervene in an attempt to get someone from the Room Service department to answer. Unfortunately, even little things like this added to the feeling that the hotel wasn’t operating at the standard we’d expect from a five star resort.
Our first room was also disappointing. When we opened the wardrobe door, there was literally a wall directly behind it, leaving virtually nowhere to hang our clothes. Thankfully, Guest Services and reception immediately understood our concerns and arranged for us to move rooms two days later when one became available. They also looked after us with cabanas and other thoughtful gestures in an effort to make our holiday more enjoyable.
By day four, we had actually started looking at moving to another hotel altogether. Unfortunately, the other five star hotels we wanted to transfer to were fully booked, so we stayed for the remainder of our holiday.
Despite our disappointment, there are several people who deserve special recognition.
Firstly, Nauel from Guest Services is, without question, the best hotel team member we have ever come across anywhere in the world. Her professionalism, kindness and genuine care were exceptional. Nothing was ever too much trouble. She listened to every concern, took ownership of every issue and did absolutely everything she could to improve our stay. Without Nauel, our overall rating of this hotel would have been considerably lower.
We would also like to thank Zerah, Ahmet and Memik in the restaurants. They consistently went above and beyond, always greeting us with a smile and providing outstanding service. They are a real credit to the hotel and were among the few people who truly delivered the level of hospitality you’d expect from a five star resort.
This review would have been much harsher had it not been for these individuals, who genuinely cared about making our holiday as enjoyable as possible.
Sadly, if you’re used to staying in true five star hotels and expect exceptional food, seamless service and an overall luxury experience, this isn’t a hotel we would personally recommend. While there are some excellent members of staff who deserve enormous praise, the overall experience simply didn’t meet the standards we have come to expect from a hotel of this rating."
