"We have just got back from our fourth holiday at the Jaz Elite Palace and can honestly say that although all of our stays there have been brilliant, this has most certainly been the best!
So many of the staff at the hotel have gone above and beyond to make us feel welcomed and ensure that we have had a fabulous holiday. Right from the start, Farouk on Reception has been friendly and helpful making sure that our room was perfect and just where we like to stay. Thank you, Farouk. On arrival, the welcome was amazing with staff that we recognised from previous stays coming up to us and welcoming us back. You are truly made to feel like members of family. Thank you to all for this.
Our room was beautifully clean and spacious and was very comfortable and we were very fortunate to be over looking the shallow pool. Our cleaner made sure that the room was kept spotless and constructed clever towel art creatures which made us smile. Our bed was huge and very comfortable, the air conditioning was effective.
We found all of the food to be delicious and there was a good variety to choose from. The freshly squeezed juices were amazing; I particularly enjoyed the fresh strawberry and mango juices at breakfast time. The waiters all made an effort to get to know you and where you preferred to sit - they would have your drink of choice on the table before you had even collected a plate of food! They were also really friendly and enjoyed interacting with us too, trying to teach us a bit of Arabic and enjoying a joke. They were all just genuinely lovely people. So, a big thank you to Sammi and to all of the many others who went out of their way in the restaurants.
During our stay, we were able to use the Toscana (Italian) and Ali Baba (Arabic) restaurants twice each (we were there for two weeks). Again, good food choices and a lovely atmosphere as there were live musicians playing in both restaurants during our meals. I also went outside of the Ali Baba and spoke to the lady cooking the fresh bread in the wood-fired oven. (Delicious bread!) She was so pleased that I did - what a friendly and lovely lady.
The entertainment crew were fun and very enthusiastic! We particularly ’gelled’ with Diablo and Khalid (aka DJ Sonic) both were fun and on the go all the time. How they all kept going in the heat, I just don’t know. No-one was ‘in your face’ to join in but they were pleased when you did. My husband particularly enjoyed the boccia tournaments (he was Boccia Champion) at 11am and we made a lot of friends with people from other nationalities because of joining in with this. The evening entertainment was also good, singers and musicians playing on the terrace and local acts like dancers in the arena at about 9pm. Then finally down to the Borsallino pub for karaoke or bingo (to name just a couple of the things on offer). What I really liked was that the entertainment never seemed repetitive. There was variety even with a two-week stay. I enjoyed the cooking activity with the chefs and The White Party was amazing! (I just wish that I had packed a white party outfit!). That night was definitely the best with nearly all the guests up and dancing and having a fabulous time (I really appreciated all of the effort you put into that, Khalid (aka DJ Sonic).
We really enjoyed the friendly chats we had with Ahmed who normally works in the Borsallino (and we are so sorry that we kept saying your name wrong until the last night!)
Our favourite place was the beautiful beach. Again, there was always help on hand and friendly interaction to be had with the people who worked there. Ayman and Mohammed are two of the loveliest gentlemen, always checking that everything was fine and making sure that we were having the best of days. Nothing was ever too much trouble and their interaction was always genuine. Thank you.
I also went out to Coral Beach €10 for a return trip in Azziz’s boat. It was lovely to see how the hotel have invested in improvements to the private beach since previous years by putting sun beds and sun umbrellas there. I appreciated being able to get some shade when I had had enough of snorkelling. It was also great to notice how clean the waters in comparison to a few years ago - I couldn’t see any plastic in the sea this time. The fish were beautiful, what a privilege it is to be able to have got so close to them and to watch them in their own habitat. I also enjoyed the boat trip back and Azziz paused the boat over a coral reef and took pleasure in explaining the names of all the species of fish he could see there. Thank you!
Finally, I also enjoyed using the spa. I took advantage of the discount that is offered if you book up 3 massage treatments. I really enjoyed being pampered and made to feel special. (Thank you, Rose) The treatments I received were far better than anything I have ever had done in the U.K.
So, will we be going back next summer? I jolly hope so! A truly relaxing holiday in a beautiful location where everyone works so hard and genuine wants to be friendly."
