"When we originally booked Hotel Best Negresco, the reviews were generally positive and there was nothing that raised any concerns for us. Unfortunately, during the week before we flew out, we started seeing a number of negative reviews mentioning an outbreak of illness at the hotel. Naturally, this made us quite worried, but as the holiday was already booked, we decided to go and make the most of it.
The hotel itself is generally nice and sits beautifully on the cliffside overlooking the beach. The views are lovely and the location is definitely one of the best things about the hotel. The only downside location-wise is that the nearest shop is around a 10-minute walk away.
Unfortunately, the biggest issue for us was illness. During our 10-day stay, both myself and my fiancé became poorly, meaning 2 out of our 10 days were affected by being unwell. What concerned us most was that the negative reviews we had seen before travelling were specifically mentioning an outbreak at the hotel and suggesting that staff weren’t doing enough about it.
To our surprise and disappointment, once we arrived, it did appear that the concerns raised in those reviews were genuine. We also personally witnessed someone being sick in the swimming pool. From what we saw, the response was simply to remove what was in the pool with a net and add chlorine before the pool continued to be used. As guests, we found this extremely concerning, particularly given the reports of illness we had already seen before travelling.
We had also booked a full day at the water park during our holiday, which we were really looking forward to. Unfortunately, because we were both ill, we were unable to go and lost out on something we had already paid and planned for. This was particularly frustrating as it meant the illness didn’t just affect our time at the hotel — it also affected plans we had specifically made for our holiday.
Another issue we found disappointing was that the hotel did not provide bottled drinking water. Personally, I always avoid drinking tap water when abroad, so having access to bottled water is something I would expect to be readily available, particularly when guests are unwell and need to stay hydrated. We had to make our own arrangements to get bottled water out of the restaurant.
We appreciate that illnesses can happen in any hotel and that it isn’t always possible to prevent every case, but we feel more could have been done in terms of communication, hygiene measures and reassurance for guests.
Unfortunately, we also found the staff to be generally quite rude and unwelcoming throughout our stay. There were several interactions where staff came across as irritated or as though guests were an inconvenience, which really affected the overall atmosphere of the hotel.
Another disappointment was the lack of personal touch surrounding what was a very special occasion for us. My fiancé proposed to me during our stay at this hotel, which should have made the holiday incredibly memorable for all the right reasons. We had also notified the hotel that it was a special occasion. In previous hotels we’ve stayed at, simply mentioning a special occasion has resulted in at least a congratulations or a small gesture from the staff.
My fiancé even paid €50 for the hotel to decorate the room as a surprise for me. Sadly, the staff’s attitude around this felt more like an inconvenience than something they were happy to help with. Considering the occasion and the fact that we had paid extra for the service, we expected a little more warmth and enthusiasm from the hotel.
It’s a real shame because the hotel itself is pleasant and the setting is beautiful, and this place will always have a special meaning to us because of the proposal. However, between both of us becoming ill, the concerns surrounding the apparent outbreak, witnessing someone being sick in the pool, missing our planned water park day, having to arrange our own bottled water, the lack of communication and the generally rude attitude from staff, the overall experience was very disappointing.
We genuinely hope the hotel takes this feedback seriously. Future guests deserve to feel safe, cared for and welcomed during their stay, and unfortunately, we did not feel that way during ours."
