"We stayed at the Emerald Hotel for two weeks and paid an additional £632 upfront for half board for two people. There were some lovely aspects to our holiday, but unfortunately, several problems left us disappointed overall.
We arrived shortly after 9pm following a full day of travelling and were told that the food service had finished. The chef kindly offered to make us a pizza, but we were then charged €30 for it, despite already paying £632 extra for our half-board meals. We were not offered a welcome drink, water or any other refreshments on arrival.
Our TUI representative, Fannie, provided exceptional service and support after this incident. She tried to contact the hotel to ask why we had been charged and why we had not been offered a welcome drink. Fannie told us that the hotel hung up on her and then declined her number. She arranged a £110 refund for us, and we would like to thank her for all her help and support.
The half-board evening meal was chosen from a separate sheet offering only four choices. The food wasn’t great, and dessert was either one scoop of ice cream or a coffee. This did not feel like good value for the £632 we had paid.
The food being served from the regular menu to guests paying as they went looked much nicer. It would have felt far more inclusive if we had been shown the half-board menu but also given the option of choosing from the regular menu with a reasonable discount. Instead, we were made to feel like the cheapskates, despite having paid a considerable amount upfront. It was such a shame to be made to feel this way, and we ended up eating out each night.
The hotel itself has beautiful, clean pool areas and grounds, with plenty of sunbeds available. Our room was also kept very clean. Nikki and Maria on reception were exceptional—both were welcoming, helpful and a credit to the hotel. The lady who cleaned our room also did an amazing and incredibly thorough job.
We particularly enjoyed Natalie and Bill’s Parisian-style musical entertainment, which was an absolute delight and one of the highlights of our stay.
Unfortunately, we felt that the hotel could be very penny-pinching. There was no shower gel or toiletries provided, and the apartment did not even have a tea towel or washing-up sponge.
There was no internet connection in our room. To get online or download anything, we had to sit in reception. This is not acceptable in this day and age and was extremely inconvenient during a two-week stay.
Smoking was allowed around the pool, bar and restaurant areas, which made it difficult for non-smokers to avoid. A designated smoking area would make the hotel much more pleasant for everyone.
On Greek night, we waited before approaching the buffet, but when it opened, there was such a rush and scramble for the food that we gave up. Better organisation or inviting tables to the buffet gradually would have made the evening much more enjoyable.
One night, people remained in the bar screaming and shouting until approximately 3.30am. Because the apartments are arranged almost like an amphitheatre, the noise echoed around the entire complex. The bar staff appeared to encourage the atmosphere and did not seem to consider the other guests or ask people to keep the noise down.
There was also a factory or business across the road that appeared to burn its rubbish most afternoons. The dreadful smell lasted for a couple of hours and was strong enough to make us feel sick, making it unpleasant to sit outside and enjoy the pool area.
The Emerald has some genuinely lovely and hardworking staff, clean rooms, attractive grounds and excellent pools. However, the poor first-night experience, disappointing half-board arrangement, lack of basic provisions, absence of internet in our room, smoking, late-night noise, badly organised buffet and regular smell from burning rubbish had a major impact on our holiday.
Based on our experience, paying £632 extra for half board was not good value, and we would not recommend this option."
