"I genuinely cannot understand how this hotel is advertised as a five-star resort. For the amount of money we paid, the overall experience was incredibly disappointing, and the standard of service, facilities and food falls nowhere near what you would expect from a five-star hotel. At best, I would rate this hotel three stars.
Staff and Customer Service
The majority of the staff looked absolutely miserable throughout our stay, and quite frankly, I don’t blame them. We noticed members of staff working in the morning who were still there at midnight, which makes you question how they are being treated and the hours they are expected to work.
We also noticed what felt like a clear difference in how English guests were treated compared with guests from other countries. The hotel seemed particularly catered towards Russian and German guests, especially when it came to the food and overall service. As English guests, we often felt overlooked.
There was practically no service around the pool during the day, and no table service anywhere. On one occasion, we couldn’t even get water around the pool.
Food and Drinks
The food was extremely bland, repetitive and lacked variety. Even something as simple as fresh fruit was limited to apples and oranges throughout our stay.
Getting a drink with dinner was unnecessarily difficult. Unless you wanted coffee or juice from a machine, you had to practically beg for a drink. The juice machines were rarely topped up, meaning you would often end up with what was essentially water with a faint taste of whatever juice had previously been in there.
Even getting a glass of water with dinner meant walking around the buffet trying to find a waiter to ask. This is absolutely ridiculous for a supposedly five-star, all-inclusive hotel.
Breakfast was advertised as being served until 10am and dinner until 9pm, yet staff regularly started clearing away the food before these times, despite guests still being in the restaurant eating.
All drinks were served in plastic cups, which hardly adds to the five-star experience.
Rooms and Facilities
The walls in the hotel are incredibly thin, so you can hear noise from surrounding rooms.
Our room had stickers advertising room service, yet there was no clear way to contact anyone to order it. Scanning the QR code simply took you to a webpage that didn’t exist. Why advertise a service that guests cannot actually use?
We also had to request a dressing gown for three consecutive days before finally receiving one, despite this being advertised as an included room amenity.
The swimming pool was absolutely freezing, and the umbrellas around the pool were regularly left lying across sunbeds rather than being put up. Guests were expected to put these up themselves.
The hotel also advertised parties every night, yet during our entire stay, there was only one party. Another example of the facilities and entertainment not living up to what was advertised.
Departure and Late Check-Out – Particularly Disappointing
The way our departure was handled was probably one of the most frustrating parts of our stay.
We requested a late check-out for three consecutive days and were repeatedly told to come back and ask on the morning of departure. We completely understand that late check-out is subject to availability and cannot always be guaranteed. That was never the issue. The issue was the incredibly rude and dismissive attitude we received when we finally asked on the day.
To make matters worse, reception called our room almost 20 minutes BEFORE the official 12pm check-out time, essentially demanding that we leave because new guests were waiting for the room.
Our airport transfer wasn’t until 3pm, yet at 12pm our all-inclusive wristbands were cut off, and we were told we could no longer have alcoholic drinks. After paying for an all-inclusive holiday, this felt incredibly petty and was a horrible way to end our stay.
It really gave the impression that once you had checked out, the hotel couldn’t wait to get rid of you.
The Few Positives
To be fair, the hotel’s location is excellent, and the beach bar is lovely. These were definitely two of the highlights of our stay.
Our maid was also absolutely brilliant. She was one of the few members of staff who genuinely stood out for the right reasons, and we really appreciated her hard work.
Overall – Not Worth the Money
This hotel is nowhere near the five-star standard it advertises. Between the poor food, lack of service, disappointing facilities, misleading entertainment, difficulty accessing basic amenities and the appalling attitude surrounding check-out, we left feeling extremely disappointed.
I don’t expect perfection, but I do expect to receive something close to the standard I’ve paid for. Basic things such as being able to get drinking water, having access to advertised facilities, receiving decent service and being treated politely should not be too much to ask, particularly at a five-star all-inclusive resort.
The location and beach bar are great, but unfortunately, they cannot make up for everything else.
In my opinion, this is a three-star hotel charging five-star prices. I would not recommend it to anyone expecting a genuine five-star experience, and I certainly wouldn’t return for the price we paid."
