Grecotel LUX ME Dama Dama

"We stayed at Grecotel LUXME Dama Dama as guests with significant mobility limitations, and unfortunately our overall experience was disappointing. I am writing this review in detail because I believe it may be useful to other travellers with similar needs. I should also stress that this reflects our own experience and our own mobility limitations. Guests who can walk comfortably may experience the hotel very differently. The main issue for us was the gap between being “accessible” in theory and being practically easy to use in reality. There are ramps and elevators, but the resort is spread out, some routes involve level changes, and in several areas the accessible route requires a detour. Even within the main lobby area, the reception is on a higher level than the lobby bar, and moving between them requires using a relatively steep ramp. In some places, ramps are available only on one side. This may technically provide an accessible route, but in practice it can force someone with limited mobility to walk a much longer way simply to reach the opposite side. For guests who cannot comfortably walk long distances, that can defeat much of the purpose of the ramp itself. The evening entertainment was one of the biggest practical problems for us. Most of it took place in the theatre, which was relatively far from the main building. For guests with mobility limitations, a reliable internal buggy service would make an enormous difference. In our case, I believe it would have solved a large part of the problem. Suggestions such as using a mobility scooter did not fully solve the issue, because there were still routes, level changes and remaining distances to deal with. Before arrival, we had communicated our mobility limitations in detail. Unfortunately, communication around these needs became more difficult than it should have been, with unnecessary back-and-forth regarding requirements that we felt had already been clearly explained. The arrival experience was also frustrating. The airport transfer arrangements did not work as expected, unsuitable vehicles were initially sent, and we ended up waiting in the heat while the situation was being sorted out. For an able-bodied guest this may sound like a minor inconvenience. For guests with mobility limitations, it is much more significant. When arrangements are discussed and confirmed in advance, you naturally rely on them. After reaching the hotel, we then had to wait for our room to become available. Following the difficult arrival, this added to the frustration. There were also examples where the information provided before arrival did not match reality. One example concerned the TV. We were told that screen mirroring was not available and that connecting a streaming device would not be possible. In practice, we later discovered that screen mirroring was in fact possible. That was obviously a positive surprise, but it also highlighted a broader concern: some of the information given before arrival did not seem to be based on a full practical understanding of how the hotel’s own facilities actually work. On the positive side, most of the restaurants were located within or around the main building, which made them much more convenient for us, and the food in the restaurants was generally quite good. The atmosphere in the hotel, particularly around the lobby and main common areas, felt rather subdued and lacking in energy to us. This is of course subjective and may suit guests looking for a very quiet environment. One reason for this, in our view, was that there was little or no entertainment activity in the lobby area itself. Most evening entertainment was concentrated in the distant theatre. For guests with mobility limitations, this created an unfortunate combination: the livelier part of the evening was also the least convenient part of the resort to reach. Another disappointment was the general handling of problems. There were individual staff members who were pleasant and tried to help, but overall we often felt that too much responsibility for making the stay workable remained with us. We repeatedly had to explain our limitations, raise issues and look for solutions ourselves, despite having communicated our needs before arrival. Problems can happen in any hotel. What matters is how they are handled once they become clear. Our frustration was not simply that some things went wrong, but that we had put a lot of effort into preventing exactly these situations before we travelled. There was also an incident on departure day that we found particularly uncomfortable. While we were away from the room, our luggage was removed from the room without us being informed beforehand. We only became aware of this later in connection with the checkout process. Whatever the hotel’s internal procedure may be, we believe guests should be informed before staff enter an unoccupied room and remove their personal luggage. We found this inappropriate and unsettling. For travellers with mobility limitations, my strongest advice is not to rely only on the word “accessible”. Before booking, ask the hotel for very specific information: exact or approximate room location; distance in metres to the main restaurant; distance to other restaurants; distance to the theatre and evening entertainment; whether the entire route is level; where the ramps and elevators are; whether ramps require detours; whether reliable internal buggy transport is actually available; and how far you still need to walk after any assisted transport drops you off. Also, if a particular room location or transportation arrangement is essential to your stay, make sure you understand whether the hotel is truly confirming it or merely recording it as a preference. For us, the combination of difficult mobility, inaccurate or incomplete pre-arrival information, the lack of an effective internal transport solution, and the amount of effort required to manage basic parts of the stay made the holiday much less relaxing than expected. This is not a hotel I would describe as completely inaccessible. A more accurate description, from our perspective, is that it is technically accessible but not always practically convenient for guests with significant walking limitations. I hope this review helps other travellers ask the right questions before booking, because when mobility is limited, the difference between “there is a ramp” and “I can comfortably get where I need to go” can be enormous."

"We stayed at the Luxme Dama Dama last month - booked through Kuoni. Unfortunately we are still in dispute with the hotel and Kuoni - details below. We arrived late at night and were greeted by the night staff. We had paid approx £300 extra (7 night stay) to upgrade from a 'partial sea view' to a 'full sea view'. Pictures on the hotel's website are misleading (photoshopped..), please be aware when booking that the hotel is not directly on the sea front and is L shaped. The part of the hotel we stayed in was not sea facing, and we directly overlooked the children's pool (pictured) Unfortunately the hotel class this room as a 'full sea view' - and I can see previous reviews which echo our experience. We were not aware when booking - and Kuoni and the hotel have declined to view this as false/deceptive advertising. We complained to the hotel during our stay but were told the hotel was at capacity, and so our room could not be changed (and in fact, that we were in the correct room..) We were told to expect call back from a manager - this never happened, so we did not press the issue further whilst abroad to avoid distractions from the holiday. The hotel is advertised as 4 star. Whilst looking dated in areas, overall the hotel was clean and despite the view we had a good time. Staff were exceptionally busy - often we had finished breakfast before our drinks order was taken. Although all inclusive - wine options are limited. Usually given the house 'greek wine', despite ordering different. Difficult to push back against this as so difficult to get a hold of any of the service staff Noting previous experiences regarding hygeine, I would suggest asking for paper cups if ordering anything from the pool bar. These are just rinsed under the tap and reused without properly being washed. Rocky/ dusty beach if this is an issue for you Lots of watersports on offer"

"Just got back from a weeks stay with my boyfriend and where do I start. On arrival we were greeted by the lovely staff and our room wasn’t quite ready so we stayed in the lobby and had a few drinks. Around an hour later our room was ready and our bags were taken to our room for us! Which we thought was lovely. The staff can’t do enough for you and always on hand to answer any questions or help with anything. The food was the real surprise for us. We got the opportunity to book some of the à la carte restaurants. We went to the Asiana which we had planned to do before we even got to Rhodes but the food was that amazing we decided to try the Italian which again was just as amazing. We only ate at the buffet restaurant once as we went out for a few meals but the food was amazing quality and fresh. We ate at the beach bar every lunch which was amazing and the views were gorgeous. With the food there is always something for everyone. The room was amazing, we paid extra for the panoramic sea view room which in our opinion was worth every penny! Fabulous view of the sea, room was spacious and nice modern decor. Mini fridge filled every day for us free of charge! The pool is enormous and the sun-lounger have ruined all other sun loungers for me and my boyfriend. They were so comfy and there was barely any reserved as the hotel has notes to say towels will be removed if people have not returned so we managed to always get a comfy lounger. Cocktails were not pre mixed which made them even better! Entertainment team were amazing and so friendly without being over baring which some can be. All in all a truly amazing holiday and we can’t wait to come back."