Caretta Paradise and Waterpark

"Stayed here as a family for a week and whist I am happy we got our money's worth and it was decent value, there are a few details i believe the hotel could do which would have made our stay 5 Star. Firstly cannot fault Jet2, from booking the holiday originally, we were kept up-to-date including check ins, and when it came to the airport there was staff on both sides that kept us informed and were very friendly, ensuring we were on the right path to the transfers and having local information for them. I also got a text with emergency details and there was a rep on site several days to help anyone. The rooms were great, highly recommend block U if can btw, very clean and well maintained. We had a swim up room and it was amazing, i would fully recommend it to anyone looking to book a holiday as it really made a difference when you could have a quiet swim first thing in the morning by yourself. Plenty of space and extra blankets in the cupboards, there was a kettle with cups but no tea bags/coffee if anyone wanted to bring their own and the mini fridge was very powerful. Beds are comfy and changed fairly often with towels being changed every day or so too. The facilities were great, the waterpark was great and the staff looking after the slides were funny and friendly but were quick to ensure kids were always safe and kept a good eye on the younger ones/armbands etc The restaurants were great, usual stuff at breakfast and plenty of it including fresh crepes which were wonderful. Dinners were great in the main restaurants, usual stuff again but plenty of choice and staff were very friendly and place was clean. Location of the hotel is great, there are 2 shops right outside which offer all the extra stuff for your room/presents home. There’s a chemist and there’s several bars and restaurants around the hotel too with lovely people working there. The beach is close too, although there’s a steep hill to walk back up, it’s not a sandy beach for building sandcastles, but the sea is sandy with lots of space before it gets too deep with small occasional fish. The bella restaurant pizza was amazing, as was the food in Rice & spice, and the food in the Al la carte restaurant was lovely too, and the staff in all these places were amazing too. Check out is 11, which is fair but 60 euros if you want to keep the room for a late check out, however, there is a room with showers/toilets/juices and plenty of space for luggage and your wristband is still including for using the hotel once you’ve checked out. The entertainment at night was varied but mainly aimed at families which was great, we only went twice but staff were great at trying to get kids involved at games/dances etc Cons, Apart from the 2 larger restaurants, the others all have to be booked at least a day in advance and you'll usually get a later time, this is only in the small print and you can only book it by going to the main restaurant during their opening times. I wouldn't normally have that as a complaint but each time were there towards closing time, there was still lots of food and empty tables, which seems an absolute waste, especially as only the al la carte restaurant is table service. I can appreciate they want to stagger guests out but bookings only is off-putting and lots of families like to wait till the day to decide what to eat. Whist majority of the staff were amazing, Maids would shout "good morning" which was lovely, the gentlemen driving the cars were always trying to make the children laugh, the men by the pool/bar and ice cream were patient and very friendly with the kids too, i couldn't help notice some of the women in the snack bar areas were always grumpy and annoyed with anyone enquiring about the snacks. The ladies on reception too were also fairly miserable, I strongly suggest the hotel gets rid of the app they want everyone to download when they first enter the hotel as this was a waste of time and certainly not "fast track" I've been travelling all day, the last thing i want is to have a fight with IT because a human can't check me in anymore. This certainly wasn't simple and many families were stuck trying to sort checking in had problems and it was clear this was taking a toll on the staff too. The kids club was fairly disappointing, hardly information about it, we only went once but i couldn't help get the impression it was for toddlers even though it said over 4s only. There is a bouncy castle area/kids play area joined onto this hotel which is not included with the hotel, and it does highlight this to be fair. But it does seem cruel that it’s joined at exactly the same point as the main evening entertainment, we used the arcade several times and my kids did the trampoline park but we didn't use the bouncy castles. They do have a proper bar though with glasses but at 6euros a pint, it seemed daft when the all-inclusive was over the road. A weird one but there were lots of cats and kittens around this hotel. Personally i love cats and we had one in particular that visited us every morning and night and would sit and cuddle with me at night, which was lovely, and it clearly very friendly and good with children too, it came in and was playing with the children under their beds, however i would have felt so much better if i seen a sigh somewhere that said who the cats belonged to and who fed them. realistically i know their strays and their dependent on guests or kind staff feeding them, but just a sign somewhere to say the cats belong to the hotel would give a sense of ownership for guests. I would also warn guests if they don't book a swim-up room, they'll be over someone that did. Great views of the sunset and the island but families with children in particular, swim up rooms can only be accessed (properly) by ground floor rooms only, so people above them are watching them. I loved our swim up room, but I’d be annoyed if we didn't book it and our kids complained about the pool outside their not allowed to use. 4 stars besides a few details but it was a great holiday"

"Booked this holiday a little last minute but we thought a holiday in October half term would be nice. It was our first holiday as a family of 4, we have a 5 year old little boy with SEND, and a 1 year old girl. We didn’t get very good weather here in October. We had one day of thunderstorms and rain. Other days of cloudy / rainy spells. We probably got a few afternoons of sunshine … 3pm onwards Pro’s We try to pick somewhere with a waterpark to keep our little boy entertained, he’s always been a water baby and this place didn’t disappoint. There was plenty of pools, and the water park facilities were great. Although the water was very cold.. non of the pools appeared to be heated. We also found the fun park in the evenings a massive hit, our little boy loved the trampolines and the bouncy castle. We paid 10 Euros for the bouncy castle each night, but they could go on it until they closed so it was worth the money. He also made use of the trampolines which were a little cheaper. It’s worth noting, everything in this area costs extra. The Rice & Spice restaurant !! Lovely food and really nice to have something different to the same old which is served in the main restaurants. Also the food here was clearly cooked fresh, and was hot . Amazed no one actually tells you about the place! We only found out after reading reviews, and we were only able to book it for our last evening unfortunately so please make sure you’re aware! Get yourself booked in at the main restaurants for this and the Bella restaurant (they serve very nice freshly made pizza ) At meal times there’s always fresh fruit options, or cut up fruit like melon available, this is great for very young children. My little girl especially enjoyed the oranges. Staff in the burger restaurant (near the main pool) Staff in here are just lovely…. They make such a fuss of the children, and are happy to help. Local shops and pharmacies just outside the hotel. Cons Food is what you might call average. By the end of the week we were all very bored with the options available. The food isn’t great for children, especially those who might be a little more picky. Evening meals and lunch meals are very repetitive.. they don’t do any usual looking chicken nuggets, no beans for evening meals this is only available at breakfast. Our little boy lived on chips all week because nothing was to his liking. Snack bar options in my opinion are terrible…. The food is either warmed up from leftovers or it’s been sitting out hours! We tried the gyros which were rock hard wraps and very little meat inside. Chips are stale - no other word for it. The toasties are probably the most fresh. All the sandwiches appear to have a sauce / coleslaw mixture in them , which for a child with autism is a nightmare !! . I opted to ask for a ham Toastie but just as a sandwich for him but everytime I asked for this it was like I’d asked for the world, or like I’d offended them. By the end of the week two men on the snack bar almost shouted at me “well here take this and everyone’s happy…” When I opened the sandwich it was just cheese … no ham :( . I don’t mean to sound petty but when your child only has a limited diet and all you want is a basic ham sandwich and your made to feel an inconvenience it’s sad 😔 There’s also not much in the area, other places we have visited had a row of restaurants/ cafes down the seafront and I guess we didn’t realise this didn’t have these options. Lastly … THE WASPS. My god this hotel has a serious wasp issue. They are everywhere!!! You only have to bring a drink or some food anywhere near and you are swarmed. My little girl had them on her face while sleeping In her pram , I was stung on my hand … they are a real nightmare and it does start to get rediculous. My little boy kept wanting to go indoors because they were that much of an issue."

"Wanted to give an honest review of facilities. Rooms - Q block gets zero sun so pool was like ice. Shower needs resealing as flooded but hey ho not end of the world. Food - was it the best ? No but there was something hot and edible every night. Seen loads about food being cold which is odd as we went at all different times (burger resturant) and was always hot? Snacks were cold and not great all all and ice cream ran out for 2/3 days so was only banana and pistachio flavour. Ate at Rice and Spice last night which was really good. Ate at the main/greek restaurant once and wasnt overly impressed but only because our party are mostly beige eaters. Pools - water slides were good but the dude with the whistle needs to calm down. My son came down and before opening eyes he had drifted sideways, a small girl came down and hit him and without asking if he was ok (he was not) the fella was blowing his whistle like a premier league ref!! My son wouldnt go back on slides because he told him off for not getting out of the way which was annoying but we went in pool elsewhere. Animation team were fab and worked bloody hard but the actual entertainment was lacking as pretty much bingo, karaoke and kids discos all week. There was a good greek night last night though. A lot of the surrounding areas were closed so wouldnt come end of season again but overall staff were good and the facilities too. Noka (resturant outside) was really good. Fajitas were lovely. Defo recommend. One last thing the wasps! Like many i believed that people were exaggerating. I have NEVER experienced anything like this in my life. I know they cant do much about them but holy hell it was awful! You couldnt relax at all, everytime we tried to sun bath we were set upon. We took lidded cups which helped but still swarmed constantly. My niece was stung on day 2 behind her ear while sunbathing and then I myself was stung on the back of my thigh while sitting out front on a step. There really isnt anyway to avoid them which made the holiday stressful tbh. The barman said it was due to pesticides being reduced but who knows. What ever it is, please fix it :-( If youve booked and are second guessing, the only thing that would truly put me off coming back is the wasps. I think wherever we go next time, we will be taking an electronic wasp bat thing."