"We stayed at Evenia Olympic Park & Waterworld in July as a family of four (2 adults and 2 teenage children). Unfortunately, our experience did not live up to the 4-star rating or the price we paid.
We booked this holiday through Hays Travel, with TUI as the tour operator, after specifically asking the travel agent to recommend a highly rated family hotel that would provide a great experience. We also made it clear that we required a family room suitable for four people. Based on our experience, we were extremely disappointed with the recommendation.
The family room was extremely small, with very little space to move around or store our luggage comfortably. It felt completely unsuitable for a family of four. When we raised our concerns with Hays Travel, we were told that it was not their responsibility and that we should ask the hotel for a larger room and pay any additional charges ourselves. This was very disappointing, as we had relied on their recommendation and expected better support after booking. It left us feeling that, once the holiday had been sold, customer service was no longer a priority.
On arrival, there was a fridge in the room but no complimentary water, and although there was a telephone, it wasn’t connected. This meant that every time we needed assistance, we had to return to reception. To make matters worse, the lifts were unreliable, so even getting to reception became frustrating.
Another disappointment was the in-room safe. Although a safe is provided, you have to pay an additional €25 per week just to use it. For a hotel claiming to be 4-star, charging extra for such a basic security feature felt unnecessary and disappointing.
We seemed to spend more time trying to resolve issues than enjoying our holiday. The hotel staff always appeared to have an excuse rather than providing a solution, which was frustrating and made us feel that guest satisfaction was not a priority.
The food in the restaurant was another major let-down. We struggled to find meals that met our expectations, as much of what we tried lacked flavour or simply wasn’t enjoyable. For a hotel advertised as 4-star, the dining experience fell well below what we expected.
The one area where the hotel does deserve credit is its facilities. The pools and water park are excellent, and this was by far the highlight of our stay. Families with children will certainly enjoy the slides and swimming areas.
We paid around £3,400, including flights and transfers from the UK. This is a significant amount of money, and based on our experience, we do not feel the hotel offered good value. If you’re considering spending this kind of money, I would recommend looking at other hotels that offer similar facilities but provide a much higher standard of accommodation, food and customer service.
Overall, despite the excellent water park and leisure facilities, the poor room quality, disappointing food, additional charges for basic amenities, lack of customer service and overall experience mean we would not return. In our opinion, this hotel is much closer to a 2-star standard than the 4-star rating it advertises. We were equally disappointed with the recommendation and support we received from Hays Travel and will think carefully before using them again."
