"We chose Louis Phaethon for our honeymoon. I got in contact with them to arrange a special welcome to surprise my wife.
We arrived about 20 minutes until midnight, and one of the management team was in the lobby and encouraged us to go and get some food before checking in as the restaurant closed at midnight. A waiter also came up and asked if we wanted any drinks, which was very welcome as it was warm.
We checked in, and I was pleasantly surprised that it cost us about 100 Euros less than expected: I attributed this to the fluctuating currency compared with the Pound.
When we arrived at our room, there were flower petals copiously scattered over the floor and bed, towels twisted in hearts as decoration, and a fruit tray and drinks awaiting us. It was what I had wanted to surprise my bride!
The next day, we were requested to come by reception, and the manager, Michael, warmly welcomed us and said that he would like to do something special for a dinner during our stay. We were delighted, and were impressed by the management team’s personableness.
The day after, however, we had arrived back from an all-day expedition, and were about to head to the pool, when I noticed a note under the door asking me to come to reception at my convenience to finalise the rest of my payment, take care of the rest of my bill. As one may imagine, we were surprised, and began to wonder if we had used some facility not included in the all-inclusive price.
I headed down to the front desk, somewhat annoyed and hoping that we would not be charged too much, and determined out find out why. The fellows at the front desk could not figure out why I had been given that, so they brought out the lady from bookings. She proceeded to explain that I had been charged the incorrect amount when checked in, and owed over 100 Euros more.
I was rather upset at this, as I had signed and paid the amount requested of me at the time of checking-in. I told her as much, and felt very offended at feeling like this was my fault. There was little emphasis placed on the fact that their employee had charged me the wrong amount, only that I owed them. As mentioned before, I was expecting to pay more than I had initially paid, so the amount was not the issue. I was made to feel like this was my fault. I protested against it, and perhaps should have spoken up to the manager, who was in the vicinity, as I felt very slighted. If it were even €5 extra which they wanted from me, it would have felt provoking the way I was asked to ‘settle by bill’, as if it were my fault. It is not a nice feeling while on a honeymoon.
In the end, I paid the €112.50 extra, but the way in which the payment was handled really cast a shadow over the rest of the stay.
The food was alright, not top-notch but definitely not terrible, and the kitchen had some brighter moments with a few of their dishes. The Cypriot staff were helpful and friendly, but many of the Egyptian staff obviously only looked at their work as exactly that.
The facilities were also quite outdated, with the pool area and halls looking exceptionally decrepit: re-plastered trim and patches of newer carpet among the old.
As mentioned, the management team is great, and I suppose if one is not picky or looking for exceptional treatment from all the staff it would be a good place, but we cannot plan on staying at Louis Phaethon again thanks to being made to feel at fault for another’s mistake."
