"We recently stayed at this hotel June 26 and unfortunately would not return.
There were some positives. The grounds are lovely and well maintained, the Italian restaurant was excellent, and there was a great range of cocktails, mocktails and decaf coffee available. The bar staff and restaurant team were genuinely fantastic throughout our stay, always friendly and helpful. Isma from Guest Services was also courteous and tried his best to assist when problems arose.
Unfortunately, the accommodation fell well below expectations.
Check-in was slow and most reception staff came across as unfriendly and unhelpful. Our first room was extremely hot, had an unpleasant smell, and the air conditioning was both ineffective and incredibly noisy. We found hairs and stains on the bedding, damage to the wall, and, most seriously, large sections of plaster fell from the shower ceiling shortly after we started unpacking. We were then required to move rooms.
The second room presented more issues. The shower leaked badly, the air conditioning was just as poor as was the smell, and the French balcony door only opened around 50cm due to a restriction screw. With such ineffective air conditioning, proper ventilation was important.
We were staying in what the hotel describes as a “Golden Suite”, although that description felt rather generous. The room was neither particularly golden nor what most people would consider a suite. The layout was awkward, maintenance standards were poor, and the overall room quality did not match the expectations created by the hotel’s marketing. There is no ‘bathroom’ with a shower and toilet that opened out onto the room. No doors on wardrobe.
A significant amount of our holiday was spent dealing with room problems, waiting for maintenance visits and queuing at reception. Complaints could not be handled over the phone, meaning further holiday time was lost.
We were also disappointed by the adult-only facilities. The advertised Relax Zone ALWAYS contained children, while the adults-only pool was extremely small and shallow. Overall, these facilities did not match the impression given online.
Another frustration was the information given regarding late check-out. Prior to travelling, we were left with the impression that keeping our room for longer on departure day would likely be possible.
However, every time we enquired, we were given the same rehearsed response that late check-out was unavailable and that no guests had been able to secure it for the previous 10 days. We were told this on several different occasions, always using almost exactly the same wording. It gave the impression that late check-out is rarely, if ever, available, and guests should be informed of this before booking rather than being led to believe it may be an option.
You are asked to leave your luggage in a ‘secure’ room with a door that was wedged open when we returned. Not safe at all, do not believe this, there is no camera, and it’s far from reception.
The biggest issue was the gap between the hotel’s advertising and the reality. While the grounds are attractive and some members of staff were excellent, the condition of the rooms, repeated maintenance problems and poor handling of complaints significantly impacted our holiday. We met other guests who has agreed maintenance of rooms and description is very inadequate.
If having a usable balcony, effective quiet air conditioning and a comfortable room are important to you, I would think carefully before booking a Golden Suite. Hope this helps someone as we wish we’d known this.
Lunch was very lacking indeed.
Such a shame as it has great potential if these issues could be sorted. Please listen to your guests Valentin. Several guests have noted these complaints."
