"I wanted to share my honest experience of staying here. I’ve stayed in quite a few 4 and 5 star hotels, and unfortunately this was probably the worst 4 star hotel we’ve stayed in.
Before booking, I did read the reviews and to be honest they didn’t seem too bad. I did notice some of the negative reviews but chose to overlook them. Looking back, I really wish I had paid more attention because unfortunately we experienced quite a few of the same issues.
There were definitely some positives, especially when travelling with children. The swimming pools are great fun for kids, the kids’ disco and magician show were enjoyable, and the hotel does make an effort to keep the children entertained. The clubhouse is also brilliant for kids, so I do give them credit for that.
But unfortunately there were a lot of things that made our stay frustrating.
The bed sheets are only changed every three days, which was unusual for us as we’re used to staying in hotels where they are changed more regularly. Even worse, there is no room cleaning, no fresh towels and no change of bedsheets on Sundays. We paid for the hotel for those days as well, so it was a real let down to receive no housekeeping or basic room service on a Sunday.
There were also occasions when our room wasn’t cleaned at all and we weren’t given fresh towels. We then had to keep contacting reception and chasing them to sort it out. I really don’t like having to repeatedly ask for basic things that should already be provided. On one occasion they left clean bedsheets on the bedside table for us to change ourselves.
The bathroom was another problem. The shower would flood and the water would come out into the passage and towards the bedroom. This happened more than once and was very inconvenient.
The food was probably one of our biggest disappointments. We found it very bland and there wasn’t much choice for vegetarians. We also found out that alcohol is used in some of the food. I think this should be clearly stated so guests know what they are eating. We saw one pregnant lady become understandably upset after finding out there was alcohol in some of the food.
The service was also very hit and miss. Most of the staff were fine, but in the dining room there are two waiters wearing blue shirts while the rest wear white shirts. One of the blue shirted waiters, the one without glasses, was always very miserable and came across as quite rude to guests. The other one with glasses was the complete opposite, always smiling, greeting guests and being friendly.
When we first arrived, we had four suitcases, two buggies and two children who were asleep. We had to take all the luggage ourselves to the room. They did show me where the luggage trolley was, but I had never used one before and I was clearly struggling with everything in the hallway. Staff were walking past but nobody bothered to come and help. I would have appreciated someone simply offering a hand, especially when they could see I was struggling with all the luggage and two young children.
We also had cockroaches and small lizards on our balcony. The lizards might not bother everyone, but the cockroaches definitely did. My wife was so put off by it that she became too scared to open the balcony door.
There is also a shop inside the hotel selling things like toys and sun cream. The older gentleman working there doesn’t speak much English, which is absolutely fine, but unfortunately his attitude was quite miserable and unwelcoming.
The spa was another disappointment. I don’t want to go into too much detail, but the whole thing was very disorganised. The day before, we were told that our children could go in with my wife and me. The next day we were suddenly told children weren’t allowed. We were sent to reception to get permission, only for reception to tell us it had nothing to do with them and send us back.
Then they had to call someone else to come and sort it out, but nobody came to give us a clear answer. We ended up wasting around an hour of our holiday going backwards and forwards, so eventually we just cancelled the spa. It was a complete waste of our time and money.
Overall, I think the biggest problem with this hotel is that it just isn’t organised. Everything feels very hit and miss. Sometimes things are fine and other times you have to keep chasing staff to get basic things sorted.
I’m not saying everything about the hotel is bad. There are some good facilities, especially for children, and the entertainment team does make an effort. But for a 4 star hotel, I expected much better service, cleanliness and organisation.
Everyone can have a different experience, but unfortunately ours wasn’t a good one. I just wish I had paid more attention to some of the negative reviews before booking.
For us, unfortunately, never again."
