Medina Diar Lemdina

"The entertainment team were absoloutly AMAZING. Thank you for making us all feel so welcome."

"I am very happy with the entertainment team. Very friendly"

"Our stay at Diar Lemdina Hotel can best be described as average. Upon arrival, we were kindly directed to a late dinner, which was fine. Afterwards, the receptionist found us a room in what we had been told was a quieter part of the hotel, and we gave him a very good tip for his assistance. Unfortunately, he placed us right in the centre of the Medina, where the noise was unbearable until after midnight, when the live music finally stopped. The windows were literally shaking from the volume of the music, and I honestly cannot understand how anyone can accept this during a holiday. Maybe he really did give us a slightly quieter room because of the tip, but I honestly do not want to imagine what might have happened if we had not given him anything. The following day, I requested either a room change or a change of hotel. The reception staff and manager were visibly unhappy with my complaint, but eventually gave us a larger and genuinely quieter room. From that point until the end of our stay, there were no further problems with outside noise. As for the reception staff, you can expect them to be friendly as long as you do not complain about any service or problem at the hotel. Once you raise an issue, however, do not expect the same level of friendliness during subsequent interactions. The rest of the staff – the people handling luggage, waiters and bartenders — were genuinely friendly and helpful, especially when their efforts were rewarded with small tips. Regarding cleanliness, we really have no complaints about the room. It was cleaned every day, toilet paper and towels were replenished regularly, and we even received small flower arrangements. This was also, in my opinion, partly due to the tips given to the housekeeping staff, whom we otherwise have no complaints about. However, based on our experience, if you do not leave a tip, do not expect the same level of effort when it comes to cleaning, replenishing supplies and similar services. There are three swimming pools: one with salt water and two with fresh water. Unfortunately, their cleanliness is questionable, even early in the morning. It was possible to find hair from the previous day in the water. During our stay, the saltwater pool was out of service for three days, possibly longer, as we left the hotel afterwards. There was no visible sense of urgency from the hotel staff to repair it and make it available to guests again. I understand that unexpected problems can happen, but a hotel should be prepared to deal with them quickly and efficiently. I had also read previous reviews mentioning problems with pool towels, and I experienced this myself. The person responsible for providing towels was not there until almost 10:00 a.m., even though the stated working hours began at 9:00 a.m. The beach – the biggest disappointment The beach was by far the biggest disappointment of our stay. The first morning shuttle from the hotel to the beach leaves at 8:30 a.m. We took it to the private section of the beach supposedly belonging to the hotel. When we arrived, we found dirty and untidy sun loungers and mattresses left from the previous day, cigarette butts, used tissues and empty glasses. I am not even counting the naturally dirty parts of the beach caused by the sea, which we were willing to tolerate. We cleaned and prepared two sun loungers ourselves so that we could enjoy the sea. Then a man with no hotel identification approached us and asked us to pay extra money to stay in that section of the beach. To say that I was shocked would be an understatement. Nobody at reception had informed us about any additional charge, and there was no such information on the document we received listing the services included in the All Inclusive package or the services requiring additional payment. I strongly suspect that this man may not have been a hotel employee at all, but perhaps someone who goes from one beach to another asking tourists for money. Nevertheless, a serious hotel should not allow such a situation to occur on a beach that guests are told belongs to the hotel. We immediately packed our things and left the beach. We spent the rest of our stay at the hotel pools instead. Money and shopping Regarding money, you should be very careful. At almost every opportunity, someone will try to get more money from you or sell you something at a price several times higher than its actual value. People will approach you in the street, sometimes introducing themselves as hotel chefs and offering to take you to their shop, where they supposedly offer “special prices” for souvenirs. Do not fall for this. We recommend buying souvenirs only at Maxi or Joy’s Centre, where prices are fixed and card payments are possible. Food The food is okay. Lunch and dinner are reasonably varied and you can eat quite well. Breakfast, however, is exactly the same every day, which becomes somewhat boring if you are staying for 10 days or more. Spa The spa centre is quite good. As part of the All Inclusive package, you receive 30 minutes of access to the steam bath. We additionally paid €120 in total for another 30 minutes of body and facial treatments for each of us, as well as one-hour relaxation massages for each of us. Considering the service, we found this quite reasonable. Animation The animation team was okay, although a little too pushy for my taste. However, that is their job, and I understand that. Once you politely explain that you are not interested in entertainment and simply want to relax by the pool with a book, they will leave you alone. The only thing I did not appreciate was that towards the end of our stay, one of the animators asked us to write a review together with him and take a photo. Because of this, I suspect that at least some of the very short and extremely positive reviews may have been written with the assistance of the animation team or by guests under their supervision. Final verdict Overall, if you are willing to stand your ground and insist on receiving the services you have already paid for, you can have a pleasant stay at Diar Lemdina. There are certainly some positive aspects: the rooms can be clean and comfortable, the food is acceptable, the spa is good, and most of the staff are friendly and helpful. However, there are too many issues that should not be present in a serious resort hotel, particularly the noise, the maintenance of the pools, the condition of the beach and the lack of clear information regarding additional charges. Would we return to Diar Lemdina next year? No."