"Hotel Review – 6/10 at Best
Overall, the hotel was okay in some respects, but it has a lot of room for improvement. In my opinion, it is definitely not a five-star hotel, and I would rate it two stars at most. Unfortunately, despite its potential, we would not return.
Rooms and Room Allocation
The rooms were clean, and the housekeeping staff were lovely. Our room was cleaned thoroughly, and the towels were changed regularly.
However, there was a terrible smell coming from the drains. When we were staying on Level A, the smell was not as strong, but after we were moved to the sixth floor, it became much worse. On the last night before our departure, bugs started coming out of a hole near the toilet, which was absolutely disgusting.
There were also problems with room allocation. When we arrived, we were given two rooms and told that they were only temporary for one night. We were instructed to return to reception the following morning to receive our permanent rooms. However, when I went to reception the next morning, the staff member seemed surprised and acted as though I had no reason to ask, insisting that those were our permanent rooms.
After a week and a half, we were eventually moved because all guests staying on Level A were being relocated. We were given a beautiful, upgraded room with an absolutely breathtaking sea view. The view was genuinely stunning. It was a huge improvement, but the sewage smell and the bugs on our final night ruined the experience.
There was no hot water on the day of our departure. At 6 am, the water was freezing cold, making it impossible to take a shower.
The room we were given for our supposedly one-night stay did not even have towels or drinking water. We only received towels late the following afternoon, after reporting the problem.
Food and Restaurants
The food was generally enough to keep you from going hungry, but it was not something to look forward to. The grilled fish and kebab were tasty, and the stews were okay, but there was very little variety.
For breakfast, there was only one type of cold meat, occasionally two, throughout our entire stay. Sometimes cereal was available, but there was no milk. The coffee was awful, and this was something I really missed during our holiday.
The watermelon, on the other hand, was fantastic!
The main restaurant is definitely not suitable for fussy eaters. My children ate almost nothing apart from pasta and chips for most of our two-week stay. I genuinely felt that this hotel catered mainly for adults rather than families with children.
The snack bar was terrible, and I would not recommend it. Every day, the options were the same: chips, a cold burger and chicken nuggets that were hard as rocks. During our entire two-week stay, we had decent breaded chicken on just one occasion and kebab on another.
The restaurant experience was much nicer. The food was largely the same as in the main restaurant, apart from the starters, but it was beautifully presented, and the waitress was extremely friendly. It was a pleasant experience, although it did not offer much in terms of food variety.
Staff and Entertainment
Most of the staff were very polite and helpful. However, one female receptionist was quite unpleasant.
A special mention goes to the activities team, who were fantastic, and the photographer, who was absolutely lovely and professional. They genuinely helped make our holiday more enjoyable.
I would also like to mention a friendly representative from Royal Company who approached us on the second day after our arrival and explained everything to us. We had received absolutely no information from reception, so his help was greatly appreciated.
The entertainment schedule was not ideal for families with young children. The mini disco started at 9 pm, which was too late for us, and the main show did not begin until 10 pm.
Cleanliness, Hygiene and Smoking
During our two-week stay, everyone in our family experienced stomach problems. I personally suffered for almost the entire two weeks, which had a significant impact on our holiday.
The sewage smell and the bugs near the toilet were also very concerning.
Another major issue was cigarette smoking. The smell of cigarettes seemed to be everywhere. The man working downstairs in the spa greeted us while standing in the doorway smoking a cigarette. Similarly, when the bar upstairs was quiet, the waiter would stand around smoking. This was unpleasant and completely unnecessary in a family hotel.
Swimming Pool Safety
The children's playground needs urgent attention. The entire structure moves from side to side when children jump on it. It feels unstable and potentially dangerous, and someone should inspect it before an accident happens.
Location and Facilities
The beach is approximately a five-minute walk from the hotel. There is a small kiosk on the beach where a man offered apples, Pepsi and water.
The beach itself is not particularly attractive, but the water was exceptionally clean.
The hotel is conveniently located within easy reach of the town, which was a definite advantage. There was also a good selection of drinks available at the hotel bars.
Final Verdict
I would give this hotel a solid 6/10 overall, but I certainly would not return.
The hotel has potential. The rooms can be lovely, the sea views are beautiful, the location is convenient, and some members of staff are genuinely excellent. Unfortunately, the poor food variety, lack of hot water, sewage smell, bugs, stomach problems, smoking, questionable playground safety and general lack of organisation significantly affected our stay.
I was particularly surprised by the number of positive reviews on TripAdvisor, as these were one of the main reasons I chose this hotel in the first place. Based on our experience, I feel that the overall rating gives a misleading impression of what guests may actually experience.
I also noticed two young women walking around the hotel asking guests about their experiences, focusing on positive feedback and encouraging people to leave reviews on TripAdvisor. This made me question how representative some of the online reviews really are.
In my opinion, this is definitely not a five-star hotel. I would rate it two stars at most.
Unfortunately, I would not recommend this hotel, especially to families with young children. The activities team and the photographer did their best to make our holiday enjoyable, but they could not make up for the hotel's many shortcomings."
