Grecotel LUX ME Costa Botanica

"Just back from a brilliant autumn half-term trip to Costa Botanica. Two adults and one child (9yrs), and we had a fantastic time. The aqua-park is awesome - that alone would have kept our daughter entertained for the entire week (as well as me, thanks to the brilliant music playlist provided by Dina!). The donkeys, goats, deer, geese etc provided much amusement throughout the stay, too. Maria in the kids club was great with the kids and is sorely missed now we're home! Food: overall really very good indeed. The main buffet was spot on, really good variety and high quality throughout the week for all meals. I noticed that the people who were moaning about queues were also exactly the same people who stand up as soon as the flight landed then moaned that they'd been standing up too long- probably not a coincidence! If you simply go a little earlier or later you can easily work around it. I think we queued for around 10-15 minutes for the entire week in total! The gym was a highlight for the adults. Very well equipped (including a full size boxing ring and bags!), spotless, and more good music for working out. You can also find some amazing running routes in the hills in the area. Tennis courts pretty much immaculate - book your slot early to avoid missing out. Special thanks to Christos and Spyros on the front desk for looking after us so well, Georgia the sommelier for her great tasting class, Maria in kids club and Dina at the aquapark (as well as the free-roaming cats who provided much entertainment!!) - Final mention: yes, there are mosquitos. But you can avoid that ruining your holiday by simply not letting it ruin your holiday! Pack some repellent and bite cream and crack on."

"Booked for 7 nights left after 2. Constant smell of sewage outside our room. No A/C only heating Left the room and came back to our sons room filled with ants/bugs. Food sub standard pools freezing Not all but met with some miserable staff at front desk when enquiring about sports Want extra payment for certain sports which is pricey So many wasps everywhere you cant sit down to eat as they swarm you ( this isnt a corfu problem as the hotel we moved to did not have this problem) Moved hotels to a beautiful setting with much higher quality across the whole resort and actual 5* facilities. Offered us another Grecotel but wouldn’t stay at this brand again. Very different experience vs one we stayed at in Crete a few years ago. Have emailed since leaving and been ignored too ."

"We stayed here for 7 nights last week as a family. The resort itself is beautiful and has so much potential, but unfortunately, several issues made our stay less enjoyable than expected. Positives: Beautiful resort – The layout feels like a charming village surrounded by olive groves, vegetable gardens, a lovely beach, and magnificent mountain views. Staff – Most of the staff are polite and genuinely lovely. A special thanks to Eva (Evanthia), the Operations Manager, who came to our help when there was an issue with the air conditioning at the beginning of our stay. Although she couldn’t fully resolve the problem, she handled the situation professionally and ensured our stay remained as comfortable as possible. She truly deserves 5 stars for her effort and care. À la carte restaurants – We dined at the Greek, Italian, Asian, and Fine Dining restaurants — all served delicious food. Beach bar – The crepes and ice creams here were excellent. Don’t miss them! Aqua Park – The lazy river was the highlight for us. The water slides were great too, and there’s also a small pool with slides for younger children and babies. Wine tasting – We really enjoyed the wine-tasting experience. I’d recommend booking this early in your stay, as you get great tips on which wines to order at the à la carte restaurants. Negatives: No AC in October / colder months – Despite the website advertising “air conditioning,” it’s actually switched to a heating-only mode after summer. The room was unbearably hot. No matter the setting, the unit only blew warm air. When I called reception, two staff members came and explained that the entire system had been switched to heating because “some guests” wanted it warmer — even though it was 22°C and sunny during the day and around 16°C at night! One staff ‘Nikoletta’ was quite rude and dismissive, saying, “That’s how it is – AC is not available after summer,” without any apology. I specifically check that AC is available year-round before booking, and nowhere does it say it’s disabled after summer. Initially, their only “solution” was to offer us a fan. This felt misleading and very poor for a so-called 5-star resort. Thankfully, Eva (Evanthia) later came to our help and turned off the heating function, so the unit at least worked as a normal air vent. While that improved things, the start of our holiday was unfortunately spoiled. Rooms – We stayed in a Family Summer House at the Ploto building, close to the main pool and beach (a plus), but the rooms are dated and not 5-star standard. There’s no ventilation when doors and windows are shut at night, and the bathroom has no vent either, making the space very humid. The floors get dusty quickly, and overall, it feels more like an old country house than a polished 5-star room. Charming in its own rustic way, but definitely not luxury. Main buffet food – This was the biggest letdown. Easily the worst buffet we’ve seen at a “5-star” resort. No live cooking stations except the morning omelette. The selection is repetitive — mostly chicken/pork and one grilled fish for protein, the same every day. Salads were fine, but desserts were limited to just three or four options. We ended up eating at the à la carte restaurants most nights and the pool bar for lunch because the buffet was so disappointing."