"Extremely Disappointing Experience – Far Below the Standard Expected of a 5-Star Resort
Unfortunately, our experience at this hotel has been extremely disappointing, and in my opinion, it has fallen well below the standard I would expect from a 5-star resort.
Check-in and the room upgrade
At check-in, we were given an upgrade. However, this was only because the hotel had unfortunately mixed up our original booking — the room we had originally booked was actually the room we wanted.
I had explained that my husband is currently experiencing an issue with his leg and that getting around the resort could be difficult for him. We were specifically told that there would be buggies available to transport guests around the resort. In reality, there simply aren’t enough. This has made getting around much more difficult than we were led to believe and has added unnecessary stress to our holiday.
Cleanliness
The cleanliness throughout the hotel has been extremely disappointing. The hotel frequently appears dirty, and the swimming pools in particular are often visibly unclean.
There have been occasions where there has been faeces in the pools, as well as bees and other debris. Guests are regularly left picking up their own cups and clearing space themselves because there does not appear to be enough staff keeping the pool areas clean and tidy.
For a resort advertising itself as 5-star, this is simply not acceptable.
Pool service and drinks
There appears to be only one pool attendant responsible for bringing drinks, which means you can easily wait 20–25 minutes for a drink.
Of course, you can walk to the bar yourself, but the queues there are also extremely long, so either option involves a considerable wait.
Sun loungers
The situation with the sun loungers is another major problem.
Despite the hotel’s rules stating that guests are not supposed to reserve sun loungers, this is happening constantly. In reality, if you want to have any chance of getting a lounger, you seem to have to wake up at around 6am to reserve one.
It is incredibly frustrating to see rules that are supposedly in place simply not being enforced.
Damaged pool tiles
The condition of some of the swimming pool tiles is also unacceptable. There are damaged and sharp areas, and my children’s hands have been covered in bruises as a result.
This is particularly concerning from a safety perspective and is something that should be addressed immediately.
Taxi service
We also experienced a very strange situation when trying to book a taxi.
We called from our room to arrange a taxi and were told that we had to physically walk all the way to reception and speak to the concierge because apparently they are the only people who can arrange taxis.
I have never experienced this at a hotel claiming to be 5-star. If the concierge is the department responsible for taxi bookings, surely guests should simply be transferred to them by telephone rather than being made to walk to reception to arrange something that could easily be handled over the phone.
“Grab and Go” facilities
The so-called “Grab and Go” food areas are anything but grab and go.
You are left waiting for long periods, and there are frequently items unavailable or out of stock, meaning you have to wait even longer.
The whole concept is supposed to be about convenience and quick service, but unfortunately that has not been our experience.
Restaurant bookings and dining experience
Booking the restaurants has also been extremely difficult. Many of the restaurants appear to be fully booked, making it very difficult to secure reservations.
On top of that, four of the restaurants are effectively grouped together, so it does not really feel like you are experiencing four genuinely different restaurant experiences.
Once you do manage to get a booking, the queues and waiting times are still excessive. There is also a constant lack of menus, which makes the dining experience unnecessarily difficult.
Unfortunately, we also found the staff in these four restaurants to be consistently rude and unwelcoming.
Staff
Overall, I found the level of customer service throughout the hotel to be extremely disappointing. There were genuinely only a handful of staff members who stood out as being friendly, helpful and professional.
I would, however, like to specifically recognise the following staff members:
* Vasili – Greek Restaurant
* Stam – Guest Relations
* Yannis – Main Restaurant
* The pool bartender who serves drinks around the pool
* All of the bartenders at the bar by the main pools
These individuals were friendly and helpful and were among the very few staff members who made us feel genuinely welcome.
The incident with Elizabeth in the main restaurant
The worst experience we had by far was with Elizabeth in the main restaurant.
I have seen other guests leave very positive comments about her, and I can only say that my experience was completely different.
During our stay, I wore swimwear into the main restaurant. I now understand that this is against the hotel’s dress code, and I accept that there are rules that guests are expected to follow.
However, the way this was handled was completely unacceptable.
Rather than quietly approaching me, taking me aside or politely explaining the dress code, Elizabeth addressed me loudly in front of other guests and my entire family, telling me to go and change.
I was deeply embarrassed and, ultimately, was brought to tears in front of my family and the entire restaurant.
What makes the situation even more frustrating is that I have repeatedly seen other guests wearing swimwear in the main restaurant throughout our stay. This raises the question of why the rules appear to be enforced selectively.
I am not disputing the rule itself. My issue is the way I was treated and publicly embarrassed.
The incident was reported to management, yet nobody followed up with me afterwards to check how I was or even acknowledge what had happened. For a 5-star resort, I would have expected much better customer care, particularly after a guest has been reduced to tears in front of their family.
The biggest issue – inconsistency
What is particularly frustrating is that there seem to be plenty of rules for guests, yet many of those same rules are not consistently enforced by the hotel.
Sun loungers are not supposed to be reserved, yet guests reserve them every morning.
Guests are expected to follow dress codes, yet swimwear is regularly visible in the main restaurant.
The pools are supposed to be maintained and clean, yet they have repeatedly been dirty.
The hotel presents itself as a 5-star resort, yet we have experienced long queues, inadequate service, limited staff, damaged pool tiles, poor cleanliness and inconsistent customer service.
Overall
Sadly, this has not felt like the 5-star holiday we expected or paid for.
There have been some lovely members of staff who deserve recognition, but they have unfortunately been overshadowed by the poor organisation, lack of cleanliness, inadequate service, inconsistent enforcement of rules and, most importantly, the way we were treated on several occasions.
The hotel has potential, but there are significant improvements needed across customer service, cleanliness, organisation, pool safety, restaurant management and the overall guest experience.
For a resort marketed as 5-star, I expected considerably more, and unfortunately I would not currently recommend it based on our experience."
