Just back from Filitheyo after a wonderful week for our honeymoon in January. It was magical holiday set in a beautiful location and we have so many amazing memories from our stay. If you are used to the formality of 5-star resorts and that little extra level of service, this probably isn’t the place for you. But, the informal and friendly ambience of the resort means that it isn’t stuffy and is just peaceful and relaxing which is what you going for. The house reef is a real plus. Value for money, it could be better but for a one-off....
ARRIVAL / DEPARTURE: we were slightly worried by other reviewers comments, who highlighted long transfer times and a less than personal service. Upon arrival at ‘Filitheyo International Airport’ we were greeted by a resort representative and transferred to the island. We were then given a cool towel and fruit juice, an introduction to the resort and our keys – very quick no fuss. Departure seemed equally smooth. We were given full instructions the day before departure and all seemed very well organised and smoothly run.
ROOMS: we stayed in one of the Deluxe Bungalows on the north side of the island. The room was very comfortable and quipped with just about everything we needed including kettle and hair dryer. The outside shower was a real treat complete with chirping from the host lizards! The electricity supply is UK-style 3 pin 240V supply, but adapters were available in the room and from reception. The room was serviced twice a day to a good standard by our friendly room attendant.
The Water Villas looked very nice, but seemed a bit out on a limb being on the opposite side of the island to the Main Restaurant. Also, bungalows with room numbers over 101 on the eastern side of the island appeared a little run-down and more noisy being close to the staff quarters. Mosquitos were unfortunately a bit of an issue even during the dry season. The resort was regularly fumigated during our stay, and our Room Attendant recommended that we kept all outside doors shut – worth taking an insect repellent for those romantic evening strolls!
FOOD: we opted for the full board option with all food from the main restaurant included but no drinks. Whilst not 5-star dining, the food was excellent offering a range of tasty international dishes which would keep even the fussiest happy. The restaurant offered a self-service buffet with several dishes cooked to order – at times there was a bit of wait for this, but at least you know the food is fresh! During the course of our week, we spent about $180 on drinks – mainly soft drinks, water and the odd smoothie. This worked out cheaper than if we had been on the All Inclusive option which had some notable restrictions (e.g. wind and spirits not included; time restrictions). We didn’t eat at the á la carte Sunset Bar / Restaurant but as others have commented, the resort have missed a bit of trick by not discounting those on Full Board and All Inclusive options – as such, it was never very busy. Drinks at the Main Bar weren’t cheap but did seem reasonable.
ACTIVITIES: there were lots of activities to do ranging from fishing, snorkelling and scuba-diving trips to hiring kayaks and sailing boats. We were content with snorkelling around the excellent house reef. We brought our own masks and snorkels and hired fins for about $40 each which represented good value for money. Snorkelling was excellent with good access for beginners via exits 6 and 7. However, the current at times was quite strong. The staff at the dive centre were very friendly and happy to pass on tips and advice.
FACILITIES: the resort also has an on-site doctor, library, gym and board games to use. Two gift shops are also present which possess a rather limited and expensive stock including toiletries and batteries.
SERVICE: on the whole we were very impressed with quality and non-intrusive nature of service provided by the resort. In particular, our Room Attendant and Waiter were very helpful and friendly and took real pride in their job and the service they were offering. Some of the little personal touches – you’ll have to wait and find these out for yourself, really added so much to the holiday. On the negative side the issue of ‘tipping’ is a little awkward. This appears to be expected (on top of a standard service tax applied to everything), and whilst we were more happy to do this for our Room Attendant and Waiter who were both superb throughout our week, we were reluctant to offer a tip to the porters. During both ‘arrival’ and ‘departure’ we found the porters to be somewhat heavy-handed and unwilling to engage in any form of conversation, we thus felt unwilling to give a tip for someone who was simply doing their job to which we were given strong glares which made us both feel very uncomfortable.
TIPS: (1) whilst most watch sunset from the aptly named Sunset Bar, we found the view and general ambience at the Main Bar even better; (2) good night fish watching from the main landing stage which has down-lighting; (3) definitely worth taking all the toiletries you think you’ll need with you – very expensive from the gift shop; (4) the smoothies are excellent; (5) we found the Full Board option the best value for money even though we bought our own drinks; (6) the UV can be really intense even when it is cloudy so worth taking plenty of sun cream with you.
- Filitheyo Island Hotel
- Filitheyo
- Hotel Filitheyo Island
