After a 10 night stay at this hotel I feel like it was an average stay with some positives and some negatives which I will list below.
Cons:
• Cleaning/cleaner coming in to the room.
We felt that the quality of the cleaning was not the best, as we found that the floor had an accumulation of dirt and sand on which remained for a few days as well as the bed sheets not being changed regularly. On one morning, the doorbell rang and almost instantly afterwards the door was being slid open and the curtains were in the process of being pulled back - I had to stop the cleaner from coming into the room due to not being suitably dressed! This concerned me as there was not even enough time for me to get up and dressed before answering the door and I had considered if this might have been their thought process... unprofessional in my opinion.
• Beds and duvet
In our double room, the beds are two singles pushed together with individual sheets on. In addition to this, instead of one king sized duvet for both sleepers, you get two single duvets. This can be a pro or a con depending on how you look at it, but I frequently found it frustrating.
• Drinks
The soft drinks like the coca cola, fizzy orange and fizzy lemon along with some others I can't recall have this distinct almost chemical taste and smell to them which makes them a challenge to drink to the point where I didn't even bother with them unless they had alcohol in!
• Food & A La Carte
I don't wish to be too critical of the food as the cooking staff looked like they enjoyed their work and were eager to see people's reactions when eating it. However, the quality of a lot of it was not good - it was hit and miss whether your concoction of Greek, Italian and German food would be nice or not.
The A La Carte... we were booked into this by the Maitre D in the evening after the BBQ night and the general feeling from our group was that the food was the leftovers from the night before as a lot of it we had seen there and it did not taste fresh. There are 5 courses to the menu - the soup was the best course and i reccomend the pumpkin soup. For starters I had the greek pasta which to be fair was nice, however my partner had prosciutto and gorgonzola tortillas which had a pinch of some sort of pepper on the outside which sent her lips and tongue numb - a curious choice of seasoning I think for a ham and cheese wrap. The third course was a choice of salad, which was disappointing. It sounded good on the menu, but failed to deliver as this too tasted like it had been left out overnight and/or reused. For main I had the veal stifado which for the first two cuts of meat I really enjoyed, however as it went on I found myself unable to continue eating it due to chewing one piece of meat for at least 5 minutes. My partner had the salmon on a bed of mixed greens - the report is that the salmon was fine, but the greens were overloaded with way too much salt to the point where they couldn't be eaten. For the final course, dessert, it was average.
As a foodie, I was disappointed. But my respect goes to the chefs for turning out that amount of food 3 times a day every day in addition to the A La Carte and BBQ.
• Flies in room
Everyday without fail we had flies in the room which must have been coming in through the bathroom somehow. There is a small window at the shower with a mesh panel over it, but still, we had flies in. We didn't leave the main door open either as it cuts off the electrics.
• Sunbeds/Loungers
If you have been for your breakfast and fancy catching some rays, make sure you get a lounger on the perimeter of the pool as the ones on the grass are sopping wet after the cleaners have blasted the area around the pool with a hosepipe. The ones one the grass are smothered by palm trees and you will lose the sun around 1pm. If you're pool side, you should be OK and experience none of the above issues, but as it goes on holiday, people reserve beds.
• No pool towel
Make sure you bring your own pool/beach towel as you won't find one in the cupboard.
• Some staff are not friendly
Aside from the Maitre D, bar staff and one female waitresses, the staff look and speak to you with disdain.
• One room key
This just causes issues with logistics sometimes if you are staying with a partner or family.
• €2 for game of pool
I thought this was a bit cheeky at an all inclusive hotel to be honest. There is nothing to do aside from be in the pool, but when we found the 2 pool tables we thought we could branch out, however it costs €2 per game. There's a bar down the road which has a free one!
• Bathroom overflowing
Be careful with the shower as it overflows and covers the entire floor of the bathroom in water. The glass shower panel isn't long enough and there isn't a dedicated shower tray, it's practically all level.
• German only TV aside from CNN and Sky News
Typical usually of European holidays, however if nothing is said, nothing will change. When I saw the channels on the TV I thought they're the same as any other hotel, but then I saw Eurosport and other channels we see here in the UK - when I clicked on them, much to my disappointment they were in German with no way to change it. I have never felt so clued up on what's going on in the world.
• Cats around the outdoor eating area and A La Carte
A handful of cats mooch about the hotel. They're pleasant enough, but shouldn't be anywhere near food, whether it's being served or eaten. They hounded guests at the buffet seating area and at the A La Carte they were comfortable enough to jump up on the seats! To be fair, the Maitre D and another waiter was quick with the spray bottle - but still not ideal.
Pros:
• Room decor
The rooms are nicely decorated with bright colours which fit into the holiday feeling. There is a nice chair in the corner of the room with colourful printed pillows and throws.
• Jets in shower
The shower jets were great, similar to those in a jacuzzi. Having said this, the bathroom floor will be full of water after it's use.
• Air con
No issues with this, it was great and easy to use with a remote.
• Fridge
Always a benefit when on a hot holiday. No issues.
• Easy access to Malia and Stalis
When you leave the hotel and go onto the main road, you can go left to Stalis or right to Malia and both are a short walk away which is great.
• Nearby beaches are nice
Despite being named a beach hotel - it doesn't have its own beach, but that's not too bad as there are plenty to choose from nearby.
• Variety of food is good
I spoke a lot about the food in the Cons section, however I can't knock the variety of food. There is plenty and I was keen to try as much as possible and I think I wasnt able to try a handful of dishes put out. I try to eat locally when I am on holiday, and on some days I was able to do this with what was put out by the chefs.
• BBQ night best food of the holiday
It cost €20 per person to enroll yourself in the BBQ night and its worth it. The best food from the hotel all holiday was eaten at this event. There was lobster, prawns, salads, plenty of barbecued meats followed by some great entertainment in the form of a Greek singer and a gentleman playing a traditional Greek instrument which was brilliant.
• Friendly bar staff
The bar staff were faultless - aside from one chap who seemed to be learning the ropes. He had an attitude on him and acted completely differently from the others.
• Alcoholic drinks
No half measures - you won't be asking for them to put more spirits in with the mixers. Sometimes in all inclusive hotels, they can cheap out with the measurements, however the staff are keen to give you plenty of alcohol and it was welcomed.
In conclusion:
A nice hotel and a convenient location. Some staff are polite, some not. The fizzy drinks are awful, the alcoholic ones are good. The food is hit and miss, the A La Carte is one to avoid but the BBQ night is one to definitely do. Nothing else to do apart from swim at the hotel. The rooms could be cleaned better, but the decor is nice.
Don't feed the cats.
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