"We stayed for 6 nights from the 27th of May to the 2nd of June. We were two adults and one child. We probably feel a 4.5 rating is more accurate. Our feedback is as follows:
Junior suite with a private jacuzzi (room 3712) - it was a lovely open plan bedroom / living room. The super-king bed was amazing, just so comfortable and spacious. There was also a sofa-bed type situation which was good. Large screen flat TV. Very good size shower room. We would have liked to have had a small iron and ironing board in the room, but other than that it had everything we else needed.
Grounds - the grounds are just so, SO beautiful and probably was the highlight for us. Photos really don't do the place justice. The stone work, palm trees, flowers and greenery are just breathtaking. It's probably the most beautiful resort we've visited. It was lovely walking around the place in the day time and evenings.
Pools - there are several pools dotted around the grounds. We mostly stayed in the children's pool as we have a 5 year old, however we visited the main pool on a couple of occasions and was pleasantly surprised at just how peaceful the atmosphere is in and around the pools. Our son had a great time at the children's pool, it was very nice.
Cleanliness - our cleaning lady, Lana, was very kind and a true professional. She replenished water and towels on a daily basis and was more than happy to see to anything that needed cleaning/changing. Thank you very much, Lana. The cleanliness in the resort generally was excellent.
Staff - all the staff is very friendly, which you don't always get so that was nice. All the staff are very hard working and do everything with a smile. They really are a credit to the resort.
Location - there is a large supermarket just across the road which has pretty much anything you could possibly want. Surprisingly, the prices are very reasonable and comparable to the UK's which was refreshing. We didn't visit the beach so cannot comment on that.
Transfer - we waited approx. 30 mins sitting in the coach waiting for the other travelers to join. Utopia Blu was the last stop so what should have been a 20 min coach journey to the hotel took double that time. This may not bother some people but it was a bit of an inconvenience to us as we had a young child who was tired from travelling for 10 hours. TUI states the transfer is 35 mins but, as mentioned above, it took over an hour for us. We therefore booked a taxi to the airport for 33 euros and the journey back took approx. 20 mins.
Food - the food was generally very good albeit a little repetitive. There are sufficient options, however other resorts we have been to in Greece and Turkey had a wider variation and selection of foods. We also did notice that seasoning was a little hit and miss at times. For example, although the pizza was tasty, it was overly salty; some of the fish, on the other hand, appeared to have very little / no salt so was almost tasteless. Also, it was disappointing that the kid friendly options were generally quite hard and dry to the point of being almost inedible at times (e.g. chicken nuggets and fish fingers). Some of the egg options were not great. The eggy toast was quite dry and flavorless. On the other hand, the crepes and ice cream by the children's pool were a really nice touch however as there was just one person serving and lines to contend with, waiting times could sometimes be a touch long.
Drinks - drinks service was a little hit and miss. It's a little disappointing that there wasn't a self-service option. Orders were largely taken by the waiting staff at the table, but on some occasions drinks were served when our meal was almost finished.
Coffees - my partner and I are big coffee lovers and were disappointed that any 'nice' coffees had to be purchased despite paying for an 'all inclusive' experience. We would have forgiven this had they have been of good quality, but unfortunately they really were very basic and mediocre. 4 euros for a small cappuccino that really didn't taste very good was disappointing. We tried frappes on a couple of occasions. These were slightly better, however the frappes we make at home exceeded them also. This might not bother some people but was a significant detraction for us, being coffee lovers.
Overall, we did have a really lovely experience. The place is absolutely beautiful, the staff is helpful and friendly, and all the facilities are there. If the coffee situation (and food to a certain extent) could be improved upon, we would gladly revisit. We do highly recommend this resort to others."
