"I have never written a hotel review before, but after our experience here, I felt I had to. If you are expecting a genuine 5-star hotel with 5-star service, this is not the place for you.
From the moment we arrived, the service was disappointing. We were simply dropped off at the entrance with four large suitcases and no one came to welcome us or explain where we needed to go. The entrance was also difficult to navigate with luggage because of the cobbled path.
Eventually, we found the correct place to check in, but once again, nobody helped us with our luggage or accompanied us to our room.
We had specifically paid extra for a room with a jacuzzi, but when we arrived, it wasn't working. We tried calling reception, only to discover that the telephone in our room didn't work either. We therefore had to walk to reception ourselves to report the problem. We were told it would be sorted.
The first night, the air conditioning also wasn't working. We reported this to reception that evening and were told it had been fixed, along with the jacuzzi. Unfortunately, the air conditioning still wasn't working. The following morning, we reported it again. After breakfast, we spoke to the engineer, who said he needed to fix it, but it was never properly resolved. As a result, we had to use a fan for the entire holiday. Thankfully, the jacuzzi was eventually repaired.
The breakfast experience was another major disappointment. Every morning, two pigeons were flying around above the food, and staff did nothing to stop them. On one occasion, there was pigeon droppings on the floor, which was left there without any member of staff cleaning it. I reported this and was actually asked, "What do you expect us to do?"
I suggested putting a net over the area, training staff to prevent the pigeons entering, or even using deterrents. Instead, the pigeons were allowed to continue flying around and, on occasions, eating from guests' plates. This was extremely unhygienic.
The breakfast itself was also very disappointing. The selection was poor and, in our opinion, the quality of the food was terrible. We eventually stopped eating at the hotel.
My son wanted to take part in archery, but we were told the area wasn't open because something needed repairing. When I asked when it would be fixed, I was told it had already been like that for a month and the hotel had still done nothing about it.
I eventually spoke to the director, Bentley, who acknowledged that the service wasn't great. I asked whether she believed this was a 5-star hotel, and she said no. However, afterwards, I was told that she had never said this.
We also ordered a birthday cake for our daughter. It arrived on time, but it had no proper casing or protection and had melted by the time it reached us. We sent it back and another cake was brought up, with staff claiming it had been remade. I showed them a photograph proving that it was actually the same cake. Communication was also extremely difficult because we had to use Google Translate to communicate with some members of staff as they couldn't speak English.
On another occasion, dirty cutlery from the room below us was left at the bottom of our steps for three days. It eventually became covered in ants and wasps, yet nobody removed it.
Our room also had an ant problem. There were two ant nests which were never properly dealt with. One evening, we returned to find the dressing table covered in ants. Again, the room telephone wasn't working, so I had to walk to reception at around 8pm to report it. I was told it would be dealt with immediately.
At around 11:35pm, two cleaners came into our room wanting to clean up the ants while my family was sleeping. Naturally, I refused and asked them to leave until the morning. The following morning, reception told me that the ants had been dealt with. They hadn't, and when I explained this, the receptionist simply smiled.
There were also several safety concerns around the pool. An umbrella had snapped off and was left there for the entire time we were staying, with sharp spikes protruding from the floor. A tree had also fallen during the storms and had splintered into the middle of the pool. This appeared dangerous, yet nothing was done about it despite us reporting it. We felt our concerns were simply ignored.
Finally, our room itself raised questions about the standard of cleaning. We found children's toys behind the curtain, suggesting the room had not been properly cleaned before our arrival. We also ran out of shower gel and it was never replaced.
Overall, this was an extremely disappointing experience. For a hotel claiming to offer a 5-star experience, the level of service, cleanliness, maintenance, food quality, communication and attention to guest safety fell well below what we expected.
There were problems from the moment we arrived until the moment we left, and many of them were reported but simply not dealt with.
Based on our experience, I would strongly recommend staying elsewhere if you are looking for a genuine 5-star hotel and service."
