"We have recently returned from a two-week stay at Insotel Fenicia and, unfortunately, we were extremely disappointed with our experience.
The hotel is marketed as a five-star property, and whilst the large pool is lovely, there are numerous things that fall well short of what we would expect from a five-star hotel. This isn’t simply about the price we paid. I appreciate that some guests will have paid considerably less than we did, but even at a lower price, many of these things are basic standards that you shouldn’t have to compromise on in a five-star hotel.
Poor service from reception and management
The biggest disappointment was the attitude and level of service from reception and management.
We approached reception and the managers with genuine concerns during our stay and found them to be cold, rude, dismissive and completely unwelcoming. There seemed to be very little interest in actually helping or understanding our concerns.
This was our holiday. We had saved for it, taken time off work and looked forward to it for months. Unfortunately, we were left with the distinct impression that this simply wasn’t of any interest to the management team.
We also emailed management on 16th August regarding the issues we had experienced. We have now returned home and still haven’t received a reply.
I find that incredibly poor customer service. Even if the hotel didn’t agree with our concerns, the very least you would expect from management is the courtesy of acknowledging the email and responding.
Concerns for families with young children
We travelled with young children, including two-year-old twins, and raised concerns about the suitability of the rooms for small children.
The patio doors can easily be opened by toddlers simply by turning the handle down, and the main room door can also be opened from inside by turning the handle.
With very young children, this means you are constantly having to check where they are and whether they have opened a door. We raised this with management, but again felt there was very little empathy or understanding.
For a hotel that presents itself as family friendly, I think this is something other parents should be aware of.
Housekeeping and basic standards
The rooms are cleaned daily, but not to a particularly high standard.
Bedding isn’t changed daily and towels aren’t consistently replaced daily either, often only being changed every couple of days.
There were also no hand towels in the pool toilet.
We experienced a power cut on our first morning, and the air conditioning wasn’t working properly when we initially arrived.
There was also no welcome drink on arrival.
Individually, these might sound like small things. But collectively they contribute to the feeling that the hotel simply isn’t operating at the standard you would expect from a five-star property.
I’ve stayed at other five-star resorts on a bed-and-breakfast basis where staff come around the pool during the day offering complimentary branded ice creams and other thoughtful touches.
There was nothing like that here.
Even the toiletries were disappointing. At other five-star hotels, you would expect good-quality shampoo, conditioner and luxury toiletries. Here, they were unbranded and supplied in basic plastic bottles.
These are the little details that make a hotel feel genuinely five-star — and they were noticeably absent.
Excessive prices
The prices within the hotel were also extremely high.
We asked how much it would cost to upgrade to breakfast and were quoted €750 for two adults and one child.
Four orange juices around the pool cost €40, and one small scoop of ice cream was €12.
We appreciate that Ibiza is expensive and that luxury hotels charge premium prices. However, the experience needs to reflect those prices, and unfortunately we didn’t feel that it did.
Very little Ibiza character
The hotel itself is, unfortunately, quite mediocre and lacking in personality.
The large pool is lovely, but that’s really the standout feature.
You’re in Ibiza, one of the most distinctive islands in the world, yet there is almost nothing about the hotel that makes you feel like you’re actually in Ibiza.
There is very little bohemian style, very little reference to the island’s character or culture and very little atmosphere.
Music is such an important part of Ibiza’s identity, so even around the pool bar we expected some chilled Ibiza-style music and atmosphere. Instead, generic relaxed music is played. You could honestly be almost anywhere in the world.
It’s a huge missed opportunity.
Overall
Our issue isn’t simply that the hotel is expensive.
It’s that the experience doesn’t feel five-star, regardless of what you pay.
At a five-star hotel, we expect friendly and welcoming staff, management who genuinely care when guests raise concerns, attention to detail, good housekeeping and thoughtful touches that make your stay feel special.
Instead, we experienced a fairly average hotel with a lovely pool, very high prices, basic standards in several areas and a reception/management team that left us feeling completely underwhelmed.
The fact that we contacted management on 16th August and have now returned home without receiving any response whatsoever sums up our experience particularly well.
This was supposed to be a special family holiday. Sadly, Insotel Fenicia did very little to make it feel special.
Not what we expected from a five-star hotel"
