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Zoe Elizabethx

This will be a long one, but I will address everything and will be a fully honest review!

Simply put… the people who are giving bad reviews simply didn’t look at what they were booking and they’re blaming the hotel for their lack of common sense by not looking at what they were booking.

People leaving negative reviews booked the wrong hotel as it doesn’t cater to what they want but they blame the hotel instead of taking responsibility for themselves and identifying that they didn’t look into it enough before booking. They simply saw the nice photos and decided to book without properly checking it’s right for them.

The hotel is NOT catered for children. I knew that just by looking at the photos!! If you decide to have a family holiday at this hotel and bring your children, then that’s your fault as it’s very obviously NOT A FAMILY HOTEL!!! I would not look at this hotel and think “oh that would be great for the kids”??! I am actually baffled that people saw this hotel and thought it’s appropriate for a family holiday with children?? There is a small children’s pool, but there’s no activities or entertainment. THIS IS NOT A FAULT OF THE HOTEL! If you are looking for a family holiday or a hotel where there is that type of entertainment, don’t book a spa hotel that is obviously more catered to adults!! Book the typical family hotel that is advertised to cater to children. Nowhere on the hotel website or on holiday websites is this hotel advertised to be suitable for children. There were some children at the hotel during our stay, so it is not strictly adults only… but I would say this hotel is definitely for adults who want a nice peaceful break.

That takes me to my second point… this is a spa hotel! It is meant to provide a relaxing break. There is entertainment on a couple nights in a week, but this hotel is somewhere you go where you want quality time with loved ones and want nice chilled nights. It was perfect for me and my partner. I am 29 and he is 37. We wanted a romantic break and this hotel was perfect for it!! We didn’t want loud entertainment most nights or loads of distractions. We loved spending the evenings having drinks from the bar and talking to each other. If you’re moaning about there being no entertainment and your evenings were boring, then that’s your problem that you can’t have a good time with the people you’re with… not the hotel’s problem.

The drinks… I do understand what people are saying about the cocktails etc as they are pre-made. But, they’re not alcohol free. They do have alcohol in them but just not as strong as the usual cocktail. It’s true there’s no spirits until the evening… but I do understand that as the idea of this hotel is to create a relaxing environment. If people are drunk around the pool during the day, it kind of goes against the point of the hotel. I was grateful that this rule was in place because it meant the days we spent at the hotel were truly blissful and so peaceful. If you want a boozy holiday, find a boozy hotel!! Not a relaxing spa hotel!! It’s not rocket science!! It’s basic common sense.

I have no idea why there were complaints about the food. It was lovely and myself and my partner often had 2-3 plates each time! My partner is a fussy eater and has high standard of food, but he was raving about the food. He read reviews before we went and he said he was worried about the food as he loves food and would hate it if he wasn’t able to enjoy the food while away. Every single time we ate, he kept saying “honestly don’t know why people complain about the food in the reviews, it’s well nice!”. Lot of reviews complain about spaghetti bolognaise, yes it is served most nights because you can’t go wrong with it!! It’s a basic dish and having something basic ensures that there’s something for everyone! Funny part is my boyfriend absolutely loved the spaghetti bolognaise and was disappointed one night when they didn’t put it out! But yes, we loved the food and often had multiple plates!!

The room was fine! Design was nice and light which I like. I hate going to hotels where the rooms look like the inside of a caravan from the 80s. Room wasn’t big but we got a basic room because we were only in the room to sleep and get ready. It fit its purpose. Only issue was our TV had only 1 channel on it.. we were going to speak to reception about it but we decided not to because we knew we would hardly be in the room so would create bother for no reason. We are confident that if we were to go to the reception they would have sorted it for us, no doubt about it. We just didn’t feel the need to as we wouldn’t be watching TV anyway.

The staff were helpful. People need to consider they work 7 days a week all day every day. The same staff were there at every minute of the day. They were there first thing in morning, there all day, then again at night. We spoke to lovely girl at the bar and asked her what her working week looks like and she said she’s there 7 days a week. She was absolutely lovely and always had a smile on her face. Staff in reception were a bit hit and miss. They were kind and helpful 100% of the time, but there were times we felt like we were bothering them but in total honesty if I was working in a hotel dealing with tourists all day every day 7 days a week, I’d feel a bit drained as well and at times it would take lot of effort to be the “best”. Even when we felt like we were bothering them, they were still smiling and helped us with whatever we needed.

The bus into Old Town was a bit stressful. You need to know when you want to go into old town and book it in advance. There were times we got a taxi because the bus was booked up for the time we wanted to go, even though we went to book the bus the day before. It does get booked up mostly in the morning and early afternoon. So if you do want to go in morning then you do have to book in advance, the earlier or the better. Taxi was €22 every single time so that was good as we could plan for the spends. The reception staff are able to book a taxi to anywhere you want to go which was great. I created an itinerary for the week and had so many places I wanted to go, but didn’t know how to get there. But I asked reception staff to book us a taxi to the place I wanted to go and they sorted it for us straight away with no issues.

The hotel is absolutely gorgeous! It’s a large place so lots of different pools and lots of sunbathing areas with beds. The hotel don’t allow reserving bed with towels, so I was really happy about this as it meant we could find a good bed every time we wanted one, no matter what time of day it was.

They have an adults only pool which was bliss as it had gorgeous views. I believe there are 2 adults only pools as we were informed the one outside the main restaurant is adults only, but we also found another adults only one which is down the hill next to the snack/pizza restaurant.

They had music playing every day by the pool when we were there! But it’s mainly by the pool near the snack/pizza restaurant.

In all honesty, people who have given this hotel a bad review simply didn’t look into the hotel prior to booking. I knew what I was getting when I booked it, which is why I was so happy with the experience. I was so anxious and worried because of all the bad reviews, but when I got there I realised that all my expectations were met because my expectations matched the hotel!!

If you want a family holiday where the kids are entertained… don’t book this hotel. It’s a spa hotel that’s meant to provide a relaxing and tranquil environment. Book a family hotel instead.

If you want to get pissed up and have entertainment to distract you from realising you can’t have a good time with the people you’re with, you have nothing to talk about or are bored in their company… then book a different hotel where there’s lots of entertainment and you can get pissed up during the day. Don’t blame the hotel because you didn’t book what you needed.

The people who have put negative reviews simply didn’t book appropriately to their needs/wants. It’s like going to a vegan restaurant and leaving negative review that they don’t do meat! It’s not the establishment’s fault and it’s not a reason to leave a negative review. It’s your fault for not looking into something properly before booking. It’s MEANT TO BE a relaxing hotel MAINLY FOR ADULTS! People are complaining about the hotel doing exactly what they should do in order to fulfil their goal/aim!

If I booked this hotel and I turned up and there were bunch of kids running round and loads of entertainment and lots of drunk people during the day. I’d be so angry because I booked a relaxing holiday at a relaxing hotel!!! So if this relaxing hotel isn’t what you want, don’t book it and don’t bash the hotel!

I do agree that the hotel isn’t disability friendly though!!! There is a short steep hill that you need to walk to get to reception and the restaurant, as well as lots of steps. So this is not the hotel for you if you have mobility issues. Myself and my boyfriend are young and mobile so didn’t have any issues, but I wouldn’t recommend my parents to go as they struggle with mobility. Which is a shame because the hotel is absolutely gorgeous and just simply stunning.

The location is the only downside as it’s quite out the way. But this was also a good thing as being up on the hill meant the hotel had gorgeous views and it adds to the peaceful vibe. There isn’t anywhere to walk apart from the long path to the beach. There is a bus that runs down the path, so you can get the beach bus and then know the route to then walk there on another day if you like. The hotel does have a shop that sells a lot of different stuff… snacks, drinks, alcohol, ice creams, gifts, souvenirs, bikinis, hats, swim shorts, snorkel sets, etc!! Also sells some painkillers and plasters and allergy stuff.

Yes, you do have to book the cleaning. But it’s SO easy to do and I prefer it that way because I got to choose when I wanted it cleaning. In previous stays in other hotels I’ve not liked it knowing the staff are going into your room every day and cleaning, so in past I’ve felt pressure to tidy up a bit every morning so the room could be cleaned. Whereas with this holiday I could book it whenever I wanted it done which was great.

The staff did go through the rules etc when we got there.. but it was very straightforward and they’re doing their job! You’re staying in THEIR hotel so you have to listen to the guidance when you get there, otherwise you won’t know where anything is or how to do anything. They tell you everything you need to know when you check in. So why people are complaining about that I have no idea. I guess people are just grumpy and miserable and love to complain. The lady explained everything to us and advised me to take a picture of it all so I can refer back to if needed, which I did.

People who have left negative reviews are those type of people who think that just because they’re hotel customers that they’re superior to everyone else and should be treated like royalty and have everything catered to them and them only.

Hope this review helps!

I’m just so sad because this hotel does not deserve the negative reviews it’s getting, especially when the people leaving the negative reviews had bad experience because of their OWN FAULT! Not the fault of the hotel! The hotel is everything it says it is and everything it is MEANT to be! I loved it and didn’t want to come home!

Overall.. If you want a romantic holiday or a hotel where you can enjoy quiet time, this is for you! The nights aren’t completely quiet, it does get busy around the bar with lots of people laughing etc. There were lots of drunk people at night so the hotel isn’t completely “boring”. This hotel is just catered for those who aren’t into all the cringey entertainment and instead want a lovely adults break!! If you are like me and want a beautiful hotel with stunning views, don’t want load of kids running round, don’t want all the embarrassing entertainment, and want an adults holiday…. You will love this hotel!

In my opinion it’s extremely hard to come across a hotel like this within budget. I often find the lower cost hotels are the stereotypical brochure hotels that are for families, full of water park slides and lots of entertainment etc. I’ve found it very hard to find a gorgeous hotel that’s catered to adults for such a good price. Lot of people see the 5* and expect the type of experience you get when you stay in the 5* luxury hotels that cost grands. This hotel is cheap, so of course it’s not going to be the same as the high end 5* hotels (again, lack of common sense in people). It’s perfect for if you want a luxury adults only kind of place but a more budget friendly version. (@tripadvisor)

Gloucestershire

We have just returned from a week at this wonderful hotel.
Let me just say up front, I loved this hotel and highly recommended it.
It is one of the most relaxing places I have ever stayed and I am an experienced traveller.

Like others we read the reviews and wondered what we were coming to. Yes, there are rules like “don’t drink too much”, “don’t make too much noise”, “be respectful to fellow holiday makers” etc etc, but do you know what, I totally agree with these rules. This is a wonderfully relaxing retreat not a party hotel.

If you like daily animation doing aerobics in the pool, hustle and bustle, loud music, entertainment every night etc., this is not the place for you.
However, If you want a wonderfully chilled, peaceful, relaxing holiday retreat with fabulous Greek food, kind and friendly staff, lovely clean, comfortable rooms, with stunning views and a slower pace of life, then you must try here.

The hotel is nestled in to the side of the mountain and a bit like a small village. There are rooms and suites in 2 story buildings dotted along a central walkway, with paths leading to each front door and there are steps and slopes throughout the hotel, this is something to be seriously considered if you have mobility problems, as you have to walk everywhere.

There are plenty of areas to relax and sunbathe; Several pools on different levels of the resort and one is adults only, which is great and the views of the mountains, olive groves and the bay are lovely.

We went at the end of the season, there was a restaurant near one of the pools open for daytime snacks, and the main restaurant, which was open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, had plenty of choice, meat, fish, pasta, salads, fruit, cheese, cold meats etc. It was primarily Greek food and it was lovely. If you haven’t experienced Greek food then yes it will be different from food you have had before, but try it, it’s really good.

There is a lobby bar in the main building and another bar towards the bottom of the resort.
I don’t drink shorts or cocktails and I wasn’t a fan of the red wine but the white wine and beer were both great and I particularly liked the “to go” plastic glass concept, which allowed me to enjoy a drink on my beautiful balcony.

The staff are friendly and helpful and a tiny amount of the Greek language, tried with a smile, goes a very long way but most the staff speak English.

There is no entertainment to speak of as such. We had a Cretan dance show on Monday and Friday in the square but if you are looking for daily “animation” and shows every evening, then look elsewhere as you will not get it here.

Do your research before you come here. This is a fabulous place, if it is what you want and expect but it not right for everyone, we, however loved it.

Thank you Rimondi Grand Resort and Spa, for a fabulous holiday. (@tripadvisor)