“Great food, great staff, not really all inclusive, geared towards Italian guests”

When we arrived we were stunned by the facility. Our room was a premium room next to the reception and had recently been modernized, and you noticed the attention to detail. The food at this hotel is above any standard I have seen. Real Italian and Calabrian food, freshly made at high standards... more

When we arrived we were stunned by the facility. Our room was a premium room next to the reception and had recently been modernized, and you noticed the attention to detail. The food at this hotel is above any standard I have seen. Real Italian and Calabrian food, freshly made at high standards. We had steaks regularly, swordfish, lobster, Gamba's, etc. Every night and lunch there is a different theme that you notice. Breakfast was basic, but tasty. Restaurant staff was amazingly helpful during our stay. One interesting thing was that you are assigned a table for your entire stay that you share with other families, which is great to get to know other guests. However do note that we were the only non-Italian guests during our stay, but we made friends for life and the hotel made sure the other guests at our table spoke English. The restaurant serves wine and water as part of its all inclusive package. No other drinks are available in the restaurant. The beach is great. A surprise to us is again, that you are assigned beds and parasols for your entire stay. So it's not a daily hassle to get a bed etc. It's yours and nobody else will use it. You pay a little extra to be on the front row though.... The bar at the beach is all inclusive for basic things. Beer is often warm or ran out, ice cream and other things are paid. The pool is great and elaborate. Keep in mind that the all inclusive bar stops at 8pm, after that you will have to pay. The pizza restaurant next to the pool is only open at night and is paid (but affordable and great). Bar staff is amazing, make sure you tip them! During our stay it was run by a father and his two daughters. The slides only work between 4pm and 7pm, keep that in mind as well. Oh and you have to wear a weird cap in the pool, unless you are bald. The animation is in Italian, which needs some time to getting used to. However the production value is pretty darn good. I loved their italian version of Mama Mia, and our kid loved the Disney themed night. They are all professional actors and musicians. While we don't speak Italian, one of their English speaking team members, Frederico took extra time taking care of us, and taught my daughter the fantastic hotel dance. What a great guy! Animation worked their butts off, often until 3-4am!!! And this is where the review gets a nuance.... It turns out that Italian kids, even at age 4 stay up until deep in the night. The animation team even has a children activity daily at 11pm. Hence they are always tired the next day, and emotions can run a bit high. Although it is custom to wake up late and for kids to have an afternoon nap. At night our room was incredibly noisy during the open air club next to the pool. (also drinks not included) Often we couldn't sleep until 3am and complaining didn't help. The lobby par is paid all day long. No all inclusive package there either. But the espresso and liquors are great. About the area the resort is in... There is nothing in the area. Taxi's don't come there and shuttles are expensive. 5km costs you 40 euro. You need a rental car, luckily one of the guests offered to drop us off in Botricello, where we could take a train and get a little bit of adventure in. Also when the wind changes staying at the pool can be smelly, a neighbor of the hotel has his trash pile right next to the pizza restaurant and pool. Blocked off by a wall.. We only experienced this 1 day of our stay though. To be honest due to the food and staff it was value for money but a little falsely advertised on the all inclusive part. You will need a top up card for all your expenses outside the all inc package. It seemed to me that non-italians get some great deals at this hotel, as we encountered a guest who paid 4k euro for a week with his family, in a small room and we got a much larger room 12 days for half the price. Hope this extended review helps you make an honest choice!

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“Good value for money.”

+ The swimming pools and aqualand are excellent facilities, especially for children. The food is very good with lots of choice and variety. The rooms are not very spacious but great value for money. Excellent cleanliness of rooms. The sea and the cleanliness of the sea are most paced. - Poor En... more

+ The swimming pools and aqualand are excellent facilities, especially for children. The food is very good with lots of choice and variety. The rooms are not very spacious but great value for money. Excellent cleanliness of rooms. The sea and the cleanliness of the sea are most paced. - Poor English speaking staff but very friendly. The surrounding area around resort is unattractive.

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“good but not *4 (as promised)”

Hotel is great if you're going to travel with a big family and kids, it's quite isolated from any town and you won't have a big choice of what to do if you're not sunbathing. Staff at the hotel is all nice and helpful; very nice animation but you probably won't enjoy it at fullest if you don't s... more

Hotel is great if you're going to travel with a big family and kids, it's quite isolated from any town and you won't have a big choice of what to do if you're not sunbathing. Staff at the hotel is all nice and helpful; very nice animation but you probably won't enjoy it at fullest if you don't speak Italian. Do not expect much from the food as well - sometimes you get the feeling that you're eating leftovers from yesterday's dinner. Also, be aware that your AC system in the room won't be controlled by you - it's pre-setted and works only for a limited time then turns-off. AND (!!!) lots and lots and lots of babies everywhere, that's why this hotel looks more like a family camping place, not a *4 hotel as your travel agency assures you :) P.S.: Try to get the room away from the central building - karaoke parties last till 1-2am there and you won't have a chance to sleep well during the night, another downside of this hotel.

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