I'm on holiday, it's not going well, aibu?

[Doodledum]

As a very special treat we are in a 5* hotel on a Greek Island for a week. We booked it as it had a lovely website detailing lots of kids facilities and activities and a long list of restaurants and a huge spa so we could just chill out here.

It turns out none of this stuff is here, it's all at the sister hotel which we can be transferred to by car, about 5 mins drive. You could walk but there's no pavement & it's a bit far for our little kids. I asked about car seats for the kids but the hotel & club staff said that a car seat is a special request so they would need advance notice to sort it out. They also said with much condescension that generally guests are happy to sit their kids on their knee in the car & not make a fuss.

Worse for us, our kids are under 5 so to use any of the facilities we must pay extra for 'crèche' sessions and must hand them over to the staff there. We aren't allowed to use the facilities with our kids, like the playground, trampoline etc as parents aren't allowed to stay there.

The spa & most of the other restaurants are at the sister hotel too. As the sister hotel is not open for the season we obviously can't use the restaurants that were advertised on our hotel website! The spa is open though & they can drive us there.

I'm a bit hacked off & complained that the website was v misleading. They agreed but said 'it's just words it means nothing' and said there is nothing they can do. I asked for the manager but he won't speak to us & says send an email.

The website also advertised gift bags, little slippers & robes, early dinners, & other wonderful things for the kids which don't appear to exist.

They reckon I'm unreasonable not to be happy to send my kids to a club in a different hotel and leave them there. They also don't see it's reasonable that I might want to use the playgrounds etc with my kids as advertised on their website.

So Aibu? What would you do?

Sounds awful

I have to say at first I thought you were some numpty incapable of reading a website but I've been through it and there's absolutely nothing to suggest the set up is as you describe. I did you a disservice and you have been treated poorly.

I hope you are able to sort something out.

I looked at the link. I then read your last post about the sister hotel not being open so the facillities not being available......they are completely out of order! What a con! I really hope you get some compensation and that you find some fun things to do in the mean time.

This is rubbish OP.

If you decide to look for your money back, there is a cross border agency that deals with consumer issues in other countries called the European Consumer Centre (I think). They assisted me before when I had problems with a hotel in Italy and I got a refund through them (hotel refused to refund me directly).

www.ukecc.net

Yanbu, that's awful OP. I'd see if you can reason with the manager, perhaps they may offer you some free meals or something to compensate.

I knew you'd be in Crete.

You also need to get print offs of the website as evidence. They might change it otherwise before you get a chance to complain.

Could you repost this in legal or in travel. You might get more helpful advice there.
I hope you manage to get a full refund and compensation. Good luck.

Some interesting info here and a contact number

Here is their Twitter

here is their facebook

These may help you OP. I too have booked an independent trip to Greece next month for my mother and I after a year of grief and shit and if it's not as described I'm going to be KICKING ASS.

the website is misleading. I looked the hotel up on Tripadvisor - the most recent review lists exactly the same things you mentioned about the facilities being on a different site and restaurants closed. So unless you wrote that review, it's not just you who's been mislead and disappointed. I agree with advice to put complaints in writing now and take photos if appropriate.

Those who advise to just ignore the holiday and complain when you get home are wrong, you must give hem a chance to fix it. Document everything and complain like hell and to press when you get home. Troubleshooter columns in newspapers etc. you'll probably get most of your money back.

Is the sister hotel the Porto Eloundra?

www.portoelounda.com/en/family-hotels-childrens-world

Oh look at the similar website.

The only slight hint is on the Kids Ark page... and only because I was specifically looking for it. Otherwise I wouldn't have noticed thw different name mentioned.

This might require some correspondence with Eliana Kokotos, woman of the year!

Slowcomputer is right. You have to ask what their complaints procedure is while you are there and give them a chance to rectify it. Get evidence of your complaint while you are there otherwise the ABTA etc can do nothing to help.

www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/action/how-to-claim-if-your-holiday-accommodation-was-not-as-promised

From the which website (in case you can't see it)

Making a claim while on holiday
To make a claim about your accommodation on holiday, take the following steps:
Ask for an official complaint form and get it signed by the hotel staff or tour rep
Take photos or video footage of any problems so you have evidence
Note the dates and write a general account of events
Ask fellow travellers if they would act as witnesses to back up your complaint
Keep all receipts of extra expenses you have to pay, such as changing hotel
If you receive an offer of compensation, check whether it's made on condition that it's a 'full and final settlement'.
If so, consider carefully whether it compensates you in full for the problems you've had.
If it doesn't, make it clear that you are reserving the right to claim for more compensation when you return home.

If nothing else going around and taking photos and evidence will make it clear that you're serious about your complaint and may encourage them to try to resolve your issues.

The which website also has a template letter for you to phrase your complaint.

www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/action/letter-to-complain-about-misleading-brochure-descriptions

Good Luck.

Lots of good advice here. Just to say though, please do complain to whoever you can, in writing, whilst there.

Unfortunately of you wait until you get home it is generally considered too late, this is just a rule of thumb in the travel industry. Make sure you complain while there, including following the hotels own complaints procedure, and then use that as evidence to speak to your travel agent in the uk.

Is the hotel ABTA or ATOL protected? Those are your equivalent of trading standards, they are the two bodies that protect British holidaymakers abroad, most holidays are protected by them as standard. Should say on the hotel website

Not much help but the aquarium is nice and not too expensive, I'm sure the kids will enjoy it.

Thank you so much everyone, you have been really kind, especially with the links and info Il get onto looking at them and see what we can do. Ha! Yes to me being a numpty!!! I've checked that website a hundred times now to see where I've gone wrong- I couldn't believe it either!

Today I saw the reception staff and I found it hugely frustrating. They looked at the website and said that yes it's not clear at all but didn't seem to care. My upset came when they started laughing at me saying 'what do you want us to do? Move it all here just for you?'

I said I felt I had paid for something that the website had misled me into buying. They said they couldn't do anything and the manager would be in contact. Which of course, he hasn't, he got the reception to call us to say hel only deal with complaints in writing.

So that's where I'm at. I especially hate that I'd totally hyped the kids up for this holiday. I'd promised all sorts and showed the website with all the fun stuff, so I'm going to have to work it out. I have to go to bed after a bit of research, but hopefully il get somewhere with it tomorrow. I will let you know!

Good luck. The website is very misleading.

False advertising. Bastards. What a joke. Sorry you're going through this, you've had some good advice upthread, do not let this go. But do try your best to make the best of a bad situation.

shame them on trip advisor right now.
do a formal mail to the hotel manager and relais & chateaux and copy and paste on trip advisor

I completely feel for you. I would say though I visited this resort last summer, but the Golf and Spa resort with all of the childrens amenities. The Ark, playground, waterpark and football club are still at least a 5 minute walk away from the hotel they are sited on. You have to walk via the golfing section or take a buggy, so you still aren't that close to your children. Mine were very well looked after. The waterpark had 2 lifeguards in the water at the end of the slides (you can see this from the road). Also, the childrens facilities are next to the private beach which belongs to the hotel. Could you not spend the day there as the weather is good ? If I remember correctly, the kids club is only open until lunch time. Oh yes, the doors to the creche were always locked too. Have you paid it a visit ? It may put your mind to rest. We also travelled to your hotel and the other sister one for the restaurants and sat our then 9 month old in my lap! It really is only a 3 minute car journey at most on a quiet road. Hope it works out.

Oh no, how upsetting for you :(

And the staff laughing at you?! I'd have burst into tears at that I'm afraid. The hotel missells it's facilities then tries to make you feel ridiculous when you complain. That's rubbish customer service. But unfortuneately I think you'll make yourself more upset by trying to pursue it too much. Although you need a paper/ email trail so that it's clear you've complained so you can take it up once home.

Can you email the manager now?