Booked holiday- now reviews have gone downhill

[EmmyLemmyHemmy]

Let me begin by saying i know how fortunate we are to be in this position!!

Booked a much needed holiday after a terrible year with bereavements, illness and jobs being unstable. Things are finally looking up, we are more financially stable, and decided on a real treat for us and the kids. Spent a small fortune on an all inclusive at a luxury resort with 5* reviews, but thought after the year from hell everyone needs it.

Excitedly counting down.

Visited trip advisor yesterday, and the reviews have gone downhill this season. Since opening people are saying terrible service, too few staff, food gone downhill etc.

I feel so sad. This was meant to be the holiday of a lifetime, we have all been so excited, and now it runs the risk of being a flop!!

Suppose there's still 6 weeks for the resort/hotel to 'pick up' but realistically thats unlikely to happen, isn't it?

What can I do to try and make this better? Things to take with us, plans to make?

Booked with Jet 2 if that makes any difference.......

Ask on FB "Jet2 holidays discussion group" if anyone has got any comments.

Is it a Mitsis hotel OP?

You will get queues at the outside bar be prepared for this plan ahead if you want to go into the fancier reasturant you might not get it that night. I know you are feeling a bit disappointed but are all the reviews bad ?

We’ve just come back from an AI with mixed reviews.
Genuinely there wasn’t enough sun beds, so we just got there early and reserved them. No biggy. No service at the sunbeds. We took our own cups (big Stanley type ones) and had them filled at the bar so the drinks lasted longer and stayed cool.
There was queues for the buffet and ice creams etc but you just waited. It wasn’t awful and didn’t spoil our trip. It did mean that I didn’t do what i usually do on holiday and come back 2 stone heavier though which was a winner and there was no queue for the salad bar so I ate a lot of salad.
Make sure you book the a la carte on arrival so you get a slot. I’m sure you’ll have a great time regardless

I get that sunbed service is something they offer and it's a bit annoying if no one comes out to see you, so you have to go to the bar. But that really isn't a catastrophe in the scheme of holidays.

And likewise, chasing waiters for drinks, yes it's a pain but not worth switching resort over. Make sure you bring a water bottle with you everywhere in case there's a bit of a wait and someone's really thirsty

See if there's a way to pre book the a la cartes before you arrive... some do

It could just be that they've been training up new staff during the early part of the season. Or perhaps some had delays starting their role.

I wouldn't assume that low staffing levels in May are reflective of what it's going to be like come July/August.

Hi op honestly worse case if food is bad you can always go to the local town for your main meal out in evenings.
Use the hotel as a base go to local beach or attractions.

Just use the hotel facilities for snacks and drinks etc.
Most all inclusive you can still eat the basics that won't make you ill like bread fruit cereal yoghurts etc.

We went to spain in may our first family holiday abroad in years as well and the reviews for ours was hit and miss we all had a great time the hotel was clean. Only misfortune we had was 3 out of 4 of us came down with sickness bug which did wipe out 2 days of our holiday but this can happen anywhere.

@ImaginaryCat makes a good point it isn't far into the season they might take on more staff.

Is it Stella Palace by any chance?!

OP there might be a FB group for the hotel you can join to get more information, unfortunately Tripadvisor does tend to attract extreme reviews.

Also worth emailing hotel management, saying that you have seen these issues and you're very concerned having booked the hotel based on previous excellent reviews. May not do anything but gets you on their radar.

It is possible to change hotel I believe with Jet2 but possibly only up to 90 days in advance or big fee. Worth ringing them up anyway as they are usually very helpful.

thank you- didnt know this was a thing!!

I thought it was just me !

I take the majority of TA with a pinch of salt now. Some of the reviews on the hotel I've just been to, at the time we were there, were utter rubbish and a totally untrue reflection of what it was like.

google reviews are more accurate now imho

No, its with Jet 2 luxe

Yeah me too, unless you actually eat everything you like at every single meal surely a gigantic hotel buffet has plenty of choice !

I saw Americans loading their plates so high with eggs, bacon, wet hot savoury stuff and then bits of fruit and cake on the side touching stuff like refried beans. I always wonder why the hell don't you just get another plate when you've finished the savoury

I had a different thing for breakfast every single day for 10 days. And people still were complaining that there was no choice and it was boring !

Is there an unofficial facebook page for the hotel you could look at? I was in Tenerife a week ago and the hotel had some bad reviews, we had a great time and didn't fault a single thing.
There will always be someone who complains about something.
I'm booked for Rhodes in summer and people have complained so far about it being busy/que for the bar etc, meh, it is what it is, school holidays it will no doubt get busy.

Join a Facebook group for the area and ask there

So worst case scenario is you have to walk a few metres to the bar and wait in the sunshine, and go to dinner outside of the most popular times so there are no queues. Doesn't sound like a terrible holiday to me.

OP I hear you. I did the exact same thing ahead of my holiday this month 😂Thankfully I had free cancellation so I just cancelled and booked somewhere else that I feel happier with. Assuming this isn't the case here...?

Regardless, I'm sure our original accommodation would have been fine - probably better than fine! I was just over-thinking and always worry about it being good as I'm the one who does all the booking and planning.

I agree with other PPs that people who post reviews are generally the exception. I have never reviewed anywhere (even when it's been really good!) so remember that thousands of people will be staying at this place with no problems at all but you just won't hear from them!

Tripadviser used to be the place to look at reviews but traffic there is now low as most people review on google.
They might move you but there would be a hefty admin fee.

I've never done AI in Greece (I avoided Greece when DC were little) but done plenty elsewhere with children.
You don't say how old the DC are as it's a whole different game if they are tiny and can't help themselves.
Usually drinks are still waiter service but sometimes you help yourselves.
There is always a buffet which consists of different elements of the meal. A starter section, a salad bar, a bread counter, puddings and cheeses.
Mains and veg are either ready prepared for you to help yourself (eg casseroles such as kleftiko or slow cooked meats) or cooked to order. This usually means a chef or two who will cook fresh fish or meat, or a stir fry or pasta dish.

If you are not careful it's anarchy and you lose the pleasure of eating at a table as a family.
My rule was we all sit at a table and get drinks before attacking the buffet. Everyone gets a starter even if only bread. When everyone has finished then all go to get their mains and so on.
I found AI brilliant for my DSs from around 8/9 years and a godsend for teenage boys who could eat 7 meals a day and still be hungry. No-one has to have food they don't like and if they make a mistake they can get something else.
One mistake people often make is to put everything on their plate then say the food was repetitive. If you have fish, pork, ribs, pizza and pasta all at once then it's not surprising.

Tips: If you can get to the dinner slot at the beginning, will be quieter, our last hotel started dinner at 6:30 which is when we got there, it would bet busier by 7ish. Get a table first then take turns to go get a drink (unless table service), once drinks are sorted go get food, we take it in turns to take out 7yr old, if it's quiet we'll let her serve herself under supervision, if busy we'll serve for her to not hold people up. Remember you can keep going back up! I've seen so many people with plates stacked with the most random mix of food items it must be disgusting to eat.
We love AI, great for our daughter and means we can try lots of new things, recent holiday she tried mussels, razor clams, king prawns which she loved, she also ate a lot of duck and salmon which she doesn't get as often at home.
Best tip, go with the flow, enjoy yourself.

I am sure it will be fine OP.

I find with TA its just full of moaning minnies. I also think that people sometimes have realistic expectations, especially in AI. I also think that people who go to different places on holiday are not able to see they cant compare like for like. For example, 5* in Greece is not going to be the same level of service as somewhere like Egypt or Mexico, but the moaners cant see that.

Enjoy your holiday. It sounds like you deserve it.

Check if there is a Facebook group for the hotel you are staying in. I have joined one for the resort I am going to and people on there post their recent experiences and it's reassuring. If you have any concerns or questions ask them on there and recent guests will be happy to answer you.

If it's previously had good reviews, it will be fine. More staff are employed in the peak holiday months rather than at the start and end of season, which the current reviews you are reading are from. People don't always realise they get a much cheaper rate in April / may etc and therefore don't always accept that that may come with the hotel not always being at the exact standards as they are during peak due to staff and re. Food perhaps the full offering wasn't yet available as they had less customers
You'll have an amazing time, please don't let this worry you!

thanks for this! I like the mealtime rules, hopefully will avoid anarchy with some of these!!

Thank you these are the exact kind of tips i was after :)

Don't worry before you get there - in all likelihood it's just people moaning! People generally only leave a review if something in particular has bothered them.

Recently had the same with a spa weekend meant to be 5* then found loads of terrible reviews - we couldn't cancel so went with an open mind and it was fine! Beautiful grounds, clean and well kept facilities, attentive staff and good selection of food etc. The only thing was the hot tub was being serviced so out of use but we weren't bothered as there was plenty else to do and we had treatments booked etc!

If it's awful when you get there make the best of it, complain and get some money back or moved!