Electra Holiday Village

Formal Complaint: Electra Holiday Village, Ayia Napa, Cyprus I am writing to make a formal complaint about our recent TUI holiday at Electra Holiday Village in Ayia Napa, Cyprus. TUI advertised and sold this property as a four-star, family-friendly hotel, but our experience fell far below the standard reasonably expected from that description.

Facilities were not as advertised The hotel was advertised as having a spa, but there was no spa available. One of the swimming pools was also closed, with no prior warning or clear indication before our arrival. These facilities formed part of the holiday we believed we were paying for, so their absence significantly affected our stay.

Unsuitable and poorly maintained room When we arrived, we struggled to get into the room because the door did not open widely enough to allow us and our suitcases to enter properly. The room was also damaged and poorly maintained. Some wardrobe doors had been screwed shut, there was an unpleasant smell coming from beneath the sink, and the room did not appear clean, spacious or maintained to a four-star standard.

The cleaning service was unacceptable. We waited four days after arrival before the bedsheets were changed, and I eventually had to ask reception what the hotel's cleaning regime was. On two days during the week, housekeeping did nothing other than empty the bins.

Fresh towels were not provided regularly, meaning I had to go to reception repeatedly to request them. In our experience, a four-star hotel should provide clean bathroom towels and pool or beach towels routinely, without guests having to ask every day.

Inadequate and repetitive food The food was repetitive, limited and unsuitable for a family holiday. Food advertised at the bar included cheese toasties, omelettes and other choices, but every day the only food available appeared to be chicken nuggets and chips.

This was particularly difficult because we travelled with a child who has additional needs. Signs in the restaurant instructed guests with dietary or food requirements to approach the chef, but when we did so, the chef could not identify or prepare a local Cypriot pudding. We received no meaningful assistance in finding suitable alternatives.

As appropriate food was not consistently available, we incurred substantial additional costs taking the children elsewhere and buying suitable food for our youngest child. This should not have been necessary during a family holiday for which meals and advertised food choices had already been paid.

Little or no family entertainment The hotel was promoted as suitable for families, yet there was virtually no entertainment. During our stay of 10 nights and 11 days, the only entertainment was a singer on approximately three evenings. This was entirely inadequate for a hotel marketed as a family holiday destination and resulted in further expense because we had to take the children elsewhere.

Unable to contact TUI or report the problems There was no TUI representative regularly available at the hotel. While I understand that an on-site representative may not always be provided, the alternative support channels also failed.

The TUI app was not working, so I could not access the relevant support or complaint service. The telephone number provided did not work while we were abroad. The hotel manager eventually arranged for a TUI representative to attend, and we were told that a complaint needed to be submitted while we were still on holiday.

I then spent three days trying to submit the complaint through the TUI app portal, but it did not work. The telephone numbers also remained inaccessible. I therefore emailed TUI while still abroad and was told to wait until I returned home before submitting my complaint.

After returning home, I received a telephone call and explained the issues, only to be told that the complaint should have been raised while we were on holiday. This was extremely frustrating and contradictory. I made repeated attempts to report the problems in resort, including by email, but TUI's systems and contact methods prevented me from completing the process.

That was an amazing weekend, will 100% visit the place again. Thanks to Ms. Georgia for an amazing room with sea view and manager Michael for helping our with any specific requests. Quite rooms, amazing view. Very clean and friendly staff. From all the hotels nearby has the nost attractive location. Also really nice complementary bottle of wine from staff made our first day of the stay. Amazing food and bar service, same as pool nearby to cool down.