Utopia Blu

We spent a week from 13th-20th September at this hotel. First impressions on check-in were good and we were able to check-in straight away. The room was a double with pool view. The area appears to be dominated by all inclusive and has had the effect of killing the strip with many properties derelict and nothing really going on. The hotel provided poor entertainment in the evening and we were reduced to watching (mostly) upper-middle-aged holiday makers playing board games to entertain themselves. The all inclusive drinks were terrible (the standard of drinks the worst I’ve ever experienced). Watery non-descript ‘beer’ and cocktails and spirits that should not be allowed to be passed off as anything like the international brands they purport to mirror. We spent most of the holiday drinking our own beer and wine purchased from the supermarket across the road. The food was OK but very ‘samey’ with pork in various iterations on the menu every day. Deserts were good! This hotel could be excellent but for £2,600 for a couple outside of School holiday time for one week much better value exists elsewhere where clear ‘penny-pinching’ is not the order of the day. The beach is a shuttle bus ride away or a twenty minute walk but honestly, don’t bother! There are no toilet facilities in this ‘private’ beach and most likely you would want to pay for better beds at neighboring beaches with better facilities. To top it off towards the end of our week we were told by a lady behind the lunch counter “it’s not my job” when we requested a spoon for some ice cream. She directed us to waiting staff who in turn re-directed us to the counter. A row then ensued between the two before spoons were produced. We left the restaurant shaking our heads. I have to mention the music that is played on a continuous loop around the Canal bar pool. We were driven mad by the continuous loop of 20 songs and despite asking for things to be changed up that fell on deaf ears. The lady working the bar told us she can tell the time by listening to what song is playing! Really disappointed overall and will be careful not to make a rash decision for the next holiday. It’s strange how we fed back to the hotel via their WiFi link of our concerns during the holiday and have not been invited to review. It’s the first time we have not been prompted to review (for years).

We have just stayed at the hotel for 10 days between 15th-25th September. Myself, my partner, our 7 month old baby, my partners mum and her partner. We immediately thought that the hotel itself was absolutely beautiful, we were greeted with welcome drinks which were nice too. There is a supermarket right across from the hotel which is really useful and the beach is a 10 min walk. We were shown to our room and a lovely man carried our bags for us, our room was big with a double bed and a sofa, with a big balcony and bathroom, we thought it was really nice. The bed was really comfy too. The only 2 things were that there wasn’t a bath, we had our 7 month old baby with us and so bathing her became really difficult and actually quite dangerous. We were also situated just across from the bar where the entertainment is and it was incredibly loud in our room, disturbing our baby often. A cleaner cane daily, however once our baby had had an accident on the bed (weed) the bed was re made but no clean sheets were put on the bed, we did have clean sheets put on the next day but we did have to sleep in wee stained sheets for the night, luckily it was a small patch. We were also given a new bottle of water every day. There are multiple pools which weren’t overcrowded at all, however all the pools were pretty cold, even the kids pool, each pool had a bar near and you would be served fast. There is a good selection of drinks and mocktails to chose from. We thought the food was pretty good for all inclusive, although we did think it could do with a bit more variety for children or picky eaters. Deserts especially were yummy! The service was always fast and the waiters were always so friendly and welcoming. There is also a crepe bar in the kids pool which we used often. The entertainment team are great and there are always activities going on, they also play music while you sunbathe, however the WiFi does drop out at the main pool. There is a small kids play area and what looked to be a play group, our baby was too young but looked good for older children. Although there is entertainment for adults at night we didn’t see much entertainment specifically for children. We accidentally submitted a review through WiFi link where I wasn’t looking as I was carrying multiple bags and the baby (who was also pressing buttons on my phone) and must have sent a review that wasn’t 5 star, we were phoned the same day asking if there was anything they could do to help, we were confused at the time as we didn’t realise what had happened but thought that was a nice touch if we did mean too. The hotel itself in general was clean, however someone had dropped food of some sort (chocolate or chocolate ice cream) on the steps coming up from reception to rooms and it was never cleaned while we were there over a week. We booked a boat trip with a glass bottom and to another little island with a beautiful church on, we all really enjoyed it, it was a lovely day out. We also rented a car and drove all around the island, the car was clean and drove smoothly, the process was easy and we have decided this is something we will do on other holidays going forward now, because the island is so small we managed to visit lots of different areas in one day. We also got the bus to Kos which was really easy as the bus stops are right outside the hotel and the bus times are at reception. We ate out one night at Visili I think it was called which was a 5 min walk from the hotel and it was lovely, we would recommend it. We did eat at the Italian restaurant at the hotel which you have to book, the soup to start was amazing and the desert was really good too but none of us enjoyed our mains unfortunately. Check out was 11am and so when we explained our transfer wasn’t until 8pm and asked if we could have a room to shower and sort the baby out we were told it would cost us €120! When we asked if they have any facilities we could use they explained they do have a shower but you need to book it the day before, we did that for free instead and that was perfectly fine. Overall, we would love to return again, but most likely when our baby is a little older.

I'm writing this as I wait in the airport for the long trip home, so first, the positives. The hotel and grounds are beautiful, the room was clean and maintained every day, and the pool areas were also very clean and tidy. There was plenty of choice at all mealtimes, providing you're happy to try different foods that you may not have tried before, there were a lot of German and Dutch guests in the hotel, and to be honest, the menu seems to cater for the more continental pallete, but the food was tasty and well cooked. So now the not-so-positives 😐 we booked with Tui as an all inclusive holiday, and it just isn't, there are approximately 5 alcoholic drinks you can have as part of your all inclusive, the rest you have to pay for, even some soft and hot drinks aren't included - there's a coffee shop within the hotel complex where you buy hot drinks, something I've never encountered on an all inclusive holiday before 🤷‍♀️ now don't get me wrong, I'm not a raging alcoholic that wants to drink from morning till night, by any stretch of the imagination, but I believe that if you buy an all inclusive holiday, it should be just that. The drinks that were available were awful, undrinkable, so watered down they were disgusting- even the soft drinks and the juice at breakfast had very little taste or substance. We did bring this up with the Tui rep, and he was as surprised as we were to find out that you're expected to pay for drinks, after a short conversation with one of the managers, we were promised a free voucher for a free cocktail, which never happened. If you're planning a holiday here, you need to budget for the fact that if you like a drink, you're going to have to pay for it, whether it's in the hotel or elsewhere. I can't say it spoiled our holiday, we had a fantastic time, it just ended up costing us more than I believe it should have 🤷‍♀️