Papillon Belvil

Review

This hotel is amazing and a wonderful place!

We are a family with a seven-year-old from the UK. We just returned from a fantastic, memorable week at Papillon Belvil.

We’d love to share our experience and give our honest feedback to guide travellers on what to truly expect here. Also, it’s important to highlight some constructive feedback to help the hotel make improvements. All I’d say for now is you will not be disappointed in booking here. There are a few minor negatives to point out, but honestly, they are small points and do not reflect how wonderful this hotel is.

FOOD - one of our favourite parts of this hotel, delicious, well prepared and a huge variety of food. Breakfast, lunch and dinner, you will never go hungry. A small negative is it can be a bit chaotic at busy times, everyone bumping into each other in different directions; it almost needs a queuing or direction system to improve that. However, it is a buffet with a large volume of people, so it’s expected. For a small fee, there are à la carte restaurants available if you’d prefer; we tried the Asian vibe and it was a fantastic experience. Rating: 4.5/5

BARS/DRINKS Drinks were all branded and a huge selection to choose from; cocktails were okay, lots of different coffees and teas. Ice creams and smoothies at top quality. Bottled water available everywhere. Our only criticism was slow service; this isn’t a reflection on the staff, they do what they can. I think the hotel is under-staffed in this section and should employ extra. Sometimes one, maybe two members of bar staff at each bar; it’s just not enough and can get frustrating. Rating : 3.5/5

ANIMATION/ ENTERTAINMENT- We cannot speak highly enough of the hard dedication the staff and animation team put into making guests entertained. Friendly and engaging with kids and adults, always smiles and positive vibes. The evening entertainment was always something special and spectacular, for all ages and cultures. Kids club is superb, packed with activities and fun. Rating: 5/5

POOLS / WATER SLIDES They have a variety of pools to suit everyone, from adult-only options to a large main pool, a family pool and a splash pool for the little ones.

The water slides are a blast and are perfect for all ages.

There are plenty of sunbeds available, so you won’t have to search far for a spot.

Rating 5/5

ROOMS We stayed in one of the club rooms, which was a bit away from the main building. There are several individual blocks with around ten rooms each.

We were at the back of the site, which we found quite nice and quiet.

The rooms are well-equipped, spacious, modern and clean.

The mini bar is restocked daily, and the rooms are cleaned daily with fresh towels.

The only thing we didn’t love was the mattress, which was a bit firm. However, the guest relations team quickly sorted this out with a mattress topper, which made it much more comfortable.

The showers and washroom are nice, and hot water is always available.

The aircon is perfect.

The balcony is okay, but it’s a bit small for our taste. Rating 4.5/5

STAFF & SERVICE The service here is absolutely amazing, friendly and attentive.

There might be a slight language barrier with English, which can cause some confusion at times, but it’s not a major issue. Most of the staff speak and understand perfect English.

From reception to housekeeping, the bar, restaurant and animation team, we want to express our sincere gratitude and appreciation.

You are all a huge credit to your hotel. Rating 5/5

SUMMARY We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Papillon Belvil. I wouldn’t normally return to the same hotel twice, and I’ve stayed in some really nice hotels, but if I had to choose one, it would be this one.

I can see myself returning.

If you’re thinking about it, just book it—you won’t be disappointed.

Overall Rating 5/5

Thank you to everyone at Papillon Belvil.

My family and I returned to Papillon Belvil for our fifth stay. In the past, it was one of our top recommendations, and so it felt for the first three days - but after that we left with very mixed feelings. The hotel is under new management, which has brought a few welcome upgrades, but also a noticeable decline in quality across areas that previously made this resort exceptional. It is no longer an obvious choice for us, and we are seriously reconsidering whether we will return in the future.

Food & Drinks: From Fantastic Pizza to Mediocrity Gastronomy used to be the resort’s strongest asset, making this trip’s experience our biggest disappointment.

The Positive Upgrade: The single highlight and a genuine improvement is the newly built pizzeria. They bake absolutely fantastic, wonderfully seasoned pizza (the only minor flaw being the absence of a ham option).

Where Quality Dropped: The food selection repeated endlessly throughout the week with virtually no variety. European cuisine options were significantly reduced, as was the variety of Asian dishes (for instance, the previously rich selection of noodle types and fried/vegetable rice options was reduced to just one single type of noodle and one type of plain rice all week). Flavors were often bland (unseasoned pasta) or over-seasoned with heavy Asian-Turkish spices instead of clean, classic recipes (such as the burgers, which used to be superb). Main courses leaned very heavily on lamb, while basic comfort foods—like simple roasted chicken—were occasionally missing altogether.

Hiding Premium Alcohol: While the hotel still carries premium imported alcohol brands, they are now hidden under the bar counter, displaying only standard local brands. Unless you specifically request premium labels by name, you will be served basic drinks.

Rooms & Pest Control: Hit or Miss & Mosquito Problems Room Quality: Room quality can no longer be rated at 100%. We booked two rooms: while one was flawless and immaculate, the second room suffered from a very unpleasant, stale/musty odor originating directly from the bed mattresses. This made sleeping quite uncomfortable.

Severe Mosquito Infestation: In previous years, mosquitoes were practically non-existent because we regularly saw staff walking around with backpack foggers spraying the grounds. This year was a complete nightmare—mosquitoes were everywhere, most guests ended up covered in bites after evening events, and we didn't see anyone handling mosquito control even once during our stay.

Beach & New Pier: A Step Back on Sand, A Giant Leap on Water Minus on the Beach: The original continuous shade canopies across the main beach—which functioned brilliantly—were replaced with individual umbrellas. While aesthetically pleasing, it is functionally a definite step backward for sun protection.

Plus on the Sea: The newly built pier is a fantastic addition. It features sunbeds, umbrellas, great shade canopies, and, above all, a lovely bar over the water. Sitting at the pier bar in the evening with a refreshing sea breeze, away from noisy crowds, was absolute bliss.

Entertainment: Scaled-Back Parties & Missed Potential The overall entertainment level has dropped, and the hotel is failing to leverage its past standards. Major signature events have been cut—popular parties like the White Party and Gold Party no longer took place and were mostly replaced by low-budget live music acts.

Missed Potential: The Cuban-themed party featured stunning decorations and floral arrangements, but the atmosphere was ruined by generic "tuc-tuc" electronic beats playing from the speakers instead of authentic Latin/Cuban music.

What Still Shines: The Wonderland show maintained an extremely high benchmark (perhaps even better than in previous years), the children's carnival was fantastic, and the only remaining iconic event—the Red Party—was simply incredible and flawless.

Final Verdict: Papillon Belvil still retains some of its strong points (the excellent new pier, high-quality kids' shows, and the new pizzeria), but under new management, cost-cutting is evident across dining, pest control, room maintenance, and evening entertainment. For returning guests, it feels like a noticeable shift toward mediocrity.