Gaia Royal Hotel

After reading all the reviews we decided to chance this holiday and go ahead, as a family of 5 we fancied a change from Spain. On arrival it all seemed lovely until we entered our 'Family' room for 5 people!! There is no way this is an acceptable space for a family of 5 with 3 teenage children. The 5th bed was a pull out chair! I could go on for a long time but I will list the horrors of our very expensive 10 day 'holiday' Not enough room in the 'family' room Foisty wardrobe couldn't unpack clothes Had asked for higher level room , apparently they don't have family rooms upstairs Rude staff - to the point where one said ' I don't care' to my husband when he simply asked for some icecream for our son all 'fizzy' drinks are flat If you get bitten by mosquito's make sure you take plenty of repellent, bite cream etc Mini golf is extra Pool tables are extra 'Zoo' is poorly kept, smelt and upset my younger son as to how the animals appear set your alarm if you want a sunbed Ants in room and beds No evening entertainment, it is the first time I have been away and played Uno every night! Food was lovely but choice reduces if you go later, rooms clean and fresh towels everyday. Overall a very disappointing holiday and surprised Jet2 rate this with all the complaints I can see there hasn't been any improvement!

Get ready for a detailed review. Having read the mixed reviews before we arrived I was anxious and was ready to be looking for the negatives. We booked the package holiday because we were just wanting a quiet week with some entertainment for the kids and my elderly mother could be involved in holiday life but with the room close by for her to rest. I was really pleasantly surprised. Arrival: Slick and organised as TUI always is. Friendly staff on check in and despite our room not being far from reception, we had a golf buggy transport us and our luggage which was a lovely bonus after our travelling. Room: As per the pictures, the hotel is a complex of apartments. Lovely spacious 2 bedroom apartment. Everything was clean, stocked tea/coffee making facilities. Plenty of storage for all of us. Lovely big balcony with clothes maiden. We had a 2 year old with us and they had made up a sofa bed instead of a cot but once reported they quickly brought a travel cot. Hotel: Very well equipped with lots to see and do. Despite it being late October and quite quiet we had lovely weather so were by the pool most days. My 10 year old made a friends and they used the various facilities on offer such as Tennis courts, mini golf etc. These required a deposit for the equipment as you would expect but no other costs. The onsite mini-zoo is small but still a lovely bonus for us to go and have a walk round every now and again. My 2 year old enjoyed that. There are numerous parks on site and smaller swimming pools for the younger ones. We mostly stayed at a quiet pool on the mini-zoo side of the complex as it was close to our room but the bigger ‘main pool’ was cleverly designed in an unusual shape so seating around it was in smaller clusters, again good for family group. We didn’t struggle for sun loungers but I expect in peak times this may be a challenge. The Main Pool had the daytime snack bar, a shop, arcade and played music during the day. The pool was spent most of our time at had some lighter snacks, cake and a bar but didn’t play music but very calming. A few days into the holiday we did have a problem with the drainage in our shower. On our way to dinner one evening we told reception and within 10 minutes someone was in our room fixing it. Food: Delicious, this is our 5th All Inclusive with the kids and probably the best we’ve had. It’s not the biggest selection we’ve had but more than good enough and plenty of variety to suit everyone. Breakfast was a full English with a pancakes, cereal, fruit sections. Lunch generally had a similar selection to Dinner. Dinner was themed each evening but always had a salad, fruit and bread bar, Generally there would be meat of fish from the grill then a variety of other mains and sides to chose. The kids bar generally had your normal beige food of pasta, chips etc. And their desert bar was well stocked and the freezer had a basic selection of ice cream. The restaurant itself had a relaxed feel, it never felt overcrowded or cramped. You can get soft & hot drinks and beer and wine to help yourself. Entertainment: At the Main Pool there was some entertainment during the day with activities for both kids and adults. Notices said there would be some things going on at the smaller pool where we were but they didn’t really happen but may be because it was so quiet. There was a kids club available but we never used it. In the evening, in the Main Bar near reception, there was a mini disco which our 2 year old enjoyed. The ladies running that seemed friendly and clearly knew some of the children through kids club. They played songs from each country so all the kids could enjoy it. Leo the Lion visited every night which my son loved! In the same area there was a small arcade with 2 pool tables so my 10 year old could also be entertained. After the mini disco the was some other form of entertainment. 1 night there was a quiz, another night was Greek music and dancing, Karaoke etc. Overall the entertainment wasn’t the best but fit for purpose. Other All Inclusive holidays we’ve been to have had big shows but this was fitting to where we were. A relatively small bar area so the entertainment staff only had a corner. I did see a theatre that’s probably open during high season so they probably do offer better shows then. Location: The hotel is right on the beach. 5 minute walk from reception and you’re there. Lovely soft sand and a lovely temperature and clean for swimming. Outside the hotel is pretty sparce. We walked one evening to the local supermarket which took about 15 minutes. There were a few bars close to the supermarket. Didn’t seem to be much going on but again this could be due to the time of year. We passed a few other big hotels but didn’t venture inside. It cost us £30 to get to Kos which is stunning!!! Absolutely lovely to walk around and well worth the day out. We followed a recommended route so that we got a bit of culture (ruins of an old market etc.) between shops and bars. There were boat trips from the harbour and a pebble beach. If we were to go back to Kos then I’d look for somewhere in the town centre. Lovely little clean shops and restaurants. Negatives: My biggest bug bare – and it was a big one – the All Inclusive package… Don’t get me wrong we got by and if you’re not a big drinker then this might not bother you at all. The hotel offers 2 types of All Inclusive – the standard and the ‘Ultra All Inclusive’. Firstly disappointing that this was not made clear when booked. We heard about it through reviews. The standard package was basic. Beers, wines, local spirits, soft drinks and coffee and tea. Hot drinks were basic coffee with or without milk (e.g. not cappuccino or latte etc.) or tea (if you wanted milk either you had powdered hot milk or you had to go to the main hotel bar and ask for a glass of milk, which we did and kept it in the fridge in our room until we just bought a bottle from the supermarket). Soft drinks were cheap fizzy pop (lemonade, coke and orange) and then some juices, again a bit watery. Spirits were local but they did taste watery. I was the bar man open a fresh and sealed bottle so I know they’re not actually watered down but they are weak and tasteless. No cocktails – I love a cocktail on holiday and most ingredients were there so I have no idea why they can’t include a cocktail menu. The bar at the main pool and the bar in reception did have cocktail menus but these are extra!!! It’s quite reasonably priced but after what we’re paying on the holiday already, I expect this to be included! To upgrade to the ‘Ultra’ would give you this menu for free but not all of it. The main bar had things like Baileys which were not included on any package and you had to pay. The Ultra package also gave you a beach towel and permission to lie on a sun lounger by the beach as well. Again I think this should be included, or at least given away during quieter times of the year as when we went down to the beach there was hardly anyone on them and are they really saving that much on washing not some extra towels. The standard package doesn’t give you access to the beach bar either so you have to walk back to reception. Again, no idea why this was, not that it’s far but the beach bar was empty. My partner and I enquired about an upgrade. It was £25 per day per person but it had to be for the remainder of your holiday. So you couldn’t upgrade for one day and then go back, if you upgraded you would have to pay for each day for the remainder of your holiday. Basically they were swapping you wrist band to a gold one. Not worth it for us. We just bought a few cocktails in the evening if we want to which worked out less than £25 each anyway. It felt like this difference in packages just gave everyone a bad taint on the place but for no real benefit to the hotel. Anyway I don’t want to end on a bad note because the hotel was overall lovely. Very pretty, calm but had plenty going on. Perfect for what we wanted. I would recommend to others just a shame about the drinks.

This was a very odd hotel setup, and sadly, not what we expected from a supposedly 4-star resort. Staff: The reception and housekeeping staff were consistently rude and unhelpful. The only friendly team members we encountered were the bar staff at the reception and pool bars — they were lovely. Housekeeping: Housekeeping here operates in a really bizarre way. Instead of servicing rooms once guests are out, they knock on your door every single morning around 9am asking, “Do you want toilet roll or towels?” One morning we ignored the knock because we were exhausted, but the housekeeper entered our room anyway just to ask the same thing. Completely inappropriate. I went to reception and politely asked that housekeeping not knock on our door the next day. The receptionist just stared at me blankly, and when I repeated my request, she rolled her eyes and said, “Use your do not disturb sign then.” I explained we didn’t have one — she sighed, asked for our room number, and that was that. The next morning? They still knocked. At 11am. Then again at 12pm, asking us to take the do not disturb sign off the door. The irony. Reception: The reception staff were shockingly rude. We weren’t given wristbands at check-in and no one ever questioned why, which was already odd. We asked about getting medicine from a pharmacy at 1:45pm, and the receptionist, Harry, said the hotel had a partnership with a local pharmacy that could deliver. He clearly understood what we were asking but kept chatting to his colleague in Greek instead of helping. When I tried to clarify, he snapped, “Yes, I’m aware.” Then he told us the pharmacy was closed — despite it showing open online until 9pm — and said to “come back at 5.” After making us wait about 15 minutes for no reason, he turned, made direct eye contact with me, and said something in Greek. I said, “I’m sorry, I don’t understand?” and he replied, “Why would you? I’m speaking Greek.” The attitude was unbelievable — truly one of the worst experiences I’ve ever had with a hotel staff member. Food: The food was dreadful. Everything tasted beige and bland — like pure mush with no seasoning. The fruit bar consisted of four bowls of chopped fruit sitting out all day with flies around them. Everything was soggy, flavourless, and unappetising — ideal only if you have no teeth. Drinks: The drinks were so watered down you’d drown before you got tipsy. Only beer and wine (red or white) are included; everything else — even hot chocolate — costs extra. The pool snack bar food was also inedible; it had been sat out so long it turned rubbery. My friend jokingly used it as fishing bait — even the fish weren’t interested. Rooms: The room was clean enough on arrival, but everything felt damp. The bedding was sticky to the touch, and you could barely move in bed without feeling clammy. The bed itself was completely broken — it dipped like a sinkhole in the middle, and the slats were so damaged that every small movement made a loud creaking noise. The soap holder in the bathroom was half hanging off the wall and covered in limescale. The shower edges had crusty buildup too. Facilities: The general areas like reception and the poolside were reasonably clean. However, the “petting farm” was upsetting — a dead bird was in one of the cages all day, and the horses had barely any space to move around. Checkout experience: When we were checking out, I desperately needed antihistamine tablets after being awake all night in pain. My friend went to reception at 9am to reorder them from the same staff member, Harry. He said they’d arrive around 4:30pm and that we’d get a call when they did. We never got a call. When I finally went back down in pain, they were just sitting behind reception — clearly had been there for some time. All in all, this hotel is absolutely not a 4-star experience — it’s barely a 2-star at best. The facilities may look clean on the surface, but the service, food, and overall guest care were shockingly poor. We won’t be returning.

I strongly advise you to avoid this hotel if you value your time, money, or basic standards of hygiene and respect. Nothing here matches the photos. Everything is old, broken, dirty and neglected. The bedside lamps you see in the pictures? Doesn’t exist anymore in the room. When I asked for one, they brought me la lamp that had mold on it and they they sprayed it with sweet perfume to hide the smell of mold and pretended it was fine. They really thought I wouldn’t notice and treated me like I’m stupid — just like every visitor. The rooms are in extremely poor condition. Broken furniture, non-functioning lights, and bathrooms that were not cleaned despite multiple requests. I asked every day for the bathroom to be cleaned. For 7 days, nothing happened. I tried to clean it myself — and the toilet brush literally broke while I was using it. Only three days before my departure did someone finally come to clean the room. The food is another serious issue. I personally found mold on tomato. When I informed the staff, the answer was: “Just take another piece.” Even members of the staff admitted they do not eat the hotel food — that alone should be a warning. In this hotel: – Hygiene standards do not exist – Basic maintenance does not exist – Customer service does not exist Despite what is advertised, this is not a 4-star experience in any way. Having a few pools and being close to the sea does not justify the rating. A real 4-star hotel has functioning service, responsibility, safety, cleanliness and respect for guests. None of that is present here. The only positive part of my stay was the beach area. It was super clean, the staff who work there were polite, professional and respectful – it felt like a completely different place that does not belong to the hotel. I rarely write reviews, but I do not want anyone else to experience what I did. There are many hotels in the world. Choose any of them – but not this one.

Awful lukewarm food and terrible drinks. Stuck in the middle of nowhere so no escape to a decent bar or restaurant. Do not book here. You have been warned