Gaia Royal Hotel

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

Arrived early hours 9th October. Checked in, was charged €70 room tax. Was taken to our room, which was just around the corner from reception, on a golf buggy. Room was clean and tidy. Beds were hard. The restaurant buffet was very disappointing, the food was just warm or cold, even when you got there for when it opened. Had to pay for cocktails. Entertainment was poor, the same thing every night for the children that where there. If you asked for something for your room it was provided the same day. The cleaning lady was really nice and spoke to us every day to make sure we had everything we needed in the room. Not much in the area to do. 1 bus into the town 6 days a wk which we only found out about half way through our stay. The kettle in the room could do with a descale or replacement as I only noticed on the last day we had bits floating in our cups of tea. Can honestly say we will not be returning to this hotel. Lots of very rude people about with no manners, from staff to guest, please and thank you was definitely lacking. Have to be out of your room by 12, did enquire about late checkout but was turned down as they said they where really busy . Expected better for the cost of the holiday.

So we booked this hotel for an extra holiday this year. Hotel very clean and staff friendly and helpful. We arrived and was given an upstairs room but had requested ground floor as my husband broke his leg four weeks ago. They sorted us a ground floor but after two days as the other room they offered the next day was too far for my husband to walk and hadn’t been cleaned when we went to look. The hotel staff work tirelessly to ensure they do meet your needs and unfortunately Jet 2 hadn’t informed them a ground floor was needed jist that a walk in shower without bath was. Entertainment I felt was better than where we usually stay at the Akti in Kardamena. The food was lovely and lots of variety. The drinks are a let down and weak and cheap. Cocktails you have to pay for and any premium drinks you also have to pay for. If they offered premium drinks I really think the rating of hotel could be higher. Pools Clean and the minimarket could Be nearer to reception. It’s at the main pool area so Was a walk for us with a broken leg not always easy. They have a mini golf which is good and a mini zoo, not so good as only had birds, ducks, deer, guinea pigs and a couple of horses, but I’m sure the kids like it. All in all we had a lovely time but to get around you need a car as the hotel is in Middle of nowhere. The town is run down and although we had a lovely meal at Light Blue the bars let it down as only a couple of bars and 13 euros for one cocktail.