The Grand Blue Sky International - All Inclusive

We recently stayed at the Grand Blue Sky International for a family holiday and overall I would rate it 3/5. The hotel has some really strong positives. The views are absolutely stunning and the pool area is beautiful. The staff were friendly and hardworking throughout our stay, and we appreciated getting fresh towels daily. You can also see that the hotel is trying to improve and modernise, with newer bathrooms, updated pool umbrellas, and new signage being installed while we were there. We were pleasantly surprised by the cocktail and mocktail options included in the all-inclusive and the local beer was great. However, the biggest disappointment was the lack of clear communication and inaccurate information for English-speaking guests. The hotel website (ENG version) stated that the à la carte restaurants would only open from June, and because of this we did not expect to receive the complimentary à la carte meal (as this is served in these restaurants). We were not informed properly by staff and only found out the day before leaving that there was just one restaurant not open yet — only to then be told the “open” restaurant was not open that day or the next so we could not avail of this during our stay. There was also very little information provided about the all-inclusive offering in general. It was unclear where afternoon snacks were served, and we only discovered this by chance while trying to locate the open restaurant the day before we left. Better signage and a simple information sheet in the rooms explaining meal times, snack locations, and what is included would make a huge difference. The food was another let-down for us. The buffet had limited kid-friendly and western-style options, and there was very little fresh fruit available. The juice was concentrated dispenser juice, and fresh juices or smoothie options — especially for children — would have been much appreciated in an all-inclusive resort. Although the hotel advertises a kids club, we found it poorly equipped and the playground area was not well maintained. One important safety issue was the pool area tiles, including around the children’s pool, which were extremely slippery when wet. Both myself and my child slipped multiple times simply while walking, which was quite concerning and something that should be considered when staying. We also found the late check-out process frustrating. We were not given confirmation until the actual day of departure, despite asking in advance, and the fee charged was 10% of our total booking cost. Given how quiet the hotel was during our stay, and with multiple staff members confirming there was plenty of availability, this felt unnecessarily expensive and poorly handled. Overall, the hotel has great potential thanks to its amazing location, views, and staff, but for an all-inclusive holiday the food, family facilities, communication, and some safety aspects are very important to us, and these areas need significant improvement.