Мифы и реальность Aquila Elounda Village Hotel Myths and reality Aquila Elounda Village Hotel

Rested with my brother in the hotel from July 24 to August 3.2016. As a tourist with 20 years of experience in more than 50 hotels with only 5 stars with the "ultra" ("premium", "platinum") system, I want to share a review about this hotel, which left an indelible impression on me. Never complained and never wrote bad reviews. The first time I faced such problems. Still in shock. I'll start in order.
The hotel is in a picturesque location. The views of the sea from the side of the beach bar and the mountains from the terrace of the lobby bar will not leave anyone indifferent. They can be enjoyed endlessly. But the garden and park part of the hotel disappointed me. The vegetation seemed rather sparse and not well maintained.
Animation worked daily in the daytime and in the evening. In the evening, various events were held with the invitation of artists. I can’t judge the quality of such events, because I don't like all this. But it is clear that the animation team is trying to do everything possible to entertain hotel guests.

The great advantage of this hotel is the excellent service in the central and other restaurants, the lobby bar and the beach bar. The waiters and bartenders worked very quickly, politely and at a high level, for which many thanks to all of them. The presence or absence of tips did not affect the attitude towards guests. All guests are treated equally and with respect.
The menu of the main restaurant is quite varied, but the abundance that can be seen in other hotels of the ultra system was not here. There were various themed dinners. In principle, seafood was present in the assortment every day. The meat selection was represented by the following types: pork, beef, lamb, chicken, turkey, rabbit, duck. There were also different ways of preparing them. I can't comment on the taste, as everyone's taste is different.
As a positive, I would like to note the obligatory serving of snacks with any drink (potato chips and nuts) in the hotel bars.
Now for what disappointed me:
- the system for accounting for the meals of guests in the hotel is carried out using cash receipts issued for the room number. Thus, during the day you have to sign a large number of checks for every drink you consume;
- the hostess, when meeting guests for dinner, does not cope with her work, which leads to the creation of queues at the entrance to the main restaurant;
- lack of paper napkins in restaurants and bars;
- strong alcoholic drinks are not provided during lunch and dinner in the main restaurant;
- soft and alcoholic drinks during the day can only be obtained at the beach bar, as the lobby bar starts its work from 17:00. Therefore, if you are in the main building of the hotel and want to drink a glass of cool beer, and the minibar in the room is not replenished, you will have to go to the beach bar in the heat, which is a great inconvenience;

- the hotel beach is generally dirty. There seemed to be enough sun loungers for everyone, but they were not serviced during and after daylight hours. The sun loungers were not placed in their places, sand and dirt were not removed from them. The sand itself was not leveled. Umbrellas over sun loungers are extremely uncomfortable, very low. There were no changing rooms. The water flowing from the shower formed huge puddles, as a result of which it was unpleasant and unsafe to approach the shower and nearby sun loungers. By the way, no one monitors the safety of vacationers on the water. There is no lifeguard, there is no place for him. On the artificial beach at the entrance to the water there are a large number of stones that create a certain discomfort. Here, at the narrow entrance to the sea, practical diving lessons are held, including for tourists from neighboring hotels. During classes, warning signs are not displayed, which creates not only inconvenience for swimmers, but also a threat to their lives.
- external and internal lighting of the hotel in my opinion is not enough. The room and common corridors are dark. There is not enough lighting for alleys in the landscape gardening complex.
The hotel itself has not been cleaned for a long time. The manager of the cleaning service explained the presence of dirt by constantly blowing dusty winds. However, apparently we have different ideas about cleanliness and cleanliness. Sandy dust, in my opinion, is very different from clouds of dust and dirt. There was an unpleasant smell in the restrooms of the hotel, the toilets were not cleaned well, the floor was dirty with the remnants of biological stains around the toilets and sinks. There is always garbage in the common corridor on the floor, the corridor itself was not vacuumed. Twice the dishes left from the room service were seen, which stood on the floor in the common corridor from the evening until 10 am the next day, covered with insects, exuding unpleasant odors.
As for the number. Double room in the main building. The number of people in the room is two. Weathered furniture. Enough clothes hangers. There is a mini safe. The air conditioner in the room worked properly, but when it was turned on, huge clouds of dust were thrown out of the grate. The content of the mini bar in the room is quite varied. The hotel requires the bar to be replenished daily as drinks are used up. However, twice the mini-bar was not replenished at all, although receipts for its replenishment regularly appeared on the table, and they appeared in the absence of us in the room. Therefore, be prepared for such a possible turn of events. You can't prove anything, why see below.

The ventilation in the bathroom is very poor, there is no automatic fragrance or aerosol air freshener. The room has a hairdryer. There is no cosmetic mirror (or shaving mirror). The plumbing is leaking. Between the plastic curtain and the side of the bath there is a large gap of several centimeters, as a result of which, when taking a shower, water spills onto the floor. The foot mat was missing. The drain in the bathroom is built into the floor and designed in such a way that soap suds come out through its grate, adding even more water and dirt to the floor. I had to use a foot towel instead of a rug as a saving island for exiting and entering the bathroom. But this did not help either, because the towel was completely submerged under water. After taking a shower by one person, the second had to walk on water before going to the bath. Towels have an interesting history. I was surprised that there were only five towels in the bathroom for two residents (2 large, 2 medium and one for feet, which after taking a shower by one person turns into a rag sunk on the floor), i. е. two and a half each. This is a 5 star hotel. Somewhat reassured by the presence of two terry dressing gowns. I was hoping that the missing towels would be provided a little later, as is the case in other hotels. But it was not there.
For the first few days, toiletries were distributed to only one resident. By the number of clouds of dust on the floor, refrigerator, picture, mirror, on the head of the bed and under it, in the closets, we can conclude that the room has not been properly cleaned for several months. The duty and Russian-speaking managers were invited to the room, who were shown inadequate cleaning, lack of the proper number of towels corresponding to the status of the hotel and missing toiletries in accordance with the number of guests living in the room. The Russian-speaking manager was shocked by the amount of dust and dirt, took several photographs on the phone and promised that all the shortcomings would be eliminated. Missing toiletries other than towels were displayed but the room was never properly cleaned. We had to turn to the cleaning manager. Agreeing with the visual elements of the demonstration of dust and dirt in the room, she was replaced by a maid. The conflict situation was resolved positively. There were no more questions from our side. There were no comments on cleaning the room of the new maid, for which many thanks to her. The missing towels were provided, toiletries were given to each resident.
But further events began to develop steeper than in the detective series. Instead of apologizing to us for the inconvenience (which we did not expect and did not ask), the hotel initiated and fabricated a complaint to the representative tour operator about the attack on the hotel maid. As a respectable person and citizen, I requested a meeting with the general manager of the hotel on the fact that we were charged with the obligatory presence of a maid. The meeting was denied twice. At the same time, the blackmail against us that the "injured" maid "may" file a complaint with the police continued, which made our vacation unbearable. Only at our urgent request to resolve this conflict with the obligatory participation of the hotel administration, maid, police, a representative of the Russian consulate, television and Russian-speaking staff, the meeting took place. During the conversation, no evidence of the prosecution was presented to us. The maid was not present during the conversation. There were no witnesses from the side of the maid. There was also no police representative. During a conversation with the hotel administration, the main emphasis was placed on our attitude to cleaning the room and the hotel as a whole, which was too picky on our part, and also pointed out several times to my jewelry, which allegedly frightened the "injured" maid, put her into a trance after which , she could not come to her senses for a long time, she was upset (literal translation). It is strange how a mentally unstable maid could be allowed to work with guests at all, because it is not safe for guests. Thus, the conversation at the meeting turned out to be meaningless and, having secured the absence of claims from our side regarding cleaning the room of the new maid, the hotel management promised to forget about the alleged incident, and we were asked to continue our vacation. As a result of the meeting, no apologies were made by the hotel management for spoiling our mood. Thus, our rights as hotel guests were grossly violated, human honor and dignity were humiliated. Well, let it remain on the conscience of all those who staged this performance. God is your Judge. Time will put everything in its place.
But there is also a positive outcome in this story, which cannot but rejoice:

- firstly, the next guests after our visit will get a fairly clean room if it is cleaned well again;
- secondly, to tell the truth, the cleaning service in the lobby, toilets, and rooms has noticeably intensified in the hotel.
While staying at the hotel, I tried to be as correct and accurate as possible in assessing the services provided to us. Maybe we were unlucky with the first maid. But these are not our problems. These are the problems of the cleaning service manager, who, instead of paying attention to cleanliness and order in the hotel, is engaged in dirty insinuations. I would like to remind her and the entire hotel management that guests pay money for accommodation and services provided, and therefore services must be provided in accordance with the status of the hotel, in full and with high quality. I, as a consumer who paid money for the services promised to me, have the right to evaluate them, demand their proper performance, express criticism and comments, counting on an adequate response, but the hotel management does not accept criticism. That is why, in response to my remarks about the cleaning service, there was nothing else to do but "scare" us with an absurd prank with an "attack" on the maid. Apparently this is the other side of the hotel's hospitality coin.
If you are going to visit this hotel, be aware that the hotel management will protect the interests of their staff, and not the interests of guests. So be prepared for the following:
- your suitcases in the room will be opened, things in them will be sorted out and shifted. There was no theft, but the toiletries that were not provided to us earlier “somehow, by chance, by themselves” appeared in my suitcase. It is difficult to judge when this happened and what the calculation was made for. Only the one who did it apparently never flew an airplane. Transportation of any liquids in such packaging is extremely dangerous. And my suitcase and its contents are much more valuable to me. Therefore, I recommend checking travel bags from time to time and be sure to close them;

- you will need to constantly ask for something at the front desk, as the full service may not be provided to you;
- if you ask to clean your room more carefully or criticize the shortcomings of the hotel, you will be accused of anything and only you will be to blame for everything that happens;
- your appearance, jewelry and personal belongings can cause an inadequate reaction and behavior from the hotel staff to the point of accusing you of witchcraft and mysticism, etc.
Based on the results of visiting the hotel, I draw the following conclusions. The hotel does not correspond to the status of 5 stars. In general, the hotel has all the possibilities and conditions for creating a favorable stay for its guests. But the "siesta" apparently dragged on. Based on the results of my stay at the hotel, I put more minuses than pluses. Given the above, as well as spoiled our mood, I do not recommend this hotel for a safe, relaxing and comfortable stay.