We arrived as a family of four (2 adults and children aged 14 and 9) and were initially allocated a room that only slept three people.
The room had a double sofa bed which, when folded out, should sleep two. However, reception told us that this sofa bed was not fit for purpose and was not allowed to be folded out. Why is it still in the room then? Surely it should either be removed or replaced?
Instead, a single roll-out bed was supplied. Fine – but there are four of us, so where exactly was the other child supposed to sleep?
Reception offered to put another roll-out bed into the room, but this would have meant there was virtually no space to move around, blocking access either to the side of the bed or the balcony door. No thanks.
After speaking with reception, we were eventually moved to a different room type/layout that could actually accommodate four people. We lost the king bed, but now had two queen beds and a pull-out sofa that was actually fit for purpose.
We were told the sofa bed would be made up within 10 minutes, ready for when we returned to the room. This was around 8pm. We came back and it hadn't been done.
At approximately 12.20am, we called again to have the bed made up. By 1.40am, it still hadn't been done and the kids had fallen asleep on top of the couch because they had no bed to sleep in. It was eventually made up at around 1.45am – more than an hour and 20 minutes after we called – and even then they hadn't brought a duvet, so they had to leave and come back again.
Not exactly the start you expect from a 5-star resort.
We also called for extra robes for the room, which never arrived. Eventually, we simply gave up asking for things.
All-inclusive drinks
If you enjoy drinking from tiny paper cups in the evening at a supposed 5-star resort, then this might be the place for you. We couldn't believe we were being served drinks in small paper cups, often using warm, flat fizzy juice from large bottles as mixers for alcoholic drinks.
We were told we weren't allowed cans of fizzy juice on the standard all-inclusive package – apparently cans were for the Ultra package – and could only have juice poured from the large bottles. We have honestly never heard anything so ridiculous. Eventually, we found one bar that was happy to serve cans.
The pool "bars" were more like little huts than properly equipped bars and, when we arrived, had one member of staff working.
The drinks selection on the standard all-inclusive package was also very limited. No frozen-style cocktails, no cider, no sparkling wine and only one beer option - becks. Beer was generally handed over in the can rather than poured into a glass, and at busy times it was often warm. There were some cans in fridges, but when it got busy, warm ones were simply handed out.
Ice lollies were included only between 3pm and 5pm, with no choice – you were basically handed whatever melting ice lolly was available. Ice cream wasn't included at this time.
We also waited around 20 minutes for pool towels when we arrived because they had run out. Another great start to the stay.
A lot of the sun loungers were ripped, tatty and generally not what you would expect to see at a 5-star resort.
Smoking was another major issue. If you smoke, you'll probably be very happy here. If you don't, I would seriously take this into consideration before booking.
There didn't appear to be properly designated smoking areas around the pools – it felt like a free-for-all. I don't expect to be sitting centimetres away from people smoking next to my children. There should absolutely be designated smoking areas around the pools and other family areas.
Another thing we found pretty disgusting was babies being taken into the swimming pools without swim nappies. We're talking about babies around five or six months old, wearing nothing more than a swimsuit and being taken straight into the pool.
To be fair to the lifeguards, we saw them trying to advise people, but some guests simply seemed to please themselves. This really needs to be backed up by clear signage around every pool stating that babies and toddlers who aren't toilet trained must wear a swim nappy or they cannot enter the pool. It shouldn't be left to individual lifeguards to repeatedly argue the point.
More generally, there were a lot of children running wild with very little supervision, which added to the feeling that the pool areas weren't particularly relaxing.
Kids' club
The kids' club felt more like a nursery/drop-off club than somewhere geared towards older children.
Our 9-year-old didn't want to use it because children weren't permitted to leave independently. This was very different from our experience at the Hilton Abu Dhabi Yas Island, where they had happily spent hours in the kids' club because there was plenty to keep them entertained and they could come back out to us at our sun loungers just outside.
Food
The buffet was another disappointment for us. If you like waiting around for a fresh batch of hot food to appear, you'll be fine. Otherwise, expect a lot of food that should have been hot to be lukewarm or cold.
The choice also felt surprisingly limited for a 5-star all-inclusive. There seemed to be alternating meat options rather than a straightforward grilled chicken or similar option available every evening, which is something we've generally found as standard at other resort buffets.
The selection was quite heavily weighted towards fish, and as a family we struggled to find enough variety that everyone enjoyed. Obviously food is subjective, but between the temperature, waiting for fresh trays and the lack of simple alternatives, the buffet just didn't work particularly well for us.
Anchor and evening entertainment
The staff in Anchor were lovely and deserve a mention. It was also one of the few places where smoking wasn't allowed at the bar seats, so if you do end up booking here and want an evening without being surrounded by smoke, get there early and grab a seat right at the bar!
The DJ was great and we were looking forward to the karaoke that was supposed to follow. Unfortunately, despite sitting around until after 10pm waiting for it, they couldn't get the karaoke set up and it never really happened. The kids had specifically stayed for it, so that was another disappointment.
Staff and overall experience
Unfortunately, elsewhere in the hotel we found quite a few staff to be grumpy and unwelcoming. We hadn't been rude or difficult with them, so there was really no need for it. Perhaps they're dealing with rude behaviour from other guests, but every guest shouldn't be treated as though they're going to behave the same way.
Overall, the resort felt more like a Russian Butlins-style all-inclusive with a beach than a genuine 5-star resort.
For us, the service, rooms, food and overall experience simply didn't compare with the Hilton Abu Dhabi Yas Island. We booked expecting a 5-star experience and this wasn't it.
There were individual staff members who were lovely and clearly trying their best, but there were simply too many issues for us to overlook – starting with a room that couldn't actually sleep the four people it was booked for, followed by the 1.45am bed saga, poor food temperatures, warm and flat drinks, tatty loungers, smoking everywhere and a general lack of the standards and attention to detail we would expect from a resort marketed at this level.
Save your money and book elsewhere if you're looking for a genuine 5-star family resort experience.
