We had a wonderful 12-day vacation on the island, which is absolutely beautiful. We stayed at the Hilton, and while we had a great overall experience, there were several things that would make us choose a different hotel next time.
Our first impression was amazing – the resort is huge and looks very impressive. However, we soon realized that the size is also one of its biggest disadvantages. The resort consists of five towers, all sharing three main pools and one adults-only pool.
The general pools are beautifully designed and located close to the beach, but the water was surprisingly cloudy. You could barely see your own feet underwater. In comparison, the adults-only pool was much cleaner and much less crowded.
Because all five towers share the same pools, finding a sunbed was almost impossible. Guests reserve loungers very early in the morning, and many remained occupied only by towels for hours without anyone actually using them. During our entire 12-day stay, we managed to get a spot at one of the main pools only once. Most of the time we ended up at the adults-only pool simply because there was more space.
We would have loved to spend more time on the beach, but renting two sunbeds and an umbrella costs €40 per day. In my opinion, this should be included for hotel guests. As a result, almost everyone stays at the pools, making the overcrowding even worse. There are simply not enough swimming and lounging areas for the number of guests.
The resort is surrounded by shops, restaurants, and supermarkets, which is very convenient. However, the restaurants within the resort are often either fully booked or extremely expensive. I would definitely recommend walking about 10 minutes into town, where you’ll find many excellent restaurants at much more reasonable prices.
Unfortunately, our arrival experience wasn’t great. The receptionist wasn’t very helpful and didn’t explain where anything was, how to find our room, or what facilities were available. We also asked if we could add breakfast later during our stay and were told that wasn’t possible. Instead, we were advised to buy coffee and snacks around the resort.
There are two Starbucks locations on the property, but in the mornings the lines are extremely long—waiting 30 minutes or more for a coffee was common. In the afternoon, only one Starbucks remains open, making the queues even longer. Buying coffee there every day also becomes quite expensive.
There is also a small ice cream shop that sells coffee and ice cream, but because it’s the only one on the property, the waiting times are very long as well. We bought ice cream once and never went back—four scoops cost €26.
In the evenings, there is only one bar offering live music, so finding a seat requires some luck. There are also beach shows, but those require an additional ticket and are not included.
On the positive side, the hotel rooms are spacious, modern, and very comfortable. We especially want to compliment the housekeeping team in the Tapa Tower—they were incredibly friendly and did an excellent job every day. We also appreciated the water refill stations throughout the resort.
One downside is that there is nowhere in the room to dry swimsuits or towels. We asked at reception, but they confirmed they don’t provide drying racks. Also, the website mentions that the hotel has a self-service laundry, which is incorrect. Fortunately, there is a laundromat about a 9-minute walk away that works very well.
To top it all off, we had to pay a resort fee of $55 per day, whatever that was supposed to be, plus taxes. In the end, we paid around €700 extra for our 11-night stay—money we had to pay on top of what we’d already paid just to stay here.
Overall, we had a fantastic vacation because the island itself is stunning. However, due to the overcrowding, limited pool and beach capacity, additional costs, and some service issues, we would choose a different hotel if we return to the island.
