Royal Andilana Resort & Spa

We’re very shocked that this is a 5 star hotel and how it has so many positive reviews. We ended our trip early because of how much we weren’t enjoying it, and we were both made very poorly from the food. We’ve stayed in 5 star hotels all over the world, and this certainly is not 5 star, it’s a standard 4 star. When checking in, we were only provided 2 small bottles of water - considering you need to use bottled water to wash your hands, brush your teeth, and to drink, this was not enough. We found it very challenging getting any more - we were told it would cost us otherwise we weren’t getting them. We’d just been delayed in the capital for 24 hours and arrived late at night, this was the last thing we needed. Water is a very basic right, especially for a 5 star hotel, more than enough should be provided without question. When we came to our room, the room key holder fell off the wall, it took almost a week to get fixed and that was due to us chasing constantly. We also asked for more hangers and they never came, and the shower gel was empty and took days for them. We love being at the beach on holiday, but not this one. They blast loud unpleasant music for most of the day, so you can’t even hear the waves, or yourself think! The breakfast is basic - can’t have the fruit, as the flies or always on them. They should cut fruit for you fresh to order so it doesn’t just sit there. It’s also like a kids breakfast, almost everything is sweet. No one knows what a latte is and said I have to pay for decaf, even on all inclusive. Hardly anyone speaks English which makes everything very difficult. 95% of the staff just don’t give good service at all, they seem standoffish and like they can’t be bothered. You feel they don’t want to be there so do the bare minimum! If the staff don’t understand, most of them laugh between themselves and make you feel uncomfortable. The food just does not match what a 5 star hotel would offer. The standards and quality seem so much lower of those of a 5 star hotel. My husband and I were made very poorly by the food. They tried to massively overcharge us for excursions. When they could see we weren’t stupid they came down hundreds of euros and said they can do it loads cheaper - so why try and charge us way above the amount to start? When we arrived, the shower gel provided was empty and didn’t get filled up for days. You aren’t allowed to get an iron sent to the room. We have never experienced this in a hotel before. They make you pay for an ironing service. On day, my husband saw that a me member of staff got the wheels of his kart half stuck in the pool, so he ran over and helped him lift it out - the member of staff just looked at him and didn’t say thank you. There was no do not disturb sign for our door - we had to write a note and place it outside our door to not be disturbed. You get 1 room key when you check in and if you lose it you get charged £5. The spa is a long story but it was just a strange experience, I won’t mention everything, but something to mention was that when they asked me to turn over (onto my back), they didn’t hold a towel up for my privacy, in fact, instead of turning over, I asked for a towel and she just stared at me, so I asked a couple more times. She just laughed at me and threw a folded towel onto my back for me to sort myself. When having breakfast, the chef touched raw meat (bacon) then passed me a utensil I’d asked for with same hand and didn’t wash his hand before. How many times do they do this sort of thing? No wonder we were both so poorly the whole time! The cleaners also don’t hoover room, so we were constantly stepping on bits of sand in the room. Do I need to say more? If you’re used to 5 star hotels and proper standards being met with good food and service, this place will not be for you at all.