UNA Hotels Naxos Beach Sicilia

When we arrived there was a queue for reception, we collected our room keys and were not told about any of the facilities. We stayed in a superior room under all inclusive. The room was dated but adequate but the shower was tiny and overflowed regularly. The cleaners were thorough and did a great job. The key cards were used to access the all inclusive package. Beverage wise we were allowed a glass of coke but not in a can, cheap wine and basic spirits, anything else was extra. Food was canteen/buffet style. For the first few days this was inedible. We were so disappointed, even the bread rolls were stale and the cheese processed. However, this did improve significantly throughout the week. We were given one small bottle of water for the room a day in 38 degree heat. To get more we had to sneak them from the buffet which was absolutely ridiculous. Our keys repeatedly didn't work so we had several lengthy queues at reception to get them reactivated. On a plus the pizza (which you had to pay extra for) was delicious, the beach was beautiful and the food did, eventually improve. It's such a shame that our experience could have been so much better with a few simple changes: some information in the room about the hotel's facilities, a better range of beverage for all inclusive, sorting out the ridiculous key card system and access to drinking water!

Just arrived back from a family holiday. Beautiful hotel, clean and tidy. Cleaners do an amazing job at keeping everything tidy. We had all inclusive, lots to choose from, but would benefit from more choice for children. Shame the cocktails are not included in the all inclusive package. Special thanks to Richardo on the bar - always greeting customers with a smile. HUGE thanks to Stefano (advisor) who greeted everyone with a smile and was always so happy. You would always smile when he was around! He was very entertaining and an absolute credit to your hotel. Hotel shuttle service was ideal to get to Taormina.

The hotel reception on arrival was pretty chaotic some knew how to queue but some just pushed in front of us. The reception has a nice marble floor with comfortable seats around the area the air conditioning was not brilliant but at least it’s cooler than being outside. On check - in the local tax is payable, we were her for one week and paid £70. The receptionist gave a brief explanation of the facilities and gave us a map of the hotel. They also give you a card which is your room door entry, access to the restaurants, you need to have it on you at meal times a card per person and they scan on entry to the restaurant, its a bit annoying especially if you forget your card and have to trek back to your room. The card is also used to credit money using a machine, like an atm which is situated by the reception desk, you add money to the card to buy drinks etc and what you don’t use at the end of your trip you get it back. It was nice to not have a large tab on check-out. So yes this worked for us. Rooms: we were on the 4th floor with limited sea view which was as per the booking, pleasantly surprised what a good view of the sea we had. Cleanliness: room very clean and bed and towels changed daily. Noise: we were glad to be on the upper floor as quite a lot of shouting from tennis courts and people playing ping pong being quite loud depending, if they were winning or losing but nothing terrible just excitement or disappointment. Food: mainly disappointing a couple of nights they had things we liked. Breakfast was low quality bacon, sausages and mushy scrambled egg and the strangest combination of scrambled eggs and carrots, runner beans not quite sure where this breakfast combination came from. Staff: Reception: ok just going through the motions. Main restaurant: the young girl on the hot counter did not interact with any guests just slopping scrambled egg on plates like school dinners. Very small portions too. She was in a day dream and definitely didn’t appear to enjoy her work and us guests were quite an inconvenience. One particular lady who worked in the evening clearing the tables was amazing, I think her name was Marianna she was welcoming & topped our wine glasses up and made us feel welcome for the first time! She works so hard, we were thankful when she was working! Cleaners: work very hard and always say ‘good morning’ and warned us that the vacuum wire was across the walk way. They do an amazing job and our room was spotless every day. Room aircon: our room cool but annoying to sleep with it on as cold air blowing on your head. Turned it off a few times in the night but then uncomfortably warm. Evening entertainment: Naxos Power band are amazing, so talented and they have great fun when performing. They play cover songs that we all recognise. I hope the hotel realises how lucky they are to have them as the main entertainment. Lifts: small, hot and dated but reliable and didn’t take long to arrive on pressing the button.

We stayed in a superior room in one of the blocks outside of the main hotel building. It was very clean, spacious and tastefully decorated. Air con and ceiling fan a blessing particularly at night when temperatures were still warm outside. There is a satellite tv in the room but only has English news channels. We felt the room would have benefitted from a kettle and some complimentary tea/coffee. A small 500ml bottle of water and some toiletries such as shampoo and shower gel were provided free of charge as were toilet rolls, bed linen and bathroom towels. Everything is situated inside the hotel complex. There is no town to really speak of however there are tours and activities to choose from and a bus that will take you to beautiful Taormina. The Godfather Tour is great value for money and was one of the highlights of the holiday. You’re in for a treat if you get tour guide Fabio. He was so knowledgeable not only about the locations where the Godfather was filmed but also about Sicily as a whole, providing some interesting facts and information that kept everyone engaged. Nightly entertainment included the Naxos Power Band - a live band who were very entertaining, an awful bubble and fire act (definitely one to avoid) and beach parties (can’t comment as never went). There are also various sporting activities such as tennis, padel and table tennis and a well equipped gym. Just to mention if not all inclusive, that drinks and snacks can only be paid for using a bank card or your room key card where you can top up with cash using the machines by reception or within the Olympus Bar. We thought the drinks were overpriced at 6 euros for half a pint and soft drinks at 3.50 euros a can but ice creams were good value. The beach has loungers and parasols, all laid out in rows. Some rows at the back are free with those nearer the front and closer to the sea chargeable. Towels can be hired for the day at 2 euros each. It’s important to mention that you will be approached by various people parading up and down the beach selling anything from sunglasses to jewellery, massages to footballs. I didn’t like this and so only visited the beach once during our stay. The rest of the time, I sat by the Olympic pool which was much more pleasant where you could read/sunbathe uninterrupted. It’s a shame there were no sun loungers on the grassed areas as these are beautiful and well maintained. Generally we didn’t mind the food in the Oasys Restaurant. There’s not much variety from day to day and it does feel like a canteen where you queue up to be served for hot food. In the evenings you are given a choice of red, white or rose wine, still or sparkling water. There are some nice eating places a few minutes walk oway (Osteria Cotto & Mangiato), as well as a small supermarket for essentials like bottled water. We bought a couple of takeaway pizzas for lunch which were reasonably priced and tasty. Personally, it’s not a hotel I would return to but it is a nice

Via the hotel website we booked the best room they had: a 3-bed superior villa. Let's start with the positive side. The resort is beautifully set in lush, well-maintained gardens. The grounds are truly a highlight: peaceful, green, and spacious. There’s a wide range of activities available for guests, with a very enthusiastic animation team, and most of the staff we encountered were friendly and helpful. That said, we did experience several disappointments that affected our overall stay. Firstly, the 3-bed villa we booked did not match what was advertised on the hotel’s website. The photos at the website showed modern interiors and renovated bathrooms, but according to the reception staff, these are not available for the 3-bedroom option. We raised concerns after being placed in one of the older villas, which felt outdated and poorly maintained. The villa had a persistent musty smell, the bathroom looked like it hadn’t been updated since the 1970s, The shower head was stuck to the shower rail and the walls of the room were so thin we could hear everything our neighbours said. It’s worth noting that a large part of the accommodations at this resort here has not been renovated. After complaing we were moved to two renovated rooms, reflecting to what we booked at the hotels website. But also these renovated rooms both had mold in behind the sink and in the shower. Housekeeping was inconsistent. On multiple days, sinks and floors weren’t cleaned, and bins weren’t emptied, something you’d expect to be standard in a resort of this level. Breakfast was another low point. It’s served in a large, run down canteen-style space with little atmosphere. The quality of the food was below expectations: the scrambled eggs were inedible, bacon had no taste, the pineapple came from a can, and the coffee was instant coffee. Even more frustrating, food wasn’t replenished in the last 10 minutes of service. If you serve breakfast until 10AM, you must be able to provide guests food until 10AM! Only after raising our concerns at the recpetion again we were upgraded to a smaller breakfast area elsewhere on the property, with decent coffee and much better service. This restaurant was a premium service. Strange, we booked the most expensive rooms on the property at the hotels website and never heard about a premium breakfast service, until you start to complain (which many people do at the reception every day)! Food on the property was of low quality anyway. We tried dinner and lunch the first day, but all the following we escaped into the many restaurants outside the property. The only thing we liked on site was the ice cream. Despite the shortcomings, we managed to have an OK holiday, largely thanks to the beautiful setting and kind staff. However, the resort would benefit greatly from being honest in its room descriptions and pictures, upgrading the rooms and improving service consistency, especially at this price point. Especially as they know and acknowledge t