Xanadu Makadi Bay

Our stay had both some wonderful highlights and a few disappointing experiences. Unfortunately, the stay did not get off to the best start. Although we had paid for a room in the main building, we were initially given a room outside the main building. The reception refused to move us until our travel agency became involved and contacted the hotel, after which the situation was resolved.

On the positive side, the beach was absolutely gorgeous and definitely one of the highlights of our stay. Seeing turtles there was an unforgettable experience! The staff around the hotel were also generally very lovely and friendly. A special mention goes to the waiters at the beach bar, who provided excellent service by bringing our drinks directly to our sunbeds. They were always pleasant and attentive, and they also made delicious cocktails, which made relaxing on the beach even more enjoyable.

As someone requiring gluten-free meals, I unfortunately found customer service to be less helpful than expected. There seemed to be some confusion about where and how gluten-free food could be provided, despite arrangements having previously been possible. However, I would especially like to thank Chef Hassan Gama, who truly went out of his way to accommodate my dietary requirements and prepared delicious gluten-free meals for me. His kindness, effort, and willingness to help made a huge difference to my stay.

The à la carte restaurants were also very enjoyable, with tasty food and a good dining experience.

The animation team was also pleasant. They were not pushy or constantly trying to force guests to participate, which some people, like myself, may appreciate. They were generally quite quiet. That said, we really enjoyed their club dances, the after-show entertainment, and the aqua floating, which were great fun.

One final issue was the shuttle bus service. We often felt that local visitors were given preference over foreign guests when waiting for the shuttle, which was disappointing and made the experience feel unfair.

Overall, the hotel has a beautiful location, a stunning beach with turtles, lovely staff, enjoyable entertainment, excellent beach bar service, and some very good dining options. However, the issues with the room allocation, gluten-free customer service, and the apparent preferential treatment of local visitors are areas that I believe the hotel should improve. A special thank you again to Chef Hassan Gama and the kitchen staff for going above and beyond and making my stay much more enjoyable.

They advertise this as a high-class hotel, but once you get inside, you’ll find old and cracked tiles, worn-out and broken doors, and no A/C in the hallways. On top of that, getting any sleep before 1 a.m. is nearly impossible because of the “civilized” behavior of some guests. The beach is also far from what you would expect from a high-class resort. There are two boat docks, one on each side of the beach, and the smell of diesel fuel is often extremely unpleasant. The water is also affected by the boat traffic and pollution, which is particularly disturbing considering that guests are swimming there. Definitely not coming back here.