Dive Inn Resort

Unfortunately, our 10-night stay at this hotel was extremely disappointing. There were issues in almost every area of the hotel, from the welcome on arrival and the condition of the rooms to the food, drinks, cleanliness and entertainment. What made the experience particularly frustrating was that many of these issues seemed completely avoidable and came down to a lack of care and attention from the staff and management.

Arrival

We arrived at around 8:30pm. From the moment we entered the hotel, we felt very unwelcome. We approached reception expecting a friendly greeting and some information about the hotel, but the receptionist took our passports, handed us a room key and simply told us that someone would come and help with our bags.

He then pointed towards a desk and said, essentially, “these are the meal times.” There was no real welcome, explanation of the facilities or attempt to make us feel like guests who had just arrived after travelling.

The gentleman who took us to our room did point out the bar and restaurant on the way, but the atmosphere throughout the hotel was incredibly quiet. Walking through the public areas felt almost like walking through a ghost town rather than arriving at a hotel where guests were supposed to be enjoying an all-inclusive holiday.

Bar

The bar was another major disappointment.

There is a sign stating that all drinks will be served in glasses, yet drinks are routinely served in plastic cups unless you specifically ask for a glass.

The drinks themselves are often served warm. During our stay, the fizzy drinks machine broke three times and the coffee machine also broke once. These things can obviously happen, but there didn’t seem to be any urgency in getting them resolved.

The bar staff also frequently appeared more interested in sitting on their phones or chatting amongst themselves than serving guests. On several occasions, it felt as though you had to wait for staff to finish what they were doing before you could get a drink.

One particularly frustrating aspect of the all-inclusive drinks service is that if you want a cold beer or other cold beverage, you can apparently pay for the same drinks that are already included in your all-inclusive package - but served cold. This really defeats the purpose of paying for an all-inclusive experience.

Restaurant

Unfortunately, the restaurant experience wasn’t much better.

The restaurant staff often appeared more interested in messing around and chatting amongst themselves than looking after guests. There was, however, one member of staff throughout our entire holiday who was consistently attentive, polite and genuinely helpful. Unfortunately, one good member of staff cannot make up for the overall experience.

On one occasion, we asked the manager if he could lay a table for us. He said yes, so we assumed this would be done. We collected our food and returned to find him still standing in exactly the same position, chatting with colleagues. The table had not been laid. In the end, we simply laid it ourselves while he watched.

The food selection was also very limited. Neither of us is particularly fussy, and we are both happy to try different foods, but some of the food served was simply inedible.

On one evening, my partner took some fish and, when he cut into it, we could clearly see that it was still raw inside. This is particularly concerning when food safety is involved.

Because of the quality and limited choice of food, we ended up having to eat out on most evenings of our holiday, despite having paid for an all-inclusive package.

Rooms

The rooms appear extremely dated and look as though they have not been updated since the hotel originally opened.

There was black mould in the shower, broken taps and a toilet brush that was in such poor condition that it really needed to be thrown away and replaced.

These aren’t minor cosmetic issues. Basic maintenance and cleanliness should be a minimum expectation, particularly when guests are paying for a hotel stay.

Housekeeping

The housekeeping was another significant issue.

During our 10-night stay, our room was never actually cleaned.

The beds were made and towels were changed, but the room itself was not cleaned. For a 10-night stay, this is completely unacceptable in my opinion. Making the bed and replacing towels is not the same thing as properly cleaning a hotel room.

Entertainment & Activities

The evening entertainment consisted mainly of a rotation between an oriental show and a talent show.

During the day, there were activities such as badminton, darts and water aerobics. The hotel also has a volleyball net and water polo goals set up, which initially gives the impression that these are facilities available for guests to use.

However, when we asked the entertainment team about them, we were told that the hotel does not allow them to use the volleyball and water polo equipment as organised activities. It seems strange to have the equipment set up but not allow the entertainment team to actually use it.

Overall, the entertainment offering felt very limited, particularly for a 10-night all-inclusive holiday.

Facilities Advertised Online vs Reality

Another major disappointment was the difference between what is advertised online and what we actually found at the hotel.

The hotel is advertised as having:

• Buffet restaurant
• Snack bar
• À la carte restaurant
• Lounge bar
• Pool bar

During our stay, the only facilities we could actually find were the buffet restaurant and pool bar.

We could not find the other advertised facilities, which makes the online description feel very misleading.

Final Thoughts

Overall, this was a very disappointing stay. We went into the holiday expecting a relaxing all-inclusive experience, but instead found ourselves dealing with poor service, limited and sometimes unsafe food, warm drinks, broken equipment, dated and poorly maintained rooms, inadequate housekeeping and very limited entertainment.

We are not particularly demanding guests. We don’t expect luxury and we are both happy to try different food and make the best of things. However, there is a big difference between not expecting luxury and expecting the basic standards that should come with an all-inclusive hotel.

The biggest issue throughout our stay was the apparent lack of care and attention. There were some individual staff members who were polite and helpful, but unfortunately this was not representative of the overall experience.

After 10 nights, we left feeling that the hotel did not provide the standard of service, food, cleanliness or facilities that we had paid for, and we would not choose to stay here again.

We had a great time at the hotel, the entertainment team are great and work so hard to keep both children and adults entertained. The hotel is spotlessly clean and again the staff work tirelessly to ensure you have everything you need. The food is varied and there are things like regular bbqs which are lovely.