Westin Dragonara Resort

Great experience. Shoaib was awesome!

This hotel is fabulous, but there is a really big problem area that they need to address before we would consider returning. The location is outstanding; the views are incredible; there are several restaurants and, at those we ate, the food was delicious and well presented; the rooms are spacious, cleaned to a very high standard and well equipped; there is a fantastic, really large outdoor heated swimming pool, a large outdoor non-heated pool and a decent size indoor heated pool and spa area. The staff and service make the place; everyone was so friendly, helpful and made us feel so welcomed. For all this the hotel deserves a 5+ star review. However... the hotel is advertised as being non-smoking but this is not true. Smokers fill the balconies and smoke drifts into every bedroom. You cannot get away from cigarette smoke unless you keep your bedroom door closed and then you can't hear the lovely sound of the waves and could be staying in a city hotel... Next, some of the hotel guests are less than respectful which is unfortunately a normal situation these days. We were unlucky enough to be placed directly above one of these; a loud speaking woman who would talk on her phone everyday at 6am and wake us up. The first day we reported this and the staff told us there was nothing they could do but instead we had to wait to be woken up again the following day and then call down. We were only at the hotel for 4 nights so this suggestion meant that at least half of our sleeps were going to be cut short. We did this the next day when she woke us up again but they did not ask her to be quiet because, by the time their security got up to listen, she'd stopped talking (and we were already awake!) The third day we were woken up at 6am by a room alarm clock that had been accidentally triggered by housekeeping. So this was the 3rd day in a row we'd been woken up at our time 5am! We were so tired from so little sleep over 3 days that we went back to bed and were just drifting off to sleep when the loud speaking woman starts talking to her partner on the balcony around 6.15am and wakes us up (again!). I really don't know why the hotel couldn't have just spoken with the woman after the first time she woke us up and asked her to be respectful of people sleeping at 6am. Now, we do appreciate that the alarm going off was just an accident and the hotel's response to this situation was very good; we ended up sharing the bottle of fizz they gave us on a private beach overlooking the waves in the evening and that was a lovely experience. We would love to go back to this hotel and would next time be more insistent that the hotel take action against disrespectful guests immediately. However.... we will NEVER go back until the hotel is truly non-smoking as advertised because the cigarette smoke in our bedroom really spoiled what was essentially a nice holiday with lovely attentive staff, even despite with the early morning starts. We suggest that the hotel consider honouring its claim that it is non-smoking by providing smoking areas for guests that are well away from the bedrooms and that, if they really have to accommodate in-room smoking, then to make sure that balcony smoking is moved to the far left (North wing) extension block that is well away from the rest of the bedrooms. My daughter is terribly asthmatic and would have had to go to hospital if she'd stayed in this hotel since just one breath of cigarette smoke can make her wheezy for 3 days. We did not know this was not a non-smoking hotel until we arrived and that was a a big problem for us but would have been a disaster for my daughter. Apart from being better at managing guest disruptions and getting rid of balcony smoking, the hotel is faultless. There is nothing we would have wanted to change or improve. So if you are a deep-sleeping smoker then this is the perfect hotel for you!

I rarely write reviews, but I wanted to share some feedback about our stay.

Overall, our stay was fine. The check-in process was smooth, and both our check-in and luggage were handled efficiently. We were also able to check in early, which we appreciated. Breakfast was very nice, and the staff we encountered at reception and in the restaurant were exceptional.

However, we did experience a few issues with housekeeping and service.

Around 1 pm on the first day, I switched on the TV and found that it wasn’t working. I reported the issue, and it was fixed promptly, which I appreciated.

Later, we went out at around 3 pm and placed the “Make Up Room” sign on the door. However, when we returned at around 8 pm, the room had still not been cleaned.

The following morning, we requested bottled water, as none had been replenished during the previous night’s room cleaning. The water was provided by Akansha, but unfortunately, her tone and manner of responding made us feel as though our request was an inconvenience. While she was providing the water, I also asked her to change the iron. Her facial expression and tone conveyed more frustration, and I do not think this is the right way to serve a customer. I generally prefer not to mention individual staff members in reviews, but a few other interactions with her also contributed to my decision to include this feedback.

On the positive side, our room was cleaned on time the following day.

Overall, we had a pleasant enough stay, and I would like to emphasize that the majority of the staff we encountered were welcoming, professional, and outstanding. However, I believe some staff could benefit from additional training in guest communication and housekeeping service standards.

With a little more consistency in these areas, the overall guest experience could be even better.