Side Premium

We stayed at Oz Side Premium from 4–7 August with our eight-year-old disabled daughter. Positive things: the restaurant staff were lovely and professional, the food was okay, and the pools were clean and well kept. But several things went wrong and the way the hotel responded to them was worse than the problems themselves. The kids’ mini club was open and within its posted hours. The schedule on the door clearly stated 14:30–17:00, and we arrived at 14:33. We were let in, and a staff member allowed us to stay for ten minutes. My daughter doesn’t take part in activities, she just needed to be in the space for a short while — and that was fine. Their event was actually at three; we had come at half past two, well within opening hours. The problem was not the schedule. While we were inside, a different staff member came over and kept pushing information about their activities on me. I calmly explained that my daughter doesn’t take part in them, that I didn’t need the information, and that we’d stay briefly and leave. That was enough for me to be cast as a troublemaker. She was very passive aggressive, told me “miss you don’t listen! Come with me I want you to show information…”. I said I can’t leave my child unsupervised, repeated that she’ll not participate in any activities and that we will leave soon.

At the pool, my father went down the slide right behind our daughter (who swims well). Lifeguards confronted him quite aggressively because she had swallowed a little water — something she does and manages fine — rather than handling it calmly. They wanted to report it as an accident. Our room was not properly cleaned: the bed was made and the towels changed, but the floors were left untouched. When this was raised at reception in English, the response was dismissive. On the first day I called reception to ask for toothbrushes — a basic request in a five-star hotel — and was told rather rudely to go and buy them in the supermarket. None of these were unreasonable things to raise. I went to Guest Relations calmly, said the hotel was good overall, and listed a few things to improve. Instead of dealing with it internally, the hotel called me down and I was confronted for about an hour by three managers (the general manager, the entertainment manager and the operations manager). They brought in the staff member involved for a face-to-face, pressed me repeatedly, and even raised the possibility of involving the gendarme against me. This was their response to a paying guest, on holiday with a disabled child, who had simply raised some complaints. One moment stood out as especially upsetting: when I explained that my autistic daughter had simply needed a few minutes in the club, the general manager accused me of “using my child” rather than showing any understanding. Hearing that from the head of the hotel, whom I had approached for help, was hard. I left that conversation feeling like a suspect under interrogation rather than a guest. A well-run five-star hotel takes feedback, says “thank you, we’ll look into it,” and handles staff matters privately. That is not what happened here. The air cons don’t work in the building except some in lobby. So you’ll feel you’re in sauna while waiting for lift. They don’t provide duvet cover, just some blanket. I won’t be returning.

We had an excellent stay at this hotel. The hotel is clean, welcoming, and the entire team goes above and beyond to make your holiday enjoyable.

A special thank you to the entertainment team for their energy, enthusiasm, and positive attitude.

A huge thank you to Ornella, the Kids Club manager, who is truly a rare gem. She is professional, patient, caring, and amazing with the children. Looking after kids from different countries who speak different languages is not an easy job, but she does it with passion and kindness.

Thank you also to Zayneb, who is part of the Kids Club team. She is always smiling, gentle, and caring with the children, helping to make their time at the Kids Club fun and memorable.

A special thank you to Zahra at the reception for her kindness, helpful advice, and excellent service. She was always welcoming and ready to help with a smile.

We would also like to thank Abdelkarim for his kindness and attentiveness around the pool. He was always willing to help everyone, whether it was finding a sunbed or making sure guests were comfortable. His dedication did not go unnoticed.

The only small suggestion would be to improve the soundproofing of the rooms. Apart from that, everything was perfect.

Thank you again to the whole team for making our stay so special. We leave with wonderful memories and hope to come back!