TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

Hi my daughter and I stayed at the O2 Resort which claims to be 5 star I can assure all travellers it is not ! Let me start with the positives 1. With the Odd Exception the Staff are all all wonderful

The staff truly make this place. Without them, I would have rated the hotel much lower. They are incredibly friendly, attentive, and go out of their way to make your stay special - remembering your drinks at breakfast, engaging in conversation, and making children feel welcome. They are undoubtedly the hotel’s greatest asset. We did experience a few hiccups with our room at the start, but these were resolved after the second night. I would definitely recommend booking a bay view one-bedroom suite. It’s much quieter, has a significantly larger kitchen and living area (including a dining table), and - most importantly - both the bedroom and bathroom have windows, unlike the initial one-bedroom we were placed in, which we hadn’t actually booked. You still get a fantastic sea view too. My biggest frustration was with the pool areas. The adults-only pool is large and well-designed, and oddly would have been more suitable for children, as there are areas where little ones could safely stand or sit in the water. The family pool, on the other hand, is split into three smaller, deeper sections (though it does have a volleyball net). Sunbeds are extremely limited across both areas, which is a recurring issue mentioned in many reviews - and understandably so. It was frustrating to see adults using the family pool loungers instead of those in the adults-only area, especially when the adult section also includes a rooftop deck with two jacuzzis that were rarely used. A suggestion for management: the large towel storage units near the family pool take up unnecessary space. Replacing them with smaller units elsewhere could easily free up room for an additional 6–8 sunbeds. When this has been a consistent complaint from guests, it really should be addressed. Another issue is the smoking area being located next to the family pool - noticeable near the volleyball section. Also, despite signage discouraging reserving sunbeds, this rule isn’t enforced. By day five, we felt we had no choice but to reserve beds ourselves just to ensure we had somewhere to sit and supervise our child. The food was good overall, with no major complaints. The grab-and-go fridges and daily afternoon tea were especially nice touches, and there’s a wide variety of drinks available. Unfortunately, we were unable to use the sister hotel during our stay as it was fully booked, which was disappointing. If you visit, I highly recommend asking for Mario for a tour of the island - it was a real highlight of our trip. Harrison’s Cave was another unforgettable experience, truly magical. We also dined outside a few times for variety, and there are a couple of casual restaurants right on the hotel’s doorstep, which is convenient. The beach itself is usable, but the sea can be quite rough with strong waves, making it less suitable for small children. Overall, we had a wonderful holiday, although it did take a few days to fully settle in and appreciate everything - something we found many other families felt as well. Did I enjoy it? Absolutely. Would I return? Probably not. That said, I wouldn’t discourage others from going - I would just make sure they’re aware of both the positives and the drawbacks beforehand.

Paradise on earth. A beautiful, clean, and peaceful hotel. The service was exemplary. The food is first-class and varied, catering to both adults and children. The spa is a perfect complement.

If this hotel just began by advertising themselves as 4 stars (at best) I might be less frustrated with my experience there. Broadly speaking our trip was nice but there were a number of service issues that really need to be improved to make me want to come back to this hotel. 1) Kids tolerated but not a focus. Our older kids (young teen/tweens) were not able to get their own room keys according to hotel policy, so we spent the whole trip trying to share 2 keys, which was annoying to say the least. They had a teen club but no other kids seemed to know about it and its options were limited. You also needed a room key to get in, ironically enough. Pools are small and cloudy - not great for kids. The layout seemed more geared toward an adult only hotel. Fun activities were posted on their schedule but not all came to fruition. When they did, they were cute (but not comparable to the Ritz activities, if they are claiming 5 stars). 2) Towels & beach chairs a problem For the first three days of our weeklong trip there were no beach/pool towels to be found. We asked EVERYONE - no one seemed to have an answer other than they “hadn’t arrived yet” and there was a general lack of care about it. We ended up having to buy towels for our families. There was also no staff monitoring of beach chair saving despite a stated “policy” against reserving chairs. There weren’t many chairs & umbrellas to start with and people were reserving them for more than half the day without ever sitting in them. Again, when I brought this up to the staff it was met with a sense of apathy. Beach chairs/cushions are also in a sad state- dingy & falling apart. 3) Service & Food There were a handful of fantastic, service oriented employees who really made our stay, but sadly the majority felt like they were doing us a favor to help us. Booking activities was a challenge, the promised dinner at the sister restaurant was “at capacity” despite us trying to reserve weeks in advance. Having been to other all inclusive resorts my expectations for food are generally not high, but I found dinners here inedible. Oro (their fancy restaurant) was very good, but guests are only allowed to book dinner there once. The one place they did shine was in beverages, they had a great cocktail and mocktail selection (and they weren’t weak), fun frozen shakes for the kids, and a better wine selection than I have seen in other all- inclusive resorts. This was a highlight. The spa & spa staff were also very lovely and another highlight.

Do not let the bad reviews deter you. We had read a few before we came and we’re starting to question our choice of booking but once we there, everything was perfect. The beach is great. The food and staff are amazing. Oro was some of the best food we have eaten and it was included in the all inclusive. The pools are a little small but they were never crowded and we were there during spring break. They had so many different activities each day that were very unique and very thought out. The evening entertainment was great. Overall this is an resort with a great location and amazing staff. Do not hesitate to book here you will not regret it. I have traveled all over the world and stayed at some of the finest resorts, so I have a lot to compare it to.