TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

We have just returned from a 9 day family holiday, and overall, had a wonderful time. Pros: We had a swim up room and a second floor room in block 58. Both were absolutely huge, with stunning four poster beds and whirlpool bath and were kept clean and well maintained. The beach is beautiful, as are the gardens / grounds of the hotel. Some of the food was excellent, particularly at the Japanese and Indian a la cartes. The chateaubriand at the French restaurant was also great. The staff are a real credit to the hotel. While I can’t call out everyone, a few special thank yous: Angela and Stephanie were so friendly and welcoming at Helios, greeting us by name and always with a smile. Dolores and Fairney, who delivered drinks by the main pool were excellent and very friendly. Cindy, the butler in block 58 was exceptional. She was so helpful and responsive over WhatsApp and was so friendly and fun in person. An absolute asset and made our stay so much easier with all her assistance. Richar, who was at Helios at breakfast and Tentazione a la carte in the evening was fun, attentive and an excellent waiter. My parents last visited this hotel three years ago and were pleased to see a lot of the same staff. The cons: There are nowhere near enough seats round the main pool given the size of the hotel, with people reserving these from early morning and not turning up until late in the day. There were also times when people from the other hotels on site would turn up too, adding to the over crowding. El Dorado is not a nice relaxing a la carte experience in my view. It’s casual, loud and chaotic if you have a later booking, with lots of people waiting to be seated past their reservation time. Food is not labelled at Helios, at either breakfast or lunch, so you just have to guess what it might be. There also aren’t enough serving utensils. Both of these factors increase the risk of cross contamination and must be a nightmare for anyone with food preferences or allergies. This isn’t something our family has to worry about but I still think this could be improved and I can’t remember the last time I went to a hotel buffet that didn’t label the food. Food at Helios is also presented in small dishes, and can quickly run out, and while there are chefs there to restock, it’s a pretty small buffet for the size of the resort. Overall, we had a lovely holiday which was made all the more special by the time, but I do feel there are a few areas where improvements could be made.

unsure how the TA reviews get here, but this was a cheap carnival cruise at a resort….food was rough….amenities very normal….service was hit/miss…for a no-tipping resort, everyone expected a tip…

Nice resort with a beautiful property. The rooms are clean, good equipped and get cleaned twice a day. Having breakfast at the beach restaurant is fabulous.

Excellent resort.Room exceeded expectation-trolleys were always fast-ample choice in high end food.Mywife and l had a wonderful time.

We lost out because of the re-development of Palladium, but all things considered we had a good holiday.