Gaia Royal

My husband and I stayed at the Gaia Royal Hotel from 7th - 16th October. We were allocated room 128 on the second floor. We paid £550 each through Jet2 Holidays for a last minute break. We’ve done pretty much nothing but lie by the pool which was the whole point of this trip. The AI is poor. General AI is a blue wristband and ultra AI is a red wristband. To be able to get bottled water and cocktails from the bar you have to upgrade to ultra all inclusive for €25 per adult per day or €12 for kids. We’ve only seen one couple with red wristbands while we’ve been here but loads of people buying and paying for cocktails in the bar in the evening. Kind of makes it pointless paying for AI The “mini” pool bar at the quiet pool (which we are overlooking from our room) has a miserable barman and poor snacks. Only wraps and croissants. No matter how many times you visit the bar, he doesn’t interact, doesn’t remember your drinks, nothing at all. The “proper” pool bar is over at the other block which has a large kids pool and a large noisy adult pool. They have pizza and sandwiches available, music is playing and all the activities take place over there. The mini mart is there and the “zoo” is next to it The gym is under the evening bar in the main building. Tea and coffee are available at breakfast but if you get one from the main bar at other times, it’s in a tiny paper cup. Cleaning is erratic although our cleaning lady was super cheerful and friendly. Towels not changed. Sheets changed once and when they were one of the new bed sheets was stained. Tea / coffee / milk not replaced. Kettle lid broken so the kettle doesn’t switch itself off when it boils. Have to unplug the fridge to plug the kettle in. The fridge is so noisy at night it’s impossible to sleep with it plugged in. No bottled water is provided in the room. Reported the shower not draining twice. Allegedly someone came to have a look but it made no difference. Max three minutes in the shower before it’s overflowing and turning the bathroom into a pool. Fixtures and fittings in the room are basic and cheap. Balcony is a decent size but quite dirty. Mosquito screen door on the balcony and a screen on the bathroom window is a nice touch. Blackout curtains which do quite a good job. There is no currency exchange at reception. They told us the nearest bureau de change is in Kos town. Nearest ATM is at the shop at the Neptune hotel next door but one. You can get to the hotel by walking along the beach and up through the gardens. While out finding the ATM there we found a lovely taverna called Epikouros run by George who was fantastic. Highly recommend. Stunning sunset from the beach. Main bar has two sleazy greasy barmen who take unfriendliness (unless you’re 18 with your girls hanging out) to a new level. Coffee is awful. Two coffee machines in the restaurant at breakfast with a very limited selection. Badly placed so creates a bottle neck at the entrance to the restaurant. Cats every

We stayed at the Gaia Royal between the 13th and 20th October. We understand that it is close to the end of the season but if you are paying for All Inclusive it really should be available until the very end. Drinks unavailable at the bar because they wouldn’t open a new bottle, children’s meal section missing most nights at the buffet. The hotel itself is a little tired, but the room was clean although marketed as a two bedroomed suite it was only really one bedroom and then a bed in the main area. The pool was nice and the beach lovely and we enjoyed unseasonably hot weather so we were lucky. The one star reviews on here are unfounded in my opinion, we didn’t smell anything nasty, the zoo is a nice little addition for children. More of a petting zoo really with goats and guinea pigs, but our Grandson enjoyed it. The food was basic but good, breakfast was the best meal of the day with plenty of choice for everyone. We ate out and hired a car and this did give us the freedom to explore. There are lots of cats, which we loved but some may not.