Marepineta Resort

“An honest review that hopefully helps others.”

I did the typical thing of book this hotel and THEN check out the reviews for it , I must learn not to do that in future ! It causes so much worry ! The biggest thing I noticed was that there were two very different and strong opinions about the hotel. Hopefully this review will help others in the … more

I did the typical thing of book this hotel and THEN check out the reviews for it , I must learn not to do that in future ! It causes so much worry ! The biggest thing I noticed was that there were two very different and strong opinions about the hotel. Hopefully this review will help others in the future. The hotel is stunning , it really is , when I pulled up even my cab driver went 'WOW!' so all the negative reviews then happily melted away and I thought ' well, I've really hit the jackpot here !' The reception , lobby , dining rooms , 'lounge' and gardens are absolutely 5 star. Now , here's the rub .. There are TWO separate parts to the hotel , the main building and the annex. Now, I'd paid about £100 a night ( as a single occupant. ) and I'd reserved and booked a room in the Annex. No one had conned me , it wasn't a trick , there are two very different rates for two very different levels of rooms. SO when shown to my room in the annex ( I think they refer to it as the villas.) I could see why some people had written such negative reviews. I imagine that after seeing the grandeur of the place they were disappointed. BUT , seeing as I'd paid the price of a Travelodge the rooms were very adequate , beds were very comfortable and the utilities ( shower etc ) were very clean , small yes, but very adequate and very clean indeed. The simplest way to describe the experience is this, I'd booked a second class ticket on the Titanic , but I had the run of the ship , got to use all the first class facilities , and had first class service. To refer to some peoples complaints, they are justified , it would be very easy and useful to put kettles in the room , that would be great but again this is not the first time I've stayed somewhere 'upmarket' that didn't do that. The rooms in the villa are very adequate ( who really spends all their time in the room on holiday unless you're having an affair or on honeymoon !) they could be a lot nicer though , it would only take some thought, some paint , some decent pieces of art to actually make them very good indeed - This is something the hotel should REALLY think about , it wouldn't cost much and would make s MASSIVE difference to a lot of their guest and reviews I expect. I enquired at the front desk about the room differences and it was happily explained to me but I have to say when I arrived I was given no info at all on the hotel , restaurant times , what was included, If I could use the beach resort part ( I couldn't and the price to do so was INSANE.) I would really recommend that when someone checks in , if they haven't stayed there before that the staff give them some info - that would save a huge amount of disappointment I expect. Set an expectation , it makes a massive difference to people. With reference to the beach resort , if it's not included on your room rate simple walk 50 yards further down , you can get a private subbed and umbrella at another resort for 15 Euro a day. It does feel like the 5 star guests are really cherished and looked after , it wouldn't take much to do the same to the 'other' guests - it did feel a bit 'snobby' in that way. There were several corporate events on whilst I stayed , again , just tell people ! That way they won't mind ! If the hotel management took time to review their current set up it would take a matter of weeks, if that, to probably eliminate all the negative review points people have put on here. For me , I would happily stay there again knowing now how it works. It really is a beautiful hotel , and I think it's actually a gift to be able to pay a lower rate and still have most of the benefits of it. Put some thought and care into the cheaper rooms and you'd be on to an absolute winner. A special shout out to Marco the pool lifeguard who looked after the children staying SO well, I imagine it made their day to have such attention and care. And another shout out to the cleaning and restaurant staff , faultless service , friendly , caring and professional.

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“Nice but rooms are not five star”

We booked this hotel because we were looking for a five star hotel and we were looking to take daily Padel lessons. Our first impressions of the hotel were great. Friendly staff at the reception, restaurants and lounge area looked great. But we were really disappointed about our room (classic r… more

We booked this hotel because we were looking for a five star hotel and we were looking to take daily Padel lessons. Our first impressions of the hotel were great. Friendly staff at the reception, restaurants and lounge area looked great. But we were really disappointed about our room (classic room). The paint is a bit worn, there is a big bright light in the room, next to the bed there seems to be a fixture for a bedside lamp but without any light. For hanging clothes there is one cheap looking closet in seventies style. Also the bathroom is sub-standard: the shower is half a square meter, the light is hideous and the toilet seat does not fit on the toilet. There is a mini bar but no glasses to poor a drink. The room in most 3 star hotels look better. The restaurants are nice looking, friendly staff and good value for money. We are also enjoying the Padel club but that is also accessible to people not staying in the hotel. So if you are looking to play Padel and want a five star experience, there are nice looking 5 star hotels in the area.

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“Too many important aspects not 5*”

For some context, I am a 28 year old who is fortunate enough to often stay in 5* hotels. I was disappointed in that too many aspects of this hotel did not, in my view, achieve that standard 1) Rooms - we booked the standard room. This is absolutely not a 5* room. I am 6’3 and could not really fit… more

For some context, I am a 28 year old who is fortunate enough to often stay in 5* hotels. I was disappointed in that too many aspects of this hotel did not, in my view, achieve that standard 1) Rooms - we booked the standard room. This is absolutely not a 5* room. I am 6’3 and could not really fit in the shower which was a small box lodged into the corner of the very small bathroom. The room was at best 3* (I have stayed in better 3* rooms). It was dark, dated, small, and with no character. NB: we ended up paying to move to what we were told was the only remaining room in the hotel, in the more modern part - ‘the Lissoni suite’. This was more akin to a 5* hotel, but still had shortcomings such as the view of the main road, a quite uncomfortable bed, and marks on the sofa. 2) Ungenerous - there are no refreshments provided for you in the rooms. Almost all 5* hotels provide you with complimentary tea/coffee/water. This hotel does not. There is also no water in the gym. I had to plead with the barman to give me two bottles of water to put in the gym. This stinginess gives a negative impression. 3) Noise - there were two night parties by the beach which we could hear from our bedroom. Surely you shouldn’t be able to hear, especially from the suite? 4) Food - again this links to the ungenerous part. We paid approx £550 per night for half board (breakfast and dinner). Despite this the hotel does everything it can to eek every extra penny it can out of you. For example, at breakfast not everything is included. If you want smoked salmon on toast, or a smoothie that is extra (€9 for each item). Again, at dinner, you have to pay for every drink, not even water is included. As I mentioned, this leaves a sour taste, and really feels as if they are taking advantage of you. Positives - the staff in the restaurant are absolutely lovely. They hire young guys/girls from Italy who are very smiley and nice. Even though most of them don’t speak great English (we spent 10 mins trying to get a takeaway ice coffee)?and you may need to ask them for things a few times, they are so pleasant. - the beach is lovely and long and the sand is very soft. - we arrived a day late due to some complications at our previous hotel and we were given that night in credit to spend at the hotel. This was very much appreciated.

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