Rixos Sungate Hotel

“Excellent”

We had a fantastic experience at this hotel during our congress in October. The friendly staff made us feel right at home, and the food was truly delicious. Additionally, the congress rooms were excellent, which greatly enhanced our overall holiday experience.

“Great family stay”

Fantastic holiday. Could not fault. Good food, drink. Amazing for kids. No child can say they’re bored. Will be going back again for sure. Only negative that bothered me, is that certain guests need to use manners. Please an thank you goes a long way. Other than that fantastic.

“Not the Rixos we hoped for…”

Front of house/reception We found some of the front of house/reception staff rude and unapproachable. We asked to pay for an upgrade at the start of our stay (due to room concerns) and the man laughed and said ‘we paid for X, so we get X, you can’t change room’. Thereafter, we were locked out of… more

Front of house/reception We found some of the front of house/reception staff rude and unapproachable. We asked to pay for an upgrade at the start of our stay (due to room concerns) and the man laughed and said ‘we paid for X, so we get X, you can’t change room’. Thereafter, we were locked out of our room twice due to issues with the door and most reception staff were very unhelpful. We eventually got in the first time after 2 hours of walking to and from our room, getting new cards, a bell boy trying, a security man trying and finally a tradesman to check it. The second time it happened, we were left out front waiting for a bell boy for 30 mins, with nobody really concerned about what was going on. After complaining we hadn’t had help yet, one man from reception (we didn’t get his name but he had long dark hair in a bun) took it upon himself to help us and actually got a key card and buggy himself to take us to our room - he was lovely. Room: The room was very modern and the bathroom was also new and very nice. The cleaners did a great job and we always had water stocked up. The door lock kept malfunctioning during our stay meaning ourselves (and the cleaner etc) couldn’t get into our room. The card for electrics didn’t work properly so it was just switch off randomly. We tried to get help for this but none was provided. There was a random window leading to the hall (see pic) and you couldn’t cover it so in the night there was a beaming light in the room. The curtains couldn’t physically be closed so you could always see into our room from outside. Buffets: Overall the food was delicious and probably the best food we’ve had at an all inclusive hotel the meat was very tender and cooked amazingly and not all of the food was cooked in oil. The main buffet mostly served ‘healthier’ food sources but you could get great ‘beige’ foods at the beach bar - a great mix. The breakfast was limited and the same each day, but there was more variety over lunch and dinner. The lady who served us called Yildiz (star) was amazing she remembered our exact drink orders after one day and brought straight over to us! During the evening in particular, it was CHAOTIC trying to get food. Most days there was no queue and people were everywhere, but then the restaurant manager stepped in to create some order towards the end of our stay. It’s just such a small room for the number of people. A la carte: Cactus is free with a stay of 7 days or more. The food and service here were good and you sit by the beach. Bloom was extra charge and we payed 50 euro each. It seemed steep at first but the food was incredible and you got so many courses it was definitely worth it. The best service we had was also in this restaurant, we didn’t get names but everyone there was so lovely. Bars: Only one of the outside bars in the main pool area serve cocktails during the day so you either need to walk up there or there’s a man with rollerskates who comes around taking order (around the pool area). The cocktails are the best we have ever had and the bar staff put so much into making them (so they do take a little longer to serve sometimes). We were particularly impressed with Ibrahim who works the main bar in the evening - he loves to make up cocktails for you if you tell him whether you prefer sweet or sour! Pool areas: Plenty of chairs/loungers/beds but a lot of them are in shade most of the day. Pool is freezing but refreshing after initially going in and nice when super warm. Ice cream! Cornettos of many flavours and all for free! Beach: It has loads of sun beds and is clean with nice sandy beaches, there are some rocks as you walk into the water. Gym: The gym had some good equipment especially for a hotel gym which was great to see. The gym staff were always friendly. Bowling Alley: The has bowling alley has pool tables, fooseball and multiple bowling lanes. The pool and bowling are additional charges (not sure about fooseball, we didn’t use it). Bowling is €10 per person, per game and pool is €5 for 30 mins and €10 for an hour. We spent a lot of time there, it is quiet but worth the money and the man who works in there is very friendly and helpful. WiFi: The WiFi was very good throughout the hotel (except in the toilet? Haha) and we had WiFi even in the furthest corners of the hotel which was great. Location: Stunning location with the mountains behind you and sea in front - you can watch sunrise from the beach. However, barely any externally run excursions collect you from the hotel so you need to make your own way or just use the expensive tui excursions. Land of Legends: We’d definitely recommend you use your free ticket here if you enjoy going to theme parks and like water parks as it offers both combined. There’s also a shopping district there which has many popular outlets so has something for everyone. Overall there were good parts of the holiday, the food and some of the people for example, but given the frustrations around the room and the poor customer service of the front desk staff, we were disappointed. In particular given Rixos is supposedly known to be a great hotel. This is the second Rixos hotel we have been to, and this hotel didn’t live up to the name.

less