TUI BLUE Kalamota Island Resort

I gave TUI Blue Kalamota Island a well-deserved five stars. This is exactly what a TUI Blue hotel should be for foodies. Food The food was superb throughout our stay, with standout dishes including the mussels, the prawn and chicken curry, beef and the pulled pork. Everything was consistently excellent. You could make a meal, multiple meals every time. The desserts excellent, lemon tart, strawberry cheesecake fantastic. Try the ice cream as well. Staff The staff were equally impressive, every one of them – friendly, helpful, and genuinely attentive. They really made the stay special. Hotel The hotel sits in a beautiful bay and offers wonderful peace and quiet, which was a real highlight. Try taking a walk early morning around 7am, all you can hear is the gentle lapping of the sea. . It’s an ideal setting for couples looking to relax. Pool The only pool is good overall, but there are a few areas that could be improved. There were some small shoots of green plant at the edge. There are no tables and chairs with umbrellas around the pool bar itself, so there’s nowhere comfortable to sit while you’re there and want to sit out of the sun with a drink. Pool games such as polo and aqua aerobics also take over the pool for periods of time, which means you can’t use it during those slots – a second pool would solve this nicely. Finally, insects were an issue: i got badly bitten while sitting on the blue chairs beside the pool bar, and there were also ants and other crawlers on the floor around the pool area (leading to some small non-mosquito bites). The hotel is otherwise very very clean, so sorting out the insect problem would make a big difference. Entertainment Entertainment is okay and takes place in two areas. The main bar has the best live entertainment, but the space is small and the chairs aren’t particularly comfortable. It would be better if the entertainment was swapped around between the two bars. Culinarium One visit per week. It isn’t the major upgrade we have experienced in other hotels but is nice, plenty of food. We had two visits, little recommendation is to try “cake”, hot cake with ice cream, the best dessert. Now we had an experience here. I ordered prawn on our second visit. Waiter puts the plate down and immediately says “there is a problem with the prawns”, I asked what do you mean you have just served them? “We have a new supplier and people have complained about them”, are they safe to eat I ask, “oh yes just they are not usual”. Basically they were what we would call scampi in England so looked different to what people might expect as prawns. Most expect to have to head and tail the prawns I think, I was glad it wasn’t. The guy on the table behind heard the conversation and had ordered them too so asked how they were. Well, the scampi was probably the best scampi I have had, it was clearly just presentation, so try them! Location and trips Getting on and off the island is by ferry only, and the last one back from Dubrovnik is at 8pm, which restricts evening trips into Dubrovnik town. A return ferry trip costs just over £9 and drops you in the main port, not the old town port. From there it costs EUR2.5 each way per person on a local bus to the old town. TUI’s own night trip into Dubrovnik (around €40 per person) is very worthwhile, though it involves an hour each way on a small boat that can rock a fair bit. Sets off at 7pm at leaves sharp at 11pm from the Old Town port. The sunset was stunning from it. Old Town Utterly stunning at night, wonderful Main Street with shops and bars, well dressed beautiful people for the want of a word, parading, made people watching really great. The side alleys have wonderful restaurants outside that draw you in. Ate at one of those and to give an idea it was EUR29 for a fantastic beef escalope and EUR30 for a bottle of Red wine, a red with a scent and taste I hadn’t had had the like of before, beautiful. Croatia doesn’t export their wine, yet it is fantastic. Buy whilst you are there. Hard Rock Cafe is also there and worth a visit. Other TUI excursions We tried the “wine tasting” , it was a pleasant cultural trip but didn’t actually involve enough tasting wine, so if you go it is for the culture rather than the wine. The Game of Thrones tour was brilliant for fans of the show, but be prepared for a lot of steps up to the Red Keep, especially in the heat. Holiday tips A practical tip: take a flask. You can fill it with water from the fountains in Dubrovnik, yes they are safe to drink from and also with the nice cold water available from the machines all over the hotel. Wine. The hotel red is very drinkable, as is the white. Ordered red for meals and asked for a carafe, it made for relaxation with the stunning view of the bay and often expensive yachts visiting. Overall recommendation Highly recommended for couples. Just be aware that rooms higher up in the villas involve a fair amount of walking, which could be hard work for anyone less mobile. If possible, ask for a lower-level room – many people will, so it’s worth requesting early. A lovely, peaceful hotel with outstanding food and staff. A few small practical tweaks would make it even better.

We liked it very much and would happily return. The room was a good size, very clean, with decent storage and a large, powerful shower. The only tiny drawback was the world’s smallest balcony – more of a token gesture than a place to sit, but it didn’t spoil anything. The main restaurant food is good and the culinarium is nice enough, though it’s a bit burger-and-pizza based rather than a special-meal type of place. It’s also a ten-minute walk from the hotel, near the ferry jetty, which is convenient enough once you know. The pool is okay with plenty of sunbeds, but they could really do with a second one. It’s used daily for water polo and other activities, so you can’t properly relax without getting splashed during those sessions. Staff were very good – friendly, helpful and always around when needed. Outside the hotel there’s not a huge amount to do, and ferries to the mainland are limited. The last one back is at 8 pm, so if you fancy an evening in Dubrovnik you’ll need to book the sunset cruise instead – which is highly recommended and well worth it. A few notes on the excursions: the Game of Thrones tour is good, but be prepared for 170 steps up to the Red Keep (they don’t mention that in advance) and you’ll have to use the public ferry and bus at your own expense to reach the meeting point. The scenic train wine-tasting tour only actually includes wine tasting at two of the stops; the others are a working water mill and an olive-oil place. Interesting enough, just not quite what we expected when we booked it as a “wine tasting” experience. Overall a very solid, enjoyable stay – clean, comfortable, friendly staff and a good base for exploring the area. Five stars from us.

Our third visit here, met a few returning guests and some newbies, all new visitors were really impressed with the hotel and location. Room, basic but kept clean and was plenty good enough, apart from sleep we were only in it betwenn sun down and going out for drinks and dinner. Food, really good, lots of choice, some people said samey but if you switch it around it's fine, you don't often have 4 mear choices and 2 fish choices at home, great breakfasts, eggs cooked perfectly to order, plenty of good buffet and continental, Lunch pizzas were hand made and fabulous, buffet available too. Staff, excellent, speak to them, make friends, be polite, it makes a huge difference. Restauraunt staff in particular Stefanyia and Patricia really looked afeter us, Bar tenders, 2 Martins, Mar, Mide, Aleks and others were all great. Entertainment low key as this is a very chilled place, plenty to do if you want tp join in. Will we return, highly likely.

Our stay at TUI BLUE Kalamota Island was absolutely great! Everything was perfect from start to finish — the beautiful island, stunning surroundings, peaceful atmosphere, delicious food, and wonderful service. The staff were incredibly friendly and helpful, and they made us feel welcome throughout our entire stay. We enjoyed every moment and would happily come back again. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a beautiful, peaceful, and unforgettable holiday!

Everything was great, comfortable, beautiful place, very kind staff, very good, rich food. I can offer !