TUI BLUE Lagoon Princess

We have just returned from a 7 night stay here. To say I was stalking the reviews before leaving, is an understatement. I was very dismissive of the negative reviews as they were far and few between at first, however now we have been I can see why some comments have been made. To start, the staff are great! Very friendly and on our arrival we had welcome drinks in our hands and the wrist bands on. Check in was long but expected. We grabbed some lunch and the staff were amazing, could see had luggage was heavy - getting me a chair to put it on and explaining things thoroughly when asked. When our room was ready, we were told we had been upgraded to a family room in the family area - we are a married couple in our 30s. The room was large and very spacious - it was opposite the family pool and the daily entertainment and music was on and could hear it all perfectly clear in our room with doors shut. My husband went and asked to be relocated and we were told they’d call us in half hour so we left our luggage unpacked and headed to a pool. An hour passed and no call so my husband headed back to reception to be told there isn’t another room. He shared his concerns and was told we could move 3 days into the holiday which we didn’t want to do. The reception told me husband there simply wasn’t enough double beds so to have a double bed, we’d need to have the family room. I then headed to the tui rep and explained all this and Anna-Marie (who is amazing!) called reception and was told the same. As we had booked a twin room, at booking there was an option for a double bed so I ticked this, however there wasn’t any double beds available to meet our request and as such, had to have the family room. Meaning the upgrade was to give us a double bed. I explained I am grateful for an upgrade - never had one before! - but we would like to decline and go to our original room to be told there isn’t any. Anna-Marie said she’d be in first thing Tuesday and see which rooms had become free and speak with hotel manager. I asked if that could be done that day as surely the know which rooms are available the next day with who is checking out. Half hour later, Anna-Marie had spoken with hotel manager and got us a new room for the next day! We had one night in the family area and the nighttime entertainment was being heard from the front with the amphitheater and then at the back from the lady singer so we were glad to move. The next day, we handed our key in at 8:30 and they said check out 11am so we’ll get a new room early afternoon. We got a call at 8:45 and they had made us priority and our new room was ready. We were very impressed with how quickly they had done this and the new room was opposite the plaza pool which is much quieter! The pools are lovely. The sun beds are comfy and everything is kept very clean. The pools are all monitored by life guards who work 9:30-6 so this is the opening times for the pools - even if you’ve paid the extra for swim up room. You can’t use it after 6pm so I’m glad we chose not to do that as I’d be annoyed not to be able to use it. Just note, the lifeguards close the pool earlier than 6pm so they can put there life guard bits away and be out the main doors by 6pm which again, is disappointing. When we go on holiday, we want to purely sit, relax and eat good food. The food did fall below any of our 5* hotels we have stayed it. The food is definitely more 3*. If it can’t be frozen or deep fried, they don’t serve it. My husband had a chicken burrito and I asked for this too without the cheese but they told this cannot be done as it’s frozen and deep fried. It arrived and looks so unappealing. It was cold in the middle too! The main restaurant buffet was very repetitive, and much the same from lunch. I actually got to the point of dreading going to dinner. Breakfast was great, again same out each day but we liked someone so just had it on repeat. Lunch at Green and grill was not pleasant with all the flies and wasps around so we had the taverna most days. Do not pay extra for going to the restaurants for dinner - we had Greek and grill one night and my husband had biscotto cake for pudding. The menu said it was €11 for anyone paying to go a second time. The following night, that biscotto cake was in the main buffet which shocked us! Imagine paying for it then seeing it in the buffet. I would expect the evening restaurants to have different foods. One note that did turn my stomach, in all restraints the staff have ‘stations’ to clear plates and stack them up on trolleys to take out back and cleaned. The bin they scrape food into is a plastic waste bin and the lid is up. The dried foods on this lid actually flipped my stomach one day when eating. Keeping the lid down or cleaning the bin would make this so much better! Drinks were fine for us - we took insulated drinks bottles and staff happily filled these us which helped keeping water and our day drinks cold and stopped us returning many times as they have small cups. Some things are not included in all inclusive unfortunately which again, is something we have never experienced at other 5* hotels. My husband wanted a cold coffee but they were €7 and we were not paying that. You do have to queue for drinks at all meal times, again not something any other 5* hotel we’ve stayed in has. Simply offering water at meals times would go a long way. One meal, I needed some water half way through so got up to go and get some and the bar queue was at least 7 people deep so went back. I wasn’t queuing that long for water, you shouldn’t have too! Location wise, it explains in the details that it’s rather remote which we expected. Overall, staff very helpful when we needed them. I’m sure if you took any problems to them they’d try to help. There needs to be a little work around alignment with beach towel times and life guard times to ensure you can get a towel and be at the pool for when it opens and closes. I think lifeguards should shut the pool at 6, not finish work at 6pm as you’re being cut short of 15/20 each day of pool time. Food needs a big overhaul, there’s nothing more to that. We did relax, got some much needed sun and took it for what it is as we only paid £1500 for two people. Anymore than that, I’d be very annoyed at not getting the quality we had paid for and we are glad we only did 7 nights as we couldn’t take the food any longer. My advice, don’t pay too much for here and only do 7 nights. Oh and take bug repellent and bite cream. I came home with 17 bites and everyone I saw had some.

Beautiful Hotel, but Falls Short of a True 5-Star Experience I am currently staying at this hotel The hotel itself is beautiful, with lovely rooms and very well-maintained grounds. However, I was disappointed by the overall experience, particularly as a former TUI employee who has stayed in many 5-star hotels. In my opinion, this hotel feels more like a 4-star property presented as a 5-star hotel, as several basic requirements and expectations of a 5-star experience were not met. The hotel’s location is extremely remote. If you want to walk to other facilities, restaurants, shops or alternative entertainment, you may be disappointed. It is truly in the middle of nowhere, so guests are largely dependent on the hotel for everything. For a hotel in Greece, I was particularly disappointed with the breakfast. You would expect authentic Greek yogurt, yet the yogurt provided appeared to be an ultra-processed, powdered Greek-style product rather than genuine Greek yogurt. The fruit juice also tasted more like a powdered or concentrate-based product than fresh fruit juice. These details may seem minor, but they make a significant difference in a hotel marketed as 5-star. The opening hours of the facilities were another disappointment. The pools and gym do not open until 9:30 a.m. and close at 6:00 p.m., which feels very restrictive, particularly for guests who want to use them earlier in the morning or later in the day. The quality of the drinks was also below what I would expect from a 5-star hotel. The main buffet restaurant was particularly disappointing: the food was bland, and the overall atmosphere felt more like a canteen than a high-end hotel restaurant. There were also some basic housekeeping issues. On one occasion, one of our party returned to their room to find that there were no bath towels. This is a basic requirement that I would not expect to encounter in a hotel presenting itself as 5-star. Most of the waiting staff were friendly, attentive and helpful, which was a positive aspect of our stay. The spa was also lovely, clean and pleasant, with welcoming staff. The beach area, however, was quite messy and would have benefited from more regular tidying and maintenance. We were staying to celebrate a friend’s 60th birthday and had hoped the hotel would make the occasion feel special. Unfortunately, the entertainment was poor and very limited, which added to our disappointment. We also booked an à la carte restaurant and asked whether the hotel could help us present a birthday cake that we had brought for our friend, including lighting the candles. We were told that hotel policy prevented them from serving food they had not prepared. While I understand the policy, it would have been a lovely gesture for the hotel to assist with presenting the cake on such a special occasion. Instead, we had to present it ourselves and light the candles ourselves in the restaurant. Overall, this is a lovely property with beautiful rooms and grounds, and there were some positive aspects, particularly the spa and the helpful waiting staff. However, the remote location, food, drinks, facility opening hours, housekeeping issue, beach maintenance and lack of flexibility regarding special occasions did not consistently match my expectations of a genuine 5-star hotel. Having stayed in many 5-star properties, I feel there is considerable room for improvement before this hotel delivers the standard I would associate with a true 5-star experience.

Absolutely love this hotel! It was the most relaxing holiday we’ve had in years. The complex is huge but so quiet. We had a private pool which was crystal clear the whole 2 weeks. Loved the beach and that the sand was courser so it doesn’t stick to you. Early morning swims in the sea were great. Can’t fault the food, there is something for everyone and they had a themed night for 5 nights a week. The a la carte meals were fantastic, especially the seafood, lamb chops and burritos. We were a bit apprehensive about the drinks after reading reviews on here but there is an extensive included cocktail list, and lovely Rose wine. The Ouzo Cherry Twister was a fave! Amazing friendly staff and great atmosphere. We’ve already booked for next year and can’t wait to be back!

Not what we expected and wish we stayed in the uk. Beach on tui website is described as sandy, but it feels like grit and has large stones when entering the sea. This is not a sandy beach if you're going on holiday for a beach holiday. The worst part about the sea we saw jelly fish which we was told was harmless, but then the workers would net them up and put them in bin bags alive, which I found cruel. Entertainment on the evenings was below average and not what we expected in a 5 star hotel. We enjoyed the food at the buffet and found a great variation every night. The child found counter was a bonus and my child always found something to eat. All staff in the restaurant was polite and helpful. The cocktails where nice, but we was highly disappointed to see we had to pay for certain cocktails, which we didn't expect in an all inclusive. My child wanted a strawberry and lemonade and we was charged 7 euros. Rooms where clean and beds where comfortable. Cleaners did a great job. Location was what we expected, but we wouldn't return to the hotel due to the beach and lack of entertainment, which makes our holiday. I feel some of the staff were rude, especially in some of the bars. It was a disappointing experience for a 5 star hotel and feel this hotel is a 3 star at best.

Misleading description as this hotel is quite remote. We needed transport to explore more widely. Limited choice of tavernas nearby - should you fancy something typically Greek. Hotel itself was immaculately clean. Our suite was spacious and the bed really comfy. The atmosphere was ok. Evening entertainment was low key, which suited us. There were quite a few children, which is expected in a family hotel, however playing football in the reception wasn’t great. Also children running around late at night whilst parents were in the bar. The buffet choices at breakfast were good. I felt that the lunchtime buffet at the taverna was the best. However, eating at the Taverna à la carte in the evening was poor. We felt rushed and the food was not great. Chicken inedible the evening we went. The beach was lovely, although the sun beds were not particularly comfortable. A bit of a padded mattress wouldn’t go a miss. Was it value for money. Yes. Was it 5*. Absolutely not. On the whole we did enjoy our week - would I return? possibly yes but I’d need to hire a car.