Cross Apartments and Tours

The staff were kind and helpful. They cancelled the rest of our stay without charge, let us check out an hour late while we hurried to find another hotel, and helped arrange a taxi. Even so, I’m left with a very bitter feeling. If I’d known what to expect, I would have planned the trip differently. This information needs to be stated clearly, not concealed. I booked Cross resort for a family holiday, hoping my four-year-old could use the pool slides with her granny. My elderly mother had flown from far away, and we had come from another country to spend time together. I chose a resort outside the city for that reason. There isn’t much nearby, few shops or restaurants, it’s far from excursion pickup points, and there’s little to walk to beyond the resort itself. In the morning, we found all the outdoor pools empty, the pool chairs stacked up, and construction workers, tiles, and building materials scattered around. It was a huge shock. Apparently the outdoor pools are closed in May during low season, but the booking information said “the pool is open” and didn’t tell us this. The indoor spa and pool were operating, to be fair. But if we’d wanted an indoor pool, we could have booked one of the good hotels in or near the city center, like Metropol. There was little to do there with a four-year-old. Construction made the grounds hard to use, there were no shallow pools, and the playground was dirty and overgrown with weeds. The resort didn’t seem ready for tourists. It felt unfair to charge for a stay without clearly explaining how limited the amenities were. I can see that it could be enjoyable when the pools are open and construction is finished. There are several pools, a shallow children’s pool with slides, and a large playground. That simply wasn’t what we found.

Arshak was quick to communicate, very accommodating, and had plenty of recommendations for us. We also liked the food at the adjoining Harisa restaurant. The family cottages were clean, spacious, and comfortable, and the kids enjoyed the pool and playground during our three-night stay at Cross Resort with two small children. A couple of things to bear in mind: the pool and gym are open to the public, not just hotel guests. That didn’t bother us, but it might matter to someone else. We rented family cottages 8 and 9, right beside the main outdoor pool. Music played there through the day and into the evening over the weekend, which could be an issue for families with small kids or elderly guests.

The cleaning lady was very sympathetic, the rooms were large, and our building was near the pool and restaurant while still being fairly quiet. There was air conditioning, and they did change our room, though the quality wasn’t much different. Those were the good points. During our week there, the rooms were never swept. Cleaning seemed to mean emptying the bin and replacing the towels. The apartment felt like a European hotel of maybe 1.5 stars, two at most. Paint was coming off the walls, there was broken glass, and plenty of other problems. The outside of the building looked so old it reminded me of something from the 1930s. We ordered only burgers at the restaurant, and they were very expensive and not worth the price. For a couple of days, different staff members kept coming to tell us we hadn’t paid for a cocktail, even though we showed the receipt each time and it clearly had no cocktail on it. If you want burgers, I’d suggest Pitstop in the city center. A two-way taxi plus burgers there costs less, and they taste better. Our family visitors were asked to pay a $20 fee each just to enter the pool area, although they were only coming to have coffee with us, not use the pool. We had to step in. We went to another pool for $3, and it was much better. This one had no slides, and parents with children like us were stuck on the far side of the building where the small kids’ pool was. You end up sunbathing among restaurant tables while people are trying to eat lunch, which was uncomfortable.

Our stay was short, but we had a lovely time and the children had loads of fun. The staff were great, service was quick, and the restaurant had lovely decor and tasty food. There are lots more good things I could say. You’ll have to visit and see for yourself. Good job, keep growing! We’ll definitely come back. The balcony in the family apartment does need some work, or at least a proper clean.