Akoya Hotel & Spa

The setting is lovely and the staff were kind, but our four-night stay fell short of what we’d expect from a five-star hotel, especially compared with places like The Palm Hotel. After staying at two other five-star hotels on the island, the difference was clear. The hotel seemed badly understaffed: our room wasn’t properly cleaned, despite us often being out from 9 a.m. until 4 or 5, and lunch service involved very long waits. The staff were friendly and trying hard, but seemed overwhelmed. At the pool, people had to compete for loungers because guests could reserve them all day without anyone keeping order. For the high price and all these shortcomings, we can’t recommend it.

At 11 p.m., three hotel staff members entered my room without warning or my consent. The door was locked from inside, and I was clearly in the room. I protested strongly, and only then did one of them explain that an internal error had marked my room as vacant, so my check-in hadn’t been recorded properly. I’m making a formal complaint against Akoya Hotel & Spa La Réunion over this serious breach of my privacy and security. An occupied hotel room is a private space under French law, and unauthorized entry may be a legal violation regardless of intent. Hotels in France also have a duty to protect guests through proper registration, access control, and privacy safeguards. This exposed three unacceptable failures: staff entering an occupied private space and causing distress, a security lapse that allowed a locked room to be opened from outside, and careless check-in management that failed to record my occupancy. This is unacceptable for any hotel, especially one claiming high standards. I formally protest and reserve all rights to pursue legal action.

The pastries were good, and the hotel was clean, smelled nice, and was close to the beach. But this was easily the worst of the many five-star hotels I’ve stayed in, and I’d never return. The stars on the hotel gate are even partly rubbed off, lol. The biggest problem was the WiFi. It didn’t work for any of our five devices during our whole six-day stay, despite me asking staff for help several times every day. My sister needed her laptop for university applications and interviews, and I had business meetings, so we had to buy €40 of roaming data. Staff kept telling me to forget the network and reconnect, as if I didn’t know how to use WiFi. I’d already tried that, showed them in person, and was then told it was my phone. Even the technician’s and manager’s phones couldn’t connect. I eventually gave up and bought data, but when I ran out, the weak WiFi at reception couldn’t load anything. I had to walk to a nearby restaurant to borrow its WiFi just to buy more data. WiFi was listed in the room description, and it should be a basic amenity at a five-star hotel. Food was another letdown. The portions were tiny for the price, and the €25 breakfast buffet had few choices. The food was dry, juice wasn’t fresh, the fridge wasn’t cold, the salmon and ham tasted strange, and the sausages were hard and stale. The scrambled eggs were ashy-looking, milky, watery, and barely tasted like egg. Even lettuce ran out before it was refilled. One staff member looked at me strangely when I didn’t take her seafood recommendation, even though my sister is allergic. The restaurant only opened on certain days and at certain times, which is unacceptable when there are no restaurants nearby. I usually love hotel food, but here I chose Uber Eats instead. Staff also didn’t come over to explain things, so you had to approach them yourself. That was minor beside the rest, but confusing at first. Getting help by phone was difficult too. The room phone couldn’t call outside numbers, which is impractical for tourists, and reception was almost always busy or barely connected. Room service was very slow: water and towels took 40 minutes, and I had to call three times. The room had its own problems. The door was so hard to shut that you had to slam it, and a staff member opened it without knocking or notice while I was naked. We paid for a deluxe room, but there was no bathtub, only a standing shower without a curtain that left the bathroom floor completely wet. The description did say shower, but I expected more from a five-star hotel. The balcony’s “ocean view” was partly blocked by a tree. The layout was cramped, confusing, and hard to navigate. Mosquitoes were everywhere, and I got bitten seven times in 20 minutes. There’s little nearby and taxis are expensive, so it’s convenient only if you drive. The staff seemed nice on the surface, but nothing got sorted. Every issue brought an “I’ll check with my colleague,” then no resolution. If food matters to you, don’t expect much.

The staff made a real effort with us, even though we aren’t native French speakers and Réunion isn’t especially geared toward English speakers at the moment. When we had trouble with our rental car, the concierge called the rental company and sorted it out for us. That kind of help, along with the location and amenities, made Akoya a worthwhile base for exploring Réunion. I’d recommend it. We had no trouble finding a space in the private guest parking after renting a car. The Plague de la saline was easy to reach on foot, with a choice of restaurants and bars nearby. At the hotel, we enjoyed the restaurant’s good food, fair prices, and service. The pool area and loungers were fantastic, with views of waves breaking on the Indian Ocean and only a faint background sound. The pool bar had a separate lunch menu and a good selection of drinks. Our rooms were bright, comfortable, and well-equipped. The concierge was easy to reach, and the room was replenished with water twice a day, either during cleaning or in the evening. Breakfast was a highlight, with French, American, and reuniónese food and a good range of fruit and drinks. The gym had cardio and weights machines, and there was a spa with a range of treatments. One thing to keep in mind is that the rooms may need updating soon. Still, we had a very worthwhile stay.