Club Med Gregolimano

Our dream holiday didn’t feel much like a dream, with so many problems at the hotel. There are too many to list, but the biggest ones were the awful food, the kids club, and the noise at night. There was a huge amount of food, but the quality was very low and it felt cheap. We came with our kids for the kids club, but the staff didn’t seem to like children or make us feel we could leave them in good hands. I even saw a staff member yelling angrily and rudely at one child, and nobody reacted, as if it were normal. I wouldn’t want my children being cared for by someone like that. We could barely sleep because of loud parties every night, often going past the hours shown in the app and continuing until 3 am. Only after we called reception and yelled did they turn off the music. We also ran into other problems, including activities being cancelled or moved elsewhere without updates, so we waited for an activity and eventually gave up.

There’s a great range of sports, and the location feels exclusive, with lots of amazing spots and no sense of crowding. The animation could be better, though. If you don’t speak French, you can feel out of place, and children who don’t speak it may not feel included in the mini and teen clubs. That happened with my two daughters, and they may leave the clubs. The main staff are French, so French is often the default and sometimes the only language. They don’t really make an effort to help non-French speakers feel equally comfortable.

Getting to Club Med Gregolimano from Athens is part of the adventure: first a bus, then a 20-minute boat ride. Seeing the beach and pine trees as the boat comes in feels like arriving at a secret island retreat. The G.O. team made us feel special from the moment we arrived, and we met some amazing guests and G.O.s during our stay. We’ll definitely be back. The setting is beautiful, with white sand, pine trees, and gorgeous mountain views across the water. We walked about 12 km a day, chasing the kids between the beach, restaurant, and mini clubs, so who needs a gym? There are activities throughout the day, and it’s a great fit if you enjoy sports, the beach, and good vibes. The food was excellent, with plenty of variety, local flavors, and chef’s specials every day. Bravo to Chef de Village Patrixao, who was full of energy, cracking jokes, and making everyone feel welcome from early morning to late night. You might find him near the beach working the grill at his legendary barbecue. A special shoutout to the whole water-ski team, especially Briac, who was professional, always smiling, and did everything to make sure we had fun on the water. Thanks too to all the G.O.s from the land sports team. Your animation and energy throughout the day really bring Club Med to life.

The condition of our room and beach left us deeply disappointed. Despite sending detailed requests well in advance, we were given a smelly, damp room in the Olympe section, room 3004, which was completely unacceptable for a resort of this standard. Justine JULLIEN, Welcome & Services Manager, offered another room in the same unsatisfactory category and said an upgrade wasn’t possible because the resort was “fully booked.” We later heard from reliable sources that occupancy was closer to 800 guests out of a 1,200 capacity, so the explanation felt disingenuous and disrespectful. The beach was also dirty, with broken glass, cigarette tips, and other debris regularly visible in the mornings. The My Club Med app never worked for restaurant reservations, although its other parts did, and no one on staff took time to help. We couldn’t book a restaurant visit. Our Platinum status didn’t seem to bring better service or consideration. My wife was so upset she cancelled our upcoming Valmorel and Turks & Caicos reservations as soon as we got home. For the first time, we’re seriously questioning whether to stay with Club Med. We’ve been loyal Club Med guests for years and are Platinum members, and we know from many past stays how wonderful it can be. Under the responsibility of Justine JULLIEN, Welcome & Services Manager, Gregolimano was a bitter disappointment and failed to meet the standards promised to loyal members.