Robinson Ierapetra

The kind, helpful employees really made the vacation more enjoyable. Big thanks to Gitti and her whole team, you were outstanding. It’s a very nice place to stay, with modern rooms and facilities and lots of ways to enjoy your holiday.

We arrived at Robinson Ierapetra around 10:00 PM because of the flight combination arranged by TUI. Our return flight was also late, and the TUI transfer was set for 15:55. The day before leaving, we went to reception twice to ask about paying for a late check-out until 15:00. The morning receptionist said it might be possible and promised to call in the afternoon, but we never heard anything. After dinner, we asked again. Max at reception was cold and unfriendly, said it was absolutely impossible, we had to check out by 11:00, and the hotel was fully booked. He also cited “datenschutz” as the reason he couldn’t share the arrival times of new guests. I’ve worked in tourism for 20 years and understand the privacy issue, but the way he spoke to us was completely unacceptable. The resort’s internal transfers were a mess. We often waited ages for a shuttle, and sometimes none came. In the blazing sun we had to walk from our room to the restaurant or beach. One driver even drove past while we were clearly running toward the vehicle, and only stopped when we shouted. The “all inclusive” description is misleading. Special dinners cost an extra €45 per person, without wine. The food was very average, and some dishes showed up in the main buffet the next day. Lunch hardly varied from one day to the next. Aperol is included, but Hugo costs extra, and even ice cream isn’t free. Housekeeping wasn’t good either. We asked for extra slippers and got only one extra pair, even though there were four of us in the room and they’d originally provided just two pairs. It’s hard to understand this kind of service and attitude during a 7-night stay costing over €8,000. Very disappointing.

The spa team were extremely friendly and offered a great range of relaxing treatments. The bedrooms were spacious and cleaned well, though there weren’t proper outlets beside the bed. Because the club is so new, it still feels short of a real “Robinson” identity in its restaurants and activities. The grounds are huge, but there isn’t all that much to do beyond tennis, football, and biking. For quieter days, an art studio or cultural activities would be welcome, like at other Robinson clubs. Walking from one part of the club to another can also take a long time. The food became repetitive and bland after a couple of days. One evening’s dinner theme was uncomfortable because of the cultural appropriation. The Polynesian and Hawaiian stereotypes were heavily presented without much consideration or understanding. It would have been great to have a traditional Greek night organized by local staff who understand their country’s cultural identity. That dinner is why I’m giving 3 stars.

The food was good, and the staff were very friendly, but there are some things that could be better. There wasn’t much for families to do on cold or rainy days. Kids can’t really do anything indoors: the indoor part of the kids club is closed, there’s no indoor pool, and the spa saunas don’t open until 4 pm. The spa is adults-only, and you can only enter nude. It would be good to have some bad-weather entertainment for parents and kids to enjoy together. The Roby care program for minis aged 3-5 could improve. The rehearsal with the kids for a performance was great for them and for the parents. Outside that, though, they were often kept busy by playing ‘sleeping’ or going to the playground to play ‘tidying up’. A water cooker in the rooms would be useful. There are no drinks at the beach, so getting one means a long, cumbersome walk to the bar. Ice cream at an average of 4.5 Euros is far too expensive.