Aminess Vival Grand Azur Hotel

The hotel handled the situation well on the second night, and most of the staff were excellent. The kids behaved very well too. The location is peaceful, though we hadn't realized the hotel hosts large school groups, which wasn't what we wanted for a quiet break. The packed lunches were excellent.

The only things I can praise are the location, Mateja, and Sandra. We found glass in the pudding, and the crack on its edge was not visible when I took it. Shame on you, you ruined our vacation. The food was repetitive and tasteless, with breakfast reused later and lunch appearing again at dinner. On the all-inclusive light plan, we felt we got almost nothing; there was no coffee at lunch, the juices were sugary and sometimes far too sweet, and the fruit barely seemed washed. We ended up going into town for dinner, and I hardly ate much during the last couple of days. The rooms felt claustrophobic and very outdated, the bathroom looked about 30 years old, and the AC leaked. It was also very overpriced, nowhere near a four-star hotel.

The nicest parts were the setting and views: nature surrounds the hotel and beach, so there is sun and shade through much of the day, and the rooms, restaurant, cafe, and beach bar all have lovely views. The pool area was clean, as was the complex and beach; pool and beach towels are free for guests. Fresh fruit was always available in the restaurant, and the beach bar cocktails were good. There are several large convenience stores 3-4km away, and the surrounding vineyards sell good wine and quality olive oil at fair prices. For what it costs, though, the place is far from a four-star hotel. It's dated throughout and needs a full renovation and replacement furniture. Our room windows leaked in the rain, and I used two large hotel towels overnight to catch the water. The furniture and bathroom taps were cheap and old. During our ten-day stay, the toilet was cleaned and sheets changed only once, which I found unhygienic; the regular service seemed to be bed-making and towel changes. The shampoo was only about half full, the shower bottle was empty at arrival, then a few days later it had been filled with what seemed to be plain water, not the product on the label. The pool was crowded with loungers, leaving little room between them unless you chose the shaded lower cascades. All-inclusive light is the top package, but it isn't a standard all-inclusive: unlimited drinks were only available in the restaurant and were average to low quality. Basic juice, wine, beer, and machine coffee and tea were offered only at breakfast. The hotel also charges €5 a day for parking, €20 a day for two beach loungers and an umbrella, or €8 a day for one lounger. You get a receipt when paying, but that doesn't stop non-paying visitors taking other available beds. Staff are at the pool house early until noon and again from 5 to 7 pm, so beds and umbrellas often go unchecked in between, making payment feel pointless. Locals and other tourists can use the parking and beach, so some days it was hard to find a spot for either. There are large stones in the shallow water at some beach entrances, so you have to watch your step and keep an eye on small children. The beach is rocky and uncomfortable for bare feet. When it's crowded, people may try to take shade under your umbrella, so you have to keep watch or ask them to move. Restaurant food was often bland and repetitive; better chefs and ingredients would help. Breakfast was okay, but the desserts felt like they came from the seventies, with no taste or imagination. At the beach bar, staff stopped taking orders at 6:30 pm even though it stayed open until 7, and they began closing things down at 5:30. That made the place feel unwelcoming. Cocktails were good, but the coffee was awful. Staff generally seemed cold, apart from reception and the restaurant hostess. Our stay for two adults cost around 2550e. Considering all of this, we definitely won't return.

The hotel feels run-down, and the cost didn't come close to matching the service or quality. The room was awful for the price, more like a cheap Croatian seaside rental for €30 a night than a hotel. At check-in, the front desk employee seemed lifeless and barely spoke. The decorative pillows and blankets looked so dirty that we took them off the bed right away. We couldn't keep the air conditioning on because it clanked constantly and was extremely loud. Its vents were yellowed and dirty. With the window open, delivery trucks unloading below woke us every other morning with loud banging. The bathroom looked terrible too, and the shower tap was fitted backwards, so there was no clear way to tell hot from cold. The “Rituals” dispensers didn't contain what seemed to be Rituals shampoo, weren't even half full, and the sink soap was so watered down it splashed everywhere. We had all-inclusive, but the meals were another letdown. Breakfast was passable, though there was no orange juice, just a cheap, overly sweet drink. Lunch and dinner were tasteless and poor quality. We went once or twice, then ate outside the hotel for the rest of the stay. Free sunbeds are advertised at the pool, while the loungers and umbrellas on the beach in front cost extra. The one thing I can't fault is the name's grand scale of disappointment: this was absolutely not worth the money, and I can't recommend it. If the food had been good, I might have let some other problems slide, but with all of it together, no.