Maritim Resort Calabria

The food was good, but a lot about this resort left us frustrated. We paid half the official asking price and still regretted spending the money. The full price is completely unreasonable, and this is nowhere near a five-star experience. The meal schedule leaves long gaps without food. Lunch starts just two hours after breakfast ends, then dinner is five hours after lunch. The small pizzeria only serves Margherita and closes at 5, leaving two and a half hours with no food except some fruit lying around. On Sundays the pizzeria is closed all day, so that gap is five and a half hours. If you’re out on an excursion, there’s no lunch box, so you miss a day’s paid-for lunch with no compensation. We also had three occasions when the meat was undercooked and inedible. The dishes and glasses weren’t cleaned properly, so you have to check your glass, and good alcoholic drinks at the bar cost a lot, even with all-inclusive. There’s very little to do. The village around the hotel is tiny and seems very poor, with nothing nearby. Going outside felt dangerous to us, so you depend on the resort’s activities. For adults, the options are extremely limited: bow shooting or tennis for €20 an hour. If you want to join in with the animators, you have to seek them out and start something yourself. There’s little on the beach either, just two surfboards to rent for €10 an hour and a volleyball net. No boats or jet skis, just lying around. In the evening, there’s an hour of children’s dance entertainment, then not much else, and even after that it still feels aimed mostly at kids. The music is largely Italian, which wasn’t great for international guests. One live concert was all right, but a musical evening felt very unprofessional, with a stage backdrop full of bad AI-generated images. They had put in some effort, but it fell far short of five-star quality. Without anything interesting to do, we were bored, stuck choosing between the beach, the pool, and eating. Many employees speak only Italian, especially at the pool bar, which made communication difficult. Reception didn’t work as a central place to arrange things: when we asked about booking the Friday pizza restaurant, they sent us elsewhere, and for archery we were told to find an animator ourselves. The dining staff couldn’t keep up with clearing tables, so arriving a little later made it hard to find a clean one. Some waiters seemed like they hated their jobs. The rooms had poor sound insulation. You could hear people in other rooms using the toilet, and our connecting door let us hear everything from the neighbors. We were lucky with who was next door, but it was still uncomfortable. Several things didn’t work: the keycard sometimes failed, the coffee machine was broken, the cola dispenser served warm drinks, and the sunshades on the loungers didn’t work. The Wi-Fi barely worked. Rocks along the shore made getting into and out of the water painful.

The food and the sea were great, and the animation team were the best. Martini worked so hard and was great with the kids. Her moves at the mini-disco were the best. Aleksander and Giuseppe made beach volleyball really fun as hosts, and Emmanuel was excellent at his job and had good jokes. Everyone was friendly and welcoming. If I go back, it’ll be for them.

It’s a peaceful, family-friendly resort with a quiet atmosphere and no screaming. The animation is just for children. Every other day there’s a very nice concert show, with a fantastic singer and dancers. We also had a beautiful evening on the beach with a man showing the stars and explaining everything. A few things need work. There was no connection for calls, and fast Wi-Fi only worked at the hotel. On the beach there was no connection at all, so Wi-Fi there is badly needed. The beach bar is on the way to the beach rather than on the beach itself, and it would be nice to move it. At the restaurant, glasses were hard to find. I understand people take five each, but a five-star resort should be prepared for that. The food variety could be better, especially for fish and meat. A five-star place has high prices, but should also offer high service. Playing tennis was difficult. You had to find someone to play with, but there was nobody for four days. There are seven fantastic courts, yet we couldn’t play. The only option was to pay the instructor €40 to play with you. The gym is modern and top level. The spa is large, but it’s open from 2 to 6, when everyone is at the beach. If you want a €50 massage, you have to rush. It would be much more comfortable to visit the spa before bed and properly relax, rather than taking saunas in the middle of the day.

The restaurant and service were excellent. For me, it’s the best five-star resort in Calabria.