Messina Resort Hotel

Starting from negatives, the bufet was terrible. Reaping, very salty and in general not tasty. The coffee machine in bufet area is always out of milk and shortages are very common. The drinks in all-inclusive offer are very limited, but also not consistent. The same drink can be too sweet, too bitter or just right depending on person behind the bar or already mentioned shortages of soft drinks. Sunbeds were in various condition, ones were fine, others in fatal shape. Also amount of those were quite low looking on how many people this resort can host in rooms.. From good side the pool is good and views in Kalo Nero are fantastic! Just be aware except few restaurant and hotels there is nothing there. You can quickly hop into the sea as well. Rooms were air conditioned and kept clean, however there was no ability to keep the cleaning staff from opening the door, so if you value privacy this can be a major issue.

We liked the photos on the Messina Resort’s own website, so we booked and paid for a 5-night stay. Check-in was at 15.00, but we were only given the key at 15.35 and the room had only just been cleaned. However, they gave us a room at the Oasis Hotel, which was five minutes’ walk away, claiming that was ‘ours’. That was our first shock. The Oasis Hotel is old and run-down; it’s in need of renovation. They told us we’d have to walk here for breakfast as they don’t serve breakfast there. That was our second shock. Every morning, we walked five minutes to have breakfast here. They’re showing people photos of the Messina Resort whilst selling rooms at the Oasis. The room we stayed in was old and neglected. The beds were far from comfortable, the pillows were thin, and there were no spare pillows. Every night when we went to bed, we were bitten by insects. The room wasn’t cleaned once in the four days we were there, nor were the sheets or towels changed. We even had to take out the rubbish ourselves. I’ve never experienced such a disgrace before. We left a day early; we simply couldn’t put up with it for another day. I’ve never seen such poor management in my life. I wouldn’t recommend it at all.

There are only 11 umbrellas on the beach, and the pool area is always busy. There is no place to drink coffee. Breakfast is classic, dinner is sometimes good and lunch is always very bad. There is usually no dessert cake, and even if there is, it is very bad. Hygiene in the restaurant and rooms is unsatisfactory. The staff is very few, so something is always missing: food, forks, plates, an empty table. The hotel is certainly not 4 stars and the service is very bad. I did not expect such a bad vacation.

The hotel has great potential. It is well maintained, and the staff are very friendly, kind, and helpful. However, the biggest disappointment during our stay was the lack of sunbeds. Although the hotel photos show a large number of sunbeds both around the pool and on the beach, this was not what we found upon arrival. There were too few sunbeds, which made it difficult to find a place to relax and many of them were already quite worn out. Every day guests had to compete for a place. Even more disappointing was the fact that there were no sunbeds or umbrellas available on the beach at all. We were not prepared for such a situation, especially considering what was presented in the hotel’s promotional photos. It is a real shame, because apart from this issue, the hotel has a lot to offer.

The buffet was repetitive, and the room wasn't cleaned every day. I'm fine with that, even if it's not appropriate for a four-star resort. What I absolutely can't stand is the cleanliness of the common areas: sticky poolside tables, dirt and trash at the self-service bar that had been left there for days, the self-service coffee machine greasy and encrusted (I wouldn't have wanted to put my cup on it), bowls of sauces/jams at breakfast that were clearly never changed (probably even the spoon provided, considering that it was sticky as soon as I touched it). I ate very little for fear of getting sick. The beach and pool loungers were dated, broken, and patched up. On the other hand, the staff was very kind.