Really great family holiday
Our third visit in consecutive years as family. I write because we enjoyed the first year immensely and obviously booked to revisit but weren't overly impressed the second year. Lots off room issues were encountered and the hotel didn't really care. We fed this back to the agent on our return and they echoed that they had received many similar comments with returning guests feeling standards had dropped within a year. Our issues at the time were fair but what was grating was how the hotel attempted to deal with them. Friendly, kind but completely and utterly useless - to be polite. You give up and try to enjoy the holiday. We gave things a go for a third year as my kids really enjoy the hotel and the appointment of a guest services director has changed things dramatically. Nikolas Kritikakis is an extremely personable and genuinely friendly member of the team. He made the effort to get to know us a family and was so warm and kind. He resolved one minor issue for us seamlessly and took the time to speak to us about the local area, places to visit and ultimately made a very lasting impression on us all - especially my two children. A note to management - appointing this type of individual who acknowledges returning guests, tries to understand their needs and doesn't sit exclusively in an office away from guests is a very smart move. Jumeirah Al-Naseem do this particularly well, as do Sani so it is good you've done the same. The guy deserves all the praise that he is due and I trust you will acknowledge his efforts as he made our trip a very memorable one with his kindness. The beach here is not overly busy, the pools are well maintained and have great people working there. The restaurant selection is good but can get repetitive after a few weeks in one place. I really enjoyed Flame (steak restaurant) and also Onuki (japanese / sushi). The other really good dining option is the breakfast at Pero, honestly one of the best hotel breakfasts I can think of. The chef, Athanassios, who runs the proceedings is extremely friendly and again, made the effort to get to know us as a family; he is wonderful.