Alua Helios Bay - All Inclusive

We stayed for one week in a family room in August. The hotel is lovely as are all the staff. The buffet restaurant had a great variety of food every day, and there was a good buffet snack bar throughout the day. The poolside was busy but not overcrowded (although you need to be there by 7am to get a poolside bed). The entertainment staff work hard and put on activities throughout the day. Very close to the beach too. It was quite windy so great fun in the waves but none of the beach activities (jet ski, banana boat etc) were available due to the wind and waves. We tried the a La carte restaurant one night but the buffet had better food. The local alcoholic cocktails weren’t great but the kids loved the soft drinks that were always available. The outside of the hotel faving the beach does look like it could do with a paint. Location wise it was very nice to also be able to walk into town for meals, shops etc. The town square had some fun local entertainment too. For a very reasonably priced all inclusive holiday I would recommend.

We booked this relatively last minute and were taken in by the Tui “Platinum” status as took this as a seal of approval. We should have read the fine print…. The hotel was genuinely spotless. Room was a great size and the cleaners ensured that each day the room was immaculate. Also, the pool was a decent size and was also kept very clean. Unfortunately that’s really where the positives end. My reflection is that the cultural clash between west and Eastern Europe were more distinct than we appreciated. It became clear from our first interaction. When we checked in, the receptionist wasn’t able to speak coherent English however we ambled along until his colleague who was more proficient stepped in. This became a trend. I would estimate that 90% of the staff do not speak English, and those who are in more prominent guest-facing roles struggle. I understand that it may appear narrow minded of me, but this is the hospitality industry where communication makes an enormous impression and unfortunately here it was distinctly lacking. Some staff would really try to be friendly and helpful despite the language barrier, but half of them didn’t seem to bother. This is apparent amongst the guests too. There are multiple nationalities of guest in the hotel, with Western Europeans being in the minority. Perhaps this is to be expected in a hotel in Eastern Europe however the cultural differences can make it uncomfortable. This was a view shared by a number of fellow British guests we spoke to. It appears that treating others with politeness and respect, is not a universal consideration across the client base and there were numerous occasions when we witnessed and experienced guests barging through doors, not saying “thank you” when doors are held open etc. Additionally the treatment of the cleaning staff in the restaurant was uncomfortable to watch (pointing at mess on a table, expecting the person to clean it up so they can sit down, without any gratitude whatsoever). The food was OK. Cooked fresh for each serving, but quite repetitive on the whole and lots of pork as others have commented. Note - we have a severe shellfish allergy in the family. Despite really labouring the seriousness of the consequences of cross-contamination, we were told by the waitress in the a-la-carte that there was no shellfish on the menu….only to walk 2 paces to the starter buffet area to find plate upon plate of prawn sushi amongst the other dishes. Almost certainly, this was not malicious but a further implication of limited language skills of the customer-facing staff. Needless to say, the consequences of this could have been disastrous. My overall summary is, if you are not bothered on leaving the hotel and want somewhere where you can eat and drink lots and sunbathe all day by the pool in your own bubble, you’ll be fine here. We definitely won’t be back in a hurry though. Positives: - very clean and good sized rooms - beach is nice - food is ok Negatives - staff com

Friendly staff, lovely food (and my kids and I are very fussy!), great location, plenty of drink options. The entertainment team and kids club were brilliant! Book a la carte restaurant as soon you arrive as it fills up quickly!

Wir waren eine Woche im Alua helios Bay. Was uns gefallen hat waren die wirklich großen Zimmer. Wir hatten Meerblick gebucht was das ganze noch mal ein stück schöner machte. Der Sonnenaufgang ist wahnsinnig schön! Das Essen ist reichhaltig und lecker. Hier und da mussten wir nachwürzen es steht Salz und Pfeffer auf jedem Tisch und am Buffet gibt es Dill, Petersilie, Lauchzwiebeln, chili flocken was ausreichend war. Das Personal ist durchweg freundlich und bemüht. Englisch kann fast jeder und ein paar deutsche wörter können auch einige . Vor allem in den Geschäften in der nähe gibt es mehrere die Deutsch sprachen. Ebenso in der Apotheke. Besonders Positiv war der Hotelarzt den wir leider aufsuchen mussten . Sehr freundlich und kompetent. Wusste direkt was zu tun ist , hat alles ganz genau erklärt und hat auch Späßchen gemacht. Wirklich super! Was mich wirklich störte waren die ganzen Gäste die anscheinend weder lesen können noch Manieren haben und denken das ganze Hotel sei nur für Sie da. Pool Liegen "reservieren" dann den ganzen Tag nicht da sind und dann das Personal anmotzen es seien doch Ihre Liegen wenn jemand anderes sich halt drauf legt. Es lagen Hotel Handtücher dort keine Privaten. Auch waren die Schwimmzeiten im Pool ab 8 morgens , es waren schon ab 6 leute im pool. Sogar während des reinigens sind einige schon rein , abends das gleiche , schwimmzeit bis 17 uhr ab 18 soll gereinigt werden und viele waren noch deutlich länger im Wasser. Liegen wurden ab halb 6 morgens schon mit Handtüchern "reserviert" man hatte echt glück wenn man eine freie Liege gefunden hat.Ich finde es schade dass das Personal in so einem Fall nichts sagt. Außerdem finde ich das der Dresscode im Restaurant auch eingehalten werden sollte wenigstens ein bisschen(keine badeschlappen, badesachen bedeckt, Männer sollen ein T-Shirt tragen) manche Gäste laufen in Badesachen noch nass zum Essen, Badehose und T-Shirt bei Frauen und Männer nur in Badehose . Habe auch das ein oder andere Kind noch mit Schwimmflügel oder sogar nackt gesehen. Da könnte man auch ansprechen das man sich doch bitte was anziehen könnte. Sowas muss beim Essen wirklich nicht sein. Jedes Gericht hat eine eigene Zange/Löffel, die Leute benutzen eine für alles, werfen sachen auf den Boden und lassen alles liegen, sagen nicht bescheid. An jedem Eingang zum Restaurant stehen Mitarbeiter, an jeder Theke stehen Mitarbeiter und keiner sagt etwas. So hab ich das auch noch nirgends erlebt. Ja sie müssen es jedem Gast irgendwie Recht machen aber wenn man sich nicht an einfache Regeln halten kann die man auf einem Zettel bekommt beim Einchecken und auf den Schildern rund um den pool, im Restaurant etc. Stehen, sollte man ruhig mal sagen dass das so nicht ok ist da hat man im Fall der "reservierten" Liegen halt mal Pech oder muss auf Kulanz der anderen Gäste hoffen, muss sich umziehen/ was anziehen gehen. Sollte jeder hinbekommen. Kinder die neben dem Pool in die Wiese pinkeln (es gibt genug Toilette

This was our first visit and the whole family loved it. Location is excellent, the hotel is located just by the beach. Our room was facing the beach and it was great going to sleep hearing the sea waves, and waking up with the sunrise just from the balcony. Staff is extremely polite and helpful, with attention to detail and high quality of service, very fast and responsive, from the moment we parked just in front of the hotel, until the check out and loading the luggage back in the car. Restaurant was great with big variety of delicious dishes and desserts, many options to eat throughout the day. Kids loved to make their own burgers. Animation team was very friendly and professional, children enjoyed very much the activities and we loved the morning exercises. My Favourite Club option was really worth it and added to the excellent experience. We’ll be very happy to return next year.

Es ist ein perfekter Ort. Das Hotel, Obzor, die Angestellten, dass Essen…Ich bin das dritte Jahr in Folge hier und komme ganz sicher ein 4. Mal. Alle sind fröhlich und sehr freundlich.