TUI BLUE Aura

We booked this holiday following a trip to the family life hotel in Cyprus which was fantastic so we had the same expectations for this hotel. We visited in October half term. First BIG mistake!! The hotel closes down the day after we leave (we are still here). This I feel had a huge impact on everything. Food. Firstly the Japanese restaurant is fantastic. The buffet however is poor. One of the staff told me this evening it is so bad as they are using everything up before they close. This is not acceptable! No free ice lollies for the kids as they are all gone, same food put out at lunch and dinner so alot of it was stale in the evening. The lettuce was brown and the cakes looked awful. They closed down the kids food station half way through our holiday and didnt reopen. Skeleton staff in the hotel has a big impact on the cleanliness of the restaurant and the floors are slippy with chocolate sauce. Lack of choice and repetitive. This evening I resorted to chips and gravy as everything else looked awful. I have a 6 month old baby so needed boiling water for his formula but there was none available in the restaurant as they turn the machines off and suggested I boiled the water using a microwave. Clearly dont have kids! The rooms are really nice for the first few days anyway as the maid service was awful. The floor was cleaned once and we found a ball of someone elses hair on our floor. They are large and spacious though. I am the first to compliment a good hotel and would recommend many we have stayed in around the world but please dont waste your money on this one. The outdoor pool area is ok but tired and the waterpark is the same. Maybe because it is end of season. The entertainment staff are brilliant and did not loose focus unlike the hotel staff. So if you want to be entertained for a week and not eat you will like it here! I did pass on my comments to the hotel but they did not get back to me.

My family & I stayed here for a week in October. With a 9 & 3 year old we wanted the kids to be entertained but also peace and quiet if we wanted some chill time. We really enjoyed our stay. After reading some mixed reviews before we flew out I was a little hesitant however all that went out of the window once we arrived. ROOMS: We upgraded to block 9 and it was so worth the money. The room was massive and had everything we needed and more. Huge shower, jet bath and double sinks in the bathroom. Massive double wardrobe with a safe. A fridge and a small kitchen area and a coffee machine with pods provided. Beds were also comfortable and there were also 2 TV’s. Soft towels, bath robes and slippers also provided. One negative is the room was not as clean and it could of been but I’m putting this down to the end of the season. POOLS: Block 9 is away from the main hotel and has it’s own infinity pool overlooking the sea. It’s a not a private pool but was very quiet and relaxing. As we were ground floor we spent all week at this pool as it was easy for us to come and go from the room as needed. I can’t comment on the main pool as we didn’t use it at all. We did go to the water park and my boys loved it. Good for all ages. FOOD: We really enjoyed breakfast with the usual continental options and a full English breakfast also with English sausages. Coffee not the best but drinkable. Omelette station was a favourite of my husband. Lunch was good with fresh salad, bread, meats and jacket potatoes. Also the snack bar was open most of the day serving your usual fast food type burgers etc but they also had salad available. Dinner however we really struggled with. I am far from fussy but I struggled most evenings to find something I liked and it got quite repetitive. Not great kids options either. We didn’t starve but food could be improved. We didn’t use the Al La Carte so can’t comment on those. Good range of soft drinks including milk shakes and slushes for the kids. Decent alcohol selection and good beer on tap. Good selection of Ice creams available also. ENTERTAINMENT: As the name of the hotel suggests this a family oriented hotel. I don’t know why you would choose to stay here without children then moan. The entertainment team work so hard all day and both of my boys enjoyed the whole week. There was something for everyone. My 9 year old loved the football and both of them went to the kids club one day and they both enjoyed it. The girls there were excellent with them. LOCATION: Lovely little beach a 5 min walk away. Short walk into town centre however we found that the majority of shops and bars had already closed for he season. We took a taxi down to San Antonio and had food and drinks in Cafe Mambo and watched the sunset. It was beautiful and the highlight of the holiday. We also booked a catamaran cruise with TUI which was amazing. We visited a private beach and the water was crystal clear. In summary great hotel if you go with an open mind. It’s definitely not perfect and far from luxury however a holiday is what you make it and we just enjoyed having family time together. After staying in lots of all inclusive hotel I know what I’m getting. Ibiza is beautiful and we will definitely be returning in the future. Also I read a few reviews moaning about the communal toilets. They are not communal! They clearly have pictures of a dancer in a dress for ladies and a suit for men. Open your eyes people!

Decided last minute to book a vacation. Went to Tui in Beckenham on sunday 20th flew out on 21st. The agents were appalling as I specified what my requirements were, so they suggested this hotel. On arrival to Ibiza they did not have my transfer details which they claimed I did not pay for so had to flip on them and show her my details on my phone. Arriving at the hotel it was clear they do not cater for older teenagers even though I told the agents the holiday was for my 17yr old so please cater it for him. The first night we froze in the room as we did not have the air con control. Called them twice, no one turned up. Complained in the morning again no one turned up. Our room was cleaned once in 4 days towels were changed 2 days only. The food was abysmal, lack of taste quality and substance. This suppose to be an all inclusive, but charging for crisps, decent drinks etc. You get one bottle of water in your fridge and that's it! There was nothing to do in or outside the hotel as everything was locked down due to the time of year, the agents forgot to mention that. Will never travel with TUI again!! If you have small children, then this could cater for you, but older children, no and if you want to lose weight then this is definitely for you!! I literally ate once at the hotel in the morning then survived on food bought outside the hotel. Just avoid if you can!!