Gaia Royal Hotel in Mastichari

Bedding photograph attached sums up the place really. Could do better on all fronts. Only the older lady and dark haired younger lady on reception did their jobs. The food offered was usually lukewarm and was so similar that I just ended up having lemonade over the last few days. The all inclusive offering was a disgrace. You had to pay for all drinks at the beach bar... Even for the beer which was cans of Mythos. You were also meant to pay 25 Euros per person if you wanted to use the beach beds on the beach which was allegedly part of the hotel. The entertainment was far too loud and often competed with the music from the bar. The only all inclusive drinks during the day was from the respective pool bars. The staff there again totally disinterested. For some reason they also had a mini zoo... Far too many deer in their pen, and really damned annoying to be woken up by cockerels and goats at 5.30am
Really annoyed at how this hotel was advertised by Jet2. I would not recommend this place to anyone.

Title: Not What We Expected

This hotel was quite an odd setup overall. The staff at reception and housekeeping were unfortunately quite rude, though the bar staff (both at reception and at the pool) were lovely and friendly — credit where it’s due!

Housekeeping
Housekeeping operates very strangely here. Instead of checking rooms while guests are out, they knock every single morning at 9 a.m. asking if you want toilet roll or towels. One morning we ignored the knock because we were exhausted from the day before — only for the housekeeper to enter the room to ask anyway. Bizarre.

I went to reception to ask that they please don’t knock the next day. The receptionist just stared at me blankly, so I clarified again. She rolled her eyes and said, “Use your do not disturb sign then.” I explained we didn’t have one, she asked for our room number — and yet the next day, they still knocked at 11 a.m., and again at 12, asking us to remove the “do not disturb” sign they’d told us to use. The irony!

To make things worse, one of the housekeepers actually came to our room later in the stay and started having a go at my friend for “complaining” at reception. My friend hadn’t complained — she’d simply asked politely for the bed to be changed the next day while we’d be out. The housekeeper banged on the door like we owed her money and started shouting at her about it, even after my friend explained she hadn’t complained. Completely unprofessional and very uncomfortable.

Reception
The reception staff were another low point. When we checked in, no one gave us the wristbands (and no one mentioned it later either).

At one point, we asked about a local pharmacy around 1:45 p.m. The receptionist, Harry, told us the hotel had a deal with a nearby pharmacy that could deliver. While we tried to explain what we needed, he kept chatting in Greek to the colleague next to him, ignoring us. When I tried to clarify again, he cut me off with, “Yes, I’m aware.” After making us wait about 15 minutes, he then said, “You’ve waited too long — the pharmacy’s closed.” I mentioned that online it said open until 9 p.m., and he just shrugged and said, “No, it’s closed. Come back at 5.”

To top it off, he made eye contact, spoke to me directly in Greek, and when I said I didn’t understand, he replied, “Why would you? I’m speaking Greek.” Unbelievably rude — genuinely the worst attitude I’ve ever had from hotel staff anywhere.

Food
The food was… beige. Everything was bland, soggy, and flavorless — ideal only if you have no teeth. The “fruit bar” was just four bowls of unchilled fruit with flies hovering over them.

Drinks
The drinks were so watered down you’d drown before you got drunk. Only wine (red or white) and beer are included — everything else, including something as simple as hot chocolate, costs extra.

The snack bar at the pool serves food that’s been sitting out so long it’s gone rubbery. My friend actually used it as bait when fishing — and even the fish didn’t take it!

Beach
The hotel is advertised as a beach resort, but the reality is far from that. The beach beds that supposedly belong to the hotel actually cost €8 per day — which really adds up if you’re a family of four. The beach bar attached to the hotel isn’t part of the all-inclusive package either, so you have to pay for every single drink there. Considering it’s part of the resort, that’s just bizarre.

Petting Farm
There was a dead bird in the cage that stayed there all day. The horses also seemed to have very little space to move around.

Positives
The public areas — reception, the grounds, and the pools — were generally clean, and again, the bar staff were great.

Overall
This was not what we expected. Advertised as a 4-star on LoveHolidays, but realistically, it’s closer to a 2-star experience.

I’ll start with the smell, i couldn’t even sit on my balcony due to a stench that i would describe as marinated poo.

Our room looked nothing like the photos, the plug sockets are falling out the walls. Massive dead bugs on the floor. The kettle blew up and scolded my toes. Nothing is pat tested all electrics are tripping and dodgy. The bathroom is mouldy.
There was no mention of a zoo on site🤣 - I’ve come to relax not to pet cows and chickens.
The location of the hotel was also a lie. There is nothing around. The town is 40 minutes away. No shops nothing.

The staff are nice however they don’t know much English so it’s been very difficult to communicate.
I wouldn’t recommend staying here if you want to relax and enjoy your holiday peacefully.

Wouldn't go back. staff at pool bar, great, and restaurant staff, good the rest are rude foods ok but very much same everyday. Stayed at loads of all inclusive all over the world. Drinks are terrible more water especially at the lobby bar. Definitely not a 4 star hotel. Maybe a 2 star.The upgrade to
better drinks 100 euros a day for fanily of 4. Zoo absolutely stinks couldn't sit outside our room for the smell. Cleaners noisy at 7.40 in the morning tried 2 get in our room every day before half 8 in the morning. There's alot better hotels out there for your money. Pic added of the mouldy roof