Hi Barbara
I may have a negative story for you when we get back from our holiday in August. I've already read some reviews about our hotel. Its supposed to be all inclusive but the times are quite bad apparently. There's at least two hours during the day when there is no food available. Don't know how true this actually is but I will let you know when we get back. I do have a very good, positive story about a hotel in Malta if you need it.

Hello DizzyB

I would love to hear about Malta, could you email me at barbara.collins@bbc.co.uk please

Barbara

What's the one in Malta, for future reference? We might try Malta again next year.

Its the Qawra Palace hotel. I know a lot of people don't reckon this place but we've found it to be lovely. Always book a sea view, top floor room and go AI. The food is wonderful. There's something available to eat all day. The drinks not watered down. And there's lots of healthy eating options too. We'll probably be going again shortly as we've had our planned trip to Mexico messed up. There isn't much available at the moment but I noticed the Qawra Palace still had a few rooms.

I had a bit of a bad AI experience from my holiday in Marmaris, Turkey which I've just returned from.

The hotel food was awful, complete slop, kept at room temperature (27C), nothing covered, so had wasps crawling all over it!

They transferred us to another hotel. Food was o.k, safe to eat but really monotonus. The hotel which we had originally booked was 24hr AI food & drink. The second hotel which we were moved to only had breakfast (8-10), lunch (12:30-2), dinner (7-9). If you went down to eat half an hour before the closing time, i.e. lunch at 1:30 there was barely anthing left. Also the bar shut at 11pm every night. They didn't even give us the option to pay for our drinks.

We'd also booked the first hotel as it had 'nightly entertainment shows & disco til 3:30am, private beach and two large pools'.
Our second hotel had no entertainment whatsoever, one small pool and a beach nearby which you had to pay to sit on.

I've been to Turkey on A.I a couple of times before and it was great. Would not go back to either of these hotels again though.

Sorry to hear about that. Sounds awful. What were the places called?

The first hotel was Club Green Platan, in Marmaris, Turkey.
The second/alternative hotel was Hotel Ayderia, also Marmaris, Turkey.

Ayderia wasn't so bad. It's an o.k. hotel if you want a cheap, basic all inclusive, but we'd booked '5* luxury'.

Hi Firecracker

If you haven't done so already, perhaps you would like to post reviews at Green Platan Hotel and Ayderia Hotel

Thanks

luci

hi barbara only negative A/I I had was with a woman guest whose husband was an alcoholic in bali bad idea to take somebody who's got a drink problem to a place like that he was blotto by 2pm and a right pain in the butt all night but the staff still served him drink because they were friendly and nice not wishing to upset anyone I do wish people would use common sence just remembered one I had in tobago the owner was being done for money laundering so the hotel was run on a shoe string to pay for his legal costs they kept running out of stuff { didn't spoil the holiday though wonderfull island} always wondered if the owner ended up in a all inclusive of a different kind

I've had 5 bad experiences with A/I's.

I've had to come back to England EVERY time - And I couldn't get anybody to take the wife off my hands!!!

Worst for me has got to be Superclub breezes Punta cana.

Where do I start?????

Food always only lukewarm and usually under cooked
Birds flying in and out of the buffet restaurant and even walking on the tables that had not been cleared pecking at the crumbs.
Trying to get a clean table in the Buffet restaurant at peek time was a nightmare.
One rotary toster that did eight slices max at any one time for Hotel of 735 rooms !!!!!!!!!!!!! Plus the wife ended up with food poisoning along with quiet a few others!!!!

Swimming pool, dirty smelly scummy water and nothing but dirty glasses and half eaten plates of food laying about the area. Only 75 sunshades for whole hotel!!! if you required one get there at about 6-30 to reserve, and not a German in site.

Rooms very tired and in need of a lick of paint, I know one or two people who had there rooms painted while they were there.

Surly and rude staff, unless you spoke Spanish. very hard to get a drink of an evening.

Evening entertainment that was very Amatuerish to say the least, not good enough for a 4* plus Hotel(joke) was downgraded to 3* while we were there alledgedly.

Still enough bitching Beach was 6* at least, if you were well enough to enjoy it.

Watch Package Holidays Uncovered tonight at 8 pm on ITV and see there report on the resort. Even the reporter was ill.

Hi i have a review here on the same hotel if you would like to have a look
read the guy+ lisa one
http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/reviews/caribbean/dominican-republic/punta-cana/barcelo-punta-cana-hotel/