Sandy Villas Resort by Rizos Resorts

The private swimming pool and stuff

The food wasn’t the standard of for the value of the money that we pay

Very Friendly Staff and at your disposal As good and diversified food as it is possible for an all inclusive resort with canteen food. Plenty of pools and activities The beach is nice Comfortable all around. Beautiful flora and fauna.

Very noisy, not being an adult-only resort The build quality of some of the furniture was kind of bad (especially the bathroom one) No door for the shower cabin The plumbing system is bad. Some of the beach sunbeds are not that clean, but it is to be expected from a free access beach The coin system for the drinks are not the most comfortable thing, but it's a cheap way to get rid of the cleaning labor.

The size of the Villa: family of 5 occupied two adjoining villas, this gave us private access to the pool. Villa and pool was cleaned daily and mini bar stocked with beer and soft drinks. Staff: All the staff we encountered were very friendly. The buggy drivers especially were keen and happy to chauffeur us around. Food: The buffet restaurant had a lot of options that didn't seem repetitive, and the food was delicious. It did get very busy towards the end of our holiday which was off putting, but we found it got quieter after 8pm. We preferred the beach restaurant Amos for breakfast as this was a nicer and quieter setting.

The à la carte restaurants food was available at the buffet restaurant or the dishes were very similar so didn't feel special. The kids pool area did need a lot of attention. The floor and sun beds were very dirty and needed a good clean. The kids slides were closed between 1pm and 3pm. We couldn't understand why they did this as it just upset and frustrated all the kids and (us parents!) Bar: There was always long queues to get a drink at the resort bars, and there were no staff appointed to offer drinks around the pools as you would expect from other 5 star resorts. When the resort got busy the queues were so long it was off putting. In general we felt the sandy beach resort needed a refurb as it was dated. And there was not enough on the villa resort to keep you just there. You could clearly see a difference in maintenance between the two adjoining resorts. We wouldn't stay in the hotel resort, this was more like 3 star resort. But we would return to the adjoining villa resort. The beach wasn't private as you would expect. There was section allocated for the resort guests and you needed to leave the beach to go get a drink as there was no beach bar. The beach activities were very good, but all external, so costed extra.

The private villa was beautiful and very spacious, making it perfect for families. Having our own private pool was definitely the highlight of the stay, the pool was amazing, well-sized, and offered plenty of privacy.

Unfortunately, everything outside the villa was a huge disappointment and nowhere near what you would expect from a 5-star resort. The food and dining facilities were by far the biggest letdown. The breakfast experience felt more like a low-quality canteen than a 5* hotel restaurant. It was extremely crowded, no table service. The food selection was poor, and the overall quality was disappointing. One of the most surprising aspects was that only instant coffee was included. If you wanted freshly ground coffee, you had to pay extra. Similarly, basic drinks such as an Aperol Spritz were not available unless you paid additional charges. The pool and beach facilities were equally disappointing. The sun loungers around the pool and on the beach were cheap and worn out. The beach area itself was overcrowded and far from relaxing. Overall, the only thing that truly deserves praise is the private villa and its pool. As soon as you step outside the villa, the experience falls well below what you would expect from a 5-star resort.