MARINA

Extremely disappointing stay – poor hygiene, misleading family facilities and unacceptable value for money We booked this hotel because it was marketed as a family-friendly resort with extensive children’s activities. Unfortunately, it turned out to be one of the worst hotel experiences we have had. Booking and room allocation We originally wanted to book seven consecutive nights in the same room type. The website only allowed us to book one night, then four nights, then another two nights as separate reservations. Before travelling, I telephoned the hotel specifically to ask whether these bookings could be merged into one room. I was told to speak to reception on arrival. When we arrived, reception then claimed we should have contacted the hotel beforehand—which we had already done. As a result, we were forced to change rooms after the first night. The experience was so poor that we cancelled our final two nights and left early, losing more than £350 in non-refundable deposit. Rooms The rooms are extremely small. There is barely enough space to walk around the bed, and we could not fully open a standard suitcase. Cleanliness was well below an acceptable standard. There was visible dust and grime throughout the room, food left on the floor, and it did not appear to have been properly vacuumed or swept between days or even between guests. The bathroom was grimy and looked unhygienic. Basic amenities were missing: * no hand soap was provided in the room * housekeeping never replaced it * the body wash dispenser in the shower was empty Our first room also had an air-conditioning unit that leaked water continuously, leaving a puddle on the floor. During the night there were very loud gurgling and running-water noises coming through the walls, making it difficult to sleep. The room key cards repeatedly stopped working and had to be reset for no obvious reason. One particularly worrying feature was that the windows open fully despite the significant height of the building, with no child safety restrictors. For a hotel marketed as child-friendly, this seemed an obvious safety concern. Family facilities The hotel advertises extensive children’s activities, but this was very misleading. There was no functioning children’s club. Instead there appeared to be a few bored staff members sitting under a tree with no organised programme. The indoor playroom was dirty and filled with old, heavily worn plastic toys. A basement room was used for children’s activities, but it had dark red nightclub-style lighting, no natural light, poor ventilation and little more than basic colouring activities. Many of the attractions advertised for families were only available at additional cost, including: * arcade games * mini cars * trampolines * mini golf * kayaks * lake inflatable play area This meant that despite paying a premium room rate, families are expected to spend significant additional money simply to entertain their children. The trampolines were covered in bird droppings and the mini golf course contained rusty metal fixtures. Swimming pools The indoor pool felt dirty and very utilitarian rather than relaxing. The outdoor children’s pool was heavily overcrowded and there were nowhere near enough sunbeds or seating for the number of guests. Arcade and public facilities The arcade was unbearably hot—around 40°C—with no ventilation or air conditioning. The toilets beside the arcade smelled strongly of urine and had neither hand soap nor paper towels. Food and dining The food quality was consistently disappointing. Examples included: * greasy, slimy and only lukewarm meals * undercooked fish at the beach bar * watery semolina at breakfast * stale bread at breakfast Many bowls and plates in the restaurant were chipped and some items placed with the clean crockery were visibly dirty. During dinner service the dining room had a very strong sewage smell. Hygiene Hygiene throughout the hotel appeared poor. The self-service drink dispensers in the lobby encourage guests to press their used cups directly against the dispenser outlet. The beach drink dispensers regularly had wasps crawling around the dispensing nozzles and mixing with the liquid being served. Requesting plain water often resulted in leftover juice coming through first because the dispenser lines were not properly flushed. We were also served an ice cream from the beach bar that contained an insect inside the cone. Overall This hotel simply does not provide the standard expected for approximately £300 per night, even by the standards of a three-star property. The advertising suggests a family-focused resort with children’s entertainment and good facilities. In reality, many activities either did not exist or required additional payment, cleanliness throughout the hotel was poor, maintenance was lacking, food quality was disappointing and several hygiene issues were genuinely concerning. We left two nights early because we no longer wanted to stay, despite losing over £350. We would not return and cannot recommend this hotel to families.

Very bad service. None of the workers know how to speak english, and therefore it’s impossible to communicate with them. They tell you information without being sure about something, and lie about the prices because they dont have the right knowledge. The food is fine but not the best. You can’t ask the workers about the food, cause they either dont understand or dont know what the food is made of. The plates are all super dirty underneath or even on top. You have to pay for almost all of the activities outside, even the big floatie on the water. The rooms are really small, and the roomservice dont even change the sheets or clean the room. They only empty the trash and use a broom for the floor. The soap was completely empty when we arrived, so we had to use our own soap, and we had to ask for toiletpaper and new towels. Don’t use the washing service there, it’s extremely expensive, and they lie about how many clothes they washed. Overall it was not worth the money. The only good things included the ocean being really close with the beautiful view, and the food that was nearby the swimming area, but don’t count on any lifeguards, they dont pay attention to anyone, and are on their phones the whole time.

We really like Hotel Marina, we are returning guests as a family with two small children. The staff is amazing! Everyone from the reception to the restaurant is very kind and helpful. Primarily because of them :), and secondly because of the Balaton summer, the delicious food and the clean rooms, I heartily recommend Hotel Marina. The Best Hotel in the World! :) (Greetings to the kind staff and wish them all the best until we see you again)