Ilyagaleni Holidays from £859

Great

Booked an interconnected family room, got two separate rooms. Faulty locks, outdated amenities, no compensation. A family room at this property means two interconnected rooms, which is the only reason I booked it for 2 adults and 2 children, 29-31 Oct. I expected a Fairmont-level experience. What went wrong: At check-in around 8 PM, the front desk confirmed that I had booked a family room of interconnected rooms but said none were available. They put us in two rooms opposite each other instead. With children and a late arrival, we had no real choice. The lock on one room failed repeatedly despite multiple attempts by the hotel’s own staff, and each time we had to go back to reception and wait for staff with a master key. On night two at 11 PM it failed again, and the hotel offered to change only that room, which would have split my family further. It took about 30 minutes of arguing before they gave us a master key. The coffee maker was broken for the whole stay and never replaced, the power outlets are outdated, and the one international socket did not work. At checkout, the duty manager blamed the booking agent for not telling the hotel it was a family room. That contradicted what her own front desk said at check-in. After I asked her to check the facts, she returned and admitted she had been going off an incorrect briefing. The response: Apologies only, plus an offer to waive $7 of minibar charges, which I did not accept. No refund, no credit, no ownership.

Staff were exceptional