Golden Mare Barbati

Katie McKeown

I recently stayed at Golden Mare Resort and was extremely disappointed with the experience. This is advertised as a 4-star hotel, but it’s realistically closer to a 1–2 star. We arrived to a dirty room that was dirty and not clean, and throughout the stay housekeeping was unreliable, with our room often not serviced and no fresh towels provided. The all-inclusive food was poor—frequently cold—and I ended up with food poisoning. Several other guests we spoke to experienced the same, but management was dismissive and unwilling to take responsibility. Drinks were also low quality and made me feel unwell. Noise was a major issue. Despite being told entertainment would end at 11:30pm, it regularly went on until after 2am. The lack of soundproofing means you can hear everything, making it very difficult to sleep. This isn’t a party hotel, so the noise level is completely inappropriate, especially for families and older guests which there was at the hotel while we were there. Overall, this hotel falls far below the standard it advertises. I would not recommend staying here.

Dan Dawson

We have had a great time at the Golden Mare Hotel. The staff were absolutely amazing. Always helpful and friendly. The food was nice. There was always something different each evening. The rooms were cleaned everyday. We had a Seaview room and the views were stunning. The area lit up at night from the rooftop bar is even better. The evening entertainment was also great, particularly Kirkmy and The Blackout Band. Thank you Golden Mare team for a very nice holiday.

Luke Mallet

Wasn’t the best, wasn’t the worst. First day we arrived the shower leaked all over the floor. Your team did solve this but after a bit of time. Food wasn’t good at all, very much the same bits each day which were never kept warm. Cleanliness of the hotel needs looking at, rooms not being treated on a daily basis, just new towels being thrown in. Being there 10 days, not having a clean room until we pushed them to do so because it seems house keeping get away with a lot at this hotel. On a more positive note: your main man Saki is an absolute gentleman and such a great host. You are all so lucky to have him. I would like to also give a little mention to your waiter who we nicknamed ‘Kingston’ as it’s a place we are both from, he was great. Most of your reception team were great bar your night receptionist he was rude. Little bits to sort, I would hope to return and see all the little improvements.

Mollie Learmouth

Here’s your updated review with that included: ⸻ I am extremely disappointed with my stay at Golden Mare Resort, especially as this was my honeymoon, which should have been a special and memorable experience. From the start, the hotel appeared disorganised and overbooked, with guests not being given rooms on arrival and some being sent away. This immediately set a poor tone for the stay. The standards throughout were unacceptable. The food was consistently poor—meals were often cold, chips undercooked, and on multiple occasions I found hair in the food as well as insects. This raises serious hygiene concerns. The room itself was also problematic. The bathroom flooded constantly, and despite reporting this several times, nothing was properly fixed. The showers were regularly cold, making it uncomfortable to use basic facilities. Service was equally disappointing. We requested towels at 16:30 and by 18:30 they still had not arrived, leaving us no choice but to share one towel. Housekeeping was poor, with rooms not being cleaned to a reasonable standard. The hotel advertises free WiFi, however it simply did not work during our stay. Additionally, although the hotel was busy, the spa facilities—which were a key reason we booked—were closed and not due to open for another 15 days. This was not communicated at the time of booking and is very misleading. We raised these issues multiple times with staff and the manager and were promised resolutions and compensation. Neither were delivered. The lack of action and accountability was extremely frustrating. Overall, this was a very poor experience and far below expectations. I would not recommend this hotel, particularly for special occasions.

Wei Chin

A lovely resort with great service and amazing views. We were able to delay our checkout for a few hours completely free of charge which was useful for our evening flight. All inclusive package, food was okay with some Greek speciality dishes served for dinner which were tasty. Drinks was average with the water testing salty it affected the taste of the cocktails. The only issue we had was the room that we stayed in did not have effective drainage in the bathroom which lead to a damp smell that was difficult to remove. All in all not a bad stay and good value for money.