Tui Blue Kalamota Island

Very nice hotel, it was just near the sea so very convenient. Attention to access the island you need to not miss the ferry as there is not that much and you might need to wait a lot for next one.

The food was warm at best and the pool snakes were left in the sun all afternoon, We stopped in room 715, The room was in poor condition, broken cabinets and dirty nets,also NOT as described, We booked a Jr suit with a sea view and mini bar, NO mini bar in the room and a bay view at best, restricted by a 2 other apartment blocks, the same flies were left on the main dinning window cill for the entire 5 day stay, the receptionist Eva and Entertainment guide Chloe were fantastic, they made the stay just bearable, We were expecting a bit more from a Tui Blue as we have stopped at other Tui resorts in the past, Tui seems oblivious and in denial about the state of this hotel?

Visited in October. Absolutely stunning location. Rooms were decent and clean enough, but the shower leaked on the floor making us use 3 towels each day just to keep the floor dry. Pool and sea just about warm enough to swim in. Staff, fantastic and attentive. Entertainment very low key. Lots of steps. No warm areas to sit at night. The food is simply not up to standard. It was poor in terms of choice, quality and temperature. The food was almost always tepid to very cold. The puddings were good enough. The a la carte was unfortunately very average. Would visit again but only at the right price and not for a week, as the food just wasn’t good.

We really enjoyed our stay at Tui Blue Kalamota Island and had a peaceful week relaxing. The views of the mainland and other islands were stunning and we did not see any cars on the island bar a few small work vehicles so it was very quiet. As it was nearly the off season, several places were closed and some tours weren’t running. The weather was still lovely though (21oC) and we swam in the sea or pool most days and walked. The terrain is very hilly and during walks we did get bitten by mosquitos a few times, so bring anti-histamines. We came across many small chapels, olive groves, which were being harvested, and ripe trees with pomegranates and carob. There were also several cats and lizards. It was very beautiful. Getting off the island was rather difficult in October. There were limited ferry times, 6.40am or 12.40pm to Dubrovnik (€3.20) and few boat tours running which was a shame. Tui offered some tours to Bosnia and Montenegro but all seemed very overpriced, so we hired a car from OK Rent a Car, opposite the port, and did this ourselves for €50. Dubrovnik was ludicrously expensive with drinks costing €7-10 and museum/wall tickets €35. We tracked cruise passenger numbers to make sure to avoid busy days. The city was very beautiful both in the day and at night. Over the week we had several issues with our room that the staff tried to resolve but weren’t ideal. We had a broken air con that couldn’t be switched off (centrally connected?) so it made a horrendous noise and we had to sleep with ear plugs. The only option was to switch rooms and view much further away and up many steps so we didn’t want this. Our shutter handle had also been snapped off so wouldn’t close, and the curtains weren’t good enough to block the light. Similarly, the bathrooms had large windows with no blinds, so trying to go to the toilet in the early morning was super bright and we often woke each other up. The room itself was up multiple flights of steps and several couples had counted 250+ steps to their rooms so this is worth knowing. My stair count changed after this trip! Each night the hotel had live music and during the day there were one or two activities like Boules, Island Walk and Wine Tasting to keep you busy. The majority of guests were older friendly English couples. The food was very good quality but the selection was small and very similar each day (especially as a vegetarian). I would say here it was more an excellent 3* than 4*. The alcoholic drinks however were 4* plus with the Elements Bar staff offering the best cocktails. We enjoyed aperol spritzes, wine, sparkling wine and hazelnut liqueur. The staff were always friendly and helpful. Finally, our Tui transport to and from Kalamota Island was excellent. DBV airport was quiet landing and the loading in/on the bus and Tui boat was smooth and included some tour guide moments from our rep. Be warned the boat journey can be a little choppy (so sit on the bottom deck), your luggage goes on a sep

Visited with my wife beginning of October 24. Have been to other TUI blue hotels around the world before so was expecting the same service. The rooms are of decent size, we stayed in block 8 on the top floor with a sea view and it is a beautiful view of which I’m glad we paid extra for. Bed is comfy with plug sockets and lamp either side. There could be more lighting as it’s a bit dim while getting ready after a day by the pool. Bathroom is a good size with a powerful shower. Towels need upgrading as they are a bit rough and on the small side. The block itself reminds me of a council estate back home, they could be more easy on the eye. The grounds are not of your normal TUI blue standard and look run down with weeds and thread bare grass. Steps are rough cast concrete and could look a lot better. The staff are very hit & miss depending on who’s working, some will talk and be helpful but a lot can be grumpy. Martin in the restaurant is good and soon remembers what you’re drinking. The reps are very good and are always on hand to help. The hotel does need sprucing up especially as it’s a TUI blue and it could be cleaner, for example I notice cat poo that had been stood in still on the entrance floor for three days and food on the restaurant floor which hadn’t been swept away for two days. The island is beautiful and you must go for a walk ( find the lighthouse ) you won’t be disappointed, the views are amazing. We actually got lost and it became an adventure (take some water) The only thing for us is that we felt trapped on the island and wished the ferry’s were more frequent. The guests that come here are of mixed age but more elderly than young. Also if you have mobility problems there are steep hills and steps. It’s a nice hotel but could be better in my opinion. Go to Dubrovnik it’s so beautiful and definitely worth the ferry over. We will return but next time will stay in Dubrovnik.

So first the good:- - Beautiful island - Beach front (clean sandy beach) - Lots of excursions/activities to do - The 2 ladies who did the activities clearly enjoy what they do and are very impressive! - Spotlessly clean - Very comfortable beds - Good, powerful shower - Food selection was very good Not so good:- - Pot luck whether you get friendly staff or not. Some are very friendly and helpful, others ignore you. We stood at the bar one night, which was unattended, and 3 people were walked past us and ignored us before we enquired if anyone could serve us. - When arriving and walking on site to reception the security guard (who we nicknamed The Sheriff!) approached us quite aggressively asking to see our wristbands. When we explained that we were checking in he just walked away, without saying anything. - Chap on desk for excursions was scrolling his phone and seemed a bit put out when we asked about how to buy tickets for the passenger ferry and told us to “ask his colleague tomorrow”. Luckily we worked it out ourselves online as there wasn’t anyone on the desk this morning when we came down! - The lady on reception in the spa was on a video call to presumably her partner, which she left running while she booked our treatment for us, which was a bit awkward. We had tried to book using the app, but when we (thankfully) checked up on it, we discovered it hadn’t gone through so had to book with her then. After we had our massage and were paying it gives you an option to tip. We would of course always tip, but the lady quite pointedly said to me “there is an option for you to tip here, how much do you want to do?” which felt like a bit of pressure as it is easy to select it on the card machine yourself. It didn’t impact how much I tipped, but I’ve not experienced that before. - Non- alcoholic options are quite limited. Non-alcoholic beer was only available as a premium beverage, so had to be paid for. The drinks aren’t the best quality, so I mostly stuck to water. - Snacks available between meal times did not look appealing! Some sandwiches behind a glass counter at the pool bar. Essentially the beauty of the island does the heavy lifting, and actually I’d say it’s terrific value - safe, clean and fun. The hotel could go from being “pretty good” to “excellent” with a few small changes:- - A bit of a brush up on customer services for some of the staff. Appreciate they work hard and it’s a difficult job, but it did sometimes feel like an inconvenience to ask for something. - Nicer towels in the rooms - they were very thin and coarse. - Fewer signs everywhere. There was a lot of Tui branded signage that had been laminated when looks scruffy. By the pool there were two no smoking signs of 2 different sizes right next to each other! - In the hallways there were Tui dark blue coloured rugs which looked dirty most of the time and a trip hazard. They just looked a bit naff. - Heat the jacuzzi pool - it was actually colder than the sea!!