Imperial Island by Louis Hotels

We have just returned from another stay at Imperial Island Resort by Louis Hotels, and as this was our fifth year returning, we felt it was important to share our experience honestly and constructively.

Firstly, I would like to mention some of the positives. The new sun loungers are very nice and were certainly needed, as was the new furniture around the resort. It was also great to see that the hotel had received a much-needed fresh coat of paint. These improvements have definitely made a difference and show that investment is being made into the resort.

In previous years, we have always returned home and left a fantastic review without hesitation. Unfortunately, this year felt noticeably different, and although there are many things we still love about the Imperial, there were several areas where we felt the standards had slipped.

Service The biggest difference we noticed was the level of personal service.

On previous visits, the service was one of the things that really made the Imperial stand out. This time, we noticed tables at breakfast and dinner were not always being cleared promptly, and on some occasions we weren’t shown to our table as we had been in previous years.

These may sound like small things, but when you return to the same hotel year after year, you notice those little details — and it is those details that contribute to the feeling of a five-star experience.

Food The food has always been one of the highlights of our stays, and normally we would describe it as outstanding. Unfortunately, this year we didn’t feel it reached the same standard.

The overall variety seemed reduced, particularly when it came to the desserts. On several occasions, my partner and I actually went to Tea for Two instead because we felt there wasn’t enough variety available in the main restaurant.

Again, this is not intended as a criticism for the sake of criticising. We are simply comparing this year’s experience with the consistently high standard we have experienced during our previous four visits.

Entertainment We could see that considerable effort had gone into creating the new cinema-style entertainment venue, and we appreciate the investment that has been made.

However, after speaking to several other guests during our stay, there seemed to be a preference for the entertainment being held outside as it had been in previous years.

Our bigger concern was the quality and suitability of some of the entertainment. Over the years, we have felt that the acts could have been stronger, and unfortunately this year was no different.

For example, one evening the special guest was Pikachu. We couldn’t help but laugh, particularly bearing in mind that the vast majority of guests we saw during our stay were over 45 and that we were there in September rather than during the school summer holidays.

We also felt that the main entertainment singers could be improved. There was one occasion when a blonde lady performed, and in our opinion she was considerably better than the two regular singers.

Familiar Faces One of the things that has always made the Imperial feel special to us is the staff.

We understand that people move on and that staffing changes are inevitable, but we were genuinely disappointed not to see some of the familiar faces who had contributed so much to the personal service over the years.

We understand that the two twin brothers who we had got to know have now left, which is a real shame because they were both extremely friendly and, above all, very professional.

We also heard that Alex, the bar manager, has moved on, and Philippe is sadly no longer there either.

These changes may seem insignificant from a management perspective, but to regular returning guests they make a considerable difference. When you build relationships with staff over several years, they become part of the reason you return.

A Few Positives Despite everything I have mentioned, I absolutely want to give credit where it is due.

A huge shout-out to the lovely lady with the big personality who has been making my omelettes for me throughout our fortnight. She was always friendly and welcoming and is exactly the sort of person who contributes to the experience guests remember.

I would also like to give a special mention to Dhruba, who was continually bringing drinks to us. He was courteous, professional and worked tirelessly throughout our stay. He is a real credit to the hotel and deserves recognition.

We also heard several guests commenting that the “drinks of the day” were no longer available, which was another small change that seemed to contribute to the feeling that there was simply less on offer this year compared with previous visits.

Our Overall Thoughts I appreciate that this review may sound quite critical, but that genuinely isn’t the intention.

We are giving this feedback because we have stayed at the Imperial for five consecutive years, we know what the hotel is capable of, and we genuinely want to return.

In previous years, we would have had no hesitation in recommending the Imperial as a five-star experience. This year, unfortunately, we felt that something was missing.

Our feeling is that the Imperial was at its best when it offered a four-plus-star hotel with a five-star level of personal service and attention to detail.

We completely understand that the hotel is aiming towards achieving a five-star standard, and we can see the investment being made — the new furniture, sun loungers, refurbishment and entertainment venue are all evidence of that.

However, achieving five stars isn’t just about the physical improvements. For us, it’s also about the little things: the personal service, attention to detail, food variety, entertainment and, perhaps most importantly, the people who make guests feel valued.

We sincerely hope that some of these issues can be addressed before our next visit. We would hate to see regular guests starting to look elsewhere because the things that made them return year after year have gradually disappeared.

We still have a great deal of affection for the Imperial, which is why we are taking the time to write such a detailed review. This is constructive criticism from two guests who genuinely want to come back and see the Imperial regain what we feel it has lost.

We hope that next year we can return and once again feel that the Imperial deserves the fantastic reviews we have given it in previous years.

We ended up at this hotel quite by chance. My wife and I were looking for a last-minute deal and were offered a stay at the Imperial Island Resort. We were very pleased with the quality of the service. The hotel is very clean, towels are changed daily, and the rooms are spacious. The food is fantastic. Sun loungers by the main pool are available without booking. There were a few minor shortcomings, but they didn’t affect our overall rating. The lack of a proper beach bar meant that the barman was chasing wet guests away from the pool bar. Another issue was that smoking was permitted by the pool. The restaurant staff would take drink orders but often failed to bring them or would only deliver half the order. But as I’ve already mentioned, this doesn’t affect the final rating. A little tip for future guests: don’t sit on the sun loungers by the bushes. There are small red ants there that bite.

We have been coming to this hotel for many years but this was our first visit since phase 1 of the refurbishment. Everywhere looks lovely. The reconfiguration of the rooms gives more space, love the mirrors and there are lots of sockets including usb ports. The shower is really good and always hot, no going cold whilst using it. The aircon works really well too. The free safe is a bonus. Clean pool towels are left in your room everyday and you just leave your used ones in box provided by the pool . The sun beds are so comfy and plentiful. The staff as always were great, they make this hotel. Especially David, Yousef, Mahmoud, sawi and of course Mary who has been there many years and is now in the bar. The chefs as always do a great job. The food is varied with tastes to suit everyone with signs regarding allergies.. The selection of desserts is amazing. We went out of school holidays so the 'quiet' pool was lovely and peaceful. It was lovely to be greeted by Chris the manager and Elena who works really hard to try to accommodate your requests. Missing it already but we have already booked for next year.