Hotel Amfiteatru — Hotel in Mangalia

Dear tourists,||||I am writing this review in which I want to share with you some of the aspects that disappointed me during my recently vacation at this hotel.||||For this, I have to frame the context, so that you know exactly which were the input details, namely: Olimp Resort - ROMANIA, Hotel Belvedere (Phenicia Blue View Complex), room type "Superior Double Room" - price 8026 lei (approx 1638 euros) for 3 adults (more precisely: 2 adults and a child - 13 years old), period 02-08/08/2021 (so, in full season).|| ||Parking: from the moment when I entered into this parking, I wondered if this was right location for which I paid that amount. I had the impertinence to ask myself such a question because there were cars parked everywhere, even on what would have been named green spaces (even next to some bulldozers…), there wasn’t any logic. But, going over the "amazing" way in which it looks like what should be "parking area", the challenge began when I had to make rounds in order to find an available parking place, because, surprise, there were no places available and moreover, there was nobody (e.g. access gate / someone etc.) who should have taken care of guiding tourists in the parking area. As I couldn't find an available parking place, this become like" the icing on the cake", because previously I drove 8 hours. Obviously, I continued to make turns, when suddenly, I saw someone leaving and I rushed to that place saying "Yes, that's it." I hurried to that place (in fact, was the only one available) and in addition was only a few meters far from the main entrance in the hotel. Do not understand me wrong that I could be from the category of people who want to park near to the door (not at all). But, as soon as I got that place, I realized that I had to park in a "beautiful" place with mud + water, but I didn't think about it at all (having no other option) and I parked there. ||But, going over these details and the challenge through the parking area, what "attracted" me the most was the dust from the parking area, which does not have any connection to what wants to be a parking area of 4 stars hotel… ||||Room / toilet: passing over the lack of comfort that a 4 stars room should have given you and the omnipresent dirtiness, obviously, after the 8 hours trip that I did it, I had a "burning" desire to go to the toilet. Entering the toilet from my room (first time), although I was struck by a pestilential smell like a public toilet forgotten by the world, I removed the protective tape from the toilet lid (on which was written "DISINFECTED") and also lifted the lid. The shock was total when I found that the toilet was full of urine (although, it was written "DISINFECTED"). Irrelevant to tell you that immediately I called the reception etc.…||||Swimming in the sea: of course, I told myself that I should not be influenced by what I met in the parking area + room / toilet and obviously I went to swim in the sea.||The desire to swim in the sea ended quickly, I mean when I took contact with the stones from the sea, where you risked breaking your legs. Although I knew about these stones from the sea (as info, I had been on this beach 20 years ago when I was at the end of university), but I never thought that after so many years and after the publicity made with the renovation of this hotel, they failed to make an entrance into the sea without these "eternal " stones… Unfortunately, although I came to the seaside especially to swim in the sea, this was the first and last time during this holiday when I entered into the sea… (I still care about my physical integrity).||||||Restaurant: obviously, the optimism did not leave me any moment (no matter what "welcomed" me until then in the parking area, room / toilet, swimming in the sea), I went with aplomb to the restaurant to have dinner. Although, I thought that after all that happened me until then, there could be nothing still surprising and unpleasant. Well, the nightmare continued also at the restaurant, where the hunting for tables had to begin. Yes, to have a table (whether we are talking about breakfast, lunch or dinner), you had to struggle to obtain it, otherwise you could catch something towards to the end of the meal schedule… But, as I am a "docile" tourist, I understood that we are talking about the full/peak of the season, a lot of tourists, an undersized restaurant, etc … But, wasn't the money that I paid for the peak of the season, too (for sure, yes)?||Dinner schedule (19:00 - 21:00): yes, indeed, I was informed about the schedule of all three meals from the moment I made the reservation, but I could not imagine what really means to have dinner in such a short time 19:00 - 21:00 and in addition of this to make a hunting of tables (about the hunting I was not informed).||The "bonus" came when you, obviously, didn't finish your glass at dinner, you could still go out with it to the bar (near the restaurant), but the “kind” waiters had clear tasks to come and tell you that is not allowed to sit there with that glass (from the restaurant) and if you want something, you have to order from the bar (of course, with money). In free translation, in order to be understood by those who are managing this hotel, this is called robbery (along with the other points that I mentioned).||||I wrote these words not to complain, but to emphasize that the ratio price vs. quality is totally disproportionate for this hotel. Concretely, this hotel should have been rated at 2 maximum 3 stars (I don't understand how it was given 4 stars or I prefer to “look naïve”…) and the price should have been one third (1/3) of what I paid, in order to have the right ratio.||So, please have in mind that you will not receive the quality / services for which you will pay (I think is good to know this in order to do not have...

We returned to Hotel Amfiteatru for the third time after the entire complex was renovated. We chose it for its excellent location, right on the beach. We made the reservation by phone, directly with the hotel reception, and the service was impeccable.||Once we arrived at the hotel, our enthusiasm quickly faded. From the entrance, several notices are posted: room cleaning is done until 4 PM (this schedule is not respected); guests dissatisfied with the quality of services offered can get a refund for their stay—but only after spending one night; guests unhappy with the Ultra All Inclusive service can switch to All Inclusive and receive the price difference back immediately.||We had the All Inclusive package, which turned out to be an unfortunate choice because there is no control of bracelet anywhere. In the restaurant (Panoramic, in our case), you can serve yourself anything, as much as you want, whenever you want, many time you want and order any drinks at the bar. Only at the beach bar we were told that ice cream is available only after 4 PM. A half-board package would probably have been enough, considering the significant price difference.||The rooms were noticeably dirty. Cleaning was done only once and only after we explicitly requested it. Used towels are collected in the morning, but replacements are delivered very late, after 3:30 PM, which is inconvenient—especially after coming back from the beach when you naturally want to shower but find no towels available. On one occasion, we received nicely folded towels that, upon closer inspection, turned out to have already been used—raising concerns about their laundering process. The sink, old and glued with silicone to the furniture after what seemed like a repair job, made it impossible to use the drawers. The trash can was taped together with adhesive tape. The curtains were off their track.||The food is not very diverse—almost the same menu every day. The main problem is the quality of the ingredients and the lack of flavor. The cooked dishes are bland, like cafeteria food. Another issue is availability: besides the opening hour of the restaurant, you always have to wait in line—at the grill, pizza station, and pastry corner in the morning. It’s possible that some items are no longer available even if dinner is, for example, from 7 to 9 PM. That means no more pizza or grilled items (usually only sausages and the traditional food "mititei" were served in the evenings). The same desserts every day. While the tables are cleared quickly, they are not wiped down with wet cloths, so they remain covered in stains and food marks.||The beach umbrellas are extremely narrow, so to get some shade, tourists wrap them entirely with towels and sheets. In comparison, the nearby 3-star Majestic beach looks excellent. The sun beds are “reserved” with towels very early in the morning—some even tied together with towels. After 8:30 AM, and until the mats are collected in the evening, there are no free sun beds left—neither at the beach nor at the pool. There’s a written rule about removing towels after 30 minutes of unoccupied loungers, but it is not enforced.||The sandy beach has been widened just enough to avoid complaints, and access to the sea is easy. The beach is very clean.||Since the hotel is mostly All Inclusive, it is primarily targeted at families with children. Many children. Lots of noise, lots of commotion. It is not suitable for those looking for an Adults...

After being closed for many years, Amfiteatru, one of the star hotels of the Romanian coast opened its doors under the Phoenicia group. Usually they make a pretty good job when it comes to hospitality and this is true about the three hotels in this complex.||However, although decent the new Amfiteatru is saddled with its original design. Therefore the rooms are small and although nicely furnished I struggle to see the 4* star as I do when I notice the cracks under the fresh paint on the hallways which tells me that the repairs were not always done to the specifications. The same is true about the wallpaper with a lion in the hallway which is already healing off here and there.||The hotel lacks a spa or any services like cosmetics or massage which again I would expect in a 4* establishment. Breakfast, although generous in quantity definitely lacks in details. I was surprised to not find any tomatoes on our first day, for example, in a country where during the Summer all the vegetables are abundant. ||The beach is well organised and it has plenty of places to get drinks, etc. However the water seems to be quite dirty. There are several pools around which compensate and some have good children play installations.||All in all I am very glad that Hotel Amfiteatru is back as the hotel is very well located. However calling it a 4* star is ambitions although I am not surprised that it happened bearing in mind the apparent lack of classification standards in the Romanian...