Arina Beach Resort

This hotel varies according to the room you get. Our first room was in block 4 which required a buggy ride to get there and as one person had mobility issues, a relocation was requested and given. This first room was very dull, tired and out dated with a basic shower on the side wall over a bath: it was only just acceptable. The second room we were given was for all 4 of us in a "family" room with large double and 3 twin beds in 2 separated areas on the ground floor in the main block. It had a large bathroom, doors onto a public patio area which led down to the pool. It was obviously very new and was excellent. Although why a room for potentially 5 people did not have a separate toilet is beyond comprehension. If the toilet had been put in a room where the shower was, it would have made life much easier. The third room we experienced was a courtesy room in block 2 to change before leaving at the end of our holiday. This room was awful: it was dull, scruffy and looked out onto a bare patch of grass and the back of the concrete beach facing bungalows: I certainly would have protested if I had been allocated this as my holiday room. When we checked in we were asked to pay 21 euros per room as a tourist tax: we knew nothing about this from previous reviews or from tui. When we transferred to the family room we asked for a refund of one room's tax but were told that the family room counted as 2 rooms? Excuse me: one bathroom, one door number equals one room surely? If you get a decent room, there is little not to like about this hotel. The staff are professional and helpful and the hotel is well-maintained. There is no charge for the room safe (hooray) and beach towels are easily available and can be changed when you like with no stupid restrictions and deposits. The all inclusive is valid until you actually leave so although we checked out after breakfast, we still had evening meal before going to the airport. There is a very good selection of cocktails and drinks and plenty of places to sit for a drink day and evening. If you arrive late in the evening, a buffet table is laid in the restaurant, which is a great idea. The restaurant is quite large but runs efficiently. There are dispensers and carafes to get your own wine, beer, soft drinks and to fill water bottles. A big selection of food at all meals and it was all well cooked and tasty. There is also a smaller restaurant by the pool which is useful for a quick lunch or drinks and snacks during the day. There are plenty of sunbeds by the pool and on the beach but the umbrellas are quite hard to put up. The main beach is sandy ad is a crescent shape, hardly any beach to the extreme end of the hotel (near block 4), but quite wide by the front of the main hotel. The hotel beach leads to another public beach at the side of the hotel and the water is sheltered and much calmer there but it is a bit pebbly to get into the water. It was quite windy when we were there, don't know of that is the norm? There was generally some evening entertainment which varied in quality and took place in what looked like a conference room or outside. There is also a games room and children's area but we didn't use those. If you like cats, sneak out a bit of ham to feed the little family which lives on site. The hotel used recyclable glasses for drinks outside which is good. I would happily go here again if I was in one of the updated rooms but wouldn't want to stay in any of the other rooms as they realty are below the standard we expect.

I went on holiday to Arina for 2 weeks with my wife and 2 children (August 2019). I eat a vegan diet and try to avoid masses of wheat e.g big portions of wheat pasta/heavy pies etc, but am not celiac (I just feel lighter avoiding this). My children do eat meat, but with a high proportion of veggie/vegan food. I therefore had some concerns that I might pay a lot of money for 'all inclusive' only to find I was struggling to find foods I could eat and enjoy. It might be prudent to add that I am heavily into sport and was exercising every day I was there, so it was particulalry important to me to get a balanced and nutritional diet to meet my needs for high-ish levels of protein, nutrients and micronutrients. We emailed ahead and were told that the chefs were able to cater for my needs, but little else. This did not fully allay my anxieties as you might imagine, especially being in a foreign country where notions of what is vegan vary quite considerably. To this end, I ended up taking lots of nuts and 'healthy' snack bars, just in case I got caught out. Anyway, I needn't have bothered: the day we arrived, I asked for the Head Chef and was met by 'Mike' who was so welcoming and warm. He took time and care to show me around the whole food hall, pointing out what foods were suitable for my needs. There was a big variety of food types including amazing salads, fries, Greek speciality dishes including aubergine, green beans, fruits and many more. One night I pointed out that there was a lack of legumes (where I get most of my protein) and Mike duly noted this and made sure there were chickpea/broad bean/lentil dishes out every night from then on. It feels important to add, that, not once did he, or his team, make me feel like I was being a pain in the back-side; indeed he had spent time in the UK and really seemed to understand/respect me and my choice to be vegan (we ended up debating this over dinner service one night). He asked me if I liked pasta and pizza dishes (I do!) and he said he would make them for me any night. They were so good, that I often ate them daily. They also added lentils to the dishes to make sure I was getting my protein quota. He also noted that there were not many vegan desserts and he personally made me some delicious coconut and soya ones every night (which my children also loved). Every time I went in, Mike sought me out, shook my hand and showed me the dishes he had on for me - I really cannot speak highly enough of him and his team! There is also an Asian inspired restaurant. When we wanted to eat there, he made sure that they had vegan dishes (with rice noodles) for me to eat and the chefs were there to welcome us all. As you might image, this felt incredible as often us veggies/vegans do not get this sort of inclusive and warm welcome when travelling abroad and asking for specific food types. Similarly, breakfast and lunch were really very good. I really appreciated them having a great selection of seeds, dried and fresh fruit, and nuts for omegas and other micro-nutrients. The salads were always fab. Some of them had cheese in as you might expect, but there was plenty of others for vegans and I never felt like I was missing out. I know it sounds like I have been paid to review this restaurant, but I really was impressed and I personally think they should do more to let potential guests know how much they actually do in terms of veggie/vegan food - surely it would be a great selling point in a time where many people are looking to reduce their meat/dairy intake. In summary, if you are vegan/veggie - this is a really good choice and I don't think you'll be disappointed. Look Mike up and he'll be sure to look after your dietary needs and welcome you! Well played Arina - here's hoping we'll be back in the future.

This is NOT a 4 star but a 2star. All bedrooms apart from the ground floor in the main building which have been updated and the new building across the road are so old, tired, dirty, stained and dangerous avoid them at all cost . Love holidays who we booked with do not show you these rooms which are the Majority . The hotel is on the main flight path and a main road behind . On a plus most of the staff and food were nice . Be aware no first aiders in hotel at night, not sure about day . Unfortunately I couldn’t add more photos. Many other guests we spoke to were not happy with their rooms either .