Rita A.
Located in Makadi Bay, this resort is incredibly beautiful, with stunning scenery, elegant decorations, and lush green areas, full of palm trees, hamoks, it's a great place to relax. The beach is huge and lovely, with clear water (though nothing extraordinary), but the coral reefs close to shore are truly amazing. The resort itself is gorgeous and very spacious.
One aspect I really appreciated was the ability to visit the neighboring resorts next to Fort Arabesque. This is especially nice if you want to go for a longer walk or a run.
However, the staff was a major disappointment. Overall, they were neither welcoming nor particularly friendly to guests. Upon arrival, no one provided a tour or basic orientation of the resort, which I had expected given its size. To be fully honest, it often felt like we were inconveniencing them by staying there. Even something as simple as extending our stay turned into such a hassle that we eventually gave up and moved to another resort.
Another letdown was the food. While there was plenty of variety in the buffet and different restaurants offering somewhat diverse options, the quality was lacking. The food simply wasn’t tasty, and finding something enjoyable to eat became a daily struggle. After a few days, I just wanted something simple and bland to avoid upsetting my stomach, but that was nearly impossible to find. Additionally, the service in the restaurants was frustrating. More than once, we sat at an unset table, asked the waiter for cutlery, and after waiting for 10 minutes with no response, had to go find it ourselves. By the time we finished eating, no one had come by to properly set the table or even take drink orders.
That being said, the dessert section was a highlight. It always looked inviting, and some of the desserts were genuinely delicious.
Another negative aspect was the constant sales pressure from staff. Whether on the beach (where they often ignored the "Do Not Disturb" red flag) or while we were simply walking around, we were repeatedly approached and offered services. Additionally, since a large portion of the resort’s guests are German speakers, the staff often addressed us in German and handed us German menus, which became frustrating after a few days.
Finally, while the resort advertises itself as all-inclusive, this is misleading. Access to certain restaurants, bars, beach areas, spa and even the gym requires an additional payment for the premium package.
jupa
"all-inclusive" but actually you have to pay extra for the gym, spa, tennis, billard, the good beach bar.
Beds are horrible, no cold air coming out of the AC so that the room is 26°C. Also it is loud, people are already at 5 am in the hallway waking me up.
The toilet is super cheap and plastic, toilet paper so thin you can see through it
Justyna Anna Gmiterek
Our room was new and modern. Very clean. The dining area in a main restaurant a bit dated. Draught from many doors and uncomfortable chairs. Waiters busy, sweaty, tired...A lot of sales people on a beach, a non stop bother... Great reef, but damaged and disappearing. A luxurious retirement home in short.
Jude Kriwald
This place is not a true all-inclusive. All-inclusive means you can switch off from thinking about money as you've bought the basics already and can enjoy food and drink without having to make purchasing decisions.
Hence on the first morning I was a bit surprised when, at breakfast, a waiter offered me a fresh orange juice from a tray, before telling me it's 3 Euros. Not cool. Either it's all-inclusive or it's not. Premium alcohols are expected to be an extra charge that you can seek out if you wish, but physically offering you something that would normally be included anywhere else and then asking for money is very poor.
Equally, most of the sunbeds are reserved by people who pay an extra 99 euros for the week and have them reserved for them. This make the standard all-inclusive plebs second-rate customers, as many people then upgrade to premium all-inclusive, which doens't include the orange juice by the way.
Fix this, and it's a 5 star experience. The staff are incredible and the location is ace. Just not fun being asked to pay more on an all-inclusive holiday!
Clare Pettini
We started in the beach resort, a fine hotel and no complaints but upgraded to west bay and did not regret it.
Lovely rooms, a fantastic view, great food and staff that care - from the reception staff to the green team, everyone was friendly, hardworking and dedicated to providing the best experience we could have.
Thank you to all at Fort Arabesque.
My Booking
