ROBINSON APULIA

Comentarios destacados

• 734philt

  25 septiembre 2019
  Wonderful holiday. Wonderful place. Wonderful staff.

  I didn't expect to come back from a week in southern Italy speaking German, but that's just an inevitable side-effect where the vast majority of the guests are from Germany. But what a lovely bunch they are! One of the advantages of going in mid September was that all the children were pre-school, so the overall feel was of one vast family outing. This is a very family-friendly place - to the extent that you'd look very odd indeed without at least one child in tow. Ours was well past nappies at 21! Yes, the odd crying baby made an appearance but really, what a wonderful atmosphere. The hotel is all low-level and spread out over its own large site, with an extensive private beach, pine forest location for outdoor activities and a watersports centre. The main buildings including the on-site shops, pharmacy, bar and restaurants cluster around a large main pool, with an on-site theatre and water park tucked away as well. An hour (by crazy Italian taxi driver driving!) from Brindisi airport, the site is away from the nearest town, though Ugento, Santa Maria de Leuca etc are only short rides away. It's very much a self-contained model and you get most out of it by going with that. But as with all businesses the real gold is in the staff. Robinson is of course a German-owned company and the staff were a mix of Italian and Germans, but they all had in common an absolute glowing dedication to making sure you had a most memorable and enjoyable holiday. As one of the very few British guests (we were told probably no more than 2 or 3 English families were there at any one time) we might have thought we'd be outsiders and overlooked; but not a bit. Staff were all fluent German and Italian speakers but manfully switched to more than adequate English once they realised our German wasn't up to much! The staff had other surprises up their sleeves too - one of the highlights of the week, in fact every other day, was the show put on in the on-site theatre, where to our astonishment most of the performers turned out to be the on-site swimming instructors, gym staff, barmen, etc etc.. what a multi-talented lot they were! From our initial reception on arrival and throughout (Jana, Lory), through to the restaurant and bar staff (not least Franca in the trattoria), the diving instructor (Alessandro), the watersports team (Fabio, Luca), the amazing general manager who also MC'd the shows (Fabrizio), the star performers (Tomas, Francesca, Samira), and everyone else whose names we have regrettably not retained, the staff were without exception truly dedicated to looking after us above and beyond our wildest expectations. Food and drink was plentiful, extensive and varied and very high quality, more choice than you could possibly want. So many wonderful memories, in such a short time.. we will definitely be back, Robinson Club Apulia. You are in our hearts forever.

  

• Horsthollaender

  15 octubre 2019
  Teneriffa-Süd

  Robinson Apulia meets all requirements in terms of service, practicality and functionality. There is no doubt about this! The offer on sports, leisure and kids entertainment is excellent and even if you are looking for something to complain, this will become tricky. Rooms were also spacious and the interior again was very functional due to clever storage solutions. Staff and food nothing to complain (Pizzeria was yummy, I had to go with my son 4 out of 7 possible dinner nights = 2 Kilos plus ) Howeverdue to the fact that this resort seems to exist for a number of decades, some areas are very out-dated from a design and comfort aspect. To start with the main bar (Schachbrett, as Robinson repeaters call it), you not get a very warm and welcoming feeling, sipping your limoncello there. This part of Robinson Apulia reminded us more of a bus or train station, rather than sitting at a hotel bar. Architecture wise we joked about being in Teneriffa-Süd, other than staying in fancy Italy/ Puglia. From a design aspect this also reminded us to mid-century style best case. This out-dated design can also be found at the beach-bar where tables, chairs and plastic sunbeds are not state-of-the art anymore in 2019, also from a quality aspect. The beach bar, restaurant gets very crowded during eating times, and should be extended knowing 1000 guests are staying at peak times. We understand the concept of a club resort, but as soon as the Robinson Puglia gate closed behind, we did not feel like being in Italy anymore. For those who can deal with living in this isolated atmosphere - fine. Stating this, we really felt sorry for the guy wearing this Robbie costume every day - must be smelly at the end of the season. Maybe there is a cultural interaction between Man Friday and Robinson (Crusoe?) Club in this context. Anyway, we had to escape to Gallipoli on the 4th day (not being Friday) to avoid the Alcatraz holiday resort disease. Those who stayed, enjoyed the Karaoke-Show with Tony and Graziano. "Laura non ce" In summary, Robinson Puglia provides the perfect holiday for people/ families who intensively use the enormous sports, leisure and kids offer. For those who also love this level of detail in design and comfort, we would not recommend this resort. Due to the Teneriffa-Süd architecture even a full renovation seems to be complicated, but as for many trends, maybe this will become fashionable at one point...

  

• 368lailaf

  22 abril 2020
  Amazing!!!

  We spent 10 days in this great place. We cant wait to go back there!!! Everything was perfect, food, location, service. Thanks to everyone especially to Pasquina from the bar!! She is so lovely, always smiling and full of contagious energy!!! Thank you!!! See you soon.

  

• Travel_Lover066

  24 septiembre 2020
  Disappointed

  We booked a week at Robinson Club Apulia after having two other September holidays cancelled due to covid. Although it was our third choice, we had wanted to visit this area of Italy, primarily to see the Trulli houses and other pretty towns. However, this hotel isn't the ideal base from which to see the area unless you are willing to hire a car and drive for miles. It's an all-inclusive resort miles from any town and we found most days there was nothing that we could do except sit by the pool and wait for the next meal time. That may be some peoples' holiday heaven but not ours, we like to see things. There was only one trip available (through the Tui rep), fortunately it was the one we wanted, to Alberobello where there are a lot of Trullis. We really enjoyed that day, the rest of the time we got quite bored to be honest. Also be aware that it's family-friendly, so if you're looking for a holiday without children running around, don't come here. Having said that, there was nothing wrong with the hotel itself. Be aware, though, that it caters mainly for Italians and Germans, so if you can't speak those languages be prepared to do a lot of pointing at the bar and buffet. Some staff do have good English, but they're mainly the ones at reception. The room was large and comfortable, food was excellent. We found the main restaurant quite busy and noisy though, so we ate mostly at the Trattoria near the beach and a couple of times at the pizza restaurant. You have to prebook your evening meal table for these venues in the morning (no charge) and the easiest way to do so is to download the app. The Trattoria also serves lunch and you can have breakfast there between 9 and 10 (no need to book for those, but it fills up quickly at lunchtime so best to get there when it opens). The house wine was really good, we mostly drank the white but also sampled the red and the rose. We didn't eat at the outdoor barbeque tables because you had to pay extra for drinks there, even on all-inclusive. Finally, just a couple of gripes/constructive criticisms. First, the breakfast tables were set with a knife and fork, but no spoon for cereal or fruit. To get a spoon you had to walk around the restaurant searching for one. They were at various points with signs saying "no self service, ask the waiter" but as the waiter often wasn't there we just helped ourselves. Usually to a teaspoon as that's often all there was. It wouldn't take much effort to include a cereal spoon in the cutlery packs on the tables. Secondly, mask wearing, I saw several staff members wearing them incorrectly, namely not covering the nose. Please could the managers educate the staff in correct mask-wearing?

  

• Alan J

  27 septiembre 2020
  Not what wed planned, but a super holiday nevertheless

  Wed originally booked on a B&B basis at a mid-sized hotel on Crete, with the aim of getting some sunshine, seeing some ancient sites and eating at local tavernas. There was little choice from TUI when this was cancelled. We knew Club Robinson would be very different from our original choice, but we decided to go ahead and reset our expectations. Club Robinson is a bit like Center Parcs with sunshine, but with food and most activities included in the price. We enjoyed Center Parcs when our kids were young, and enjoyed Club Robinson with them now theyre in their 30s. Most importantly, the whole resort was set up very well for a Covid-19 world, so we felt safe. Plenty of sanitising stations, staff wearing masks, and guests mostly complying with the many notices. So, was the resort what we expected? * The Puglia resort is set in pine woods adjoining the beach. The well appointed rooms are in large blocks in beautifully planted gardens. * Although the resort is German-owned and most of the guests are German or Italian, many of the staff speak English. The staff are all very friendly and helpful. * The programme of activities and food options is published on the Robinson app, which you also use to make your bookings. You really do need a smartphone or tablet. * Most of the catering is buffet-style - but easily the best buffet food weve ever experienced. There is even freshly-squeezed orange juice (rare, even in the Med) and proper espresso-based coffee. * The pizza restaurant with table service is bookable for dinner. Pizzas were excellent, dessert is a decent tiramisu. * The trattoria at the beach is bookable for evenings, but not lunchtimes, both buffet style. There can be a queue at lunchtime, especially on sunny days, and the buffet can be a bit of a scrum. Bottles of wine and water are brought to your table, other drinks are collected from the bar. All included. * Theres a bookable BBQ evening at the piano bar, which is beautifully set under pine trees. Take insect repellent! Wine is chargeable here, and the food here was a bit disappointing. The steak here was nowhere near as good as the delicious beef from the gala buffet the previous evening. * We spent most of our time on the sandy beach, which has plenty of loungers and is well staffed with lifeguards. We had a few days of off-shore winds, so the red flags were on show, when only paddling was allowed. * We enjoyed the introduction to archery and wished wed organised ourselves to get slots in the free shooting * We didnt take advantage of the sailing, SUP or kayaks. These were chargeable, but reasonably priced. * The tennis courts are very impressive, and not very busy when we were there. Use of the courts and rackets is included, but balls need to be bought due to Covid restrictions. * Table tennis is played in the middle of the main bar area at programmed times. This is done in a social rather than competitive way! * The main bar area gets busy and quite noisy from piped music and, occasionally, boisterous children. This can make it hard to order your free drinks - especially when you and the barman don't share a common language, are both wearing masks, and have a perspex screen between you! That said, service is swift and efficient, and the drinks are good. * Theres entertainment around the pool each night, either a DJ or one of a selection of singers with backing tracks. I cant recommend any of those. Most interest in them seemed to come from the toddlers dancing in front of the podium. * On the other hand, a jazz guitar duo played at the beach and at the trattoria a few times. Real music - and top stuff too. * Unlike our only previous all-inclusive experience, the guests werent just there to eat and drink all day! There was no rowdiness. * We went in term time, so the kids were mostly toddlers and babies. I commend the parents for the behaviour of these children, especially at mealtimes. We only had one excursion, a half-day trip to Lecce with a walking tour. This was very worthwhile, and not just for the delicious Pasticciotto Leccese and gelato. The baroque old city and roman amphitheatre are well worth seeing..