Originally Posted by
sapman986
Am also here this week. You'd never know the place is full. As previously mentioned, ample capacity in pools, restaurants, buggy rides. The service has not changed in the last year in that most employees are doing their best, but the lack of training leads to an inconsistent and sometimes shoddy experience.
After spending the whole week here I am going to revise my comments on the service to say that it has has actually got worse than last year. While the eager to please attitude is somewhat endearing, it begins to grate when it is accompanied by incompetence regularly throughout the day.
I understand that training employees in a seasonal resort that is likely to have a large turnover of staff from year to year has to be difficult, but that does not make failing to do so acceptable (especially at the price point of this resort). There are far too many people working at Costa Navarino that simply do not know enough to do their job. It was mentioned already that often this means that in order to get anything done that is any way deviating from the employee's core tasks, it needs to be escalated to someone.
e.g. -
1. A couple at the pool told us that kids under 3 eat for free at all resort restaurants. I thought if this was true, it is a great benefit that was either unpublished or under-published. Upon asking for the bill at our next meal, I mentioned it to our server and the charge for our son's meal was removed. I continued to do this at every meal until the restaurant manager at lunch on one of our last days told me he would have to check on this. He appeared 10 minutes later and told me that no such rule exists. I didn't argue, but checked with the front desk later who didn't know but promised to call me back about it. They didn't. Is it unreasonable for at least the manager at each restaurant to know clearly what the resort's policy on this is?
2. My rate did not include breakfast, yet unlike last year, nobody was checking if diners at breakfast were supposed to get it or not. I asked the front desk about this also and it seemed to not concern them. Seems like this is a pretty large revenue leak that would be easy to fix.
3. Flame restaurant. We had a good meal there last year, but this year the service was atrocious. Our waiter/manager was awful. Unable to answer basic questions about the menu and just a bit too aggressive to be working in a customer facing role, I don't think I have had to deal with a more unpleasant member of staff in a restaurant before. When she made a mistake with our order and was called on it, she marched in to the indoor room in full view of our group and started a full on, flailing arms rant to her co worker while pointing at our table. The food wasn't great there this year either. My medium rare steak came out barely seered. What was described as a strip steak had far too much fat (not marbled) for that type of steak. Conversely, the complete lack of fat on the rib eye made it look more like a fillet. It is a shame, as the restaurant could be a gem with just a little bit of work.
4. The beach. The location of the beach is wonderful, but again, it is let down by the service. On the busiest summer holiday week they ran out of bottled water (and nearly everything else) at the beach restaurant/bar by early afternoon Thursday. Ridiculous. Again, with a little training, this could easily have been avoided.
There are lots of other examples, but I won't bore you with them. This resort would be perfect if they could just iron out the training issues. I think I will pass on Costa Navarino next year and try somewhere else.
To the poster who mentioned the lack of complaining americans as a plus, I think this is more than offset by the manners exhibited by some of the europeans at the restaurants. Pigs at a trough are more civil.