Marbello Suite - 6 persons

1 star – Premium prices, far from a premium experience

Very disappointing experience at a campsite that presents itself as a 5-star, premium destination and charges accordingly.

After a long journey, we arrived expecting a comfortable and well-organized stay. Instead, our first night was extremely difficult. I initially assumed that quiet hours would start around 10 PM, as is common in many campsites. Here, however, quiet hours apparently start at midnight. Even after midnight, there was still considerable noise, and I personally managed to fall asleep only after 2 AM. During this time, I did not see any staff taking action to enforce the quiet hours.

The campsite is also full of children riding electric scooters around the resort, often without adult supervision. Some of them were riding in situations that appeared unsafe. Given the size and traffic within the campsite, I was surprised by the lack of visible supervision or control from the resort.

After just one day, I asked whether I could receive a refund and leave, as the experience was clearly not what I had expected from a 5-star campsite. My request was refused, with the explanation that it was high season. I understand that cancellation policies exist, but when the actual conditions are so different from what you expect from a premium property, there should be some consideration for the guest.

There is also loud music coming from the venue across the road until around midnight, which makes the situation even less suitable for anyone looking for a quiet holiday.

To be clear, I am not expecting complete silence at a busy campsite in August. What I do expect from a property charging premium prices and presenting itself as 5-star is good organization, effective enforcement of its own rules, attention to guest comfort and proper management of common areas.

Unfortunately, that was not my experience.

Premium price, but definitely not a premium experience.

A very comfortable campground that has plenty to offer our family. The kids look forward to the great pool area every single day. The restrooms are very modern, and the various restaurants and shops have everything you need for a wonderful vacation. However, some of the sites are located on a slope, so you should definitely have some experience handling a larger trailer combination.

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The Istra Campground boasts a 5-star rating, and the booking prices alone are high. The clientele here tends to prefer “camping.” There’s a very high concentration of dual-axle vehicles—Morelos, Concordes, high-end SUVs ;)—whose owners seem to have brought everything with them. If you’re looking for authentic camping, you won’t find it here. So be it. We don’t just throw out reviews on a whim—we really put some thought into them. First of all, the campground is beautifully laid out, the sea is spectacular, there’s plenty to explore, and you get a “weather guarantee,” plus electricity and water are included, as are the restroom facilities, and the location is great. But that’s about it in terms of what’s included. The site rental fee is really steep during peak season; every—and I mean absolutely every—service except those mentioned above costs extra, and the prices aren’t exactly modest—and this lack of restraint is what’s actually annoying. Everyone’s willing to pay for a load of laundry, but 18 euros for washing and drying? Two lounge chairs and one umbrella cost 27 euros; a scoop of ice cream costs 2.70 euros; and access to the water park in the ocean costs 18 euros per hour—even for kids. That may be standard for the area, but we simply feel the value we get in return is too low. And unfortunately, here and there, that’s just not enough for a 5-star campground at this price point. Even if you want to do laundry, there are only 2 washing machines. Queues form quickly in front of the showers, as well as in front of the sinks and restrooms. Meanwhile, there are quite a few washbasins that are mostly unused. There’s no “snack bar” on the beach. You can’t really grab a quick bite to eat. There are trees right in the middle of the XL sites. That’s nice for shade, but what am I supposed to do with an XL site that has a tree standing almost right in the middle? The pool area is free and great, but there aren’t enough lounge chairs in the shade. As usual, these get reserved, but contrary to the warning at the entrance, the staff doesn’t clear them out. Many items in the fairly small and expensive supermarket sell out quickly. After 3:00 p.m., you usually can’t get a baguette there anymore. These are just a few examples of frustrating shortcomings at the resort, of which there are several. Please don’t get us wrong: the resort is great. Valamar itself sets our expectations for the resort through its pricing policy and the surcharges that apply everywhere here. That’s why we had very specific expectations, especially during peak season. The resort cannot meet these expectations due to the issues mentioned above. For that much money, we simply don’t want to wait for showers; we want to be able to buy a baguette for the grill at any time and always be able to wash dishes. In the end, that leaves it at a fair 4 stars—leaning more toward 3 than toward 5.