Disappointed and Let Down – My Honest Review of Raga Side Hotel (2/5)
As a 22-year-old from the UK, I recently stayed at the Raga Side Hotel for 10 days — and while there were a few highlights, overall, I left extremely disappointed.
⭐ Staff – 5/5
The one redeeming quality of this hotel is its incredible staff, especially at the bars. They were friendly, attentive, and often brought drinks directly to our table without needing to use the app. Housekeepers were also fantastic, always keeping the rooms spotless and restocking essentials like towels, coffee, and tea. Their hard work truly stood out and made parts of the stay more comfortable.
📱 Hotel App – 2.5/5
The hotel heavily depends on an app for ordering food and drinks, especially at the Guitar Pool Bar. While the idea is convenient in theory, in practice it was inconsistent. The app frequently crashed or failed to process orders correctly, and many available food items (like cakes) weren’t listed. It’s a great idea, but poorly executed.
🍹 Drinks – 3/5
The coffee and draught soft drinks were decent, but cocktails were disappointing — tasting very similar, quite bitter, and lacking sweetness. The mojito was the only one worth recommending. Also, water only comes in small 330ml bottles, which felt stingy in the heat.
🍽 Food – 3.5/5 (with serious warnings)
This was one of the biggest letdowns of our trip. The buffet was lacklustre with limited hot food options, though salads, fruit, and veggies were okay.
But my biggest issue — and why I would never return — is the handling of allergens. As someone with nut allergies, I was horrified to find multiple menu inaccuracies, both at the buffet and on the app. Items were either mislabeled or missing allergen information entirely. One dish listed milk and wheat but not nuts — only for me to later find out it did contain nuts. If I hadn’t been cautious, I could’ve had a life-threatening reaction. This is absolutely unacceptable, and I strongly advise anyone with allergies to avoid this hotel entirely.
The Asian and pasta food trucks near the main restaurant were much better and did not use nuts (only sesame seeds), which was a relief. We also had a great experience at the Mediterranean à la carte restaurant — the lamb chops and venison were delicious, cooked in front of us, and served sizzling on a hot grill. However, the service deteriorated as the stay went on — ignored tables, long waits for cleared dishes, and delayed app orders added to the frustration.
There’s also a small beach restaurant down the road which had great food and evening entertainment — definitely worth checking out if you stay.
📍 Location – 4/5
The hotel is in a decent spot — about 15–20 minutes from Side Old Town, with easy access to shops, bars, and restaurants. The beach area is private, but quite small considering the number of guests.
🧼 Cleanliness & Rooms – 3.5/5
Our room was clean and comfortable at first, with daily towel changes and friendly housekeeping. We had a standard double room with a road view, which wasn’t ideal but manageable. However, cleanliness in common areas dropped off during our stay — dirty tables and reused glassware started to become common.
Many guests also complained about being asked to pay for upgrades after not receiving the room or view they originally booked.
🎤 Entertainment – 4/5
Entertainment was surprisingly good! We enjoyed a Michael Jackson tribute, Latin dancing, karaoke, and even a hotel anniversary event with a stunning multi-course dinner — 10/10 for that night. Just beware of the reps pushing nightclub wristbands (€15) — not worth it for most people.
❌ Final Verdict: 2/5
While the staff and entertainment were strong points, the disappointment in food quality, safety concerns with allergens, limited beach space, and inconsistent service made this far from a 5-star experience.
The hotel’s over-reliance on a glitchy app, the lack of allergy-safe food practices, and the declining standards over the course of our stay left me with a sour taste — literally and figuratively.
