James Q.
Google
I booked three nights at Xamena as a gift for my wife on our one-year anniversary. The photos promised luxury and serenity — but what we walked into was a honey trap.
The warning signs started before we even reached the hotel. We enquired about a transfer from the airport and were quoted €190. A regular taxi? €50. That 300% markup set the tone. A taste of what was to come.
The hotel is perched on a remote mountain, and once you're there, you realise you're marooned — no shops, no alternatives. Just you and a €20 smoothie, a €20 glass of mediocre wine, €40 to access a lukewarm hot tub. It’s a gilded cage — they know you’ve got nowhere else to go, and they charge accordingly. Sadly, this kind of gouging is not uncommon in Ibiza, but what stings here is the quality: the prices scream five-star, the experience limps along at two.
Food continues the trend. Breakfast isn’t included — even at this price point — and costs €40 per person. Room service is a limited menu of dry, forgettable dishes. We paid €40 for what can only be described as sad chicken and chips — something you'd send back at a pub, let alone a "luxury" resort. The food at their gourmet restaurant Eden is forgettable but the bill is not.
One of the reasons I booked Xamena was for the activities advertised, especially the electric bikes. These, too, come at a cost — but despite what the website says, the hotel only had two bikes available for the entire hotel during our stay meaning it was impossible to hire them. With no car and no real access to the outside world, we were effectively stranded. Thankfully, taxis brave the mountain — otherwise, we’d have been fully at the mercy of their €190 transfer fees.
The staff try, and a few were lovely, but service is patchy and nowhere near five-star. The room itself is beautiful, and the views are truly breathtaking — but don’t be fooled. It’s a trap.
You’ll leave lighter — not from relaxation, but from being rinsed at every turn. Food, drinks, services, even the basics — all overpriced and underwhelming. As we checked out, we didn’t feel wistful or sad to be going. We just felt relieved to be getting off that money grabbing mountain.