Name: Buca Beach Resort
Address: Analipsi Beach, Messini, Messini, Messini, Messini, 24200, Greece
Rating: 9

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Kalamata Airport

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Buca Beach Resort

Messini

We were contacted by Nielson 7 weeks before our departure to ask if we wanted to switch our reservation from Messini to Buca as they had decided to allow teenagers 15+ to stay in the resort. We decided to switch and it was definitely the right decision. 
Buca has a different, more boutique vibe to a "normal" Nielson resort. The pool (which is 50m) is quiet, there are ample sunbeds at any point during the day, complimentary smoothies, fruit, canapes and cocktails are served at various points through the day and the restaurant serves fantastic buffets for breakfast and lunch and a 3 course a la carte evening meal. Sitting down for a 3 course meal was great and it created an event in the evening rather than the usual scramble to the buffet! The food through our entire stay was fantastic. Buca is very quiet, but Messini is literally next door and my youngest son participated in TAG at Messini and we tended to use the Messini bar in the evening where there was more life. It was great to be able to have the use of both hotels.
As is expected from Neilson, the staff go above and beyond to ensure you have a great holiday. Marcus, the guest services manager was ever present, the restaurant and bar staff where very friendly and would do anything to ensure you were well looked after, and the activities teams were of a very high quality. We spent a lot of time on the tennis court and tennis team were exceptional. The beach and waterski team also worked hard to deliver above and beyond.
On our final night, we did a trip to Gialova Lagoon with Climb Up (the excursion company Nielson use). This was a highlight of the holiday and it was nice to get off resort and see the real Greece! We ended up having a private dining experience in a Greek taverna situated in a small village in the mountains. All the fruit and vegetables were grown in the taverna's garden and it was truly memorable experience. I would highly recommend this trip.

A Step Up from "Normal" Neilson resorts

Fantastic resort where ‘relax as hard as you like’ is definitely true! We stayed with our 17 year old twins who took part in the teen TAG club at next door Messini another Neilson resort. They were free to come and go from there including having meals with friends. The dining experience at Buca is superior to the standard Neilson fare we have experienced with amazing a la carte evening meals-3 courses which we struggled to eat due to massive but delicious portions! Marcus and the whole team are a credit to Neilson. Responsive, warm, friendly and excellent communicators. The bar staff are incredibly friendly, added bonus at Buca is complimentary smoothies around the pool in the morning, watermelon after lunch and snacks and cocktails in the afternoon. All Neilson activities were excellent standard, plenty of equipment, large well equipped gym, large beach and never an issue accessing any activity. Buca is very quiet, it took a while to get used to this if you’re used to the buzz of a Neilson resort but you have the option to walk a short distance to next door Messini to experience this if you really want it. We did and enjoyed the fact we could retreat to the tranquility (and Bali beds around the pool at Buca).

Teens and parents holiday

My older teenagers absolutely loved it here. We learned to windsurf, went paddleboarding, kayaking, mountain biking, played tennis, attended the gym sessions and had two tows on the knee boards (too choppy to water-ski and was so much fun!) 
The staff were amazing,  so friendly and helpful! The food was delicious and on the non inclusive days we ate at blu and phoenix (local, delicious, home cooked food about a mile from the resort)
The beach was beautiful and conditions perfect for watersports. We got home in the early hours of last night and booked to go back again next year in our lunch hour today! 



My kind of paradise,  good food and lots to do! 

Fantastic venue and staff. Special shout out for Climb Up and Leader George and the team. Great trip walking the river route to the waterfalls. Highly recommend Climb Up for family trips and specialist walking and climbing too.

Neilsen Buca Resort & Trips

Buca hotel offered a great experience, excellent facilities, clean, welcoming with superb staff.  Both the buffet food and the a la carte menu were sublime - never had the chance to feel hungry and the choice of foods were outstanding!
The staff in both the restaurant and the hotel were extremely helpful, hospitality at its best.
We used mainly the bikes, gym, kyaks, fitness deck (pilates, stretch & relax) and pool; all these facilities were  superb.  
Only small let-down was that the sauna wasn't working the whole time we were there and we weren't able to go to the steam room when we wanted, as had to get a member of staff to switch it on and invariably there was no-one at the desk to do this.  
Overall would HIGHLY recommend for anyone who wants a little or a lot of exercise on holiday - it's  MUST!
Must also mention Climbup, the company that offered excursions - these were brilliant.  The team were so helpful, informative and personalble - great experience.

Brilliant Holiday

Great hotel with excellent food and very comfortable rooms. Local staff are friendly and offer first class service. Only disappointment was the limited availability of tennis courts outside of the coaching and social sessions.

Wonderful holiday

This is possibly the best holiday I have ever been on. I had never been on a Neilson holiday before but I would love to do another one because of our incredible experience at Buca. Here are some of our main reasons for loving this holiday:
1. Staff - both the hotel staff and the activities staff are just amazing. They can’t do enough for you, make you feel so welcome and at home. Everyone is happy to chat to you, and it feels as though they are genuinely interested and not just putting it on. 
2. Activities - such a huge array of things to do for all different levels and abilities. I really recommend taking a paddle board out when the sea is calm it’s so relaxing! They also have a mega paddle board for multiple people which was such a laugh! We always felt super safe whenever we were out on the water due to the numbers of staff available to help if needed. 
3. Hotel Amenities - if you want to relax the pool area is beautiful. There was always sun beds free when we went and I believe the Hotel was full during our stay. Rooms were also lovely. Super fresh and modern all with nice balconies. 
4. Food - it was outstanding. So many options to choose from and we never had a bad meal. Good variety for vegetarians as well and a few vegan bits too. 

Couldn’t recommend more, you need to go!

Faultless experience, amazing !

Our second neilson holiday and we absolutely loved it. Staff were all incredible - friendly, funny, extremely helpful. That goes to both the Neilson staff (Jodie was especially helpful and went the extra mile time and again) and the hotel/bar staff. Activities were fantastic as always - special mention to Harry for excellent sailing coaching and Annabelle for her enthusiastic and engaging fitness classes. They are both absolute stars. Tally and Cerys deserve huge credit in the spa for their amazing work, taking time to get to know what our needs were before starting each treatment. Food and drink was all brilliant. The excursions we went on were incredible too. Well worth the 2 year wait due to covid. We will be coming back!

An absolutely fantastic resort in a stunning location

The best thing about our two weeks at buca beach club were the local staff who work throughout the hotel - at the bar (Lydia is a mixologist superb 😊), in the restaurant (Zara & Tatiana 👍), the housekeeping staff and the reception staff are all very friendly and more than happy to help making sure you have a great stay.

Neilson’s hired British staff working here at the pool, fitness and beach could learn a lot from them !!

On the coach to the resort we were given a time for a welcome meeting later that day after further arrivals but when we got downstairs - 5 minutes before that time- due to the fact there had been a rain shower they had moved inside and started taking bookings for activities before the start time so either we missed the big welcome or they didn’t bother.  We then had to go around finding out the necessary information from the staff that were there who seemed more interested in chatting to each other than helping paying guests. This was reflected throughout the two weeks, which had you feeling like you were interrupting their holiday by actually asking something.

Ok so a review of our experience..

Room :  nice and bright, clean and well serviced during our stay. 

Food:  great choices although it is a 7 day menu so if your staying two weeks there is a de ja vu feeling which was as much good as bad.

Offered activities:  During our stay for the first 10 days there were no stretching / yoga / Pilates sessions at Buca only at the adjoining Messini and on some occasions people getting turned away as they were too full.  Whilst it was close that was not what we or other guests expected and to be honest this was very disappointing for me.

Premium offerings of smoothies, snacks and cocktails…these are done but your not told when they are being done each day and the time varies, so if your not out around the pool at the time then it’s a case of tough luck.

Quite a few days the pool or beach were closed for parts of the day due to weather but that’s outside anyones control and we accept that.

OH enjoyed the waterski tows but I do think he should have been given my free tows too as basically they are making it clear each person is paying for two free tows a week in the cost so why it could not have been 4 free tows per room instead and he could have used them all I think is wrong - this is an example of Neilsons including a charge per person  for things not all customers can use ( which is different to not wanting to use).

During our time the weather wasn’t great for windsurfing, my OH is very experienced and only had very very little opportunity so whilst no one can control the weather there was little evidence this would be worth returning to for anyone wanting to spend the majority time windsurfing on holiday (Vasilki BeachClub has more consistent wind for that even on a poor day).

Mainly good but some not so.

I've been to several Neilson resorts and this was my second time at Buca. The Covid restrictions meant a few changes, such as having to book for the fitness classes (apart from aqua) rather than just turning up, and fewer evening activities, but they weren't detrimental to the overall stay.

Like all Neilson holidays  there's a range of things to do. Buca is adults only, but shares most facilities with the family Messini centre next door.

Accommodation is in good sized, well laid out rooms, all of which have a terrace or balcony and most have a sea view. There are a limited number of single rooms, which avoids the dreaded single supplement. I personally find the beds a little soft, but that's my preference.

Buffet breakfast and lunch are served every day, dinner is included on 4 nights a week (you need to book a table for dinner here) and there are plenty of options for the non-inclusive nights. Optional extras include trips to local sites such as an olive oil mill and ancient ruins with meals at local tavernas.

The beach is a short walk from the hotel and pools, with tennis courts,gym and bike sheds next to the restaurant. 

The spa area is in the basement and offers a good selection of treatments, which are wonderful as a trear or recovery after an active day.

The social table in the restaurant is a good way of meeting other guests and you can usually find a companion  for a walk, ride, paddle, sail, knockabout if your other half is doing something else. Meet up at the bar for happy hour when there are some free nibbles. If you're around at 4pm, there's a free sample of the cocktail of the day.

Although I was a little disappinted that some evening activities weren't offered this year, the staff worked very hard to make things as normal as possible and nothing was too much effort for them. 

Already booked in for 2022.

Buca Beach Resort

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