PELOPONNESE (THE GUARDIAN) - Cristiano Ronaldo has rewarded hotel employees with a huge tip after a holiday in Greece.

When the world's most marketable footballer checked out of the exclusive Costa Navarino resort in the western Peloponnese, he left a tip of €20,000 (S$31,950) to be shared equally among staff members.

"The 10 employees, who had been tasked with providing services to Ronaldo's family and to keep them away from the paparazzi, each received €2,000," the Greek online sports magazine, Sportime.gr, reported.

The parting gift was apparently spurred by the 33-year-old Portuguese striker being impressed by Greek hospitality. He checked into the resort after his team were knocked out of the World Cup, spending 10 days with family and friends in its Royal Methoni villa which comes with round-the-clock butler service and sand dunes to keep the photographers at bay.

"It was an honour and a great experience for our team to look after Cristiano Ronaldo and his family," staff wrote sharing pictures on social media with the superstar .

"A big thank you @Cristiano for being part of our story."

Previous guests have included Hollywood stars Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.

Ronaldo uploaded holiday snaps from the resort on Instagram raising a glass, bobbing around in a dinghy and showing off his body in a romantic pose with his girlfriend Georgina.

The resort was the backdrop last week for the deal that sealed the forward's transfer from La Liga giants Real Madrid to Serie A kings Juventus, where he will earn about £26 million (S$46.5 million) a year. After leaving the villa, he flew to Italy to cement what his agent called "the final club of his career".