"We returned yesterday from our holiday and what a LOVELY week we have had! I was anxious as I had read some of the negative reviews but we didn’t experience any of it. We are a family of 4 (with a 3 & 6 year old) but we came to the hotel as a party of 13 (from 11 months old to 70 years) and we had a fabulous time!
Evening food in the restaurant was great, we actually wanted to eat lots more of it than we could manage. Breakfast was very similar each morning but lots of choice and something for everyone, the coffee was lovely. All of the food is fresh and tasty with gluten free options clearly labelled. We were able to get tables together for most mealtimes, we didn’t push our tables together, we just sat in the same area.
The ladies at the pool bar, fantastic! A real credit to the hotel, constantly smiling and singing whilst serving. Delicious hot dogs and burgers at lunch time cooked fresh to order, we did have a couple of undercooked burgers but they are very busy and we just threw them away and got something else. A la carte was nice (tacos, pork rolls, macaroni cheese were lovely) but to be honest we were happy filling up on the bar snacks, ice cream and the chocolate pizza from the pizza stand! Mojitos were lovely, we really have no complaints about food at all! At the other bar you aren’t allowed go over wet, they did get the mop out and send one of our party members away when he went over with a few drops down his legs, this is understandable as is it the bar shared with the A La Carte and at the other pool bar it doesn’t matter about being wet. It is 2 alcoholic drinks per person, they usually let you get soft drinks for the kids but I think it depends who serves you.
Rooms were spacious and clean, yes a few broken tiles but we aren’t overly fussy, we had a couple of small problems arise but the reception staff sorted them out pretty much immediately! Rooms tidied each day and towels changed 3 days a week. I have read lots of reviews saying that some of the staff/guests were rude, we didn’t experience this, we found the staff were all friendly and the guests always had a little chat with our children. Our daughter made lots of friends throughout the week. Of course there is a little bit of a language barrier with some people but we didn’t find this to be an issue at all! I think kindness goes a long way, I’m sure the staff have to deal with a lot of rude guests.
Yes, if you want sunbeds in a certain position you need to get up early. I went down about 7am each morning and managed to get 12 together in our favourite spots, I enjoyed getting up earlier and watching the sunrise so this wasn’t an issue, we just put towels down before going in for breakfast! When the lifeguard arrives, he wanders around putting 1 hour slips on empty beds with towels on and if you don’t return within an hour they take your things to reception. We found this works quite well as otherwise people could have an empty bed reserved all day. They are strict on inflatables, we took small pool toys for the kids to play with and they were fine. They did ask someone to remove his baby from a baby float in the main pool, which we thought was a little excessive. The baby pool was great for the littlest member of our party, he was able to crawl around in the water. The kids pool was a great depth for our children of 3 & 6 years, we were able to watch them from our sunbed or from the side of the pool. It is a little warmer than the main pool, so sometimes we sat in there too.
The rooftop terrace has beautiful views, I got up early to watch the sunrise but unfortunately it is locked until 9am. I sat and watched through the glass at the top of the steps. The children enjoyed crazy golf, ping pong and the park all included in our package. We didn’t use the kids club and didn’t go in the softplay as we wanted to be out in the sun.
The spa was an amazing extra! The kids enjoyed being able to go in each morning 10am-12pm and exploring the different pools, I would say if you don’t have children definitely avoid these times as it was very busy! I think it’s great that they can experience it along with the adults though!
It would be fantastic if the inside entertainment was outside, we didn’t watch the outside entertainment at all but it sounded the same each night with singers and the older guests dancing. Inside entertainment was good, I feel the performers struggled sometimes as the ceiling was too low and stage is very small (circus/acrobat acts) but our kids enjoyed the disco and show each night.
The lifts are probably the only minor issue we faced, at peak times you could be waiting a while and some of the other guests jump in-front of you whilst you are waiting.
All in all, we have had a fantastic time! I think a lot of people are judging too harshly, it is a 3 star all inclusive hotel and it is what you make it. Back to rainy England, we are missing the mojitos and sunshine already! Thank you Bull Eugenia Victoria 🫶🏼"