Occidental Jandia Mar All Inclusive

"We have had a brilliant holiday! Don't panic about negative reviews. We arrived about 12pm so our rooms weren't ready. We were able to put luggage in the luggage room and have lunch. When we returned only 1 room was ready but this was before official check in time. Reception were not always overly friendly in manner but very helpful when we sought advice or information such as early breakfast, our departure or taxis. The lobby is beautiful, lots of space to sit and a nice piano bar off to one side. There are also 2 shops and these were pretty reasonable for gifts, floaties, drinks and crisps etc. I must say, we constantly saw this area being swept and mopped by staff. We had a quad room and a double room. It was a bit disappointing that the quad room is a double room size with 2 extra beds, but this was as shown on the pics and was sufficient for us! Cupboard space etc was decent and there was a lovely bathroom and a fridge. Each day it was cleaned really well and beds were made for us. We did tip our cleaners periodically which I'm sure helped this but even on day one it was lovely to return to. We panicked about the food before arriving after seeing such poor reviews. We all felt the food was brilliant. There was always something we liked, the freshly cooked meat station was amazing -(chicken/ turkey/ pork/ steak/ veal and the stews/ goulashes were epic. There were some repetitive elements like pizza and pasta. Generally breakfast was variation on a theme. Nutella does run out quite quickly and you'll need to ask for this to be replenished. Fresh eggs were brill. Omelettes were fabulous bug you'll need to queue. As a group of 6 we rataely struggled to get a table. One thing I would say is that staff worked extremely hard in the restaurant to clear plates and clean tables, however we felt on occasion there just weren't enough staff on shift. The snack bar was brilliant! Probably the best we've ever had at an all inclusive. My youngest is a beige queen and so the nuggets, cod bites, plain pasta etc was great here for her. The pizza here was nicer in my opinion too. It was constantly being topped up and cleared away. The pools were fabulous, this was the star of the show for us. Both big pools, the little splash pad (which ours didn't really use but would be fab for younger kids) and the slides were epic. We didn't love the way they landed in the slides, the white slide in particular gave me vibes that they should probably be on an inflatable to land in the pool of water at the bottom, so I didn't let mine use that after the first try (but I'm a bit risk averse). There are cracked tiles around the pool, there is some mess etc, but this is left by other guests. I saw staff going round picking rubbish up. I agree that it needs more frequent hose downs etc but I never felt it was dirty. The grounds were lovely. Fuerteventura is quite barren and so views to the sea are beautiful, but views anywhere else are quite brown 😂 the plants and flowers etc were pretty and staff always watering and pruning in the mornings. Warning- there are lots of wild cats there. I've seen posts where people have loved this. It is not my thing! They will stay away unless invited over. I do think guests need to be more considerate that others won't want the cats by them in the snack bar etc. We did have one incident where a cat got into the restaurant. We complained straight away (and the manager the next day was in complete agreement and headed straight to the restaurant to deal with it) but a guest was feeding it at the table! So again, guest behaviour affected us more here than the issue itself. The entertainment was pretty good. The entertainment team worked exceptionally hard. Special recognition to the team for aquagym, the dances at lunchtime, the pool party and for Barcy Club. The external groups brought in were generally excellent too. We enjoyed our evenings outside watching this but you'll find playing cards difficult in the wind! It was breezy generally each evening but one night it was so windy, glasses were flying off the table. I had a massage on my birthday. The wellness centre is lovely and my massage and facial were both gorgeous. It was good value too. On my way out I spotted the indoor pool and jacuzzi so nipped in for 10 mins on my own. I was then asked to leave as the pool should be paid for 😂 the girl who did was was very polite and I was embarrassed, although I must admit if someone has just had treatments I don't think they should be charged to sit in the pool for 10 minutes. Th location is good. It is up a hill which is fine on the way down but harder on the way back. There is a Spar and Burger King at the bottom of the hill. Jandia beach is lovely but not much there. We got a €8 taxi each way to Morro Jable and had a lovely afternoon there. The beach/ sea were both stunning. Lovely bars and restaurants there too. Overall we had a wonderful holiday. It is not perfect and so if you seek perfection, it is not for you. The staffing levels in the restaurants/ bars would make great changes to the functioning of the hotel. We always make the best of what we have, and we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I wouldn't return because it's a big world out there 🌍 but I would recommend and if that was one of 10 hotels I'd only be allowed back to I would happily go again."

"Currently here at the hotel, the hotel has a lot of potential, however cleanliness around the pool area is Dia been here a week and still rubbish rotten fruit, cigeratt buts, hair etc Restaurant cleanliness is also in need of a shake up that may help with the cockroachs, food is OK however slow on refills went in this morning and noting was cooked! ignorant staff across the hotel with just a few that are happy to help. Maintenence is shocking, son nearly went flying down the stairs due to handrail falling of the wall (lots more are wobbly to) it's such a shame this hotel good easily be a 4 star but unfortunately staff just don't care Entertainment day and night is fantastic and geared up so well for the kids, the entertainment team are the ones making peoples holiday enjoyable."

"We have just returned from a weeks holiday at the Occidental Jandía Mar. As a large group of 15 (4 generations in the family) we had all been reading reviews prior to travel and were a little nervous that we’d made a wrong choice as the reviews were so mixed. In all honesty I would agree that it is not a four star hotel, there are areas that look a little tired and in need of refurbishment, the air conditioning was noisy and not the best in all of our rooms. There were issues with a door not being secure in one of the rooms but this was addressed by staff when reported. Contrary to some reviews we found there to be plenty of staff working all day round to keep everywhere clean and tidy. The staff in the restaurants were friendly and attentive and the food was typical for an all inclusive offering, although very little choice for vegetarians. One of our part has a gluten intolerance - she was able to preorder her meals to meet her dietary requirements; if you have specific requirements I would suggest speaking to the restaurant manager - they will try to accommodate. There were cold drinks available all day and night although the coffee machines were not always available. There was entertainment for families each night if you were interested. The hotel complex is large and located at the top of a steep hill but the shuttle bus runs twice a day to the beach and town and taxis are plentiful and not expensive if you do not wish to wait for return shuttles. There was very little to do locally beyond the Oasis Wildlife Park and boat trips / jet ski. The region offers little culturally or historic, if this is what you are looking for maybe try a different part of the island. For a family holiday with young children where pools are the main attraction I would recommend this hotel as a family friendly, value hotel. Don’t be put off by the negative reviews - we had a really good week."