"We visited during the October half term, and after several lovely visits before, we were excited to see what the hotel was like following the refurbishments. During our stay, there was still a lot of work ongoing, but it did not impact our stay in any way. For us, the location of this hotel is perfect, with plenty of restaurants and bars within easy reach.
Firstly, I have to say how great the staff are, especially the reception team (exceptional) and many of the restaurant staff, who were particularly friendly and helpful. The pool bar and show bar did often have a waiting time for drinks, and on some days were staffed less than others.
We arrived around 21:30 and, after a very swift check-in, were shown to our family room. The room had been decorated with new fixtures and fittings that have definitely improved the standard of the accommodation. The room was a great size for a family of three, with a lovely terrace. It was slightly disappointing that, when we arrived, the third bed had not been set up and the fridge still contained items left by the previous guest, but this was quickly sorted. Throughout our stay, the room was always cleaned to a very high standard.
The new children’s area is a real asset. It feels like the hotel is trying to attract more families, and this area will certainly help. There is a lovely splash area and pool with slides, which was a big hit with our five-year-old. We never struggled to get loungers in this area. The lack of a bar or refreshment area here is a little disappointing, although I was told something is being built, which will hopefully rectify this. I do feel the pool has been poorly designed, as it is the same depth (1.2m) all the way around, which was too deep for many children. One day, the animation team held an afternoon mini-disco in the pool, but many children couldn’t participate because they couldn’t touch the bottom. The hotel does have the splash area, which is shallow, but that’s for very young children and is not located next to the main children’s pool. The other pools away from the childrens area also had plenty of sun beds available.
The food at this hotel has always been great, and from a salads and dessert perspective, I would say it has even improved. However, the restaurant itself doesn’t quite “feel right.” At the time of our visit, a section was boarded off where the new à la carte is being built, so I hope when this opens there will be some changes. They have built four outdoor islands with a large focal roof above, which looks very impressive, but it does make the outdoor dining area feel a little darker and has reduced its capacity. A number of guests (ourselves included) complained that we couldn’t get a table outside at dinner time, despite arriving early. It was suggested that we go later when it was quieter, but that doesn’t really work for us with a five-year-old, and part of the holiday experience is being able to eat outdoors.
The hot food and the starter/salad/dessert areas are now at completely opposite ends of the restaurant, which creates quite a long walk. The addition of a dedicated kids’ area is great, but it often ran empty and took a long time to be refilled.
Overall, we had a great stay at the hotel and are looking forward to visiting again."
