Pontiana Thalasso Hotel

"When you book this hotel, you think you are going to a lovely place where you can relax in an adult environment. The website is completely misleading and does not reflect the reality. The hotel and surrounding area are tired and in need of serious upkeep. The so-called Ultra All-Inclusive package was extremely disappointing. The "minibar" consisting of iced tea and kombucha, was not replenished as promised, coffee and milk pods had to be requested and housekeeping failed to replace dirty coffee cups with clean ones. Even the outdoor seating had no cushions, making it feel as though guests weren't encouraged to relax. The hotel promotes itself as an eco-hotel, yet uses single-use coffee pods throughout. Worse still, the lights are switched off at night, leaving guests without proper lighting when getting ready for an early airport transfer. An eco-friendly approach should not come at the expense of basic guest comfort. The staff attitude was shocking. We were made to feel like an inconvenience whenever we needed anything, across reception, bars, restaurants and housekeeping. Most concerning were the safety issues. I was trapped in a bathroom for over ten minutes and struggled to get help from the hotel. I eventually had to contact someone through my own connections to get assistance. When I finally got out, visibly upset, members of management were laughing at me. Completely unacceptable. Even worse, another couple were trapped on their balcony for over an hour and a half. We informed staff twice, yet no one came to help. This is a serious failure of guest safety and care. Don't book this hotel expecting a peaceful, adults-only escape. It is part of Magic World Resort, where children are everywhere and guests can use pools across all four hotels. There is no guarantee of a quiet outdoor pool to relax by. From the misleading advertising and disappointing Ultra All-Inclusive package to the appalling staff attitude and serious safety concerns, this stay was a complete let down from beginning to end. I could list plenty more issues, but this says enough. I would absolutely not recommend this hotel. Save your money and book somewhere else."

"Terrible holiday! The hotel is absolutely not worth 5 stars. Supposedly renovated, this is only the wellness area downstairs. The photos are all heavily edited, it looks great in the photos, but this is fake! Rooms are dirty, food is regularly out. Premium club ultra all inclusive is a big nonsense. The premium club section was just closed! Premium fast pass is also a lie, Spanish people without premium just get priority. The one who screams the loudest will be helped first. There are no beds on the beach. The entire area is one big pile of rubble. The bubble baths are heavily processed with AI. Actually, all the photos are edited with AI. It is dirty everywhere. The beach club has 1 toilet for all guests, it stinks of cat urine and is full of flies. The boulevard of the town is not there, you are in a place where there is really nothing to do. They can speak English and don't want to. Magic world is also a sad and dirty affair! The restaurants are also really dirty, old sushi and dirty old meat. Never had a bad holiday. Don't spend your money here! Grumpy staff, if you don't watch out you'll get a big mouth, and they don't take complaints seriously! I really can't say anything positive about this. Everything is heavily outdated! Garbage everywhere, and many cockroaches in the street."

"One-week stay in the second half of September. Access and entry with a vehicle to unload luggage is nonexistent; there is parking, but you do not know where to enter and unload the suitcases. It is advisable to park in the area and check the access. It is a hotel with exquisite decor, and I see the filtered water fountains as a success, but it is completely out of place that the plants are plastic, and that they provide disposable wooden spoons for desserts and sometimes for coffees. On the other hand, the gym is the best I have seen in hotels, very new and with good machines. The hotel is surrounded by other hotel complexes of the group and, although the rooms have good window insulation, tranquility is not one of its strong points. You can hear shouting and noise from the pools and game rooms until they close. The pools and the outdoor thalasso were constantly overcrowded, poorly maintained, or had long lines. During my seven-day stay, I did not find a suitable moment to enjoy these facilities. If you are not "premium," you have to pay for the indoor Thalasso. Regarding the service, I do not consider it to be up to the standard of a 5-star hotel. At the front desk, it was common to say hello and receive no response. Furthermore, a large part of the restaurant staff barely spoke or understood Spanish. I even saw waitresses serving while chewing gum, which is unprofessional. In one of the bars, I had to show the person behind the counter how to make a specialty coffee from the menu, as they had no idea how to do it. The buffet has good intentions, but the execution leaves much to be desired. It was common to find lukewarm or cold stews, empty dessert trays, and reused products. The quality of some food was inappropriate for this category. The best things in the restaurant were the rice dishes, the wok, and the salads. The organization of the dining room was especially poor. In seven days, we had to change tables on eight occasions because the same table had been assigned to other guests subsequently. Additionally, on three occasions, they removed our drinks and cutlery while we got up to get dessert. In a 5-star hotel, this is unacceptable. At times, we had to exchange glasses for having lipstick residue or tableware for having food residue. Room cleaning: The feeling is that the staff is overwhelmed. Although we indicated on four occasions that it was not necessary to come in to clean, they only cleaned the room two days during the entire stay. The sheets were not changed any day and the minibar was not restocked until we requested it on the fourth day. The air conditioning disconnected continuously due to a problem related to the room key card and it was never resolved. Furthermore, the reception phone number indicated in the room did not work, so we had to go down in person to report any incident. Later, they gave us another phone number to call in those cases. The biggest disappointment: We had booked an all-inclusive plan, including the meal on the day of departure. The day before, we requested a picnic so we could leave early, and they confirmed it would be ready at the agreed-upon time. However, the next morning, no one knew how to handle it. Reception referred me to the dining room manager, he to the maître d', and she to a kitchen employee. After about 15 minutes of waiting, they handed us two paper bags with contents that I consider inappropriate for a hotel of this category: two slices of sandwich bread, some crackers, five Maria cookies, two cans of liver pâté, a banana, and plastic cutlery. Totally "healthy and wholesome" food as they advocate on their website.. When I expressed my dissatisfaction at reception and requested to speak with management, they indicated that they were "busy" at that moment and could not attend to me, and that they would contact me later. To this day I am still waiting for that call. In summary, it has been a great disappointment for an establishment that advertises itself as a 5-star hotel. With services that they offer on their website and that are not fulfilled. I have been to hotels of lower categories with clearly better service, organization, and customer care. At several moments I had the feeling of being in a hotel school rather than an authentic 5-star one. During my stay, I was not the only one with disappointment and problems. Which makes me distrust so many high-rated reviews. I would not repeat the experience."