"We went as a group of 7 and had three rooms which the hotel put all side by side which was great (review of one room). The restaurant staff were even kind enough to reserve us a table for the duration of our holiday so we could all sit together which was great, and the hotel even knew if was my birthday and turned up with a small drinks hamper, which was a nice surprise! Now there are some good strong points, and some bad. I will run through the good first...
The hotel inside has some incredible decor, with some open glass lifts (great for photographs), a nice spacious pool area that includes a warm heated pool (excellent), and a number of activities around the site such as crazy golf, a giant chess set and a play park for the kids.
The bedrooms were freshened up daily, with beds being made and fresh towels delivered.
Whenever we turned up at the pool area we never struggled to find some sunbeds, but they weren't necessarily always close together.
The entertainment seemed ok from what little I saw of it, although admittedly I did spend a lot of time watching the world cup instead. We were on the second floor and there was some noise from the entertainment at night, but it didn't bother us, and by midnight it always quietened down. I did enjoy San Miguel being part of the all inclusive, which included the alcohol free variety.
The reception staff seemed always friendly and willing to help, and there was a free bus service that went to the local town a few times a day.
We didn't use any of the spa areas so cannot comment on those.
I will run through some of the bad points we experienced, and hence the lower star rating:
1) There were significant problems with our room. The moment we got the keys and opened our door, we were greeted to a plastic panel that had fallen to the floor from the electrical junction box - broken clips which could barely hold it in place. The next thing I noticed was the balcony door handle which was completely loose - screws rattling. The cupboard door where the fridge was had no screws in one hinge. Even the handle to our entrance door rattled like it was loose. The final straw came when one of the heavy wardrobe doors came completely off the rail and I had to rest it on the floor.
Now the room itself was large and spacious. I couldn't fault the bathroom either, as it had two sinks and even a bidet. But the main room was very dated, with carpet chewed up in some places, battered plaster on the walls and even a hole in the chair. A simple audit of the rooms before people came would solve a lot of this. In the end I wrote a list, handed it into reception before dinner, came back and most of what could be fixed was sorted. I do understand that the hotel is undergoing refurbishment of the rooms, and the top floor was partially closed off for this reason. (Didn't hear any noise during stay)
2. The Restaurant. Now there are two points to talk about here. The first, as every other review says - the food was very repetitive. Now food tastes can be a bit subjective, but I've been to a few all-inclusives before, and this one I felt was more bland and monotonous than others, in the way that I already knew exactly what I was going to have, before I even stepped foot in the restaurant - and when you feel that way, it kind of speaks volumes of what is available. The flavours of some of the food items I found to be lacking, and even the grated cheese that was there to put over the pasta was a rather bland type of mild cheddar. The good points were that there was always lots of food which was frequently replenished, and fresh salad was always available, as were a variety of freshly baked breads. The food preparation areas were nice and clean too.
The second bad part is the cleanliness regarding the crockery. Every time in the evening that I went down to the restaurant the drinking glasses were filthy. I can tell they have been washed inside a dishwasher that isn't bringing them out clean. I would always have to walk around before I sat down, just checking glasses on other tables to see which was the least dirtiest to use - once or twice you might not mind, but every night for 11 nights is a big problem which needs to be addressed.
3. Queues outside bars and pool bar. There were always large queues outside during busy periods in both areas, which is to be expected - but there was only ever one person serving. The poolside bar frequently had people queuing all the way outside - and having to queue in the heat for a small cup of soft drink every time you needed a drink is not ideal - I couldn't understand why the pool bar at least, didn't have a self service drinks machine that would ease this pressure, instead of one worker being rushed off his/her feet all the time. There was a 1 euro refundable charge for the small plastic cups, which I can fully understand seeing as the wind would blow the empty ones away - hint bring a towel clip, or the shops here do sell them.
4. The onsite shop. This place was open in the evenings and did stay open quite late, but it only ever sold a few odds and ends - some small souvenirs, beach bags and clothing ect. But seeing as the nearest shop to the hotel (Spar shop) is a good 15 minute walk away, you would think it would make good financial sense and also benefit the guests, by stocking key essential items such as big bottles of water, snacks and UHT milk to make hot drinks in the rooms."
