"Overall, we had a lovely stay and there is a lot to like about this hotel. However, there were also some operational issues that prevented it from being a truly exceptional experience.
Positives
-The hotel itself is beautiful and only around a 25-minute transfer from the airport.
-There are a few local shops within a 5–10 minute walk.
-The staff were overwhelmingly friendly, welcoming and hardworking throughout our stay. Check-in was easy and the porters were excellent.
-We arrived very late and it was a lovely touch that the buffet was reopened at 10pm for late arrivals.
-Food quality was generally very good. We particularly enjoyed the Mexican restaurant, Oasis and the Italian restaurant. The Asian restaurant was more average, although the service there was excellent.
-The complimentary ice cream available from 1pm–5pm for all-inclusive guests was fantastic and very popular with the family.
-Drinks were good quality with a wide selection available. The only slight disappointment was that all-inclusive guests only had one choice of red, white and rosé wine rather than multiple options.
-We were allocated a room near reception and the Pirate Pool. It was spacious, clean and well maintained.
-The entertainment was excellent and there were plenty of activities for children, including large inflatable slides, kids' paddleboarding sessions and other organised activities.
- There is a lovely promenade walk along the seafront with a couple of play areas and a skate park for children.
- The heated family pool was great for younger children, while the infinity pool is absolutely stunning.
Areas for Improvement
Restaurant Booking System
The biggest issue during our stay was the restaurant reservation process.
The booking system simply doesn't work effectively. Reservations cannot be made through the app and guests have to queue at the concierge desk unless they are Red Level guests.
The queues were consistently long, with waits of 30 minutes or more each time.
Even after queuing, securing a reservation was extremely difficult.
Our experience with the Italian restaurant highlighted how frustrating the process is. We were advised to return at 7:45pm to check for cancellations. When we returned, another guest cancelled their 8:30pm table right in front of us. We asked if we could take the now-available reservation but were told no and instructed to come back at 8:30pm and join a first-come, first-served process. We were standing there when the table became available, so the logic made little sense. The member of staff handling the situation was unfortunately the only rude staff member we encountered during our entire stay.
The restaurant also appeared to have numerous empty tables despite being described as fully booked, which made the situation even more confusing.
Safety Incident
One morning at breakfast, my son found a large piece of glass in his drink which ended up in his mouth. Thankfully he wasn't injured, but the outcome could have been much more serious.
While I appreciate that accidents can happen, the response was disappointing. A manager briefly apologised and took our room number but there was no further follow-up or meaningful acknowledgement of the seriousness of the incident.
Sunbeds and Pool Facilities
-The sunbed situation is extremely frustrating. Guests were reserving beds from around 7am and even then we could only secure two sunbeds for our family of four.
-Around half of the sunbeds do not have cushions and are uncomfortable for a full day by the pool.
-Pool towels regularly ran out by the family pool, particularly after lunch.
-There are insufficient toilet facilities around the pool area. The men's toilets have only one cubicle and the women's only two, which isn't adequate for a hotel of this size.
It was often difficult to get drinks around the Pirate Pool and evening service could be inconsistent.
My advice would be to avoid visiting during school half-term holidays it was far more enjoyable towards the end of the week as people were going home.
The hotel appeared overwhelmed by the number of guests and struggled to cope with demand. To avoid lengthy queues, we often felt compelled to arrive at lunch restaurants as soon as they opened, even when we weren't particularly hungry. Otherwise, waits of over 30 minutes in the sun were common.
In my opinion, the buffet restaurant should have been opened more frequently to help manage demand during peak periods.
Communication and Staffing
We were never informed that beer in the minibar was chargeable, despite being on an all-inclusive package. We only discovered this at checkout.
While the staff worked incredibly hard and remained friendly throughout, it often felt like there simply weren't enough team members on duty to cope with the volume of guests.
Rooms
Although our room was spacious, clean and well maintained, soundproofing could be improved. We could hear a lot of noise from neighbouring rooms and guests staying above us.
Final Thoughts
This is a genuinely gorgeous hotel with excellent facilities, great food, fantastic entertainment and some of the friendliest staff we've encountered.
However, several operational issues including the restaurant booking process, overcrowding during peak periods, lack of sunbeds and inconsistent service levels detracted from what could otherwise have been a five-star experience.
One final point: this hotel is best suited to guests who plan to spend most of their holiday within the resort. There is very little in the immediate surrounding area, so if you're looking for lots to explore outside the hotel, this may not be the best choice."
