"Just come back from a last minute family break. There was myself, Wife and 8 year old so I always try to write a balanced review of my stays and don’t just go for negatives, however with this hotel I’m struggling. I’ll breakdown as best I can;
Hotel & Grounds
The hotel itself is big and is situated on a hill side and as such the main reception, bars, dining area etc area are at the top and the rooms are in blocks and gradually run down it. Due to this, it is hilly, and whilst no issue for us I think for people with mobility issues it may be a bit much, especially if you’re in the lower blocks (8 & 9). Our room was situated in block 8.
The grounds are clean and well maintained. But everything looks dated and needs upgrading.
Room
We arrived around midnight at the hotel to be told our room had been “upgraded” to a sea view room. On entering the room we were greeted with one bed and no separate bed or sofa bed etc for my Son. This led to the first trek back up to reception to enquire why. Once at reception I explained we didn’t have a separate bed only to be responded with “yes but the one in the room is a big bed”. In other words can’t you share? Explaining that whilst I was fond of my family I wasn’t particularly keen on sharing a bed between the 3 of us for a week!
To be fair to the staff by the time I’d trekked back down to the room they had arrived with a fold out bed and a maid who was making the bed up, so fair play.
The room itself was really warm and the air con wasn’t working. After 5/10 mins of hitting switches and buttons we couldn’t get it to work so spent the first night stifling with a ceiling fan on.
Next morning I went back to reception who sent an engineer down to have a look. The engineer explained the patio door needed to be fully closed, which it was, but as it was broken it wouldn’t lock. After working on it he finally got the air con working. The door though never got fixed and didn’t lock the whole time we were there.
The room, and in fact, most of the block need some serious attention. There’s paint peeling off the walls, the furniture was battered and the whole room felt really dark due to the yellow paint, dark furniture and low lighting. My main gripe though was the fact you had to pay for the safe at €3.50 per day! This isn’t acceptable. This hotel is advertising itself as a 4* (which it isn’t) having free use of a safe is surely something that should be standard. The bathroom was functional but basic with sloppy sealant work around the plug in the bath, the shower was rubbish either red hot or cold. There was free amenity kits and dental kits and they provided a free carton of water each day but that’s your lot. No extra bits or complementary tea coffee etc. The other slight niggle was the light on the balcony didn’t work (and looking at night, most rooms didn’t seem to work) so sitting out at night to read or play cards etc wasn’t possible. Also the key cards stopped working so had to be re set several times. Lastly, the WIFI is appalling, never has signal unless in the main building and it’s unsecured. Make sure you have a data plan as you’ll need it.
Pools
The hotel has 2 large pools over 2 levels.
The pools were clean and have shade shelters around them, no umbrellas. The sides of the pools are tiled and to say are slippy is an understatement! We witnessed on several occasions people slipping and falling just walking round the pool and it needs sorting as is dangerous.
People have commented on Sunbeds and availability. On the whole there are spare beds but people do bag them early and at no point were towels removed by staff even though this is stated. The top pool is heated and also has a bar, this is also where the entertainment is. The lower pool is quieter and more chilled. There is a snack bar just below this area for drinks and food. There is also a pool at the Spa and the royal level but can’t comment on them. Pool towels are obtained from reception and require a €10 deposit per towel.
The hotel does show pictures of water slides on their advertisement, these are at the hotel over the road. You can buy tickets to use them but aren’t included with this hotel.
Food
The food is good and there’s plenty of choice at all 3 times of day, however, a lot of the food is repeated. Same salads, cheeses, rice dishes etc. Whilst I appreciate varying a menu for that many people everyday is difficult there didn’t seem to be much in the way of new options. The puddings are identical every day all days no matter what but again there’s varying choice.
I would add a side note that I do think the food is outside catered as we stayed in a different chain in Fuerteventura last year and the food was identical to this hotel?
The dining room is a bit canteen like and has no atmosphere but the staff were all friendly enough and were quick to clear plates when you’re done, and even not in some instances! All drinks are self service, there’s no table service and you sit where you want.
Evening & Entertainment
The hotel has several seating areas in the main building as well as a theatre, billiards room and arcade. We went to check the entertainment out one night but it wasn’t great. It’s your normal cheesy lounge singers murdering well know classics. Sitting outside by the dining area is ok if you can get a seat but again there’s no waiter service and you have to get your own drinks. Also I do think it would be nice to have the snack bar area open as a bar at night as it could be a nice chilled area to have a drink away from the hustle and bustle of the main area. Plus it would be handier for people staying in the lower blocks.
Staff
On the whole the staff were friendly especially the grounds staff, cleaners and waiters. The ones who impressed me least were reception. One or two were great others looked as though the very site of you being there was an inconvenience. The problem is receptionists are the first impression of the hotel so if they’re off it instantly puts a dampener on the initial experience. I do think first service needs to be looked at.
Location
The hotel looks as though it’s right on the beach, it isn’t it’s about 10 min walk which is fine but it’s a steep climb back to reception. The main town of Morro Jable is around 40 mins walk but there’s shops and bars on the way. The town itself is quiet and everything shuts up about 9:00. This may be a seasonal thing though.
Overall
I want to stress we had a good holiday and relaxed which was the intention. The hotel is by know way the worst I’ve been to but nowhere near the best. This is at best 3* as it lacks all the little bits that make it 4*. As this was a last minute booking and I only paid for myself and my wife (son had free place) the cost was reasonable, however if this was my once a year family holiday I would question whether you’d get better options elsewhere. Based on my experience I think you would. Would I return? Based on this stay no but with improvements to rooms and staff I would consider."
