Elba Sara Beach and Golf Resort

"Arrived and checked in by a really lovely lady (originally from Reading) really helpful,we had room 344 clean and spacious,with a great view of the beach and well kept pool and attractive grounds.Main bar well appointed serving good beer and well made drinks with a few international spirits and good mixers,2 tvs showing most sports.Now I thought the food let this hotel down with cheap cuts of meat overcooked 80% of the time then placed on hot plates that wouldn’t warm your hands on a cold day,let alone keep food hot.Eggs cooked nicely breakfast time and placed on a cold unheated tray which turned them cold instantly,lots of people then opted for omelletes straight on their plate instead(which were good I have you know) salads and puddings well presented and good choice.I thought it was understaffed and tables were slow to be cleared if at all at busy times.Lots of wildlife in the grounds including a pair of geese that often landed in the pool,also a couple of white egrets one landing on the wall of the balcony below ours,and a lot of pampered cats as well,collared doves that were a nuisance in the pool bar as they constantly tried to get at the snacks that were on display.We also see a lot of ground squirrels on the rocks on the beach,that you could hand feed .oh and finally a couple of camels walking along with a guy following(obviously for rides I take it.) the artificial river.that meandered through the grounds contained large fish mullet I believe.Overall a nice hotel in a nice area with nice staff,somewhat let down by its lukewarm food,and unseasonal weather."

"We were in a group of 7 adults and 7 children for an exciting family holiday together and we are all very disappointed in the all inclusive package. • The food got very repetitive and the children struggled to find something they wanted to eat, my son had Pizza everyday as he isn’t keen on seafood and the meat that was on offer. • I was served chicken from the live cooking station which was raw in the middle. Luckily, I hadn’t eaten any of it as you could clearly see it was still pink and raw. • you only get served with one drink at lunch and dinner, although there is a machine serving juice that you can help yourself to. • If you like to enjoy a cocktail on holiday, this isn’t the place for you! I’m not a big drinker and rarely drink alcohol at home but I do like a cocktail whilst on holiday, especially when we are travelling as a group. There are around 6 cocktails from the list that are all inclusive and they are ready made and we couldn’t drink them as they didn’t taste nice at all. If you want any of the other cocktails from the list, you have to pay for them. We found a lovely cocktail bar in town called Happy Mondays that served amazing cocktails for €5.50. The staff overall are very friendly, one gentleman in the main restaurant was amazing and everybody loved him, he was so good with our children, we didn’t catch his name but anyone that has been here will know who I am talking about. Sadly, a lot of the remaining staff were very grumpy, didn’t seem to want to be there and a few were very rude. One lady in particular serving the main bar refused to make cocktails, she was very rude with a face like thunder, obviously didn’t want to be there. I can understand that it can get busy but this particular day was quiet and the bar was empty so there was no need for it. The majority of the staff, mainly the waiters and waitresses in the main restaurant are rushed off their feet and they do not stop from morning until midnight but they always have a smile and make you feel welcomed, on our last day we gave around €40 because we felt they deserved it after working so hard and doing so much for us. It may be their job and they get paid to do it but those who go that extra mile deserve more appreciation and to be rewarded for it. We were also told that we could reserve a table so that we could all sit together, however when we tried to do this, the lady in the main restaurant simply replied “No” when we tried to reserve for the following day. The reason we asked was because it was my brother in laws birthday, so would have been nice to sit together. Our room…. Our room was okay, we were on the ground floor with a single bed for our 5 year old son but he didn’t sleep in it for entire week we were there because it was always crawling with ants. A few wouldn’t have been a huge problem but there were hundreds. I’ll try to upload a photo/video of them. Luckily our bed was big enough for the 3 of us to sleep in. The grounds are beautiful and it is lovely the walk around and look at the plants, cacti, wildlife and the fish in the ponds. The beach was amazing with lovely soft sand, you have a shopping centre next door with a EuroSpa which came in very handy, there’s also an arcade with a bowling alley, restaurants and shops selling clothing and jewellery. You can also walk to the marina which takes around an hour to walk to and the town with many bars, restaurants and shops is around 30-45 minutes away. We recommend Happy Mondays if you’re looking for amazing cocktails. Overall, we had a good holiday together and the kids all loved the heated and kids pools but we were all a little let down due to the points I made above. We always go all inclusive when we holiday abroad and we have never been to a hotel where they only serve 6 of the cocktails from the menu on the all inclusive option and for them to all taste horrid. Therefore sadly, we will not be returning which is a shame as we had high hopes for this hotel and it could be so much better with just a few adjustments."

"Arriving at hotel lunch time room not ready until 3pm were able to use facilities reception staff not pleasant reservation in my name did not address me at all looked at my partner 3 way conservation the whole time. visiting reception few times through our stay found them very ignorant trying to ask questions speaking to each other in there language and basically not interestead in guests very rude! Would class hotel as 3 star at most looking very tired needs painting all outside arrears need looking at. Food plenty of choice but stone cold but very same same after first night microwave provided to warm food. Staff just basically get on with job look fed up and don’t interact. Pool bar food just basic & cold as you expect but not pleasant with the birds flying up onto counters food is covered but not pleasant pool bar staff never smiled or interacted. Animation team tried their best but weather not the best for them to do their thing. Plenty of sun-beds dotted everywhere but some need replacing. Lobby bar evening entertainment not enough seating arrears staff worked hard providing drinks and trying keep area clean. Entertainment singers everynight same songs /music different singer. Downstairs entertainment for children wasn’t up to much they tried. We had room 579 priority location sea view & Garden nothing special room honestly very basic bed horrific could feel every spring ! had fridge/ hairdrier /coffee/tea kettle iron /board balcony two chairs on balcony. Rocking chair. There is a shopping mall left nxt door to hotel and walk down promenade to marina go right and you can walk to salt lakes across from hotel out of back gate you can see the chipmunks they like monkey nuts & cucumber. We made the best of our stay but after reading reviews were disappointed. Very quiet place ideal for relaxing just not for us."