"This was our third visit to the Paradisus Salinas so we knew how it worked and what to expect.
The entertainment team are absolutely first class. We love this team, they try and encourage everyone to join in something and work very hard with so much enthusiasm to get people involved but without being pushy and annoying if you're trying to relax. Saroya & Barbara convinced us to do necklace making which is something we would never have tried but we absolutely loved it, so much we did it twice! Highly recommend this activity. It was actually Carlos who ran it when we did it along with a lovely lady from the necklace company. Throughout the stay Carlos, Armando, Saroya, Barbara and Erasmo were fantastic, getting us involved in activities and making them thoroughly enjoyable, they are also very qualified to do the activities well, spinning, aqua gym, aqua pilates/yoga, beach volleyball, stretching and BLT are all available alongside tennis lessons (which weren't really suitable unless you've never picked up a racket before) and interesting craft activities like bookmark making, guided tours, wine tasting, necklace making to name but a few. New activities are coming such as star gazing and balanaise bed experiences. We tried the balanaise bed experience and loved it. The beds had not previously appealed to us but we were convinced by the team to try the experience (which is an additional cost) and it was an amazing touch of luxury. We had fruits and drinks in the morning and cheeses, wine, breads and fruit in the afternoon, the beds were incredibly comfortable and we would happily have paid again the next day.
We knew how the restaurant booking system worked so had no problems booking in to the three a-la-carte restaurants on site.
Capella is an Italian restaurant and is very nice and the staff friendly and efficient. The food is tasty but there is a lack of gluten or dairy free options. In this day and age it would be easy to have some gluten free pasta in stock to be able to make all the pasta dishes gluten free and it would be just as easy to have gluten free pizza bases or cauliflower bases in stock so all the pizzas could be gluten free.
Samira is a middle eastern themed restaurant and was a big improvement on last year, probably our favourite meals this visit. The staff are lovely with a special mention to the drinks waiter who can't do enough for you and was very knowledgeable and attentive. The honey glazed lamb was amazing.
La Graciosa was previously our favourite and was slightly disappointed this year. The service was very slow and we were forgotten several times. The food was lukewarm at lunchtime and we struggled to get drinks. The evening tasting menu was delicious but pretty much the same as last years.
Malva was also worse than last year, there was not as much variety with the meat and fish and they ran out quickly. There was much excitement when lamb chops came out for a very pleasant change from steak & chicken. There is however a lot of variety in the salad, pastas, vegetables, stews. The breakfast selections are superb.
There does again need to be more Gluten free options. In a morning some sliced gluten free bread for toast would be very welcome. Gluten free rolls for Burgers at Ginger/The Shack and more Gluten Free cake and dessert options. The labelling of the Gluten Free desserts is not at all clear and should be given a totally different section to avoid making people ill and people taking the gluten free options accidentally.
Service for food at Ginger Bar & The Shack was also slow but this is not the fault of the staff. They are massively understaffed especially between 2-4 where there only seemed to be one or two people working.
Understaffing is a general theme throughout. the staff are all amazing and work incredibly hard but there just aren't enough of them meaning that it can be extremely slow on a night to get drinks and during the day to get food. Just a few extra staff would barely touch hotel profits and mean a lot happier and less frustrated guests.
Naomi at the shack bar was fantastic, always had a smile and made my mango alcohol free mojitos perfectly every time.
Daniella & Jonay took care of doing perfect morning coffees for us and had a lovely chat. On an evening Marcos, Michael, Tania & Fran worked ever so hard to look after us in the Malva restaurant and Ginger Bar. They always had a smile and worked so hard making sure people had drinks and were well served despite being hugely understaffed and run off their feet.
The grounds are beautifully maintained and everything is kept clean and tidy as much as possible. Unfortunately a lot of people by the pool are incapable of taking their empty glasses back to the bar when they get another drink and aren't able to put their rubbish in the bin. There are no staff available to be able to clear up during the day so things can build up. The other annoyance is people smoking and vaping on the sunbeds, again there are no staff available to be able to monitor this and the guests are far too entitled to clear up after themselves on the whole.
The pool is gorgeous, salt water and cold but so refreshing if you are able to brave that first plunge. There is no shortage of loungers at any time of day, even though the guests from the reserve all seem to come across to this pool.
The only criticisms of the room would be not enough coat hangers, only 6 for two weeks for two people and the air con definitely needs improvement. I was too hot to sleep through every night. Otherwise they are spacious and clean with plenty of storage, lovely views, a good shower and English channels on the TV. There is a steamer, a well stocked free minibar, dressing gowns, slippers and as I said earlier the comfiest bed I've ever slept on. Each room also has a nice private balcony area.
The indoor gardens are lovely and peaceful to sit in or just wander through. We especially liked looking for Manona (?) teh turtle who lives there. There are a few shops, one of which only opened once in the 12 days we were there which was a shame as there were some items we would have liked.
The hotel is situated right on the beach and is perfect for coastal walks and near enough plenty of shops and restaurants should you wish to leave the hotel (we didn't except for a pre breakfast 5km)
We do love this hotel and these are only slight niggles that can easily be improved on. More staff are definitely needed to keep the service at a 5 star level and a little more variety in the evening entertainment which could also start earlier.
We will return..."
