"A relaxing stay with a couple of significant gripes
On arrival we were offered a welcome drink and chocolate. The reception staff were friendly and it was excellent that our room was ready early so we could check in straight away (check-out was another matter, but I'll get to that).
Unfortunately, we were initially given the wrong room. As we rolled our suitcases in, I thought, "This can't be right - where are our teenagers meant to sleep?"
A quick trip back to reception and we were given the correct room, which suited us much better with the right number of beds. Minus the lovely towel swan and petals that the first room had, we were happy enough. There was, however, an unpleasant odour in the bathroom.
I'll get the check-out issue out of the way now. When we checked in, we were asked what time we were leaving on departure day. We explained that we had a late flight and were told to speak to reception the day before we leave, as they would see if they could extend our check-out beyond 11am.
So that's exactly what we did. Unfortunately, we were told the latest they could offer was 2pm. By the way, that would have been absolutely fine. In fact, we'd have been perfectly happy to check out at 11am if the hotel had provided somewhere to shower and change afterwards. With temperatures of 35°C, I'm sure most people would appreciate the chance to freshen up before heading to the airport for a 6.30pm flight. Sadly, they refused to let us use any shower or changing facilities. I've been fortunate enough to travel all over the world, and this is the first time I've encountered that. Sadly this last day ruined our trip. Bored out of our minds, 2pm-6.15pm on the uncomfortable seats in reception. Made worse by the lack of air con. Aqua Suites, please, please consider installing a shower area in your hotel, for guests.
Anyway, back to the stay itself. The food was really good. I'd actually go as far as saying it was one of the best English breakfasts we've had anywhere in Europe. Pastries, fruit and cereal were available buffet-style, then the hot breakfast was cooked to order.
We were half board and, on most evenings, we were the only table in the restaurant. The service was faultless. The atmosphere was lacking, but that couldn't really be helped with so few guests dining there. Dinner was a three-course meal rather than a buffet, which suited us well. The food was excellent, although we probably wouldn't have wanted to stay much longer as we'd worked our way through the menu.
Happy hour was from 5–6pm and I'd definitely recommend the Passion Fruit Fizz.
The beds were soft and comfortable, although one of our daughters' mattresses wasn't quite as good. I would have liked to have seen the bed sheets changed at least once during our stay in a four-star hotel, but it wasn't the end of the world.
We usually save packing lots of toiletries such as shower gel and shampoo, but I'd recommend bringing your own here. The toiletries provided were very watered down and there was no hair conditioner.
The pool was cold, but with the hot weather it was actually refreshing. I'm not sure we'd have enjoyed it as much outside July or August.
The sun loungers weren't the most comfortable, but I've definitely experienced worse, and they were clean. The lifeguard was also kind enough to move the parasols around to help keep us in the shade.
The main thing I look for when staying anywhere is cleanliness, and Aqua Suites was generally very good, apart from occasionally finding other people's hair on the floors.
Another lovely touch was a bottle of chilled wine waiting for us in the fridge when we arrived. We enjoyed a couple of glasses one evening before heading to the bar and left the glasses out afterwards. The next day, housekeeping had been in and I assumed the glasses had been properly cleaned. When I picked up what I knew had been my glass because I could still see my lipstick (shade 148) smeared on the rim, I also found a pube stuck to it. I was horrified.
I didn't dare mention it to my family because I knew our daughters would be disgusted. I remember watching an undercover programme in the UK years ago about hotel housekeeping, where glasses were supposedly being "cleaned" in some pretty disgusting ways. Sadly, this did nothing to reassure me. I can confirm I'll always wash hotel glasses myself from now on.
Overall we had a lovely stay, I personally would not return due the significant issue of not being able to shower or change before leaving. I hope the hotel acknowledges the issue. I know it won't just be our family affected by this, there was another couple in reception for around 3 hours during our boring wait, I can only presume they were in the same same position."
