"We have just returned from a stay at the Ramada Resort by Wyndham Lara, and unfortunately, this hotel was a huge disappointment from start to finish. There were so many issues throughout our stay that I honestly wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. The lack of customer service, poor hygiene, disappointing food and drink, and run-down facilities made this a holiday we wouldn’t repeat.
ROOMS & FIRST NIGHT
Our first night was absolutely shocking. The room we were initially given overlooked private accommodation that was genuinely appalling to look at, with mattresses on balconies and people walking around in their underwear. It was an unpleasant sight, but the noise was even worse. Never mind the bathroom had not been cleaned.
Despite asking to move rooms, we were told we would have to wait until the following day. This meant spending our first night awake with the constant noise, which was particularly difficult travelling with a young child.
We were eventually moved to a higher floor with a slightly better view, but there was no apology, no acknowledgement of the inconvenience and absolutely no effort to make things right. The hotel itself is also very run down and in need of attention. Took them 4 calls to the room to sort.
STAFF & CUSTOMER SERVICE
The customer service was one of the worst parts of our experience. We found the staff to be consistently rude, unhelpful and completely lacking in warmth. Other then the lovely life guards! There was very little in the way of a smile or any genuine willingness to help.
The situation with our late checkout was particularly frustrating. I enquired the evening before and was told to return at 9am the following morning. I was then told to come back at 10am, followed by another instruction to return at 11am. I made three separate trips to reception, only to eventually be told that the hotel was fully booked and a late checkout wasn’t possible.
What made this even more disappointing was that friends we had met on holiday went to reception afterwards and were offered the very thing we had repeatedly been told wasn’t available. When I returned to question this, the response from the receptionist was extremely rude, and she instructed another member of staff not to offer it to us.
It’s not necessarily that a hotel can’t accommodate a late checkout; we understand that availability can be limited. It’s the lack of clear communication, the repeated trips to reception and the completely different treatment that left such a bad impression.
Even when checking out, nobody asked how our stay had been. We handed over our room key and that was it. No interest, no concern and no attempt to find out why guests might be leaving disappointed.
FOOD & DRINKS
The food was another major letdown. We found the selection very limited for our tastes, with very little that we could comfortably eat. We ended up relying on chicken nuggets and chips for much of the week because we struggled to find other suitable options.
For an all-inclusive holiday, this was incredibly disappointing. The selection felt poorly suited to our tastes, and we expected far more variety.
The drinks weren’t much better. They tasted extremely watered down, and even the orange juice was diluted rather than fresh. Nothing about the drinks selection impressed us.
The pool bar was also a strange setup. There is one pool bar tucked away at the far corner of the pool area, which is also used for the evening entertainment. Having to walk all the way there in your swimwear just to get a drink isn’t ideal.
On top of that, the wasp problem around the drinks was awful. The wasps were constantly attracted to the drink dispensers and syrup, making getting a drink an unpleasant experience. We have never encountered anything quite like it on a previous holiday.
HOTEL LAYOUT & ATMOSPHERE
One thing that really surprised us was how impractical the walkways were. There seemed to be just one main pathway through the hotel grounds, with palm trees overhanging it so much that it became a narrow, single-file walkway. This caused unnecessary congestion and made getting around awkward.
The atmosphere inside the hotel was equally disappointing. The reception area is essentially the only place to sit and have a drink indoors, and it feels more like a waiting room than a hotel bar. There was no music, no atmosphere and everyone seemed to be sitting around in silence. It was incredibly dull and not at all what you would expect from a holiday resort.
LATE FLIGHTS, SHOWER FACILITIES & HYGIENE
If you have a late flight home, don’t expect the hotel’s changing and shower facilities to be acceptable.
We used the gym-style shower and changing facilities before our late-night departure, and the condition was absolutely disgusting. I was standing there in my flip-flops with three other women, and we were genuinely close to being sick. It was unhygienic, revolting and completely unacceptable for a hotel that guests are expected to use before travelling home. The facilities were incredibly run down, and the standard of cleanliness was shocking. Having to use facilities in that condition at the end of a holiday was absolutely appalling.
The changing arrangements were also completely impractical for families. The facilities are separated into male and female areas, meaning that if you’re travelling with a very young child of the opposite sex, you’re left in the ridiculous position of having to consider sending your child into the changing room alone as they stop you. I mean a 3 year old boy is not aloud with his mum!
A toddler who cannot even shower independently should not be expected to manage that situation. There needs to be a suitable family-friendly option for parents travelling with young children.
This was yet another example of how little thought seems to have gone into the guest experience at this hotel.
THE ONLY POSITIVES
The only real positives for us were access to the beach and the pool facilities down by the beach. These were enjoyable, but they simply weren’t enough to make up for everything else.
OVERALL VERDICT – WOULD NOT RETURN
This hotel desperately needs to improve its facilities, food and drink offering, hygiene and, most importantly, its customer service.
The complete lack of care, the way our room situation was handled, the late-checkout experience and the disgusting shower facilities left us feeling extremely disappointed."
