"Very belated review! My partner and I stayed for 10 nights in October and we had an amazing time!
FOOD AND DRINKS:
We were all in-inclusive and thought the food selection for breakfast, lunch and dinner each day was very varied, good quality for it being a buffet and delicious! Each day there was a different selection of foods and each meal had a different themed cuisine which we were both very pleased about. I am a fussy eater and I was able to fill my plate with foods I liked (as well as tried new things) for each meal which is something I have not been able to do at every hotel I have stayed in previously. For lunch and dinner they did always have chips and chicken nuggets so if you have a child or you are a fussy eater adult you will be okay if you do not like that meals cuisine! The snack bar was amazing. It had a great selection and was open all day. We also went to the rooftop restaurant one evening where the food was really good and overall had a great experience.
Despite the food being great, I will say the drinks were not. We cannot comment on the alcohol as neither of us drink but the soft drinks were unbranded which was disappointing (I believe the alcohol is the same). We mainly stuck to drinking the lemonade/unbranded Fanta lemon as they were the only ones that tasted okay - the unbranded coke was not great at all. We also drunk a lot of their mocktails which we thought were nice, however the bartenders didn't always add all the ingredients that were supposed to be in them so it did vary what they tasted like which was a bit disappointing - it would be great if they could improve this and ensure that they are adding all the elements that are supposed to be in the mocktails each time!
STAFF:
The staff were amazing particularly the receptionists and waiters.
In particular, we want to make sure that the hotel knows how great head waiter Job was. He made us feel so welcome at every meal due to how friendly, chatty and funny he was. He knew our drink orders by heart within a couple days of our stay and always checked up on us.
ROOM:
We stayed in room 334. The bed was comfy, it was clean ( the maids cleaned it everyday) and there were plenty of plugs and a hair dryer and shampoo.
Our only complaint was that our shower kept spraying all over the bathroom as our shower had no door/curtain/the shower screen was not long enough. This meant that every time we used the shower our bathroom was flooded, the bath mat got completely soaked and we had to use towels to mop up the water after we had used them. We did speak to reception about this one day and asked if we could have extra towels which they provided and they said they would look into. We only got the extra towels on the day we spoked to reception though. This problem was not resolved during our stay so unsure if the shower in that room has been sorted but honestly this did not have a negative experience on our stay, it was just a minor inconvenience which we just laughed off! Also, the wardrobe did not have a lot of hangers so we did just end up living out of our suitcases during our stay as there was not enough room for both of our clothes.
POOL:
I read on other reviews that people struggled to get sun beds everyday but this was not an issue for us and we always got a sun bed no matter what time we went down to the pool. However, I think this was probably due to the time of year we went. I can imagine that during the summer it would be a struggle to get a sun bed as the hotel is very big and there are not a whole lot of beds. The only sun beds that got sun all day were the ones in the row that face the hotel/ by the entertainment area. You do need to get down there for as soon as the pool area opens to get those. The sun goes behind the hotel early afternoon so just keep that in mind when choosing your sun beds!
We enjoyed swimming in the pool and thought it was a decent size. However, the pool has a list of rules and the lifeguard does pick and choose when he wants to enforce them. The one I was not happy about was that you aren't allowed to jump in the pool which I thought was utterly ridiculous as I have never been to a hotel that does not allow this! I got the whistle blown at me for jumping in the pool (jumping not diving) and so did other people (both adults and kids) but then other people just got away with it despite him looking directly at them! In fact, one of the entertainers dived in every single day which was apparently okay. If you are brining children with you, just keep this in mind.
We also really liked that there was a no smoking rule around the pool and had designated smoking areas in the entertainment area. Having this rule and area meant you didn't have to worry about having smoke blown in your face when you're trying to relax or watch the entertainment. The staff were very quick to tell people off if they saw people smoking in places they weren't supposed to.
ENTERTAINMENT:
The day activates and entertainment was okay. Not amazing but we thought it was enjoyable some nights. We only participated in Aqua Aerobics during the day which was good but there were other activities going on which lots of people participated in. For the night entertainment we participated in the salsa dance lessons which we enjoyed as well as the music quiz night. They had karaoke one night which was very amusing and a very basic magician. They also had a couples competition which we got dragged into participating in by one of the entertainment people. We assumed it was going to be quiz or something but it was not that at all. The stuff it involved I honestly do not think you could get away with in the UK. If you're someone who gets embarrassed easily do not participate!!! There was a mini disco for the kids every night as well which was like any mini disco you get at any hotel.
LOCATION:
We thought that the location of this hotel was really good. The hotel is close to the strip but we never got disturbed by any noise as well as a beach and the harbour. In the strip there are bus stops where you can get the bus to other beaches like Nissi and Fig Tree Bay for really cheap. One day we got the bus to Fig Tree Bay and walked along the coast to see other beaches which we really enjoyed and recommend doing. We also went on The Blue Lagoon & Turtle Cruise which was really good and recommend. There is also a small amusement park on the strip which is free to go in and you just pay for the rides with tokens you can buy. The rides are very pricey so we only went on the ferris wheel.
Overall, we really enjoyed our stay at Atlantica Sancta Napa Resort and would highly recommend it!"
