Grande Baia Resort and Spa Hotel

"Like similar recent reviews, we have had 9 days notice that this resort will not be open! I booked in February to celebrate with my husband for my 60th birthday and we were really looking forward to it. Having now read some other reviews, I think it's better we managed to avoid going there anyway. If there had been a valid reason, such as the resort being burned down, then we would understand. But those that run the place can't even tell you when they are opening this year."

"Got a good deal from 'On The Beach' staying a week at this resort and bought flights from Jet2.com - worked out cheaper than a package. We had a 2 bed villa - lots of space and 2 bathrooms. The place was very clean, beds comfy, toiletries supplied and a starter pack of washing up liquid, sponge, dishwasher tablet. There is a kitchenette, but.. no kettle. There is a microwave and gas hob. The oven wasn't working and the maintenance man came out and confirmed 'it doesn't work'! So we were a bit limited on what we could cook. TV English channels seemed to be just 201 and 207. At night (Oct) the villa was cold (only air-conditioning, no heating) and thin covers on the beds. The resort is approx 3 kms down a track from the main road - you need a hire car. There is a beach but 10-15 mins walk away. The one shop (Bazar) selling essentials is expensive (over 13 euros for a small jar of nescafe). They sell water, pasta and sauce, buckets spades, suncream. Not much else. There are some good supermarkets on the way to San Teodoro, much cheaper. We only ate in the onsite a la carte restaurant once. Almost empty on the lunchtime we went, but the food was fab and the staff made us welcome. We would stay again as we used the villa just as a base and visited other areas. Would not have enjoyed the trip without a car though."

"Hotel is very dated, rooms in need of renovation. We had bugs coming in our room because the door frame was damaged. The shower cubicle leaked really badly, it basically flooded half the bathroom floor, which was obviously a safety concern. The room was damp as there were no air vents or extractor fan in the bath room. Also the windows can’t be left open as they open too wide so it’s not ideal leaving them open during the day. The housekeeping staff didn’t speak English so that was tricky at times but they were good at their job and kept the room very clean during our stay. We had to ask for extra pillows and there was no kettle in the room. The room was very small and lacked storage space but the view made up for that! The hotel staff didn’t speak very good English, which was difficult at times when trying to communicate but they were very helpful when they eventually understood us. As a vegetarian I struggled with the evening buffet which was included in our package deal - there wasn’t much to choose from, there was too much meat/fish so a few evenings we ate elsewhere as we got fed up with the same bland food. I wouldn’t recommend this hotel to anyone who is a vegetarian or just stick with bed and breakfast. The lay out of the restaurant was annoying at times as when it was crowded people were bumping into each other as it’s a small area, restaurant also felt stuffy and over crowded most of the time. Some staff in restaurant are quite rude and not very friendly. The evening entertainment was fantastic, Alexander is a great DJ/entertainer, he made our evenings very enjoyable! He was very friendly and stood out from the rest of the hotel staff! The location of the hotel is lovely but a car is needed as there’s not much to walk too, other than a few beaches. The hotel beach was okay but we only visited it once as the other beaches in the area are much nicer! Overall the hotel is nice but it’s basic, I probably wouldn’t return there just because I would like to visit a different area of the island next time. We still had a very enjoyable trip and I think some of the negative reviews are a little exaggerated but we did visit during October so I imagine during peak times it may be busier but there’s plenty of staff around to cope with the demand. Breakfast was better than the evening buffet, but sometimes the food was cold, too much food was prepared and just left to go cold before people could eat it. One chef was good at making sure the food was always hot and fresh. Fortunately he was the chef for most of our stay. The food served at the pool bar was good and the hot chocolates were a firm favourite with us! The pool area is in need of some work but it was clean as was the rest of the hotel, which to me is one of the most important things! We booked in advance and paid just under £1000 for 7 nights, half board for two people. I definitely wouldn’t pay more than that, unless the hotel was to have renovation."