Medplaya Hotel Santa Monica

"⭐️⭐️ Disappointing holiday – some positives, but serious concerns I really don’t like leaving negative reviews, especially when some members of staff were genuinely warm, friendly and helpful. Unfortunately, though, our experience overall was very disappointing, and I feel other families should know what happened. We were initially given a room on the 6th floor. Unfortunately, I suffered with anxiety during our stay and found it extremely difficult to sleep and cope with being so high up. I have to say that the hotel staff did listen to us and kindly moved our room to the 1st floor. We really appreciated them making that effort, and it made things much easier for us. Sadly, the problems didn’t end there. My youngest child became very unwell for two days during our all-inclusive holiday after eating at the hotel restaurant. Obviously, I cannot say with certainty that the food caused the illness, but given what happened afterwards, it was very concerning. Then, during another meal, I was served raw chicken. This was particularly upsetting after already having a sick child. What disappointed me most was not only being served undercooked chicken, but the response from the hotel afterwards. Rather than an apology or genuine concern, I was told that it was essentially my fault because I should have asked the chef to cook it more, and that this was apparently how many guests liked their chicken cooked. I found that response extremely upsetting and unacceptable. Chicken should be properly cooked and safe to eat. As a guest on an all-inclusive holiday, I shouldn’t have to ask whether my chicken needs cooking properly. There was no real apology, no acknowledgement of how serious this was, and unfortunately it left us feeling that our concerns weren’t being taken seriously. There were certainly some lovely staff members who were kind and friendly, and I don’t want to take that away from them. The room change was also handled positively, and we appreciated that. However, a holiday should be a chance to relax and enjoy yourself, and instead we experienced anxiety, a child being unwell for two days and, ultimately, being served raw chicken and then made to feel responsible for it. I genuinely hope the hotel takes this feedback seriously, particularly regarding food safety and how complaints are handled. It isn’t about wanting to cause trouble or demand perfection — it is about expecting basic standards of care, food safety and a simple apology when something goes wrong. Sadly, because of these experiences, this isn’t a hotel I could comfortably recommend."

"Overall a great hotel, the beds were really comfortable, the room was clean, with towels changed daily. The location was great with the beach and town with shops, restaurants and bars only a 5 minute walk away. The food was always varied and cooked well, but sometimes cold, but I think changing the heat lamps to hot plates would solve this issue. There were queues for food on occasion, but they always moved quickly and was not too much of an issue. There does need to be more coffee machines though as it took a long time to get a hot drink. The entertainment was great, Brian was such a laugh and made such an effort to get to know everyone and get them involved. The All Inclusive drinks were branded which was a pleasant surprise and the pool bar snacks were varied and cooked well. I would come back again as for the money we paid I don't really have any complaints, all good!"

"This hotel is marketed as four stars. It is a relatively old building with a few marks of age to be found here and there. However there is no doubt that the team in this hotel are four star. A well organised reception and house keeping team is just the start. The restaurant team especially Azziz, Caron, Marta and Jonas plus the two men on the show cooking always have time for their guests. The food offering is very good and varied. The bar team are also very good with a special mention go Anzelica and Roger. We will certainly be visiting again."