Cordial Mogan Playa

"Really love the hotel styling and layout and generous rooms. Service from everyone was always friendly and helpful and happy to serve from the moment we arrived. Food was plentiful and varied. The cleaning staff did an amazing job. The room was always lovely to come back to at the end of the day. The gardens and landscaping mean that you feel you are somewhere really special. Unfortunately this was not always the case at the pool this year. Many guests are reserving loungers from 7:30 in the morning. There were a much larger number of extended friend/family groups this year and the MO was for one or two members of an extended group (7,10 and more) to secure the loungers early then go for breakfast when another lounger “guard”came to take their watch and so on. We did see staff circulating leaving notes with a time stamp and a request not to reserve. But these had no effect whatsoever. Staff did not challenge those saving seats for others. We never saw towels removed as the hotel literature assured they would be. It really spoils the experience for others. It’s not a relaxing holiday if you feel you have to set an alarm to sit at the pool. These larger groups tended to be noisier too than the guest profile the year before. When we booked we were really pleased there was a children’s and a quiet pool where floats etc were not allowed. But many openly flouted this and were not challenged. Equally there was a designated area for smoking and vaping at the pool, set back and out of sight. It really changed the pleasant pool atmosphere we experienced last year to have people vaping as they walked around and sat at their loungers. Again, these people were not challenged. Over all in this respect it felt as though the hotel was selling out on its stated high end values in favour of attracting large groups whose behaviour goes unchecked. I guess a booking is a booking and hospitality is struggling but I get the feeling from idle chat with other guests that many of them are repeat visitors who have been coming for a number of years who have noticed the changing pool environment too and might choose to take their booking elsewhere. I really hope the hotel defends its values at the risk of losing some custom as it has something very special which many guests value."

"This was our second stay at the Mogan Playa, and it was a pleasure again. Overall we love this hotel and will likely return again if we continue with holidays in Gran Canaria There are a couple of small negatives, which I will get to later, but these are maybe just peculiar to us. The hotel is a lovely place from the minute you enter the impressive reception area. We don’t often use the reception desk as we are pretty self-sufficient when on holiday, but on the 2 occasions we did have to approach them they were helpful and chatty even though my Spanish is pretty limited – you can get yourself into strife when you open with a question in Spanish and they then assume you are fluent – but we had a laugh when I told them “Mi español muy pequeño” I made a point of sending an email to the hotel before we travelled, asking if we could have a room on the first floor as our room last time was rather shielded by a bush directly outside the balcony. The hotel was spot on, and even though they couldn’t promise in advance to oblige, we actually got a perfect room. The rooms are more than adequate, we found the beds really comfortable, but be aware they are often 2 singles pushed together, The bathrooms are nice enough, with a shower unit within the bath, and not a separate cubicle. The only minor gripe about the room was the air-con was a little noisy for my wife, but I couldn’t hear the rattle she claimed there was. We only used the pool to the South as there was some renovation work being done at the Northern pool so it was a little like a building site (although the works were all behind hoardings). There was no problem on any day finding a sunbed, but the habit of a few guests to charge down to the pool and “reserve” beds at 7:30 was rather annoying. Notices were put out where this happened, but they were ignored by the culprits, and the staff didn’t follow up on trying to stop it. Others have commented on the pool bar staff being “slow”, but there are certain times when everyone seems to decide to drink/eat at the same time, and then they can only work as fast as they can. If you avoided these times they were fine. The dining experience requires 2 distinct comments. The style is a buffet service, so when catering for the number of guests there it will always seem a little “school dinerish”, but at breakfast the food was fine, with a large selection to satisfy all of the nationalities, and all of good quality. However, the evening meal suffers a little in 2 aspects. You are assigned a specific table for the duration, in one of 2 sittings, which we found a little odd – sometimes it would have been nice to have a different view whilst dining. The second thing is the quality and variation in food. It may have been a personal thing, but we found them both to be lacking in our 12 day stay. There were different meats on each night, but we found the quality to be less than optimal, and the accompanying vegetables etc were a bit samey. We have been to other hotels on the island, and some are better and some are worse in this aspect, so Cordial Mogan Playa probably scores mid-range for us on that point. I think in future we will probably go Bed and Breakfast and take our chances with the many restaurants that Mogan has to offer On a more general point, some have commented that some staff were less than friendly. I always tend to find that those who complain the loudest on this topic are those that make no effort at all, when in a foreign country, to speak at least a few words in the native language. I know you are in a tourist region, but how would a Brit feel if a Spaniard was in central London and only spoke Spanish – they would consider that person to be rude for not even trying to speak a few words of English. I attempt to have a few words whatever country I visit, and that often breaks the ice, and also endears them to you even if you end up laughing at your poor attempts. It always works for me. Now on to special mentions of staff. • Around the pool Pedro (the lifeguard) was a joy. He was ever vigilant, but at the same time interacted with the guests, especially the children, making them laugh and enjoy their splash time even more. • In the restaurant (evening) Vanessa (we nicknamed here Vanessa Mariposa which she seemed to enjoy). The lady is a real joy, always smiling and singing along with the background music • At the pool bar – Anass (I think I have the spelling right – a young waiter) He always had a smile and even though his English was as limited as my Spanish he was particularly friendly. • From the Animation Team there was a young Italian lass (I cant remember her name, but I think it began with V – maybe Viada). Constantly full of life and worked really hard to get guests joining in with activities • Finally there was a young housekeeper called Maria (apparently, she loves Harry Potter). On our last 2 days she was particularly kind to us, and spent a while chatting just before we left, after using the communal changing facilities after booking out. She has only been at the hotel since June, but is a credit to your hotel. All in all, Cordial Mogan Playa is certainly a hotel I would recommend to friends"

"This is a beautiful hotel set in tropical gardens. The room was a suite which was nice ,with a large balcony and 2 reclining sun beds ,table and two chairs. Never had a problem finding beds by the two excellent large pools, which are fully accessible to disabled people. The breakfast was buffet style and very good, with a choice of hot or cold breakfast types . Evening meal was ok, I just found it a bit of a chore to find out what was on offer, due to queues at each food station. You are allocated a table which is your table for the duration of your stay. The sweets by the way are to die for. The cleaning of the room was excellent and done every morning . The hotel grounds are absolutely amazing, just walking around the grounds was a joy. The hotel staff are first class, polite and can't help you enough. Sitting having a drink in the hotel foyer at night , with live relaxing music was a great way to end your day. If I have one criticism, it's the service in the foyer at night , the bar staff and waiter service are very slow. The waiter was on his own and run off his feet . More waiters needed at night please. Gave the poor guy a good tip at the end of our stay, he certainly earned it . To sum up then, the best hotel I have ever stayed in, the setting is fabulous, the waterfalls, plants and relaxing feel to the place are first class. Will I return? MOST DEFINITELY."