"This is the second time my husband has been to this hotel, (the first time was last June '25) and my third time as I came with my daughter around 10 years ago. My husband and I loved this hotel last year, as did my daughter and myself. For us, the highlight was the food.
So this year we decided to come again as we were curious to see how the refurbishment looked. At one point however, we were seriously considering cancelling as the reviews after re opening were not great. In the end we decided to see it for ourselves and make up our own minds.
This time we stayed in the normal room in the main hotel instead of in a suite in the other building across the road.
We were met outside at the taxi by someone who helped us with our cases. At check in we were offered a drink, and we were able to get into our room straight away which was handy. The same gentleman took us to our room and showed us how everything worked. We were very impressed with the refurbishment both in the lobby and in the room. The rooms before were quite dated, so the refresh was needed, and it looked fabulous. I particularly liked that there was a huge walk in shower which was an improvement from before with a shower over the bath.
Other positives were that the whole hotel definitely looked much better with the refurb, apart from the grounds which were not finished. The pool area was still the same which is great. We love the pool area. So much space between sunbeds and a huge pool. We always managed to get a sunbed this time, despite a certain area being roped off for the serenity rooms. Sometimes we didn't get to the pool until after lunch as we went exploring some mornings. We still managed to get a sunbed. The guys that came round with drink orders at the pool were lovely and worked really hard.
Breakfast was still very good, with a huge variety to suit anyone, and the omelette station was great. Loved the fresh orange juice machine and the Cava as well. However, they no longer bring you pots of coffee, you have to use the machines and they were not great.
Although the refurbishment of the hotel is Fabulous, however, there were some aspects that were not so fabulous.
For us, the evening dining, was not as good as it used to be. One thing that we loved before was that you were assigned an evening table for the duration, but this is only allowed for serenity guests now. The food selection was definitely less than before and often Luke warm. It was good, but not great and quite average. Also, they used to have white table cloths on the tables, and it felt like you were in a really nice restaurant. Now, despite the refurb, it feels like you are eating in a canteen. We were there for a week and this time we ate out a few times for dinner, which we never did before. Unfortunately, the choice of restaurants within walking distance did not look great, but we found a few that you could get to in a 15min taxi journey that were excellent.
The evening entertainment was still very good, and we enjoyed that each evening.
They have definitely cut down on staff too, and that is very noticeable, particularly in the restaurant. Despite that, the staff were still really lovely, helpful and friendly.
The rooms were kept really clean and again the staff cleaning the rooms were lovely and friendly. We did notice that the toilet seat was quite loose, we reported it in the morning and when we came back at lunchtime, it had been fixed.
Overall, we were glad that we had not cancelled and went ahead so that we could see it for ourselves. Would we go back again? I'm not sure to be honest. It is a lovely hotel, and the pool area is fabulous, so for that reason, we could possibly go back. If we did though, we would just do Breakfast this time. The serenity Club is quite expensive and I am not sure if would have been worth the extra cost, but others that have experienced it might think otherwise. We were disappointed that you could not get a table outside as they all seemed to be reserved for Serenity people, which is a shame, and would put us off going again.
So we would not say that we would never go back, but we would not be going back soon and I would be hesitant to recommend it with the same enthusiasm that I used to recommend it to people."