"Honest Review
We had a mixed experience overall. There are definitely some things this hotel does well, but there were also several issues that, for a 4-star property and the price we paid, were extremely disappointing.
The positives:
The food selection was excellent and everything we tried was delicious. The teppanyaki experience was also nice. The hotel has beautiful sea views, spacious rooms, and the Star Prestige pool areas and sunbeds are good. I personally do recommend Star Prestige for the nicer area compared to some reviews who say the additional cost isn’t worth it. We didn’t experience any of the usual “sunbed wars”, although we are early risers, so that may have helped! Although, a family reserved the same 3 sunbeds every day from the night before and weren’t on them until 10-11am. The access to the sea is also a great feature, and some members of staff were genuinely attentive and helpful, especially the lady with purple hair at lunch, the young waiters and the gentleman serving the food at the end of the buffet!
The negatives:
Before I start, we are genuinely a very easy going couple who are happy anywhere. This an honest reflection of a stay that just seemed to have problem after problem and when they accumulate, it becomes frustrating. Especially given the price and the ‘Star Prestige’ package that is sold.
Unfortunately, we had quite a few issues with our room. Within five minutes of arriving, part of the shower ceiling actually caved in. The shower itself was also broken and only around half of the outlets worked. These issues were eventually fixed, including the ceiling, but we were not offered a room change because we were told the hotel was “at capacity”. This was frustrating, particularly as rooms were still available to book online at the time. We were offered a chef experience as an apology, which we accepted in the hope that the rest of the trip would be smooth. The whirlpool’s in the bath are very unclean. Ours was extremely stained and had hairs in it. When I mentioned this at reception, they weren’t bothered. There was also a half-drunk bottle of wine in our fridge upon arrival.
The hotel is also quite noisy. Deliveries started around 7:30am, so if you’re hoping for a lie-in, that may be difficult. The walls are very thin too, and we could clearly hear the couple in the room above us.
We also found some of the hotel’s policies and service to be inconsistent. At times we were asked for our room number and whether we were all-inclusive, while at other times nobody checked. This left us wondering whether guests who weren’t staying on the same package could simply access the facilities anyway. Having read some reviews below, guests have actually been allowed their non-prestige guests to use the facilities.
Service was hit and miss. We checked in at the Star Prestige desk however it was very impersonal. We were informed about eating times and tourist tax, that’s about it. We heard the couple next to us were being informed about the newly renovated gym, the bar area, the perks with Star Prestige etc. But we didn’t have that same service. We weren’t told about the Teppanyakki restaurant, where to find it or how to book this, we weren’t informed about the Iberostar app where you can find more information, we weren’t informed about a spa facility or sports facilities or what to do with beach towels. Whilst these are only small, they make for a warmer welcoming and information about the hotel that we’ve paid thousands to stay at and all of these extras are something I definitely like to do on my holiday. Again, whilst staff were very attentive, we also ordered drinks that arrived incorrectly several times in the restaurant and if you sit inside, no one actually comes to take your drink order which is bizarre. They are very attentive outside but not a single member of staff inside for that same dining experience? This was off-putting for us, especially as it was an evening meal too. One evening, they were handing out Cava but we politely declined and the gentleman pulled a funny face then told us to sit down, we must have waited about 10 minutes before a manager told someone to serve us. If there was a machine for us to pop and get a soft drink wouldn’t be an issue but we had to wait and no one had bothered to check to see if we had a drink or not.
There were also a few things that felt unnecessary. Housekeeping came in the morning and then again while we were at dinner but only to leave two chocolates and closing our curtains. While this is a nice touch in theory, it felt excessive when there were still hairs left in the shower that hadn’t been properly cleaned. The whirlpool baths are extremely stained and dirty, this was very disappointing because the rooms are very expensive.
For a 4-star hotel, we also found the beds surprisingly uncomfortable. The mattress was very hard and felt quite springy, while the pillows were unusually narrow and not a standard size.
Finally, we were disappointed to find that all-inclusive guests cannot use the all-inclusive facilities after checking out. We have stayed at many hotels and haven’t come across this before, and given the price paid, we felt this was particularly unreasonable. We went to our room at 11.10am to get our things to find we’d been locked out. When I went to reception, they said it is because we need to check out but we were already 50 minutes early. Upon check out there was no ‘thank you’ or ‘how was your stay’, It just leaves a bit of a sour taste.
Overall:
There is a lot to like about this hotel — the food, views, pools, sea access and spacious rooms are all definite highlights. However, the number of smaller issues, inconsistent service and some of the policies made the experience feel less than 4-star for us. With better attention to maintenance, housekeeping, consistency and guest service, this could be a really excellent hotel. I can’t comment on the entertainment because we chose to do our own thing in the evening, but I personally wouldn’t come back to this hotel because I didn’t love my time here."
