"After spending many happy holidays at the Sol Arona this was our first holiday since its refurb. We had another lovely holiday and would return again without hesitation. It is still a good value hotel but here are a few pros & cons we felt regarding the refurb.
PROs:
ROOMS are clean and brightly decorated, the beds are comfy and the bathrooms have lovely showers and a good hairdryer. They are cleaned daily unless you instruct otherwise.
RECEPTION AREA is nicely decorated with plenty of seating. The reception staff were very friendly, helpful and welcoming.
RESTAURANT again has been decorated bright and clean looking with plenty of tables. Tables are cleared and prepared quickly so no long queues. Drinks are now included with the HB/evening meal option. A special mention goes to Nouemi, apologies if I have spelt her name wrong but you can easily recognise her by her amazing smile which she permanently wears. No matter how busy she is, she always greets you with a lovely smile and happy to help you in anyway she can. She is an assett to the restaurant dining area staff.
SWIMMING POOL is well maintained daily with plenty of sunbeds. There is a separate children's pool with 2 slides. There is also a separate children's play area just behind the pools.
ENTERTAINMENTS TEAM provides a good range of activities such as water aerobics, the pool inflatables/water carpet, cocktail/bonbon making, table tennis competitions etc.
CONs:
FOOD unless you go early the food is warmish at best. We went at 8.30pm & the food wasn't being replenished, our friends complained to reception who inspected and apologised so hopefully this will improve. The option of choosing meat or fish to be freshly cooked in front of you is no longer available and you can no longer get an omelette at breakfast. There is the choice of a roast or fish which the chef carves and serves you, however we tried this twice and we were served very fatty meat and when we asked for a cut from a certain leaner part we were refused by a grumpy chef who said it was all the same - it clearly wasn't so we didn't bother with that option again. However I should also say that there was always tasty stews, pizzas etc as an alternative so never left feeling hungry. The breakfast option of freshly fried eggs & pancakes in front of you is also no longer available and we found the fried eggs had hard yolks and quite rubbery as if been stood a while so I do think the freshly cooked options are a big loss but again there is always plenty of tasty alternatives to choose from.
SOLARIUM looks lovely with the freshly laid astro turf and ample sunbeds however no parasols are allowed up there so with no shade at all it does get extremely hot.
POOLSIDE although the pool is lovely and has been repainted the surface around it lets it down, it is cracked and uneven so could definitely benefit from some maintenance.
CHECKOUT was quick and easy however we were presented with an extra charge for drinks we never had/ordered, this was cleared after signing a disclaimer to say we hadn't ordered the drinks but I do think extra security should be provided ie proof of room number and/or name checked against the room to help stop this fraud - that or payment requested at time of purchase.
CAR PARK has been spruced up and repainted to nicely reflect the new entrance, however coaches no longer drop you or pick you up directly outside the entrance, instead you are dropped and collected from the nearby bus stop. This wasn't a problem for us but could possibly be for more elderly guests or those travelling with young children, there is still a lot ample room for coaches to enter and depart the car park so dont understand why they dont.
All the above said, we still think this is a great hotel, brilliant location and good value for money."
