Gara Suites

"We arrived for our first holiday after starting university and it was brilliant from start to finish. We stayed for 5 nights, Saturday-Thursday and had a great time all around. Staff were nice enough but we had very limited experiences with them as we had nothing to report. On arrival to the room we shocked at how large the room actually was, along with the bathroom. We had a pool view and had no complaints about the cleanliness at all. The room was cleaned every day, alongside fresh towels being provided. The pool area was the best experience we’ve ever had when it comes to business. There was never any need to reserve sunbeds no matter what time you wanted them and there was plenty enough to go around for the whole hotel. The pool and pool area was very cleanly and we could tell it was well taken care of. The only thing we’d say is the pool music can be slightly loud when sitting over towards the main pool area by the speaker. Breakfast was enjoyable (pastries, fruit, bread ect.) however hot food we would give a miss to as it was very cold. Always plenty of tables around and friendly staff. We noticed that hotel prices and on-shop prices for food/drinks were very steep so we went into the centre and went to the Super Dino (a lot cheaper for your necessities) The hotel is quite a steep walk into the centre 25-30 mins, however this wasn’t a problem for us. Taxis very often parked at the hotel reception waiting to take people where they needed to go (unreserved taxis). However taxis could vary in prices 6-12 euros to the same place. Overall we had a lovely stay at Gara Suites and would definitely return. Thank you."

"Cannot fault the hotel rooms which were lovely - nice balcony, spacious rooms, cleaned daily, great bathroom and a mini fridge. However the biggest problem for us was the food, we were half board and found each morning and night we were presented with lukewarm and pretty bland food. The hotels location is fine if you are up for lots of walking, it’s a fairly steep hill to get out of the hotel and a twenty minute walk to get to the closest town. Any mobility issues and you’ll be having to get taxis to and from daily. The pool was nice and not super busy, no problem getting sunbeds at any point. Although we visited in June, the hotel seems very quiet and the evening entertainment is almost non existent resulting in a pretty dead atmosphere."

"Stayed here for 5 nights as a solo female traveller and overall had a good stay. I’d previously stayed at the hotel on a girls’ holiday, which is one of the reasons I chose to return, as I remembered it feeling safe and comfortable. I arrived after 10pm and check-in was friendly enough. My room was quite a walk from reception and there was no assistance with luggage, which wasn’t ideal arriving alone late at night. There was no welcome drink, but I was pleased to find a large bottle of water in the room, which was appreciated after travelling. I stayed in a standard suite and was pleasantly surprised to have both pool views and lovely views over the golf course without paying for an upgrade. The suite itself was huge, with a separate living area that I barely used because I spent most of my time exploring or relaxing by the pool. The room had some positives and negatives. The air conditioning was excellent - almost too good at times! Housekeeping visited daily and fresh towels were provided every day. However, cleanliness could definitely be improved. The first thing I noticed when entering the room was a number of dirty footprints on the floor, along with marks on the walls and flooring. The floors also didn’t seem to be swept properly during my stay, as hair remained on the floor throughout the week. The bed was comfortable enough, although I could feel the springs slightly, and the sheets had some marks on them when I arrived and weren’t changed during my five-night stay. The pool area was one of the highlights. There were always plenty of sunbeds available with no need for early morning towel reservations. The pool was refreshing without being unbearably cold, and it was cleaned every evening. Music plays around the pool throughout the day, which didn’t bother me, although some guests seemed less keen! The atmosphere was good, with a mix of families, couples, groups of friends and solo travellers. I only tried breakfast on my first morning and personally wasn’t impressed enough to return. Instead, I used Uber Eats for most meals, which worked really well, with deliveries usually arriving within 15 minutes. One thing I did notice was that bottled water at the hotel seemed quite expensive at over €3 per bottle. The location worked well for me. It’s around a 20-minute walk or a 5-minute taxi ride from the main resort area. I preferred being slightly away from the busy strip and didn’t mind using taxis when needed. One thing to be aware of is that taxi fares seemed inconsistent. For example, I paid €8 from the hotel to Safari Centre but €15 on the return journey, and a trip to Siam Mall cost €8 one way and only €3 back. Overall, I think Gara Suites offers good value for money. While there are some housekeeping and maintenance issues that should be addressed, I enjoyed my stay and felt safe throughout as a solo female traveller. Looking back, I probably noticed more of the smaller details this time around than I did on my previous girls’ trip! Despite the negatives, I would consider staying again if I found a decent deal."