"We’ve just returned from a lovely family holiday at Hotel Elba Carlota, and overall we had a very enjoyable stay. There is a lot to like about this hotel, particularly the wonderful staff, fantastic entertainment, beautiful beachfront location and excellent choice of facilities. However, the hotel is also showing its age in quite a few places and would really benefit from some investment and maintenance.
The highlights
Without a doubt, the staff are one of the hotel's biggest assets. Everyone we encountered was friendly, helpful and hardworking.
A special mention has to go to the entertainment team — Gonçalo, Dan, Pierre, Enzo, Margot and Georgia. They were absolutely fantastic! There was always something happening, whether it was dancing, games, daytime activities, evening entertainment or the mini club. They put so much energy and enthusiasm into everything and really helped make the holiday enjoyable for the whole family.
The swimming pools were very good, and we were particularly grateful for the heated pool. It was a real bonus and definitely got plenty of use during our stay.
The beachfront location is amazing. Being able to walk straight from the hotel to the beach is a huge advantage and makes the setting feel very special.
We also really enjoyed the variety of themed restaurants and cuisines. There was international, Asian, Arabian, Canarian, Spanish and Mexican food, giving us plenty of choice and something different to look forward to. The restaurant staff work incredibly hard and were always friendly. A special thank you to Maria, Aaron and the paella chef — they were all lovely.
Our suite was beautiful, very clean and spacious, and the sea view was absolutely amazing! Waking up to that view was definitely one of the highlights of our stay.
We also happened to celebrate both my birthday and my husband's birthday while we were there. On both occasions we were surprised with a bottle of champagne and some sweeties. Such a lovely and thoughtful gesture, and very much appreciated!
Another thing worth mentioning is the departure arrangements. Although late check-out wasn't available, we were able to continue using the hotel facilities until it was time for us to leave. We were also given a slot in a courtesy room where we could shower and change before our journey home. This was much, much appreciated, particularly when travelling with children. It made the last few hours of our holiday much more comfortable.
I also noticed that management seemed to be visible around the hotel regularly, which I think is a positive. It gave the impression that they were present, approachable and keeping an eye on what was happening.
Areas that need improvement
The biggest issue for me is that the hotel is quite dated and needs some TLC.
There were visible cracks along walls and ceilings and several areas where maintenance is clearly overdue. Around the pool there were cracked and/or missing tiles, and one of the swimming pool steps was broken and remained unrepaired throughout our stay.
Our bathroom also had a slow-draining shower/drain, which was inconvenient.
The game room is a great idea and was very entertaining for us, but some of the games weren't working properly. More importantly, there were some plug sockets around the game room that appeared unsafe, which really should be looked at as a priority.
The Wi-Fi was also quite slow, which was frustrating at times.
The buffet was probably the weakest part of the food offering. We appreciated the variety and different themed nights, but there were occasions where food appeared to be incorrectly labelled. This could potentially be quite serious for anyone with food allergies or dietary requirements. The dessert selection was also disappointing, both in terms of variety and quality.
The reception staff were friendly — Javi and James were both lovely — but I felt that there was a lack of information provided during check-in. At check-out, we were also not really asked how our stay had been or whether there was anything we wanted to comment on. I think this would be a valuable opportunity for the hotel to get direct feedback from guests.
Overall
Despite the issues mentioned above, we genuinely had a lovely holiday at Hotel Elba Carlota.
The location is fantastic, the pools are great, the entertainment team are brilliant, there is a good variety of restaurants and activities, and the staff really do work hard to make guests feel welcome.
For us, the hotel has so much potential. With some significant investment in the building, maintenance and a few improvements to the food offering, it could be an absolutely fantastic resort.
A huge thank you to all the staff who contributed to our holiday, especially Gonçalo, Dan, Pierre, Enzo, Margot, Georgia, Maria, Aaron, Elisa and the paella chef. You all helped make our stay memorable.
We would happily return!!"
