Leonardo Hotel Royal Palmanova Bay (ex Alua)

"We’ve just returned from a fantastic 9-night stay as a family of four, with our six-year-old daughter and 16-week-old baby. We’d read quite a few reviews before arriving that had made us a little worried, but we honestly had the best time. We stayed in room 777, a sea-view suite, and the views were absolutely breathtaking. We could see the sea, the sunrise and the pool from our room and couldn’t have asked for a better view. We’d seen a few reviews mentioning cleanliness, but our experience was the complete opposite. Our room was spotless. The joys of being away with young children who wake ridiculously early means you get to see the hotel before everyone else does 😂 and from around 6:30am every morning we watched numerous cleaners meticulously cleaning the pool deck and surrounding areas. There was also a robot cleaning the pool every day. The air conditioning in our room was brilliant too. The pool and splash pad were lovely and we never struggled to get sunbeds. One thing worth mentioning for families is that the bar/entertainment area is directly below some of the rooms. On one evening there was particularly loud music. Great atmosphere for the adults, but potentially noisy if you’re trying to settle little ones. Thankfully ours sleep through almost anything, so it didn’t cause us a problem! The food was good with plenty of choice. It can become a little repetitive over a longer stay, but we certainly never went hungry. A special mention has to go to the wonderful chef Sibede, who made cracking omelettes and was so kind to our daughter Ivy. He always made her feel so welcome at mealtimes. The waiting staff also work exceptionally hard, and having basic beer and wine available on tap with meals was a great addition to half board. Alexandro and Julia on reception were also fantastic. They were friendly, helpful with every enquiry we had and always lovely with the children. But our biggest shout-out has to go to Alexandra from the animation team. She went above and beyond with Ivy and really helped make her holiday special. She taught her some brilliant dances and made such an effort with her. We’re not really kids’ club parents, but the little kids’ hut is right beside the sunbeds, so one day Ivy went in and made bracelets with Alexandra while we were right there. She absolutely loved it and it was lovely seeing how much Alexandra made her feel included. The mini disco was great too, although it starts at 8:45pm, which we personally felt was quite late for younger children. It was often fairly quiet and, in our opinion, the later start time was probably the reason, as lots of little ones would normally be heading to bed by then. We only managed it a few times ourselves, but Ivy really enjoyed it when we did. The location is excellent, with the beach and shops just a short walk away. Katmandu was brilliant for our six-year-old, and Western Water Park was one of the highlights of the whole holiday. A couple we met had actually paid around £100 to visit Aqualand but left and came to Western Water Park instead because it was too big for their younger child and there weren’t enough smaller slides available. Western was perfect for Ivy. We also visited Santa Maria market, which was lovely, although getting a taxi back was incredibly difficult! A very kind Spanish shop worker eventually took pity on us and helped arrange one. We’d probably hire a car for that trip next time. One warning that has nothing to do with the hotel: our Jet2 transfer coach dropped us at the wrong Leonardo hotel. With two children and a significant amount of luggage, discovering we then had a big hill to negotiate was not fun! Jet2 are refunding part of our transfer cost, but definitely double-check that you are being dropped at Leonardo Royal Palmanova Bay. We do have to give a special mention to the Jet2 rep at the hotel, who was wonderful. She was incredibly helpful, particularly with sorting out the transfer issue, and really took the time to help us. It was very much appreciated after a stressful start to the holiday. Overall, we’ve had the most amazing family holiday. The staff work incredibly hard, our room and the hotel were beautifully clean, the views were stunning and, most importantly, our children were made to feel so welcome. Please don’t let some of the negative reviews put you off. Unless you’re expecting six-star luxury, we really don’t think you’ll be disappointed. For a relaxed, friendly family holiday in a fantastic location, we genuinely couldn’t have asked for much more. Thank you Leonardo Royal Palmanova Bay for such a memorable holiday. We would absolutely return. ❤️🌴☀️"

"I rarely leave negative reviews, but I feel people should know what to expect before spending this kind of money. We paid €1,650 for 7 nights expecting a 4-star hotel experience. Unfortunately, this hotel is nowhere near a 4-star standard and is a 3-star property at best. The rooms were extremely dated, tired and well below the standard advertised. The entire hotel feels neglected and in desperate need of refurbishment. Everywhere looked worn and grubby rather than clean and well maintained. Even the breakfast area, which should be one of the better-presented parts of the hotel, had chairs covered in stains and generally felt unkempt. One of the biggest issues was the lack of soundproofing. The walls seemed paper-thin and we could hear virtually everything from neighbouring rooms, including conversations, sneezing, doors opening and closing, and people moving around. Getting a good night’s sleep was difficult. We also booked a double room and had 2 singles with two separate sheets- the duvet didn’t even have a duvet cover on it. When we expressed our disappointment and asked if there was an alternative room available, we were simply handed keys and told to go and look at another room ourselves. Shockingly, the second room was even worse than the first. We then asked whether we could pay extra for an upgrade, only to be told that the hotel was fully booked and there was nothing they could do. The experience was so disappointing that we actually checked out two nights early and moved to another hotel. Losing two prepaid nights was preferable to spending any longer there. For the price charged, the condition of the hotel is unacceptable. This property is being marketed and priced as a 4-star hotel, but the reality does not match the description. What should have been a relaxing week in the sun turned into a frustrating and disappointing experience. I would not stay here again and would strongly advise prospective guests to manage their expectations before booking."

"We are staying here on b&b only basis.breakfast is poor had to use microwave to warm food up even though its only been open 20minutes 7.30-10.30. Rooms are clean but wouldn't stay here again."