"From the moment we arrived we felt very happy with our choice to stay at The Zafiro Palace. The staff were all so attentive, friendly and helpful. They made us feel so valued and no request is too far for this dedicated team. We were given help with our cases as we got out of the taxi and offered welcome drinks. From that moment you knew the staff were going to look after you and your family really well.
We had an issue with our shower and I thought we might end up having days without it working properly or have to move rooms. However we reported it to reception and it was not just fixed, but the rainfall shower head was entirely replaced within in the hour! I was amazed.
Every member of staff you meet smiles and greets you and there are so many. There is a virtual army of staff busy cooking, greeting, serving, gardening, fixing and keeping this hotel clean, tidy and safe for the guests. It’s clearly a very high priority to keep the standards what they are. They all clearly work tirelessly. I very much hope the bosses show them all the appreciation they deserve. Because without these staff you just have a nice building.
The buffet was very good and varied and again the staff just so friendly, helpful and engaging. It never felt too crowded which in half term is a big deal.
We had nice drinks from all the bars and again the service is so friendly. The swim up bar could really use a second person as waits could be quite long. Special mention for Marco at the Splash Truck by the kids pool, he was fantastic at his job. The addition of this truck makes the amazing kids pool perfect. Everyone gets what they need for a relaxing and fun time.
The cocktails really could do with improving as they’re not the best with a lot of pre-mix options instead of fresh being used. You can really taste the difference and for some people a decent cocktail is a must.
Out of the À la carte places, we ate at the sushi restaurant and Mediterranean restaurant. It was, as many people have pointed out, hard to get a good booking slot and we had to in each case settle for 8:30pm which was quite late for our 8 year old. The sushi was decent, but the Mediterranean was sadly straight up atrocious. We were served room temperature white wine, sand gritty scallops and my suckling pig was pork skin over something like meatloaf. (I later had the most delicious suckling pig at the buffet!) We did complain about the scallops, but no apology or solution was offered. Just an “I’ll let the chef know” It really stuck out as a blemish on this wonderful hotel experience for us.
Kids club was just around the corner from our block (3) which was fantastic and our 8 year old really enjoyed popping in for arts and crafts. However, It’s quite a small space for the amount of kids that were there some days and got very hot, it looked quite hard work for the very upbeat and dedicated staff running things and as someone who works with children myself it I really felt for the staff. However all the animation team were totally amazing! A special mention for Rita, Lidia and Julia. I don’t know how they do it!
The Mini disco could be slightly improved. The space wasn’t considered with tables and chairs cramping the area the children were expected to be dancing in and it’s lacking a lot of what are the classic mini disco songs. The disco later was much better on the song front though. Maybe a dedicated area which is kept clear for the kids dance floor would be a good idea.
The evening entertainment was great and really varied with some incredible singers, circus shows and performances. We especially enjoyed the African acrobats, they were a real highlight for us.
One night during a performance there was a very loud football match being shown in the ‘Family room’ which is not a separate room, but a part of the main entertainment area. The noise from the football was a problem with everyone shouting along. It felt quite unfair on the performer and the people trying to watch the show. I guess this will only be an issue once in a while though.
The beds are large and comfortable and the option to choose your pillow type really felt like a luxury! Housekeeping again did an amazing job with a friendly smile. The refilling of the mini bar was much appreciated. We had to buy water from the local shop to make sure we had enough, but that’s more our choice not to drink the safe tap water.
The room we chose was fantastic! When we arrived I couldn’t believe how well maintained and clean it was. We had a swim up and it was so worth the extra money. The pools were warm (maybe a little too warm) which allowed our daughter to swim to her hearts content while we could watch and enjoy a drink on our own sun loungers. Not having that sun lounger battle was great.
That being said, I didn’t love that after paying for a private area that anyone would walk along and set up across the pool directly opposite your room and use the main stretch of pool freely. It really feels like if you paid for the luxury that should remain for those rooms only.
Overall we loved our stay and will look for Zafiro hotels when we visit other countries in the future. Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make it such a memorable and beautiful holiday."
