"This was our third all-inclusive stay at this hotel. It was great to see that the management actively took notice of past feedback; the pool handrail was neatly put back in place, and the toilet in the ladies' poolside restroom was properly secured. While the gardens, lobby, and rooms are well-maintained and clean, the pool area is in need of some maintenance due to loosening tiles and black algae in the grouting.
Atmosphere and changing clientele
One thing we noticed immediately this year was the shift in guest demographics. While the hotel mostly attracted (older) Scandinavian guests last year, there was a very noticeable increase in Dutch and British tourists this time around. Personally, we found this to be a downside; the holiday culture is quite different, and the serene tranquility we enjoyed during our previous stay was unfortunately diminished.
This was particularly evident around the pool, where we saw a lot more inflatable rings and air mattresses in the water (something that wasn't there last year). In our opinion, the hotel should simply ban these in the rules. The lowest point was a British couple bringing a loud Sonos Move speaker to the pool. Fortunately, the lifeguard on duty stepped in immediately after we reported it on our second day, but it does reflect the change in atmosphere.
Room 305 and night's rest
We stayed in apartment 305, a room type where the bedroom is located at the rear of the hotel. The bed in the bedroom was pleasantly soft, but the sofa bed in the living room was on the harder side. A downside to this specific room's location is the noise disturbance from the back corridor, where guests walk by with suitcases and the cleaning staff roll their carts. Furthermore, the room darkening could be improved: the roller blind does not fit tightly within the window frame, and the frosted glass door between the bedroom and bathroom lets in disturbing light from the un-blackoutable bathroom window. We creatively solved this ourselves by hanging the two complimentary bathrobes in front of the window, but this is definitely an area of improvement for the hotel.
Food, drinks, and the new lunch concept
The quality of the food and drinks (including local alcoholic beverages and the excellent Baileys coffee) remains very good. The buffet featured the same themes and dishes as last year. However, we did miss the salmon fillet at breakfast, and the tomatoes for the tostadas weren't as tasty as before.
The biggest change compared to last year is the lunch, which has transitioned into an à la carte concept with one changing daily special. The dishes (such as burgers, sandwiches, and chicken schnitzel) are very tasty, and the fries are excellently cooked. Unfortunately, this new concept is poorly explained—or not explained at all—during check-in or by the staff in the dining area. Additionally, the mandatory seating policy by the waiting staff creates an inefficient system. We regularly encountered queues of 4 to 6 couples waiting to be seated, simply because everything is still tracked manually with pen and paper. Implementing a digital scanning system using the room key card would make this process much smoother.
Service and administration
The housekeeping team works incredibly hard and is always polite and friendly. However, the administrative processes at the front desk can feel a bit rigid and cumbersome. While the restaurant operates very traditionally, booking a massage at the spa requires you to do it yourself via a website, rather than the receptionist quickly booking it for you on their computer. Furthermore, a late check-out can only be arranged strictly on the morning of departure, which causes unnecessary uncertainty. Checking in went smoothly, though it remains a pity that Spanish law still requires you to manually fill out a form with your personal details upon arrival; this could easily be digitized through a pre-arrival web portal.
Location and conclusion
The location of the hotel is ideal for us: just a half-hour drive from the airport and far enough away from the chaotic hustle and bustle of Playa del Inglés. However, the GC-500 road is audible due to poor sound insulation of the hotel windows.
Although the points mentioned above could be interpreted as negative, they will certainly not stop us from returning next year. In our eyes, this hotel is absolutely a diamond in the rough. With a little bit of extra polishing, especially regarding internal logistics and rule enforcement, it could easily be a true crown jewel."
