Playa Moreia

"Second time to visit Playa Moreia, there definitely won’t be a third. Your experience is completely dependant on which room your allocated. I believe about half of the rooms are renovated (which we were lucky enough to get the first time, hence re-booking). The other half haven’t been touched since the 90’s - no exaggeration. Also, as a family of 4 we were allocated a room with 1 small double bed and 1 pull out camp bed? For 2 kids and 2 adults? But apparently this is ‘what we payed for’ - I specified the number of people, they allocated the relevant room. I believe that to be a fault of theirs but nothing was done unless we payed more so, on our nearly £3000 holiday, my husband spent 2 weeks sleeping on a pull out camp bed whilst I shared a small double with 2 kids. Luxurious. Staff are not friendly or accommodating, in fact they will actually challenge you, argue with you and be rude to you if you dare to complain. There was NO entertainment, over two weeks none at all. This was not the case on our first visit and we would not have returned had we known this. The food is edible however, the restaurant staff are rude kids who lack customer service. Despite paying for 14 days half board, we chose to eat out and spare ourselves the depressing experience."

"We had the best stay . Our room was clean and comfortable and we had a mountain view room. The staff were all really lovely from reception bar and maintenance. We have no complaints. The hotel grounds and the area outside the hotel was all kept nice and clean. We would stay there again."

"Playa Moreia where your holiday dreams go to die. Quite honestly, this is the worst hotel/apartment complex I have ever stayed in in Spain and after many holidays in Spain, that is quite an achievement. We arrived late at night, tired and looking forward to our holiday, only to be shown to a tiny, tired and seriously run-down two-room apartment that looked absolutely nothing like the glossy photographs we had seen online. The sitting room was about as welcoming as a waiting room, with a computer monitor masquerading as a television. The bedroom was tiny, with a small double bed, a tiny window and no air conditioning. Apparently this was supposed to be holiday accommodation. It felt more like we'd been given the room nobody else wanted. When we complained the following morning, reception's response was essentially: “It’s the room you booked.” Well, no we booked the accommodation advertised in the photographs, not a run-down version that looked like it had been forgotten about for several decades. Then came the wonderfully convenient solution: there was apparently another room available, but it would cost us an extra €75 per night. How convenient. After getting nowhere, we had to research our own rights and discovered we could request a Hoja de Reclamaciones, the official Spanish complaints form. We also insisted on speaking to the manager. After a considerable amount of arguing and persistence, another room was eventually found but naturally there was still a price attached. We had to pay an additional €15 per night to escape the original room. We paid it simply because we wanted our holiday to resemble a holiday. So, after paying around €2,000 for 10 days, we were rewarded with the privilege of paying even more to get accommodation that was actually acceptable. And then there was the cleanliness. Apparently cleaning the rooms is treated as an optional extra here. We went eight days without our room being cleaned. It was only cleaned after my wife swept underneath the bed herself and discovered a large ball of somebody else's hair, which she took to reception. Nothing says “welcome to your relaxing Spanish holiday” quite like finding the previous guest's hair underneath your bed. The atmosphere throughout the complex was equally charming if your idea of charming is depressing, miserable and completely lacking in warmth. Then came the food. Breakfast was passable, but the evening buffet was generally awful. The main dishes were uninspiring and often so dry from sitting under heat lamps that we found ourselves eating salad simply because there wasn't much else worth eating. We have stayed in plenty of hotels in Spain. This was by far one of the worst food experiences we've had. And don't forget the incredible value for money: €2.40 for a small bottle of water. Because apparently after paying €2,000 for the holiday, even drinking water needs to feel like a luxury purchase. The whole experience was a catalogue of disappointment the accommodation, the cleanliness, the food, the atmosphere and the complete lack of any sense that customer satisfaction mattered. The photographs certainly know how to sell the place. Unfortunately, they don't have to stay there. If you are considering booking the Playa Moreia, my advice is simple: Look at the photographs, enjoy them, and then book somewhere else. We genuinely wish we had never heard of this place. What should have been a relaxing holiday began with stress, arguments and additional expense just to get a room that was fit for purpose. €2,000 later, we certainly won't be rushing back. There are plenty of beautiful places to stay in Spain. This isn't one of them."