I deliberated writing this review, because I wrote the same whilst I will still there, I also complained directly, and then hotel offered us an upgrade along with a direct request to remove it. The whole experience was really awkward, and whilst the second half of our holiday was far better than the first (due to the upgrade and better food options included), I still think the overly positive reviews on here, along with the massive effort on marketing, means that most people will still end up being duped, a bit like we were. There are still areas where the hotel needs to take feedback and make improvements and people need to know what to watch out for. Hence an honest and balanced review now. Kudos to the amazing staff who did their best to make the stay as good as we had hoped. The pros: the beach is stunning, the grounds and gardens generally glorious, and again, the staff go out of their way to please, where they can. The kids club is excellent, the entertainment in the evenings, and kids activities are something special, but you do pay extra for most of it, and so be prepared to top up the cost of the holiday with classes, activities etc, which they market heavily to you whilst you are there. Our kids had magic classes, did climbing and go-carting as well as art classes with their resident artist. We paid extra for all of this, but if you want to spoil your kids a bit, this is a good place for it! The cons: we booked half board in an area called ‘Bougainvillea’ in a family bungalow. It entitled you to meals in 2 buffets and 2 restaurants of their 28. The food was pretty poor, the breakfast was in a tatty, damp area behind the pool and there was cluttered tables left uncleared, few staff and not huge choice. The evening buffet felt like feeding time at the zoo and it was more quantity than quality I had expected. Our room was dirty, things were broken, the door didn’t close, and it backed onto the piazza, which meant no-one could sleep until the entertainment had finished. No USB ports, no robes, no- where to hang wet clothes and storage very limited. Now keep in mind we paid close to £10k for the week, not a small amount of money, on the basis of marketing that promises high end luxury. So I complained, wrote a review and immediately got the attention of the manager. The upgrade was to another bungalow in a nicer area with more space, and the buffet at the seemingly more luxurious hotel Il Castillo. But, the reference to my review was explicit and they basically asked me to remove it. It was 10x better both for breakfast and dinner. These buffets were staffed, they were decent quality and choice. The room was the same but had the robes, the space, the outdoor furniture and although the door still didn’t lock properly, it was better located in a quiet neighbourhood. The thing is, on checking the price difference for the room we booked, vs were moved to, the difference was close to £6k, when in fact what we got was what I had been led to expect
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