I had a 3 night c+p stay here last week.
Online, we noticed that our room type had been upgraded to a duplex suite, and, on checking in at 10pm, we really had been upgraded to one of their duplex suites. It's really a junior suite with the bathroom (sink & bath in the first part of the bathroom, toilet & bidet with shower room in the next part), storage and living area on the ground floor, the sleeping area and a toilet in the upstairs area. There was a reasonable sized balcony with table and seats on the ground floor.
It was a great upgrade.
Valet parking was €19 per day....we used it; although there is free parking outside the hotel gates, we were advised not to use it as many cars are broken in to, and others are vandalised.
From the moment we checked in, the staff were wonderful. We did not have one single poor experience with a member of staff; all were excellent; I didn't expect this due to the poor reviews I have read of the hotel. The only thing, I suppose, is that a large number of staff have limited English skills, so, communication can be difficult if you have little spoken Spanish, but it really is not a problem.
The duplex suite was fine; quite contemporary, but when you opened the cupboards, for instance, it felt a little cheaply assembled. Also, there was a rough bit on handrail of the glass stairwell which I cut my hand on. The stairs were also covered in some cheap laminate. I also found a cigarette butt on the balcony edge.
This hotel is a little strange to classify. It's not really a resort hotel even though it is on the beach and has a spa, but it definitely isn't a city hotel. The surrounding area of the hotel is awful, but in it's little compound with it's clean, deserted (when we were there) beach at the back, it feels like a world away from it's local area. It does have a lovely position.
Anyone who knows European four star hotels would know that this hotel is definitely not a four star hotel in European standards....it can only be classified as a five star hotel; however, it is nowhere near the Asian five star hotels most of us are used to.....or the gorgeous five star resorts we have in Greece or other parts of Europe.
Really, France, Italy, the UK and particularly Spain are too loose with their classification of four star hotels and this allows places such as this (which would be a four star in India) to be categorised as 5 star alongside great European resorts.
Don't get me wrong...... we really enjoyed our stay here and we really liked the hotel; the staff were absolutely amazing, brilliant, but you cannot judge it to be a five star hotel of great calibre.....and that may mislead or disappoint some who will stay here.
For us, we loved the architecture and huge safe areas for the kids to play in. We found the food a little bland, and the hotel is in the middle of nowhere. You need a car to travel to anywhere. It was also a shock to be charged €3 for a bucket of ice to be brought to us. I had gone to the bar only to be told it would be delivered to the room.......and that was why a delivery charge was made.
For us, we had a great stay, and we will be back.