bobbleEngland
May 13, 2023
This might be the best hotel you ever go to - or not - it all depends on what you're after. For me, the combination didn't quite work. On the positive side, staff were professional, friendly and very, very helpful. They couldn't do more and were great to engage with. The hotel itself is in a really good location - just minutes from a wonderful beach - and the rooms are spacious and well equipped; ours had a large balcony overlooking the pine woods behind with a distant view of the sea and the constant chatter of birdsong. The hotel has a lot of services - there is a reasonable spa and gym as well as a waterports centre and cafe on the beach. So far so good. Unfortunately the hotel didn't work for us because of two things: significant numbers of both large groups and young families. It fundamentally changes the dynamic and atmosphere of a place. It was almost impossible to get a table in the restaurant in the evening because the large groups meant it was full. This would be fine except to get to another restaurant you then have to go into town which is a 10 euro taxi ride each way and impacts on your experience. You have to plan every meal a few days beforehand at least. If you are lucky enough to get in the restaurant, be ready for high noise levels because you are surrounded by large tables of groups of people. It is not that they are loud individually, but collectively it's a noisy space. Fine for a quick bowl of pasta or a burger, but not a place to have an intimate or cosy chat. The families raise another question - what is the leisure space and spa for? I have never been in any spa where children under 14 are allowed. Not so here. On one morning, the indoor pool was filled with 3 young families (the age restriction is 3. These were younger but no-one polices it) and babies rendering the relaxing, accoustic wellbeing music entirely pointless. It advertises itself as a spa, but the parents were teaching their children how to swim. This is entirely what I would do as a young parent, but if I'd just been to a yoga class and sauna and was looking forward to a nice leisurely swim, a parent and toddler swim class is not what I would want. I think it's a question of what the Hotel wants to be. It has made no attempt to restrict or modify access or create discreet areas that would appeal to different customers. So at the moment, the vibe is definitely upmarket Centre Parks: out-doorsy, spacious, noisy, family focused. I would definitely recommend it for a family and a large active group. But if you are a couple looking for a relaxing and intimate stay, you will do better looking elsewhere.