"Beautiful Setting, But Sadly Let Down by the Overall Experience, Would Not Recommend."
We booked this hotel through TUI expecting a relaxing holiday, so we were quite shocked by how much more “party-like” the atmosphere was compared with how it had originally been described. Seeing both guests and staff downing alcoholic drinks during breakfast service definitely wasn’t what we expected!
Before arriving, we had read several reviews mentioning unclean bedrooms, so we were pleasantly surprised when we arrived to find our room lovely and very clean. Although the room itself looked a little tired and could benefit from some updating, we genuinely couldn’t fault the cleanliness.
Unfortunately, the food was one of the biggest disappointments. There were very few allergen labels, and often barely any labels on the food at all. When labels were provided, they didn’t always appear to match the food in front of them, which was particularly concerning in the buffet-style restaurants. The Italian and Asian restaurants were definitely the best dining options and were a much better experience than the main buffet.
Our experience with the staff was mixed. Around half of the staff were absolutely lovely, friendly and welcoming, while others seemed to completely ignore us, particularly at the bar near the pool/garden area. On one occasion, my partner, who has been learning Spanish for several years, tried to order our drinks in Spanish. After previously receiving eye-rolls when asking for drinks in English, he made the effort to speak Spanish, only for a member of staff to laugh at him. This was disappointing and made us feel quite uncomfortable.
The biggest issue during our stay was illness. We were both severely unwell for the first week of our holiday, suffering from stomach cramps, nausea and severe diarrhoea. We also spoke to several other British and Canadian guests whose groups had experienced similar symptoms, including reports of suspected food poisoning and sickness bugs. One guest told us that someone in their party had tested positive for STEC E. coli. While we cannot say where the illnesses originated, it was concerning to hear so many guests describing similar experiences during the same period.
Another major issue was the mosquitoes. The bites were relentless, and it felt like the hotel could do more to manage this, perhaps by investing in insect traps or other mosquito-control measures around communal areas.
That being said, the hotel itself is set in a beautiful location. The scenery, trees, beach and views were absolutely stunning, and the water slides were great fun. The excursions we booked were also a real highlight of the holiday. Saona Island, the cigar factory and Monkeyland were all incredible experiences and we would highly recommend those day trips.
Overall, despite the beautiful surroundings and some fantastic experiences outside of the hotel, we personally would not return or recommend this hotel. The party atmosphere, poor food labelling, mixed customer service and the number of guests we encountered who had been unwell made it difficult for us to fully enjoy our stay. Based on our personal experience, we also felt that the hotel was much better suited to Spanish-speaking guests, and we did not always feel particularly welcomed as English-speaking visitors.
