Whenever one evaluates a hotel, I think it is important to consider the relationship between the price and the service it offers. In our case, we stayed for approximately a week, during August, as a family of four, in a room with a kitchen and one bedroom.
The beach does not look exactly as it appears in the photos, although I understand that this is not the hotel's responsibility, since the presence of sargassum depends on natural factors. However, I do consider it the hotel's responsibility to keep the beach area where it places the lounge chairs clean. During our entire stay, the lounge chairs remained dirty, often with bird droppings, and underneath them there were plastic bottles, caps, and other waste that were never removed.
I want to clarify that this is not a lack of staff. Every day, cleaning staff could be seen working in the area, but they practically only swept the wooden walkway that leads to the beach. The sand where the lounge chairs are located did not receive the same maintenance, so the dirt remained throughout the week.
The pool is large and pleasant, but it has a major drawback: it has practically no shade. Since it receives sun all day long, the water stays very hot, so it stops being a place where one can cool off. A positive point is that the hotel provides specific towels for the beach and the pool, different from the room towels, which is very practical.
As for breakfast, it was one of the best parts of the experience. It is varied, of good quality, and the restaurant staff provides friendly service. In that regard, I have no negative observations.
Where I did find many deficiencies was at the front desk. The service is not very helpful, and regarding any inquiry or issue, there is little willingness to assist. For example, I asked about currency exchange, and while in other places the dollar was exchanged at over 17, at the hotel they offered 15. When I pointed out the difference, they simply replied that it was the rate they were using, without offering any alternative. What is striking is that, just half a block from the hotel, there is a currency exchange office where, during our stay, the rate was approximately 16.70. The front desk could inform guests about that option and let each person decide where to exchange money, but at no point did they mention its existence to us. We only found out because we went out for a walk.
We also had issues with the televisions in the rooms, which were Smart TVs with access to applications like Netflix. We tried to use them and requested help at the front desk, but no one showed any interest in resolving the problem or assisting us.
Actually, there was no sofa bed; instead, they placed a mattress pad on an extension of the armchair, and my daughters slept very uncomfortably.
The cleanliness of the room, in general, was mediocre. The
last few days they did not come in to sweep. Nor did they properly set up the quasi sofa bed. The room is comfortable and features a kitchen, a balcony, and two independent air conditioning units, which allows for regulating the temperature of each room. However, there were several occasions when housekeeping forgot to replenish some items, such as water, coffee, or toiletries.
Another negative point is the internet connection. In the rooms and some common areas it works acceptably, but on the beach there is practically no signal. The connection drops constantly, which is striking for a hotel of this category.
A positive aspect of the location is that, half a block away, across the street, there is a small shopping center with a convenience store, a Subway, a currency exchange, and several restaurants. This is very convenient, since in this area there are long stretches occupied only by hotels. In addition, the nearby restaurants offer prices considerably cheaper than the hotel.
Regarding the hotel's gastronomy, we observed a significant difference between lunch and dinner. At noon the prices are reasonable, but at night the menu changes completely and the prices increase considerably, so we ended up choosing to eat outside the hotel.
I also want to highlight that the hotel has large, well-maintained gardens, which provide a pleasant environment. Although the area where our room was located had fewer green spaces, the complex in general is nice and well-kept.
In short, I consider it a good hotel, with comfortable rooms, a very good breakfast, pleasant gardens, and a good location. My main observation is not about the hotel itself, but about the relationship between the price and the service received. If you get a good rate, I think it can be a very good option. But when you pay a high rate, I would expect better beach maintenance, more proactive service at the front desk, and a quality of service consistent with the price paid.
