Russkygem
January 31, 2024
We visited this hotel back in 2016 for ten nights and couldn't wait to return this time for three weeks. After a delayed departure we arrived three days late. Sharon at reception was brilliant, very welcoming and helpful, felt like we had arrived home. Feelings are very mixed. I so wanted to love it again, and sort of, still do but unfortunately it just didn't quite make the mark this time. We knew it was small but we had hoped the bar area would have been looked at. There is only room for a few chairs, the ones they have are quite big but because of the position, doesn't make it easy to chat to everyone, also as we had so many showers, people were not using the courtyard area as we had done before. I do think the layout needs to be looked at. There is a lot of wasted space at the front of the building, it isn't air conditioned and there seems to be a lot more mozzies around there. The seating looks ok and we used it quite a bit to play cards but had to sit in front of a fan. Very few seemed to use the area, I'm sure something could be done there to make it more inviting. Some of the restaurant staff are so lovely, Elsie and Sharon stood out for me, always smiling and very welcoming. Food was ok, not sure it was as good as previously, but I never went hungry, and you only had to ask if you wanted poached eggs, a little honey or anything else you fancied. Majority of staff would helpfully oblige. Lemar is lovely at the bar, he makes the best Daiquiris. The pool area I feel is not being kept to the best standard. Needs to be cleaned more regularly. It easily feels overcrowded there if most of the guests stay at the hotel, which then leaves nowhere else to sit if you want to catch some rays. The plastic mattresses that they have put on the chairs really don't do the trick especially with the amount of rain we had. They seem to absorb the rain so when you put your dry towel down your bottom is soaked within minutes, trivial maybe but uncomfortable. Of course we have to remember they have had a lot more rain this January than they normally do, so I'm sure most of the time it isn't a problem. We visited both Mango Bay & The Sands hotel, (sister hotels), both are lovely and they do have a beach area. Our choice would be The Sands which surprised us both as normally we prefer a smaller, quieter hotel, but the surroundings, pool and beach were impressive and having spoken to a few people who were staying there, it certainly sounded like it would be worth a try if we were to return. I feel really sad as I truly loved this place the first time around, and it is not that I would never return, I do think that some changes do need to be made if I was to consider it. Of course it is one of the lower priced all inclusive, so one should always bear that in mind, it is the surrounding beach areas and location that do help. Maybe worth the hotel considering having foldaway chairs that could be taken to the beach for the day for a smal