Great service of an outmoded variety

The Hotel Botánico is a high-class hotel but one which has failed either to escape or to embrace its mid-century heritage. A braver owner might have paid homage to the building's 1970s brutalist architecture but a series of make-overs have sought - unsuccessfully - to disguise its roots, whether with its incongruous oriental theme or a bulk-buy of rattan restaurant furniture. Two things remain true to the hotel's 1970s origins: the appalling muzak that plays throughout the common areas (and the live performance that we witnessed one night in the bar) and the impeccable service. Staff are plentiful, multi-lingual, polite and extremely helpful. Particular thanks are due to Pavel, who achieved the seemingly impossible task of retrieving a mobile phone left in the back of an unidentified taxi, but the standard of service throughout the hotel was impeccable. Our room was large, the bathroom old-fashioned but entirely adequate. The balcony was relatively private and the sea view as advertised. This is the antithesis of a boutique hotel but what it lacks in style and charm, it makes up for in comfort and great service.