Average, at best.
I had such high hopes for this hotel with the lovely pictures and glowing reviews. Maybe this was a 5* hotel in the 80s but not anymore. Breakfast was good and a large range of foods to choose from, though there is some fresh fruit, but some was from tins and this isn't expected at a hotel like this. The outdoor pool is heated so you can swim in the winter but the main pool is small. The Spanish and Italian restaurants were nice but lacking atmosphere. Oriental restaurant was good but let down by the service. There were a few negative points.. Overall service was good and when I called reception for something it was brought very quickly. Shower amenities in the room did not include conditioner? There was shampoo, body lotion, shower gel and no conditioner. I am not sure why and I was given a cheap one to use as they did not have any from the nice brand in the bathroom. The jacuzzi in the spa was cold, there is an indoor and outdoor jacuzzi and they were both cold, so I did not feel relaxed in them. The hotel prides themselves on the spa, but again was very average. The tiles at the bottom of the indoor pool were coming loose and some had come off completely. There are water beds which were very nice. I understand that under 16s are not allowed in the spa but I was sitting away from everyone else, in a corner OUTSIDE the spa with my baby who was asleep, and I was told that I had to leave!! I thought that was a bit extreme, I understand if I had hyper children running around disturbing the peace but a sleeping baby?! Service on the whole was good, though I found one female behind the reception a bit snappy, and seemed a bit irritated when I asked her questions. On a couple of mornings I could not get hold of our waiter to get a coffee so I went over to the machine to get one myself. One other waitress had started preparing around 6 orders and had finished one, and instead of allowing me to get my drink she just carried on with the second and just let me wait for her to finish! Again, not service I’d expect from a hotel like this, she shouldn’t let a customer wait for her to finish a large order. We stayed over New Year’s Eve and the New Years gala dinner would have been a much classier event but the entertainment was awful and tacky, it was just 5 people jumping around the room miming to various pop songs in cheap outfits. Seriously, a normal band would have been much better. We were put down as vegetarian for the dinner but I told the organiser two days before that we eat fish and he said that he will organise us to have this on the menu as we would prefer that. Well on the night that didn't happen and the food for the mains was disgusting, it was just badly flavoured tofu! I told the head Waiter that we were expecting fish and he just completely ignored me, only when another member later on in my party spoke to them in Spanish did they prepare us a fish main course and none of us touched the tofu. Also the rooms looked a bit small and shabby. I took a plug out the socket and the whole thing came out of the wall, and the mini fridge had a key which also kept coming out. The beds also felt like in a budget hotel. For the price we paid I was expecting more from this hotel I'm afraid. I had to be honest.
Hotel Botánico
Dear Deniselondon818, We very much appreciate and respect all the opinions of our beloved guests, but would like to make some clarifications to your review in order to provide accurate information to TripAdvisor users. As you may have read in previous reviews, our hotel stands out for the excellent service that we provide and for the perfect state of maintenance of the whole facilities. I therefore regret not having met your expectations on this occasion and that the service in certain departments, such as the breakfast area, has not been to your liking. I would also like to mention the we usually receive an important number of compliments and praise for the professionalism and especially for the friendliness of the staff, particularly for the senior members. I am therefore astonished to read that you experience has not been a pleasant one and that these guidelines did not apply in your case. I certainly apologize for her behavior and will have a conversation with the front desk manager to ensure that all our guests are treated with respect and kindness. I would also like to thank you for other your valuable comments and for drawing my attention to the important aspects that you mention on your review. I am pleased to inform you that both the interior tiles of the Spa swimming pool and of the main pool have been completely replaced. We have also replaced the tiles around the Spa inside pool for more secure and less slippery ones, in order to prevent any unfortunate incidents. The temperature of the Jacuzzis is checked two times per day and maintained at 34/35ºC, which is the maximum temperature allowed by the health authorities. The thermal sensation may however vary, depending on the weather, which can be cooler in the Winter period, but as you have experienced, still allows swimming and sunbathing. As for the access rules to this particular area of the hotel, I understand and agree that your baby would not cause any nuisances to other guests, but if we make an exception with your baby, we will be forced to allow other perhaps less tranquil babies and children in, which would result in detriment of our guests relax and comfort. Regarding the conditioner, we have decided not to place this product in the bathrooms as its’ container would otherwise look burst, but have it at your disposal upon request. Due to a stock rupture from our supplier several months ago, we had to searched for a temporary alternative but this issue has now been solved and we offer the conditioner from the same brand as the rest of the products. I also regret that the performances during our New Year’s gala dinner have not been to your liking and that the information did not flow correctly between departments regarding your dinner preferences. I remember mentioning this in the meeting we had just after New Year and we have already foreseen new guidelines and new procedures to prevent similar issues this year. We would be very happy to welcome you at a later time so that you can experience the improvements we have made and the continuos work we carry out daily in order to warrant our guests a throughout faultless and magnificent stay. We thank you for your understanding and remain at your entire disposal for any further thoughts you might wish to share. Yours sincerely, Gustavo Escobar Hotel Manager