Nearly great. ..

Firstly I'll start by saying we enjoyed our holiday at hotel botanico. All the staff members we encountered were helpful and friendly and a credit to the hotel. The food at the restaurants in the evening was nice and service good. We opted for half board as not knowing the area, we thought it would be wise to ensure evening meal was in hand and easy with the children . The problem is that you are limited to 2 restaurants - the oriental, and il papagallo, as the third one, 'the slim' isn't a suitable option for children in terms of menu choices and seems designed for those on a wellness break. A real shame as they no longer have an authentic spanish option for guests, and our 10 night holiday meant repetitive dining options in the hotel. Also, having booked with Jet 2, unless all members of the family are having starters, mains, and deserts, the half board is generally more expensive than if you just paid for each meal separately. Breakfast was buffet work love cooking for things like omelettes, and was excellent. It had everything you could want and more, in a relaxed atmosphere. All the waiting staff were excellent. The room was comfortable and clean, if a little dated with lack of plug sockets/USB charging points etc. I would also echo the point raised in other reviews regarding the lack of tea /coffee making facilities in the room. The hotel is meant to be 5 star... We did bring a travel kettle and purchased milk across the road at the supermarket.. But we shouldn't have had to... As it has been mentioned numerous times in reviews you would think hotel management would have quickly sorted this following customer feedback. The noise from other rooms / corridor was minimal which made for a better night's sleep. Air conditioning wasn't particularly powerful and despite being on full we couldn't get the temperature below 21.5°. I can recommend a room facing the main pool.. Minimal noise from the traffic but the views of the mountains were amazing. The hotel grounds are well kept and beautiful to walk round. The gardeners take great pride in their work and are happy to chat about the abundance of plants and flowers. The kids were given bags of food to feed the fish and turtles. No issues getting a sun lounger during the week although noticably busier on the weekends, I'm guessing with those on spa breaks but still free beds available. There was evening entertainment but due to the expensive drink prices in the bar we didn't partake which was a shame. So.. Why not 5 stars... Smoking.!! Staying with children meant we were limited to the main pool which also meant we had to suffer the numerous smokers who, have zero consideration for others were quite happily inflict their disgusting habit on everyone else including young children. The hotel needs to sort this by having separate sections for smokers away from families and others who don't wish to be passively poisoned.. Especially in a hotel promoting its health and wellbeing. This also goes for the Italian restaurant. Sat out eating on the terrace, we were subject to yet more inconsiderate people spoiling our meal by smoking at the dining table. We mentioned this at the reception and we did receive feedback saying that it is not illegal in Spain to smoke outdoors so they have to let people... Strange as they have non smoking tables outside at breakfast!? Ironically the fire alarm sounded around 11.30pm on the Sunday night because someone decided to smoke in their non smoking bedroom... Not conducive to a good night's sleep having to wake the children to be ready to evacuate! Other minor disappointments were things like extra charges for the fitness classes etc which in every other 5 star hotel I've stayed in around the world have been included for hotel guests. Also, can I suggest having a family hour each day for those with children looking to visit the spa. I totally understand you don't want small kids running about screaming in what is designed as a relaxing environment but with children of 12 and 15 as ours are, it's a shame they couldn't partake in the facilities. So, A real shame because other than the smoking issue I would have scored the hotel 5 circles and considered returning but unless management make changes to this issue, which to be frank is an easy fix, I will be reluctant to return. ...