Occidental Arenas Blancas

The private beach was excellent, and there seemed to be enough loungers for everyone. The people working here were really friendly. Food got repetitive, and you’re better off arriving on time for meals. The biggest disappointment was finding cockroaches in the kitchen.

The location is prime. Since we had an all-inclusive stay at Barcelo Solymar, we could use the pools, decks and bars here too. The two resorts are right beside each other. I can’t comment on the rooms or food.

The outside of the building is peeling, and the place isn’t much to look at. The bar also shuts at 11:00 at night, earlier than at other hotels, and there wasn’t any real entertainment. I left Starfish in the city center to stay here, and that was a big regret. The buffet had no natural juice or soda choices. My room had no hot water, the air conditioner didn’t work, and the bathtub was unbelievably disgusting, with mold growing on the bottom. They told me not to change rooms because mine was one of the better ones. There’s no way this is a 4-star hotel, it feels like two stars. Be careful when heading to the hotel, because you could end up with nothing to eat, as seems to happen here.

The beach was beautiful and clean, and that was our favorite part. The location was good too, with the boulevard across the road offering snack bars and restaurants if you’re tired of the same buffet food. Food was pretty limited. Breakfast sometimes meant only bread, cheese and ham, with no eggs, bacon or pancakes. Lunch and dinner were okay, with a few things changed but mostly the same dishes each day. No hotdogs, hamburgers or fries. Crystal beer was great if you like beer, while the other drinks were just okay and there wasn’t much to choose from. The rooms were dated and poorly cleaned. Sheets were stained, the tubs were dirty when we arrived, and towels weren’t replaced. When we asked for clean ones, we were told there weren’t any extra. We also had an army of ants in our room on the first day and had to call housekeeping. Keep an eye on your beach towel too, since a maid might “accidentally” take it, and missing towels are charged. They cleaned the pools early in the morning, but by noon they were dirty from people swimming and stayed that way until the next morning. There’s no pool or beach service. Buffet service depended on who was serving, though some of the servers were lovely and helpful.