Empire Beach Aqua Park

The rooms were awful, small, and felt older than I am. The design was worse than I expected, and I couldn't tell whether the sheets and towels were clean. The fridge and hairdryer didn't work either. Outside looked fairly good, and the pools were acceptable, but the rooms were terrible. I only stayed one night and didn't try breakfast. Don't expect a 3-4 star hotel, I'd say it's two and a half at most, and definitely not worth the money. There's a mini golf sort of area, but it was in bad shape and nobody seemed interested in it. After breakfast there weren't snacks, just a few drinks, and I couldn't even have one because they took our bracelets off straight away. If you're very particular about cleanliness and expect a 3-4 star experience, this place isn't for you.

The beach and the friendly staff were the best parts of the holiday. The hotel itself felt very old fashioned, and the food was awful, poor quality, and the same every day with no variety. There were mouldy fridges and shower cubicles, faulty electrical sockets, and ants in the bed. It really needs to be knocked down and rebuilt. There seemed to be no care for health and safety or infection prevention and control.

We eventually moved to Sunny days farther down the road, and it was clean and much, much better. Before that, we had been offered an upgrade, but it wasn't any better. The room we stayed in was disgustingly dirty. I contacted TUI through the app, but it took a while, and we lost several days while the manager said he had another room or would arrange a deep clean. Deep cleaning wouldn't have fixed the problems we had. I've holidayed many times, even just this year, and this was the worst place I've ever been put in. There were so many steps to get around, and my 75 year old mother had trouble navigating them in the dark. The whole place needs knocking down. I couldn't believe the beer was served straight from a box without being refrigerated. Every plate I saw where food was served had chips or cracks, and everything was covered in cling film, even work surfaces. The hotel staff have a name for this particular hotel, but I won't repeat it here. We had thought we'd booked the hotel next door, which is the sister company, as many recent reviews have said.

We had to switch rooms at the start because the first one hadn't been prepared for a family of four. The replacement was a shock. Hot water came and went, the bathroom hadn't been cleaned, and things were falling apart. I've stayed in plenty of places and never complained before, but this felt like another reality. I have no idea where to begin with the room, it was terrible. I wouldn't recommend it at all. Even locals have a bad opinion of the hotel. Good luck if you go.