Grupotel Gran Vista & SPA

Between 5 and 6:30 pm there’s nothing to eat at the hotel, so you have to go out. The bar food isn’t great, and the buffet is just okay. At the spa, most buttons don’t work, and some areas around the pool and spa are moldy. After a day or two, the Wi-Fi stopped working for no reason. The nearby beach is very wavy, and you really have to drive to reach the others. Some waiters, especially at breakfast, were rude and unhelpful; one day they told us the tables were reserved. It’s a nice hotel, but it really needs major renovation. The rooms and reception have clearly been redone, while the pools, spa, restaurants and bars look dated. For what you pay, it isn’t worth it.

The breakfast buffet had plenty of choice, the front-desk staff were friendly and helpful, and the bed was comfortable. Still, this felt like an average stay for a four-star hotel, and I’d rate it 3/5. The property and room are showing their age, and my view faced a construction site or something similar. Collecting beach towels meant walking to the far end of the complex each time. At checkout, I was surprised to find the luggage scale cost 1 €, which seems like it should be included at this level.

The only things I enjoyed were the pool sports and dances led by two motivated girls, and the location at the top of the downtown street. For me, this is a low-budget hotel charging high prices, saving every cent. Even the water in reception and at breakfast tasted chlorinated and wasn’t drinkable. The rooms offer almost nothing: no bottled water, coffee machines or irons. At best, it’s a two-star place. I won’t return. The room was noisy from every direction. Heavy chairs moving above, probably from cleaning staff, and TUI buses reversing both woke us up. People walking along the hallway after the hotel’s show time woke us too. The show seemed more for children than adults, based on its quality. There’s a large gap under the bathroom door, so you can hear everything. The beds were so hard I couldn’t sleep for the first five days. After I asked for a topper, I waited over a day and got a simple blanket to put on the mattress. I had to ask three times because they had my room number wrong. The room cards kept stopping working, and we were locked out seven times. I told staff this wasn’t okay, but they didn’t even apologise. On departure, the older blonde woman on night shifts who speaks German was rude, with no friendly goodbye. Beach towels are only available at inconvenient time windows in the other building, a seven-minute walk away. You have to go there to use one of just two shared irons too, which is ridiculous when you’re carrying all your clothes. The pools had so much chlorine that my swimsuit was bleached. And weighing luggage costs an extra 1 €.

The pool areas are excellent, and the spa and gym are great. The rooftop bar may be the best around, with amazing views of the beach and mountains. Staff were all lovely in our experience, and I’d definitely come back. The canteen was okay but hectic in July, so we preferred the many nearby restaurants and bars. Air conditioning was hit and miss. The living area in our apartment cooled well, but the bedroom didn’t, so I ended up sleeping in the living room. We also had a noticeable ant problem in our room and got a few bites on our hands. There were even more ants at the kids’ park, which is surrounded by grass and sand. Nothing extreme, but noticeable.