Estival Park Silmar

The best parts were the breakfast, the snacks offered around lunch and dinner, and the friendly bartenders. They worked long hours, looked after us and kept the poolside clean. Our room was cleaned regularly, too. We stayed for seven nights and, while the trip was okay, it could have been better. We paid a lot for a view of the kitchen staff and the back of another hotel. When we asked to change rooms, the response was defensive and we were waved away. The main pool was too cold, with children splashing and shouting even though there was a separate kids’ pool. The rooftop pool was closed for the season, despite the 28-degree weather, and we hadn’t been told that when booking. Dinner had plenty of choices but was nearly always cold, even though we didn’t arrive late. The food was average.

My wife and I spent our honeymoon here, and we’ve come back at least four times since. The staff are fantastic and make even the kids feel welcome. Rooms are cleaned to a very high standard every morning. I’d definitely recommend staying here.

We checked in on March 28 and were woken by drilling and hammering, although the RCI listing said construction would finish on March 20. The grounds were unfinished, and our balcony faced construction debris and trash. We also had a broken TV and phone, plus ants in the apartment, which were treated after we reported them. The hot water was the biggest problem in our two-bedroom apartment at Estival Park, booked through RCI. Showers ran out in under two to three minutes. A technician said the boiler worked, but when we tested it together, the hot water was gone in under two minutes. At one point we had no hot water for several hours, despite not using any and despite the technician’s visit. The only option offered was showers in another building, which wasn’t practical for us. With these basic facilities missing and the listing inaccurate, we’re leaving two nights early. This isn’t what I expect from an RCI-affiliated resort. Hot water is a basic requirement. I also saw a review from 11 months ago mentioning shower problems, so it seems this may not be managed well.

The food was my one small disappointment, since it was almost the same every day. Otherwise, the room was lovely, clean and spacious, and the pool area was nice as well. The staff were polite. We had a late flight, and the receptionist let me leave my case in a safe room and keep using my all-inclusive wristband until we left the hotel later.