Aparthotel Bahía

The people at reception were BRILLIANT, all three of them. They were chatty and made us feel welcome, and even arranged a free upgrade to a balcony room. One of the younger women spoke less fluent English, so I got to practice some Spanish. When I left my glasses at the local spa, the staff contacted them and organized a taxi so I could get them back. Everyone is treated as special here, and I’d happily return as soon as I can afford it. We stayed in the Bahia after visiting it and the Triana hotel over 10 years ago. The apartments are in a sister building, and share the hotel’s facilities. Our apartment had a bedroom, bathroom, living, dining and kitchen area, plus a balcony looking over houses and the sea on one side and the street on the other. We went at the end of May. The pool bar wasn’t open, but the pool was. It’s unheated, cool but not cold, and very refreshing. You can borrow towels with a refundable E10 deposit, and they’ll refresh them at no extra cost. The place was full the next day with several SEN sports groups, but it stayed lovely and quiet. The groups and their teachers were a lovely bunch. There’s a 'Chinese Bizarre' opposite, and Maxi Dia supermarket is a five-minute walk away. Even if you’re self-catering, try the hotel restaurant. Lunch or dinner is an E15 buffet, and breakfast is E8. We ate dinner there twice, and they brought out fresh crusty gluten-free bread for me. There’s a grill for fish and chicken, a huge salad selection, traditional Spanish dishes, pizza and pasta, plus fruit, desserts and ice cream. Wine and soft drinks are reasonably priced. Prices in Spain have gone up, but the restaurants and bars in Lo Pagan are still reasonable. Locals go to the hotel bar, where you can get pizzas and sandwiches, watch football, and order large spirits with mixers for E5.50.

There was a small problem with the shower drain, but it was sorted right away. The apartment has a lovely little view, and the air conditioning worked brilliantly.

I’ve stayed in these apartments four times in the past 12 months, and they’ve never let me down. The staff are friendly, welcoming, courteous and always willing to help. Their English is very good, which I appreciate since my Spanish is severely lacking. Daily cleaning keeps the comfortable one-bedroom apartment tidy. It has a good-sized living and kitchen area, plus a lovely large balcony. Hotel Triona next door also makes its facilities available. It’s very central, with plenty of local shops. The beach is about a 10-minute walk away, and there’s a bus stop across the road for trips to nearby towns. Anna from Ireland

The staff were nice and very helpful, but the buffet food was very poor. I saw it advertised at €6, so I don’t understand why we were charged €74 for four people. The only thing open was the pool, and there wasn’t much to do unless you walked a mile and a half. The best food we had was at the two Indian restaurants. We checked out four days early and went to la florida, where we had a much better time, though it cost us. I can’t see how anyone who gives the hotel five stars could have been staying in the same place as me.