Miramar

The hotel has a reading room, pool table, bar, large reception area, outdoor pool with loungers, toilets, showers and a changing room. There’s also a pool bar open all day. The staff were excellent, friendly and very helpful, and the food was very good during our stay. Meals are buffet style, with plenty to choose from each time. We were on half board, but paid an extra 10€ each on days we stayed at the hotel. That covered lunch and local drinks from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. It was well worth it, since two drinks at night cost 11€ for a G&T. We had a great stay, but the place looks and feels a bit sad and could use some money spent on it. With an update, it could have been a definite 5-star hotel.

I enjoyed my holiday. The island is beautiful, and for me it’s about how we feel and choose to spend our time there. The hotel is basic, with a pool, small garden and other facilities available for an extra charge. Getting to the sea or town means a physically demanding walk with steps, so a taxi or rental car is an option. Many people choose half board rather than go back and forth during the day. The food was basic and mostly the same each day, with a few changes. I liked having different fish for five days in a row, but there was almost no fruit. The bar was okay, though hours were limited. Unless you were all inclusive, there was no fresh water outside mealtimes.

The only pluses were the pool and, if you’re lucky, a decent view. I gave it one star only because there was no option for zero. The place looked like an old retirement home, with furniture that seemed unchanged since the 1960s and a depressing layout. I wanted to leave as soon as I walked in. Staff were unfriendly, spoke very little English and seemed uninterested when I spoke to them. It felt like “please” and “thank you” weren’t in their vocabulary. As someone who needed halal food, I had very few options. Meat was in nearly every dish, so eventually I had to choose a meat dish and pick the meat out just to eat the rest, since the alternatives weren’t edible. The fish tasted as if it hadn’t been washed in years, then had tomato sauce dashed over it and clam shells scattered around as decoration. My two-year-old nephew could have cooked the same thing. And the spaghetti had hard, uncooked bits of pasta in it. I’m running out of words. Our room was stuffy with little ventilation, even with a small balcony, and there was no window in the toilet. After eating the hotel food, trust me, you’d want one. I also used the downstairs toilet once. I assumed it had just been cleaned, but there was so much chlorine that my eyes watered and I felt dizzy. Jokes aside, that’s a serious health hazard and could have had serious repercussions for other visitors.

The room we ended up in had a breathtaking view over the town, volcano and sea, plus a small balcony just big enough for the two of us. We’d originally been given a room with no view, but it was changed. Our stay was nice, comfortable and definitely memorable, and I’d come back. Thank you. Some parts of the hotel need updating, and the food let it down: the choices were limited and repetitive, though there was enough to feel full. The staff’s organisation and professionalism were outstanding. I might have liked to see more smiling faces, but I felt comfortable, and my questions were answered and dealt with straight away.