Eden

We’ve just got back and had a wonderful stay. We were self-catering, but met guests who really enjoyed the all-inclusive, so we’ll come back and try that. There are nice bars just around the corner at Europa Center. The Activv staff were brilliant and engaging, and the bar and reception staff were lovely. One downside was the pool rules: you couldn’t toss a ball to each other or use lilos. I could maybe understand that in peak summer, but it was quiet and it would’ve been nice.

The Wi-Fi was painfully slow, unreliable and often unavailable throughout my stay. Emails wouldn’t send, pages wouldn’t load, and trying to get any work done was infuriating. I ended up using my own mobile data for basic tasks and paying extra out of pocket to make up for the hotel’s poor connection. It disrupted my work, wasted time and caused needless stress. There was no real fix offered, and no sign of urgency or concern. Guests were left dealing with a broken service. For a hotel presenting itself as professional, failing to provide a working internet connection is a serious problem. The Wi-Fi badly affected my stay and left me deeply disappointed. I expect an explanation, fair compensation and prompt action to fix it. I can’t recommend the hotel to anyone who needs reliable internet or values their time.

The pool was clean and usually quiet, and the hotel never felt too busy, which we really liked. The staff were very friendly, and it seems well suited to children of any age. Our small room was enough for us, housekeeping was very good, and we got fresh towels almost every day. Air conditioning costs extra, though we didn’t need it. Some drinks and ice creams also cost extra, but there were enough included drinks to choose from. Ice cream is expensive all over the island, probably because it has to be imported. The food was tasty and there was a good range. Some meat was overcooked and tough, or possibly reused. They use much less sugar than we do in the Netherlands. I’d have liked more variety in the desserts, which were all cake-like.

There’s plenty to like, but cigarette smoke is hard to escape. The dining and entertainment area has smoking sections at both ends, and the smoke drifts through. There wasn’t fresh air anywhere, indoors or outside.