Lopesan Villa del Conde Resort and Thalasso

The grounds are awesome, and I thought the style, architecture, and gardens were the best in the area. We had a double room overlooking the pool with everything we needed. The corridors could be a little echoey and noisy, but not enough for me to complain. Service was good and handled professionally. The buffet had good quality and choice, and breakfast was great. There were a few bars to choose from, and the entertainment was decent for that time of year. We stayed through Jet 2 on a half-board basis and would definitely return.

The rooms were big, clean, and quiet, with comfortable beds. The bathroom was well kept, with a bath, shower, fresh towels every day, and tea and coffee facilities plus a minibar. The location was handy for the beach, facilities, and public transport. I did miss having a phone charging socket near the headboard. At night, charging it farther away meant I couldn't reach it from bed. A small thing, but irritating, so four stars.

Josieu from customer relations was amazing and helped us get a car to Tejeda. The family activities, like darts and tennis, were good, but the kids' club needs longer hours. There should also be more than six customer relations staff for 1,000 guests. Staff seemed to be trying, but didn't seem trained for a five-star resort. When I asked where restaurants or buildings were, I was told, "I don't know." Expect to get lost, be told you can't take your coffee outside, and don't dare take a banana from the buffet. I was also specifically told I couldn't sit and eat my own snacks. The food was a big disappointment. My "partial" ocean view was mostly trees and far off. At breakfast, the broccoli looked badly overcooked and had no flavour, there was very little salad, and the tomatoes were so unripe I couldn't eat them. No granola, watery porridge, and the 10-minute eggs looked unsafe because they were so raw. Even the 12-minute egg had a strange texture. I wrote a much longer review, including how other guests were also unhappy with the food and lack of service. If all you want is to sit by the pool, don't mind not having an ocean view, and are okay being treated as if you're at a three-star resort, then give it a try. There's also a system that won't allow medium or bad reviews to be posted. Five-star reviews go through without a problem, but two-star reviews have a problem.

The resort itself is beautiful and has a great atmosphere. The pool staff were knowledgeable, and the breakfast team did a great job. But the service was inconsistent, especially around dining, and that was disappointing for a resort of this standard. As a traveler with celiac disease, I found the dietary arrangements frustrating. Food labels didn't clearly list allergens, and staff couldn't help me. At dinner on January 22, staff said I hadn't ordered a gluten-free meal, even though I could see my order and room number on their list right in front of them. Some of the service staff were unfriendly, unhelpful, and nearly rude. It didn't feel like the smooth, hospitable stay you'd expect here. It was a good stay overall, but the gaps in service left me let down. I'd skip the dinner package, as nearby restaurants offer much better food and hospitality.