Arcos Playa Apts

The location is right on the beachfront, which is perfect, and S’Illot itself is lovely if you want a peaceful holiday. There are plenty of cafes, bars, and restaurants for people-watching, a beautiful beach, and a long walk between beaches without traffic. It’s good for young families too. The accommodation, though, felt more like a hostel. The furniture was cheap and tatty, the beds were hard and uncomfortable, and the bath was rusty, although the overhead shower was lovely and hot. There were silverfish in the bathroom and kitchen cupboards. One bed had ripped but clean bedding, and my brother-in-law had a rusty fridge in his room. Our apartment was in a separate block from the main hotel, so with so many other places nearby we decided not to use the hotel facilities. There’s no lift, and walking four flights of eight steps to and from the apartment was painful for me. The rooms need a full upgrade. I wouldn’t stay again. I know it’s somewhere to sleep and shower, but I want some comfort as well.

The location is great, but the apartments aren’t worth even one star. Avoid them if you want a comfortable night’s sleep. They’re dirty, and for self-catering all you get is a toaster and a double electric hob. That’s it, so it’s hard to do much. There’s no maid service, so you’ll have to clean as you go and ask for extra clean towels if you need them. It can be very loud where it’s located. The main building is on a main road, and the extra apartments across the road are noisy too. Avoid if you don’t want a budget holiday.

It’s basic, just as described, and the rooms were clean. But lots of furniture needed throwing out: the kitchen tables and chairs were broken and badly stained, and the table wood was peeling so I got splinters whenever I touched it. On our third day the toilet broke and wouldn’t flush, so we had to use the one in reception until it was fixed that night. I found the bar staff terrible. I was left waiting for over 20 minutes while the guy served every other table and cleared tables, but completely ignored us. When I went to the bar, he walked away, so I left. They seem very welcoming to regular guests, but less so to new ones. The owner, toni, was lovely, though. There’s no air conditioning, so you need a fan in the rooms.

We arrived around midnight, and a staff member gave us an apartment key and told us to check in properly at 9 AM. The room smelled very strongly, mostly from the toilet, as if someone had vomited there and it had never been cleaned. There were also blood stains on the bedsheets and pillows in both bedrooms. We contacted your customer service 7-8 times that morning, but were only told to speak to reception at 9. The receptionist said there were no other rooms and that she’d send a cleaner. The cleaner removed the stained pillow cover and suggested using air freshener in the bathroom. She said she only works there and that we should ask reception for another room, which we’d already tried without success. We asked several times for help finding somewhere else to stay, but your colleagues kept saying they couldn’t book a hotel themselves and that we’d have to arrange it. It was 11 AM, and since arriving at midnight we hadn’t been able to use the toilet at all. Following your advice, we’re now trying to find alternative accommodation ourselves. We’ve had to cancel today’s plans because we can’t even get ready. My wife and I both took leave from work for this trip, and we’re here with our three children. Your colleague called 30 minutes ago and said she’d call back soon, but we’re still waiting. We’ve spoken to three different customer service representatives without any resolution. At this point, we’re forced to find somewhere else to stay!