Ocean Hostel

You can see the ocean right away, and the beautiful surroundings feel calm and refreshing. It's a lovely place for a family trip, with clean, comfortable rooms and lots of pools for swimming and relaxing.

I was at the pool with my family when a staff member stopped me and said I needed a swimming cap to go in. I'm bald. From what I found on Google, caps are mainly for hygiene because of hair, so I wondered whether that rule really needed to apply to someone with no hair. I hope the hotel trains staff better on why caps are required and lets them use some judgment in cases like mine. The reasons pools ask swimmers to wear caps include keeping dirt, oils, and hair products out of the water, and stopping loose hair from clogging filters or drains. Caps can also reduce drag for swimmers, protect hair from chlorine and other chemicals, and make swimmers easier for lifeguards to spot when brightly colored. Those last points seem more relevant to performance and safety, while hygiene and pool maintenance seem to be the main reasons. Also, I didn't see anyone take a quick rinse before getting into the pool.

I was quite satisfied, especially with the sea-view restaurant, though breakfast didn't have much variety. The room was a bit dusty and run down, perhaps because the unit is at road level. Its balcony faces the road, but a row of plants and bushes screens it.

We had a great time on this visit, five years after our last stay. My boy was too little to enjoy all the facilities back then, but this hotel is wonderful for a seven-year-old. It's close to a beach with rich marine ecology, and our room was clean. Breakfast was nice, with the menu changing each day during our stay. Some of the facilities need better upkeep, especially the pool deck, where nobody wants to get hurt walking. More elevators would be nice too. We'd love to return when the price is right.