Garden Playanatural - Adults Only

Booked this hotel as it was my birthday the day we arrived. Had a disappointing transfer with Tui left FARO 09:50 and arrived at the hotel 14:15. This was not the fault of the hotel but I was not expecting to spend most of my birthday on a bus. The hotel was very clean and spacious and the reception was very friendly on check-in. I was disappointed that despite being all-inclusive we only had a handful of fruit tea in the room which was never replenished although I did ask for coffee as I don't drink tea. Also no milk in the room. I was advised these were only given first day as a present. We had the same glasses throughout our stay and we washed them ourselves daily. The hotel was noisy at night sounded like trollies were being moved around or similar not sure if it was due to tiled floors that made it noisy. The food was lovely in the restaurant although the last week we were told the hotel was closing for the end of the season this coming Sunday you could tell as the food variety was not the same as the first week. 2 lovely large swimming pools with plenty of sun loungers, although they were freezing cold. You could swim in the indoor pool in the spa between 12-4 if you purchased a swimming cap at 3 euros each. Towels were available at 10 euros each deposit and 1 euro to change them. The spa was lovely had a facial which was very relaxing and the staff were friendly. Entertainment in the evenings started quite late The African singers were amazing and the acrobat show was good. The animation team did quizzes and Karaoke which was good fun although I thought their show was very childlike. The animation team did activities during the day like aqua dance in the pool if you were brave enough to go in, archery, bingo, table tennis and walking. The Pool bar if you were all-inclusive food was burger, hot dog or toasty. You could have 30% discount on anything or use the restaurant which we did. Drinks were included and a good choice was available. Bar staff were friendly but you were limited to two drinks at a time which was fine except when you were sat in a group. Glasses always dripped all over you not sure why. It would have been nice to have a lounge bar or somewhere else to have a drink if you didn't want to listen to the entertainment there wasn't an alternative. There was also only 1 buffet restaurant no a la carte or different restaurant. Also could have benefited for a shop for customers on bed and breakfast or half board. The hotel was bright and airy and the gardens were beautiful and very peaceful to sit in. The location was very quiet and opposite a woodland overlooking a marina. The town was a good 3km walk away and not much open to see. You could get a taxi for 15 euros if it is too far to walk. Nice walk from the hotel about 15 mins to the beach via a woodland walk and under a subway and across the road. There is a supermarket down the hill but the hill is a little steep for people with walking difficulty as some of the pavements are

We visited the hotel at the beginning of October. I’d been anxious about negative reviews but our experience was generally good. All members of staff were helpful and polite and we had no real issues. We were allocated a room at the side of the hotel with a pleasant view of the trees and the sea in the distance. We were not charged for a sea view. The hotel is very well kept and our room was clean and comfortable with a huge bed and lots of space. Food was generally good - a good selection for breakfast, lunch and dinner (we were on an AI rate). We didn’t try the pool bar for lunch as there were limited choices. Wine selection for AI was very poor. We diluted with sparkling water! Only one wine allowed of red, rose and white. No Cava in restaurant although allowed in bar or by the pool. Odd! Our pre dinner g and ts in the bar were fine. Entertainment was very hit and miss. The Soul evening was excellent but some of the offerings by the entertainment team fell short of enjoyable. Swimming pools were huge and great to swim once you got over the slight chill. Not many people used the pools for swimming! Loads of sun beds but they are not very comfortable and many need replacing. We used a cushion which helped a bit. The hotel is in a lovely setting but is very remote. We had a car so this wasn’t a problem for us - we visited the local town - El Rompido - which has a great nature walk from the car park by the lighthouse. Also recommend a trip to Ayamonte. A good value holiday and we were blessed with amazing weather.

We arrived at the hotel at around midnight on the Sunday, check in was very quick and easy and the hotel had food prepared for our arrival. One issue we had though was that we weren’t informed my TUI that the hotel was completely closing for the season at 12pm on Sunday even though our flight was at 8pm, reception didn’t seem to be aware of this, however the issue was resolved with TUI and we have to spend the day at a different hotel. The room itself was very nice, big double bed with extra pillows and duvets in the cupboard, the cleaners were outstanding, cleaned the room every single day no complaints about the room other then no milk for the coffee and tea. Me and my partner went half board, there were two places to have lunch at the hotel the pool bar and the buffet, the pool bar food is delicious and at a decent price, personally only went to the lunch buffet once as it cost 40€ but I guess it’s a 3 course all you can eat. However you are given the option to swap dinner for lunch if you want to get dinner someplace else. We don’t drink so didn’t try the beverages but we made use of the free water fountains around the hotel to fill our bottle. The breakfast and dinner at the hotel were very nice, mostly the same every day but still enjoyable. The pool area is lovely, was very quiet and plenty of empty sun beds, the pool is cold but it’s what you expect with an outdoor pool. The night time entertainment is fantastic we really enjoyed it, however a 10pm start is quite late but with dinner not starting till 8pm it was fine. Overall throughly enjoyed our stay, very relaxing and very friendly staff with clean facilities.

Hotel Gardenplaya Location is remote, up on a long hill, good views but if mobility is an issue this is not for you should you wish to stroll somewhere. However during our stay it was on the whole quiet & relaxing. Weather during our stay was an average 26 degrees, good sunshine, being British looked forward to a cool bedroom to sleep in, however the Air con did not work! (See other reports stating same). To be precise, it was not turned on “centrally”. Asked reception to solve only to be told by the Most Aggressive receptionist I have ever encountered, (took my breath away)! that it is not hot enough to turn on, so NO! What ever happened to customer service*?Were they saving on energy costs? I later found out that Spanish guests were complaining it was too cold in the Hotel, this is mostly a Spanish guest hotel, Brits are in the minority. By the Way my Spanish is extremely poor, so I respect anyone who can converse in another language, but here nearly all staff have very limited comprehension of English.. Any way, asked for a fan and one did arrive after being told there were none! Two nights of a very hot (by my standard) room at night, had enough-found Tui rep (1) resulted in a message to the app said No can help, Air con will NOT we switched on! Mmm, well not taking that! saw Tui rep next day, need to say at this stage we were a party of 6 people, three rooms, spent over £5k for a week, we struck lucky as my next request to Tui rep (2) got a regional manager, now receiving a totally positive response, in my humble opinion the correct one. First class to them, thank you. Also met the Hotel Guest Experience manager, Totally encouraging response, a big shout out to out to Sara Rodriguez Herrera, thank you Sara between you both we had a cooling Aircon making the bedroom suitable to sleep in, why such a simple request/ action should cause frustration & distress… Perhaps Hotel receptionist needs a little training in hospitality?! Other… food was usual vast array of selection, never piping hot but a microwave was available. If all inclusive, Breakfast, Lunch both good, swift drinks service, plate clearing was hit & miss, Dinner. Doors open at 20:00 hours, 8 pm is quite late, for a Britt. Pool, there are Two, enough sun beds available, pool bar available for coffee & beers & light snacks, No staff service you collect yourself. Not a criticism just an observation, usual attempts to offer some games around the pool (naff) & well- evening entertainment - during our stay- inappropriate for the age profile of guests present, supported by only an average of 50 watching each evening, Bingo! DJ with club music, any way not my thing. Bar Drinks, usual, however if all inclusive, some Branded are available, but you have to be forceful with your request, or you get the local alternative. Be aware AI - All inclusive does not mean that here, all Pool bar snacks are chargeable with a 30% discount! Not an all inclusive Hotel.. Rooms adequate, large bed & pillow

The hotel is situated at the top of a fairly steep hill. We stayed for 1 week our purpose was to view the local properties and surrounding area prior to moving over to Spain. The hotel is very clean and the staff are usually attentive to customer needs. The room was very clean and made up every day. Facilities in the room were good with a bath and shower. Downsides, there is no coffee in the room, nor was any available. The bed was fairly comfortable, firm/medium and extra pillows are available in the room. The local 'supermarket' is very small and only had one jar of coffee available. Bring your own if you need a morning coffee. Unfortunately the aircon in our room was not working at all, luckily, we did not need it due to the time of year. Th spa was adequate for a small hotel, the indoor pool is quite small and more of a dip pool than a swimming pool. All floors are serviced by an elevator. The bars are only open limited times, when one closes another opens, so you are limited to where you can drink. During our visit, they had multiple problems with the soft drink system at the bar pool. Evening entertainment was quite good and varied each evening. Beach towels are available for £10 deposit, do not loose your ticket they give you as it is a problem to get your deposit back without it. The sun beds are not very comfy although there were plenty of them. The food was excellent with a good choice at each sitting. Each night is a themed night, so the menu was rotated which was nice. The food was fresh and tasty though it could have been a bit hotter at times. Staff were pleasant and always available, their command of the English language is very basic. There is a beach at the bottom of the hill, but not much else to do locally within walking distance. All in all a very pleasant stay for a 4 star hotel.

I would 100% recommend this hotel, we went on honeymoon for a week, It was also my husbands birthday during our stay and the staff sneaked a bottle of Prosecco in our room which was a nice surprise. There's always plenty of choice for food at the restaurant, it only opens for breakfast, dinner and an evening meal, all are serve yourself so you get what you like. All unlimited. The poolside bar serves burgers and hotdogs with chips 1-3pm and cheese and ham toasties with crisps 4-5pm. They serve cold drinks, wine and spirits until 7pm. The bar below the poolside bar opens at 7pm serving drinks and crisps. There's always food and drinks, plenty of choice too! Staff are always happy and pleased to serve (I will add if you're all inclusive, only 2 alcoholic drinks at a time, just means going up again lol. The staff really try and get you involved in activities unless you want a chilled time, they soon get to know who wants to. The aqua aerobics instructor's are amazing, how they dance like that for that long in that heat is unbelievable. They also play poolside bingo plus loads of other activities. The second pool is deeper and on the lower level, not as busy there, depends if you want to be in the quieter area. The room was lovely and clean, the beds and towels were changed daily (if you don't want/need room service there's a tag on your door to display this). There's a corner shop 5 mins away and beach 10 mins away. Great place, great location. Please ignore the negative reviews, don't let them put you off. Get early flights so you arrive in the day/evening. We will be going back, can't wait. Thank you all at Garden Playanatural, see you soon!

Our first time here and we didn't want it to end. Everything was beautiful, from the rooms to the views. Staff are so friendly and welcoming and they go above and beyond to make your stay special. There is lots to do in the day and evening from the fantastic entertainment team, i espically enjoyed the origami towel activity and aquafit was great fun. The food was on another level, with lots of choice and fantastic desserts. The harbour is about a 10 min walk were you can enjoy the local culture and have a drink/meal on the beach. I will hopefully visit this lovely hotel again one day. Thank you all for making my holiday a dream come true.