Arminda Hotel and Spa

The location was perfect for our group, which included a toddler. Getting around to other areas by public transport was convenient and affordable. The atmosphere in the hotel was peaceful, and both the common areas and the rooms were clean. The elevators were a bit tricky, as not all of them served every floor, which occasionally made things challenging with a stroller.

We have returned from a 10 day stay. We booked private transfers from the airport given as it's only 25 mins to the hotel rather than 60-90 minutes on the coach! We had a good time but found a few things that weren’t so great: 3 out of 4 of us got sick. We originally thought it was the food, but we ate different things. We were all sick unfort. A child had an accident by the kids pool on the concrete floor on the foot path. It was cleaned up by guests but obviously there are germs all around in the pool areas and restaurant. After some digging, we realised we had the noro virus which, not food poisoning. There is hand gel in the restaurant which i began using every time i came out of there. The restaurant can get very busy. People walking around without a care for others. One man, think German, physically moved my 5 year old out of the way so he could get to the food. He soon apologised after my partner looked at him sternly. My advise is to take your time and get your knife and folks first as you'll be waiting in the cue to grab them. They are not ideally placed. The hotel room was small. The bathroom was very small. It was a bit of a squeeze for 4 of us. We struggled to find decent shade by the pool. The umbrellas are mesh so they don't block out the sun completely so you aren't in any proper shade. We actually found the staff very average. There weren't many greetings from staff as you walked by. The waiting staff didn't speak to you and some looked rather miserable. When i worked in hospitality, you always spoke and greeted guests. This hotel certainly lacks this. The hotel seems to lack an air of friendliness. There was a large amount of football shirts at meal times and the amount of kids on tablets/headphoones and phones at meal times was a real shame to see. The beach is rammed with loungers. Not for us.

• The good:

The food is great. Lots of choice and the meats are cooked in front of you. The pancakes at breakfast are a huge hit and there are plenty drink choices. You can have snacks by the kids pool from 10.00. They have pizza's, toasties, doughnuts, fruit, salad, ice cream and popcorn. You can grab this any time you like which is really hand by the pool. The water slides open at 10 and close and 1230 and open at 1630. This is good as it gives guests on the loungers in front of the slides a break from getting wet from the huge water buckets and water shoots. The splash pool is great. Kids will have a blast here. The entertainment staff are great. Leli (i think he's called) needs an Oscar for his constant smile and energy. He really brings joy to the dance floor and i hope he gets the recognition he deserves. The circus was really good as was the acrobats and the parade. That was so good. There wasn't any mad rush for loungers. There is an ice cream hut from 10 and they also do small waffles. There is a lovely rugged beach about 10 mins away from the hotel. Go out the front of the hotel and turn right and you'll soon see it. It's rocky and the roar of the sea and the sea breeze is lovely. The hotel shop is good. Although expensive of you need last min sun cream. £17 for one bottle of sun cream!! There is a park for the kids by the kids pool which they enjoyed.

Tip: Bring hand gel/wipes. If you get loungers by the kids pool bucket area, move them back from the wooden area as you will get wet. Bring a small lunch box with you to pop food in it if you want to go to the beach or a day trip. You will have to pay hotel tax on arrival. It was 100 euros for 10 days. Take a walk up the hotel beach on the path as it's really pretty. We hired a pedalo for about 30 mins which was good fun.

Overall, we had a really good time here. The kids enjoyed and the food was great. It's clean and not to far from the airport if you choose a taxi. This was our first holiday for quite some time and although we got sick, we enjoyed it and had a good time.