Monica Isabel Beach Club

This was the worst hotel experience I have ever had. The entire place felt more like a prison than a hotel, with a tired, run-down atmosphere that seemed stuck in the 1970s. Check in was awful, everything is so slow. We arrived 10am as organised by jet2 but could not check in till 4… so 6 hours to kill…. Drinks were ok but the cocktails were extra and you had to pay for. The food was so poor that we chose not to eat there so budget for eating out. We were happy to eat out but if you were on a budget this could be problematic. Felt like a canteen kind of vibe. Getting to our room was a nightmare. We had to walk through multiple buildings, cross a separate road, (all uphill) and navigate three different lifts, one of which was out of order. This made carrying luggage extremely difficult and inconvenient. 10 min trip to get to reception or the bar every day was just awful. The staff were rude, unhelpful, and showed little interest in resolving any issues. To make matters worse, in our room the patio did not close properly… someone had clearly put the locks on backwards making it impossible to shut! I felt unsafe and not secure, bathroom seems to flood a little when using the shower too. There were also people not staying on the complex parking next to our room and Heading off to the beach for the day, some were sales people or randoms not staying at the complex which only added to the uncomfortable atmosphere. Aircon was in the kitchen sitting area but not the bedroom! Very bizarre… Overall, this hotel was dated, poorly maintained, and offered very poor service. I understand you get what you pay for, but I would expect doors to lock, aircon as advertised and staff that engaged with customers. Totally unorganised. I would not recommend staying here and certainly would not return. Had to get drunk to get through it!

Location was really good and reasonably close to the old town, which we did use the free bus for. Unfortunately so did 100's of others, bus was so overcrowded people had to stand up on the coach with no AC. Atmosphere was generally good and friendly. Although a large group of men arrived chanting football songs and shouting obscenities around the pool, when family's are enjoying them selves, didnt go down well at all (this continued for the rest of our stay)! As far as I am aware nothing was done about their behaviour from the hotel management. Evening entertainment was good although the kids disco with the same songs every night was a bit much to stomach. The bar terrace area was also far to insufficient for the amount of people staying, with cobbled floors ( not ideal or safe). Also dont expect a comfortable seat, they are cheap and plastic and not fit for purpose. We had an apartment, basic is too polite! There was literally nothing to our room, although the beds were comfy and the AC was excellent. Just like the entire hotel, it was like an abandoned building inside and out! Very decayed and falling apart, we didnt expect much but this shocked us for what we paid. All of the communal areas where the same, dilapidated and decayed and nothing in them to brighten them up, just empty! Lovely to be close to the beach and pool but again pool areas (same condition as the rest) was no where big enough for even half the guests staying. Buffet restaurant food was extremely poor (again our expectations were low before we arrived), very little choice for anyone. Hot food was always cold in the restaurant and the "snack bar" only served toasties or rolls which are made days in advance. Not what I call a snack bar! Needless to say for the first time ever we couldnt wait to leave. I do not recommend this hotel especially for the price we paid through on the beach.