Koala Garden Suites

This hotel is average and is definitely not a 4* hotel as per its ratings.

We arrived on a Saturday evening after a 1.5 hour transfer (we were drop 8 of 9!) Which meant we missed the cut off for dinner. The reception staff were lovely and welcoming and check in was quick. Sandwiches were available but the bread was stale. Fruit was also available. Our room was in zone 2 at the quiter side away from the "main" pool which was perfect for us. The room itself was huge and clean. The air con was great and the standalone shower was amazing. The only downside of the room was the very uncomfortable beds and I like a firm mattress. The room also had a complimentary bottle of water. We opted to have our room cleaned daily for fresh towels, and this was missed once. As we were ground floor, we had a terrace with two chairs, a table and there were sun loungers directly outside our room which we used daily. This was on a slope so just had to be careful getting on and off the loungers. We looked onto the outside restaurant area.

As the bar was still open (closes at 11 which we thought was early initially but can see why now) we went over to get a drink and have a seat. This is when we realised there isn't actually a designated seating area like there is in most hotels. There was an amphitheatre where the "entertainment" took place, but who wants to sit in a horseshoe on holiday. There were a few high tables with really uncomfortable stools, but I could see why everyone just goes back and sits in their balconies. For us, this was one of the biggest let downs of the holiday.

There is only one bar and one person serving at all times, and all drinks are served in small, plastic cups. At the pool bar, there is a self service coffee machine, fruit juice machine (very syrupy), and soft drinks machine. There is also milk in cartons and "snacks" such as pastries and nuts available. We mostly stuck to cider. The cocktails are made from a machine and are also very syrupy and don't taste great. The sports bar is indoors and runs off the same bar. It is very stuffy inside and no one ever sat in there.

Food wise, this was the biggest let down and I suppose, the gamble you take going all inclusive. There was always something to eat, but the quality of food is very poor. The amount of flies in the restaurant put us off eating things such as the fresh fruit. I completely understand that flies are prevalent in warm countries, however, I think basic cleaning is missed which adds to this. Breakfast is probably the best option with fresh eggs, pancakes and churros. Lunch choice tended to be better than dinner but we pretty much lived off pizza, which was nice. Fresh fish options were available most days and pork was available a lot. I had chicken a few times, but there was one occasion when this didn't look fully cooked. Breakfast served 8-10, lunch 1-3, and dinner 6.30-9.30. The snack bar is available 12-4 and serves burgers, hot dogs, and pizza. There is a self serve drinks machine for soft drinks and beer pump. The lady that served here (and for evening meals at dinner) was lovely and an asset to the team.

Cleanliness - overall, room cleanliness was good. The pool we were at was cleaned daily too. The communal area cleaning, however, was poor. Not once did we see any of the communal areas being cleaned. The AstroTurf is very dirty and there is lots of debris. There is also cat pee and poo, so be careful. On our arrival, there was a cat poo outside our terrace; we raised this with reception and it was cleaned within an hour. By cleaned, I mean sweeped up. There were several more throughout the week. There were also empty cups and glasses left lying around and whilst I totally agree those staying should be responsible and return these to the boxes provided, I also feel that these should be cleaned away daily if left. Likewise, the sun loungers were never cleaned. The outside restaurant area I seen been fully mopped once, the rest of the days it was "sweeped", only the areas were crumbs were visible. I think this contributes to the fly issues. There are also several cats which get fed by the restaurant and a few times, they were in the indoor part of the restaurant.

Entertainment was poor. During the day, the team only went around the "main" pool to get people involved and this seemed to be darts, ping pong and a volleyball game. In the evening, there is a mini disco for kids and a koala bear visits. After that, it is mainly bingo or karaoke or a quiz I think. There were no shows that I would have expected at a 4* resort. Everyone pretty much goes back to their own balconies because the atmosphere is so poor. Again, I think this relates back to no seating areas.

To summarise, this hotel has potential and the staff were lovely. During the day, it pretty much has everything you need, but the atmosphere in the evening is poor. Food quality and cleanliness in communal areas really let this hotel down. We would not return.

I went with my partner and our 2 children for 10 days and we had the best time! The room was cleaned regularly, the food wasn’t terrible, different food almost every day, the cocktails were nice lived the snack bar and the entertainment team were amazing! Laura, Kendra and angel were so good to us, funny, inclusive and so funny and kind, we’d go back just for them tbh :) for our first family holiday it was perfect for us. Thankyou mainly to the entertainment team for everything! Bye bye butterflies 🙌🏽 ☺️ from Siobhan, Daryl, Layla & Roman - “ exactly exactly”

There were some positives but also some major letdowns that really impacted our holiday.

I’ll start with the positives. The staff at this hotel are incredibly friendly, welcoming, and genuinely do their best to make you feel at home. The woman serving at the snack bar was an absolute star and provided brilliant service. Furthermore, once we were settled, I couldn’t fault the room. The cleanliness and quality of the accommodation areas were excellent, and housekeeping did a great job.

Unfortunately, the negatives were quite significant. Our stay got off to a bumpy start because our first room was completely unsuitable. The terrace was broken and uneven, making it a serious trip hazard.

The biggest disappointment, however, was the food. The quality in the main restaurant was frankly dire. It was so unappetising that we were completely unable to eat there, and we ended up spending extra money to go out for dinner every single evening.

The main pool and pool bar area were another major issue. We were completely put off from using the main pool because there was a distinct, overpowering smell of cat urine in the surrounding area. To make matters worse on the hygiene front, there was an incident with a child. Despite clearly being toilet trained, she thought it was hilarious to just wee all over the floor, even though she was no more than ten paces away from the actual WCs. It was bizarre, unhygienic, and really put a dampener on the communal areas.

Overall, while the staff are wonderful and the rooms are kept spotlessly clean, the terrible food, hazardous first room, and gross hygiene issues around the pool mean we sadly won't be returning.