Labranda Alyssa Suite Hotel

This is a hard review to write while trying to remain fair. This was our 5th visit to the hotel but sadly will undoubtedly be our last. I can only go on previous experiences and fairly compare. The general look of the place is less appealing and is beginning to look tired and less maintained. The paving around the complex has many cracked or missing tiles and the immaculate look is no longer there. There is noticeably less staff around in general for cleaning, dining and general maintenance. The amount of rubbish at the gates at the road entrance does not give a good first impression. The lobby bar is closed meaning all drinks outside of the dining room are available at the pool bar only. This means in the evenings there is no choice available to guests of where to have their evening drinks. Staff told us it was closed because nobody used it. This was certainly not the case in our previous visits with many guests sitting inside or indeed on the outside terrace with coffees and after dinnrr drinks. Due to lack of space at the pool bar guests are now sitting in the dark on sun loungers with breakable glass. Plastic cups are used till 730 in the evening which means you cannot have a lovely pre dinner drink out of a glass if you wish. Coffee/tea is only available in the restaurant at breakfast. All other times you have to queue at the pool bar to ask for a paper cup and then help yourself at the one coffee machine. Queues can be lengthy as guests ask for plastic or paper cups and then queue again at the self service machines. The standard of food has definitely changed for the worse. Breakfast was ok and the salad bar was acceptable. Severe lack of vegetarian food with awful labelling in general was unacceptable. The pizzas were piled high in cellophane wrappers as the chefs heated them at the pizza station which made me doubt what else was not freshly made. The dessert choice was so poor and ice cream in tiny pots available at lunch time only not at dinner. There was a whippy style machine which clearly was not working properly with tiny blobs of icy grey sorbet type substance appearing from the nozzle. The tables were often not cleared and reset in time for the next diners and we often commented guests who were first at the dining room were best fed as food was not replaced as quickly as it should be if at all. Staff on the whole seemed less happy than before. Sadly our 5th visit was really disappointing and feel a 3 is a bit generous but fair. This hotel definitely does not warrant 4 stars any more and should not advertise as such. The whole vibe appears to be about trying to cut costs to the detriment of its appearance and guest experience.

Incredibly disappointed - will not be returning!!

My mother and I attended Alyssa Suite in October and we were both left incredibly disappointed, with each day getting progressively worse. Firstly we arrived, and we were instructed to check in via a QR code, where’s the usual friendly welcome from staff? We were also dropped off at the bottom of the stairs (no fault of the hotel), with two heavy suitcases and no help offered. Once we arrived to our room, we were pleasantly surprised, the room was clean with fresh linen sheets and towels, however this took a turn..the air conditioning was abysmal, the door handle fell off and the furniture was battered. The cleaners would attend daily, but the towels would have stains on them and found our room unlocked once we returned from a day out. Thankfully nothing was taken, but still incredibly irresponsible and disrespectful.

The food was horrendous, it was the same thing day in day out. We ended up going out 4 nights of the 6 due to how awful the food was. I understand all inclusive’s are limited with food choices, however this is the worst I’ve ever seen.

In terms of the pool area, there are plenty of beds (if you can get a good one!!). There are several out dated beds which have caved in so you feel every bar beneath you. You also need to pay a €10 deposit per beach towel and it’s a €1 charge per towel per day if you wish to change it, which I found ridiculous.

The pool bar is okay, but there are times where there are horrendous queues (talking 10+). There’s a limited cocktail section, and they just taste like syrup, not nice in the slightest. The inclusive drinks aren’t the greatest, unless you like San Miguel which is on tap. As for the spirits they taste naff, but there is the option to buy the named stuff. The majority of the staff were accommodating and friendly, but there were a couple who were rude. I must say the entertainer, Salem, was fantastic. He’s full of energy and always so lovely. He hosts a music quiz most nights or a karaoke prior to the live show, and tries to get all those involved. The entertainment itself is mediocre, it’s just a different singer each night with the same songs.

As mentioned we did venture outside the hotel, and I would highly recommend visiting the Rubicón Marina, there are so many lovely restaurants overlooking the marina.

We were also informed late checkout would be an option on our arrival, however when we enquired about this later in the week, the receptionists just shook their heads. I understand this isn’t always possible, however typically hotels would have a separate place to have a shower etc prior to departure so you can still enjoy your last day. This unfortunately was not an option.

I can’t say I would ever recommend this hotel, nor be revisiting myself. If you want to visit Playa Blanca I’d suggest finding a hotel closer to the centre or the Marina!