Grupotel Alcudia Pins

We booked this holiday through TUI as a 4-star resort, only to discover after booking that it had been downgraded to a 3-star hotel. We were not informed before travelling, and unfortunately our experience reflected the lower rating.

The biggest issue throughout our stay was cleanliness. The area around the main pool was filthy and appeared not to have been cleaned for at least a week. The stones around the pool even had green algae growing on them, making them look unhygienic and unpleasant. The poolside toilets were disgusting and clearly not cleaned regularly. At times, they were so dirty they were barely usable. We rarely saw any cleaners around the resort.

The main swimming pool was also closed for around half a day because it was too dirty, which was extremely disappointing on a family holiday where the pool is one of the main attractions.

The all-inclusive package was also underwhelming. Drinks were very limited, with only one bar serving the resort, resulting in long queues throughout the day and evening. There were also numerous activities advertised around the resort, but many came at an additional cost despite us paying for an all-inclusive holiday.

On arrival at around 2:30am, there were only two families waiting to check in, yet reception took an unreasonably long time to acknowledge us. Staff were unfriendly, didn’t smile, and simply pointed us in the direction of our room rather than showing us where to go or explaining the facilities. On departure, the service was just as poor. We were simply told “bye” with no interest in how our stay had been, and we had to ask ourselves where luggage could be stored.

The air conditioning in the rooms was poor and would not cool below 19°C, making sleeping uncomfortable in the heat.

One rule that made little sense was that all-inclusive guests were not allowed to take food from the restaurant to the sunbeds, yet guests who paid separately were allowed to do so.

There was also no comfortable indoor, air-conditioned area to relax in during the evenings apart from the small reception area.

Although there were daytime activities available, they were never announced around the pool or resort. Unless you regularly checked the hotel’s app, you wouldn’t know they were happening. No staff came around encouraging guests to join in, so the atmosphere often felt lacking.

For anyone with food allergies or dietary requirements, please be aware that food labelling in the restaurants was inaccurate or missing, which is unacceptable and could be dangerous.

Another major concern was the cleanliness of the restaurant glasses. On more than one occasion, they still had lipstick marks on them, suggesting they had not been washed properly.

Finally, mosquitoes were a huge problem. We appreciate this isn’t entirely the hotel’s fault, but there appeared to be no effort to reduce the issue or help guests. I was bitten so badly that I ended up needing antibiotics.

There was also a strong sewage smell around the entertainment bar and seating area, which made spending time there very unpleasant.

There are definitely some positives. The rooms were lovely, spacious and comfortable, with a nice balcony. The hotel is set in beautiful surroundings with attractive swimming pools, gardens and a lovely beach. There were always plenty of sunbeds available, even if you didn’t get to the pool until around 11am, which was a real bonus. However, many of the parasols were broken and in need of replacing.

Overall, this resort has so much potential because the location is beautiful and the rooms are lovely. However, poor cleanliness, weak customer service, hygiene concerns, disappointing all-inclusive facilities and a lack of maintenance meant it fell well short of the 4-star holiday we paid for. We left feeling disappointed and would not return unless significant improvements are made.

Pros: *Lovely spacious room with a gorgeous view - this was room d411

• Excellent support for dairy allergies. Although some food labels were inaccurate, the chefs were always happy to walk around the buffet with us, advise what was safe, and even prepare dishes to order. The only downside was that this could take a while, meaning the rest of our table had often finished eating by the time our food arrived. That said, our little one never went hungry, and we really appreciated the chefs’ efforts.

• Food generally was lovely with a good range of options - pizza is fresh made, the waffles were fab and the omelettes were perfect!

• Fantastic pool area. The pool setup is excellent with plenty of sunbeds available. They are quite close together, but we never struggled to find somewhere to sit.

• Complimentary mini photoshoots. The hotel photographers regularly walk around the pool offering free mini photoshoots, with no obligation to purchase the photos afterwards. If you do want them, you can buy the prints, but we never felt under any pressure. We chose to purchase ours and ended up with some lovely family poolside photos. It was a really nice touch and a great keepsake from the holiday.
  

• Beautiful beach. The beach is stunning, with only a small amount of seaweed. There are lots of fish around the pier that swim right up to you, which was lovely for both adults and children.

• Great location for exploring. We took the 324 bus to Can Picafort, which was well worth the trip. The beachfront has plenty of shops, bars and restaurants. We’d particularly recommend Pirates Bar and the Jamaican Bar along the seafront.

Cons:

• Mosquitoes were a major problem. They were absolutely swarming, particularly around the outdoor entertainment area, and the hotel didn’t appear to be doing much to manage them. We didn’t notice any mosquito control measures such as citronella candles or evening fogging, and I’ve never been bitten so badly on holiday, and I was using repellent, bands, stickers and bought a citronella candle.

• No indoor air-conditioned bar. In the evenings there was nowhere indoors to escape the heat or the mosquitoes, as the only entertainment and bar area is outside.

• Poor air conditioning in the room. Although the thermostat was set to 19°C, our own room thermometer consistently showed around 26°C, reaching 28°C on the first two nights. We were told the hotel has automatic air conditioning shutdowns as part of its commitment to reducing energy consumption, which may explain why some nights the room became much warmer. On one night the air conditioning stopped working completely and the room felt like a furnace. Travelling with a six-month-old baby made this particularly difficult. We asked reception if we could have a fan but were told this wasn’t possible.

• The hotel effectively has a curfew. Around 11pm the lights around the resort are switched off, leaving much of the site in darkness. Even the balcony light couldn’t be turned back on, which meant there was nowhere comfortable to sit outside later in the evening.

• Not a true all-inclusive experience. While the pool bar serves all-inclusive drinks during the day, in the evening you either have to pay for drinks there or bring them over from the entertainment bar. There are also a number of premium drinks that aren’t included, which made the all-inclusive package feel more limited than expected. Popcorn was also payable at the entertainment.

• Entertainment could have been better organised. There were activities available during the day, but we rarely saw the TUI entertainment team walking around the pool to let guests know what was happening or encourage people to join in. Unless you happened to notice the schedule yourself, it was easy to miss activities altogether. A more visible entertainment team would have created a better atmosphere and encouraged greater participation.

Overall: We still had an enjoyable holiday thanks to the excellent pool, beautiful beach and the support from the chefs in managing our child’s dairy allergy. However, the ineffective air conditioning, significant mosquito problem and limitations of the all-inclusive offering meant it didn’t quite meet the standard we’d expected from a TUI BLUE hotel, and due to this it wouldn’t be a hotel I’d return to personally. If these issues were addressed, it would be an excellent choice for families.