Hotel Polynesia

We booked a last minute week at the hotel so we were there for Christmas and were very happy with everything. The food was especially good for an all inclusive hotel with smoked salmon and fresh prawns on the buffet plus the offer of freshly cooked fish and steak every day. They didn't make as much fuss as we expected about Christmas Eve/Day but we enjoyed the roast beef and turkey. All of the staff were friendly and we were more than happy with the drinks on offer. The hotel is a little out of town but we hired a car for the week and went out exploring every day so it wasn't an issue. The only problem we had was being over optimistic about how warm it would be so will take more jeans and less linen trousers next time.

When you enter this hotel it is wow, wow, wow. It's designed to look like a jungle with huge pond and waterfalls. There is a wooden footbridge you can cross and look down below. It truly is an amazing site. Our accommodation was good. It was a suite rather than just a room. There was an open plan kitchen, dining area and lounge. The bedroom was off the lounge. The beds were huge but a little uncomfortable. Too hard for my liking. There was a small terrace off the bedroom and lounge area. A good view of the sea below. Unfortunately it was in the shade for most of the day, so too cold to sit out. The best room was the bathroom. It included a bath, separate shower cubicle, bidet, WC and his & hers wash basins. Usual maid service each day. Plenty of lifts around the hotel. Now, the food. I ate salad mostly as I am a pescatarian and have food intolerances. There was three types of lettuce and baby spinach. Lots of different salad items each day. By the fourth day however, I wanted to have something hot. Although there was plenty of meat on offer and the usual fast food rubbish, there was little or no choice for me. I went for the fish option if available and piled on the veggies. It soon became boring and repetitive. The hot food was lukewarm or cold. Previous posts have talked about the temperature of the food. It is interesting to note, though, that the Spanish and other hot countries don't generally have their food piping hot. It is only us Brits that need to have our food piping hot it seems. There were two microwaves on the counter which I used frequently. We were away the christmas week. Some Brits complained that there was no special meal or entertainment for the celebration. It is also interesting to realize that Christmas is not celebrated the same way as in Britain, it is very much low key. They tend to make more of Easter. It is best to check the culture of the country you are going to visit so that you are not disappointed when your expectations are not met. The staff were always polite and helpful. The waiters soon noted that I had a black coffee topped up with hot water each day. My husband thought it was amazing that they remembered our choices. It was lovely just to sit outside the cafe in the sun. When the sun went down, because of the time of year, it went quite cold. We went to the piano bar most nights. There was a different singer each night, but not all were great. They usually only sang for 30 minutes each night. But bearing in mind it was out of season, it was OK. We did visit other areas whilst we were there though. The bus fares are so cheap! 1.55 euros each way down to the main town. We would definitely like to visit the area again, the marina is so pretty and the beaches are so clean. We probably won't stay in this hotel again though, as it was too far out from anything. We prefer to be in walking distance of attractions and shops.

Our Family visited this hotel in the week between Christmas and New Year's Eve. We were surprised that the only indoor pool is apart of their spa centre. Everyone who uses this service must pay 10 euros per hour including babies. The reception staff spoke great English. Also, when checking out, we needed more time to pack and requested an extra hour to the hotel. Therefore we would miss the hotel's check out deadline. They didn't ask for any additional money. Also, once my son was crying in front of the staff, they gave him free toys to appease him. Other worthy areas to mention: the hotel's design and Christmas decorations were really something special. We enjoyed the food as well.