Lemon & Soul Cactus Garden

We had a great holiday here earlier in the year and have just got home after a return visit with our family. Although we still had a lovely holiday, some changes have called for a second review . All the staff at this hotel are really good and friendly, the room and public areas are very clean and the location is ideal. On our first visit tea and coffee were provided in the room however this time we only had a kettle- not even any cups! The room safe had to be paid for(€2.50 per day I think ) and this was free on our first visit. I don’t have a problem with the food as I will eat anything but there were some strange combinations in the restaurant. As others have mentioned the restaurant often ran out of cups and glasses and several times I had to pick several plates before I found a clean one. Food wise my main concern was being served under cooked chicken on more than one occasion. Entertainment was poor on this visit apart from one young lady who sang and played an electric violin- she was excellent. My only complaint on the first visit was not being able to find somewhere to sit away from people smoking in the entertainment area and this was still an issue this time. If the weather is not good seating inside is quite limited. We would certainly use this hotel again as the good points definitely outweigh the bad but felt I needed to point out the changes we noted in just a short period of time.

I always give 100% honest reviews here but always caveat this with it being my own opinion. Your experience and opinion might be way off from mine but this is how I see this hotel. Is it awful? - no, is it excellent and deserving of top marks? - absolutely no. Is it adequate yes it is. Trip Adviser forces a rating out of 5 with no half or quarter ratings. But I'd have to give this a 3.25 out of 5 if I could. Things that we liked - The majority of the staff were great. In particular a young lad called Alun (I think). He was always very attentive and a lady in the dining room, very petite, but didn't catch her name. She was always bubbly, polite and friendly. The chap on the Entertainment team too. What a lovely man. Works his socks off with very little resources. - There was a lovely poolside BBQ on the Thursday at lunchtime. Great touch. - Alcohol is NOT watered down as some suggest here. I witnessed a bottle being opened to break the seel, middle of serving me. And freely poured. I was pleasantly tipsy many a night due to the generous pouring. - Hotel is spotless. And maid service efficient. Clean towels are left daily if you would like them. - location is good close to many shops if you like a wander, and very close to the beach. - lady on reception who speaks about 5 languages - was amazed by how she did this seamlessly. Things we found odd/annoying - kettle in the room - but no cups, or supplies to go with it - no mention of a fridge in the room on the leaflet you're given. We found it in the last day hidden behind a panel door - when we arrived we were asked for our 'voucher'. This was after giving our name, them finding it in the list and handing over our passports. Its seems they wanted a paper copy of our booking confirmation. I've holidayed with Tui on 7 different occasions in 4 years and have never printed it out. So please if you are staying here, print it and take it. - paying €2.50 per night in 4 star accommodation for a safe deposit - awful - having to pay for a towel and for it to be laundered. It was cheaper to buy one at the shop and throw away. - the bar service - well it was attentive but slow as the bar is so small and only 1 person serving. Things that mean we won't return - The Food - ok so its not inedible. You won't go hungry and breakfast is the best offering - but you might find you're scrambling for a cup for your coffee as these run out very quickly. You'll also find yourself eating some rather bizarre concoctions for other meals. The dining room is like a zoo at about 7pm. You might even find yourself waiting for a table. We decided to go at 8pm each night instead to avoid this. However your choice is then further limited as if they run out of something it doesn't get replenished. Their idea of Asian night was also bizarre with spaghetti being passed off as noodles and not an Asian sauce in sight (well I'm told there was soy sauce which meant they'd run out and didn't replace). Dessert choices weren't the best with some rather odd ice cream choices on offer. - The Entertainment - now the chap who runs it works bloody hard. And he's such a lovely guy but the offering is poor. There was 1 amazing singer/violinist on the Wednesday who I would highly recommend however. But other than that Bingo ran thin..... Fuerteventura as a whole isn't really for us. We did visit the Oasis Park Zoo which was fantastic - would highly recommend. It was too windy to enjoy the sunny weather and I would like a bit more going on. We needed a week of relaxation which we did get but I think I'll stick to Gran Canaria as my go to Canary Island in future.