LABRANDA Playa Bonita Hotel

Overall we had a nice week, although there were a few things which let it down for us. The entertainment wasn’t very good, perhaps a live singer in the evening but nothing amazing like we’ve experienced on almost all other holidays (which is why we love Gran Canaria). They had a walk on water Matt twice during the week which was great fun and the guy and lady that did it were very fun and friendly so massive credit to those pair, you deserve the recognition as most of the other hotel staff barely cracked a smile. The lady checking us into dinner was lovely too tho! Hand sanitizers are around the whole place which was great. Room only cleaned twice during the entire week which for us was a big let down especially during the current Covid situation, I would expect it daily but maybe that’s just me. Kids club was closed so can’t comment on that. Clean and tidy hotel which is nice, just a little too quiet for a family with children if you ask me. Water polo was played once yet children not allowed? Fair enough having an adult only but perhaps they could have done a children’s only or maybe something else after for the children? Food-myself and the children struggled with the food, not a lot of ‘kid food’ although if your a big meat and fish eater there was always that on offer. We ate out twice at the local Chinese and it was absolute heaven, we got fed up of the all inclusive a lot quicker than we normally do to be honest. Pool-nice and clean yet no inflatables other than rubber rings allowed? What a kill joy, what’s the issue with a lilo considering there is no other hotel entertainment to keep the kids happy. We had a lilo and got told we couldn’t use it, perhaps this should be told BEFORE people go buying them, common sense really. Topless female sunbathers-there was loads of them, totally acceptable at an adult only hotel but in my opinion they shouldn’t be allowed to roam around topless when there are kids everywhere, I think it’s unacceptable and the hotel should be stepping in. No lilos to have fun on but the children can stare at naked women all day, bit disturbing. Brilliant location.. few mins from the beach and shops etc, we made the most of the week but would I return to this hotel? It’s a no from me, but if your looking for a quiet chilled hotel without kids then this would be ok.

I have given 3 three stars rather than 2 as I believe some of the issues I had may have been a result of the current Covid situation and had we been visiting at a 'normal' time these things may not have been an issue. The hotel room was lovely and very spacious, probably the largest room I have ever had in a hotel. It was clean and comfortable and more than adequate for our family of 3. The hotel grounds were also very pleasant and there were constantly cleaners around. The WiFi was also available almost everywhere within the hotel and its grounds which is quite rare. Food wise I was disappointed. My son and I did struggle to find things to eat as there wasn't a great selection and the majority of things were the same every day. To be fair however my husband said he found enough to eat and was quite happy. The limited selection again could have been due to the current situation. The staff didn't really attempt to interact with us with the exception of the 2 different ladies who checked us into the dining area. They were very friendly and one gave us advice on when the quietest time to eat in the dining room was, which was appreciated. There was one waiter who was also very friendly (I didn't get his name but he was tall with glasses). He was the only person who interacted with our child the entire time we were there. This I did feel was quite poor, especially for a family hotel. At check in only one person can go into reception due due to distancing which is fine. However when my son and I had to go in to get our wristbands we never got as much as a hello from the man who put them on us which again was disappointing. There are plenty of staff around the hotel but no one ever really acknowledged us. However I will give the benefit of the doubt and say that as they were all wearing face masks they may well have been smiling and we just couldn't see but I didn't get that impression. We did have a few issues that were addressed very quickly and efficiently by the staff. Our electricity cut out one night which someone came and fixed straight away. We also had a problem with cockroaches in the bathroom very late at night and a member of the cleaning team came up with bug spray within 15 minutes. However it is worth mentioning that the bug spray wasnt the most effective as we found one dead cockroach in the shower and then a live one the next night. We resulted in wedging tissues around the door frame (where they coming from) which seemed to work. Covid wise the hotel definitely deserves credit for their efforts. There are plenty of hand sanitisers, meal times are arranged into different time slots, there are 2 kids discos rather than 1 to avoid overcrowding and the dining hall has arrows on the floor to show which direction to go in. I personally thought that the hotel did everything it could to ensure peoples safety but unfortunately guests generally didn't adhere to the rules. People still queued for food with no distancing, few seemed to use the hand sanitisers and the dining room was the only place where most people wore masks. Overall I think the staff are doing their best adapting to a difficult situation. They are definitely making an effort to keep visitors safe and it can't be easy adapting to a difficult situation. I would have given a higher rating if the food had been better and the staff were a bit friendlier.

Animation - Very difficult for the animation due to covid, however I must give a massive shout out to Mila, she did her upmost to get everyone involved in what she could. She was extremely pleasant and accommodating. Feel she could be a bigger asset to the hotel than she currently is. Rooms - large enough and kept clean, cleaning was every other day. Pool - no lilo allowed due to safety only rings! Plenty of sunbeds and parasol. Bars - pool bar lovely polite staff. Self service pop/water/ coffee ice cream. Main bar, self service san miguel/ pop/coffee and water. Restaurant - due to current situation, you can't help yourself to main food, the chefs plate you up what you want, but salads etc all in separate bowls, bread buns individually wrapped. Again self service drinks. Not masses of choice but what there was, was beautiful and very tasty. While we were there the kitchen suffered a fire, absolutely can not fault the hotel in how they handled this un foreseen situation! they dealt with this professionally and calmly and even though we didn't get back to our rooms until 6am,breakfast was still available. Amazing time had by all, family of 7, age range 10 - 69.