Protur Aparthotel Vista Badia

Hi, we booked this hotel for a short break this weekend, I called them today to confirm and ask for a cot in our room... Only to be faced with an automated message saying the hotel is closed!! I have tried every number given and they are all dead!! It sais nothing on the hotel website and the main hotel chain is still advertising it!! And as for last minute.com well I discovered that there is not actually any way to contact them, they seem to have closed down all avenues of communication... I am at a loss... And pissed off

This was our third stay at a Protur hotel. We stayed for 11 nights in August 2019 (although I've only just gotten round to writing a review)! Family of 4 with 2 teenagers, 13 and 16. HOTEL: Every member of staff we met were all very friendly, a common feature across the Protur hotels. The hotel is well furnished throughout and of general qood quality. WiFi works well but needs reconnecting daily. The lifts are sparse and slow with some having no indication of where the lift is. It's much quicker to use the stairs but be careful of slipping from youngsters coming in dripping from the pool. The hotel seems to have a large German guest presence and prior to our visit we were advised this was much less than in previous years but I'd say it was probably 75% Germans. Not a massive issue but there's not many other Brits to chat to or even hear English conversations which was weird. THE ROOM: When we booked we opted for an upgraded select room and it was a nice surprise to have the jacuzzi and refurbished room for 2019. The decor is great and the room size is good. The bathroom has a walk in shower, no bath. There is no extractor which means the bathroom stays very steamy and wet for a long time. The bathroom door is frosted glass with no lock. It's also loud so anyone using it at night will disturb those sleeping in the living room from the noise and the light shining through it. The TV has sufficient channels to pass the time when waiting for the bathroom to free up! There's a safe in the wardrobe which is chargeable at Reception. It cost us about €25. Twin beds in the bedroom, and 2 single sofa beds just big enough for adults are in the living room. Beds are comfy and the sofas are manageable but a little creaky. Space under the beds to stow the suitcases was a bonus. The kitchenette has the essentials for a basic meal (microwave, kettle, hob, fridge, etc but I wouldn't want to stay self catering as there's not enough space or equipment for proper meal prep. The fridge has a small ice box section and we filled this with ice creams from the AI freezer for when we were enjoying the MASSIVE balcony and jacuzzi. If using the jacuzzi your options are fill it every use with hot water, or accept a cold one and reuse it as it doesn't heat itself. The sunbeds on the balconies are the old ones from the pool area and the mesh has sagged so they aren't comfy for extended periods. Good to have a table and chairs too. Plenty of options to sit. POOL AREA: Around the pools we found plenty of sunbeds. They are super comfortable but do get filled with towels quickly and there's not much shade. The parasols are in fixed bases and the sunbeds are tightly packed so it's hard to create shade for little ones or if you just need a break from the sun. Guests figured this out quickly and often it was the shaded beds that got the towels at 6.30am (despite the rules) before the front row. The entertainment crew were fantastic, with music, pool games and a friendly vibe. Sundays is their day off and you really noticed their absence. Most of the lifeguards are questionable. Always on their phones, and one girl was sat with her rucksack open on her lap texting with her phone hidden inside it for the whole shift, not watching the pool. There is a water trampoline which operates from 10am-6pm and was fantastic fun. It's suitable for all ages but is often full of little ones so it's about timing it right. It's a big pool with plenty of different depths for all ages. EVENING ENTERTAINMENT: This was probably the most underwhelming part of the whole trip. There's a kids disco every evening followed by an act (either the hotel team or an external). Most were mediocre. The entertainment is run by the in-house "Protur Animacion" team (whereas at some Proturs (such as the Bonaire) the TUI staff do it and are much better). The seating is 2-tiered and if you're on the upper near the back you can't see anything. So if this is important to you, get a seat early on the lower level. The waiter staff worked tirelessly to keep everyone served with drinks. Alternatively, the pub outside the back gate called The Kings Head is brilliant! Great food, music and service. They have definitely tapped into what the Brits want. It's not tacky or chavvy but has a bit of a sports bar vibe. Prices are reasonable for what you get and portions are big. Staff are very welcoming. We enjoyed several evenings there. FOOD AND DRINK: The pool bar has very quick service and the staff are friendly and helpful. Typical AI local brands and premium prices for named brands. Slushies for the kids (or topped up with rum on request for the adults!) are available too. The lunchtime buffet at the pool bar is "OK". Pizzas, burgers, chips, nuggets... that's about it. Tastes like "plastic pub food". There's a large seating area but again, shade is limited and in 35 degree heat it gets unbearable. There's waiter service at the tables at lunch which is a bit disorganised as some days they were really efficient and other days you wondered when they would return with your drinks! RESTURANT: The AI food in the restaurant was... "OK" with a different country theme every night and repeating weekly, but it's definitley suffered from cost cutting over the past few years (almost the identical menu to the Protur Safari across the road from 2016!). There's plenty of it (if you miss the rush), but it's gotten quite basic and quality has dropped. On the first night a chef was cooking chicken and it was still raw. We didn't see her again and every other night it was fine. If you want a well done steak, you'll need to ask for it to be cooked longer as it'll still be served medium rare. It's also super busy and food did run out fairly often (but is eventually replaced). You need to figure out when the restaurant is busy. We found if you go as soon as it opens, or leave it late you'll get a table. Leaving it late does risk a lack of food though. The amount of young children not being monitored by parents was crazy. All running around and pushing in which was disappointing and annoying. Some kids were well behaved and with their parents, but a lot seemed free range! There's lager, wine and soft drinks on self-serve in the day and fruit juice and hot drinks at breakfast. Breakfast is great! So much choice and the fresh food tastes fantastic. There's a small seating area outside which was much nicer than the noisy indoor bit. Once we found this it was a more pleasant dining experience. If you're staying in a Select room you also get priority booking of the themed restaurants in the resort. Speak to reception and they'll get you booked in. We accidentally forgot to book for one particular evening and they went out of their way to help us out and fit us in. There's plenty of good restaurants in easy reach too. They all have up to date Facebook pages so you'll know what's on entertainment wise. LOCATION & AREA The hotel location is great - a 5 min walk to the beach, and just across from the nature reserve and fort where we watched the sun set (word of warning, it gets PITCH BLACK as soon as the sun goes down!). There's a spar shop just outside the back gate, alternatively walk a minute further to the spar shop in front of you on the corner of the crossroads which a fair bit cheaper. For best value head to the Eroski supermarket about 5 min walk away (out the front of the hotel, down the path to the left of the Safari Hotel opposite, then take a left). This is MUCH cheaper than all the Spar shops. There's a little market in the town on Weds eves which is good for a browse, but it's the typical tourist tat and knock off goods. Not a traditional market. Prices for gifts and souvenirs varies massively from shop to shop so if this is your thing, it's worth looking around. They're open late so better to go once the sun sets. Overall, we would definitely stay again, in a select room, but go self catering and eat out every evening.