Monica Isabel Beach Club

I was apprehensive after the poor reviews, but I was releived when we got there.

The location is brill, right on the beach and a pleasant walk to town.

Room was clean.

Pool area was clean.

Food was a little hit and miss, but they did the basics well. The pancakes were lovely, as were the cakes/desserts.

My husband and I stayed for 4 nights in October for a special Birthday and were a little disappointed from the start.We had asked for a high up room with double bed and got the bottom floor with no view and 2 single beds which wasn’t the best start. The room was spacious and had a little kitchen with oven and microwave but no kettle!!! It was dated and had ripped down broken curtains and a shower that had a broken head so that when you put it on full it shot out over the bath and not on you and flooded the floor.It was very shabby and had rusty plugs and taps and cracks in the bath.The lifts were broken down more than working so as we had to go from level 1 where our room was to level 6 for reception and all the bars and entertainment and to leave the hotel and to level 8 for restaurant we had to do a lot of walking up and down stairs. The staff were great and friendly and there was a good choice of drinks on the all inclusive.However the food although it was ok was very very repetitive as in the same every evening besides a couple of changes to the mains dishes. They had a good choice of breads,salads,cold meats and cheeses with every mealtime so we did find something most days but more choice in the evening would have been better and we would have been able to eat properly.we only went in for lunch one day which was ok as we were having a light bite.The breakfast was ok with all the usual choices and the drinks in the restaurant were good.They had sangria and peach ice tea which I love on self serve so that was good.They had hot drinks but on many occasions I had to ask for clean cups as they couldn’t keep up with the re-stocking. When you check into the hotel you are given time slots for your meals for sittings ( which wasn’t great as we had very early times which we would rather have had later but had no option to change) but even with this system we struggled most evenings to find a nice seat and usually ended up squashed in a corner almost touching the next table as we ate. They are very squashed together which can feel uncomfortable whilst eating and makes going up and down to fetch food very hard as you can’t get passed everyone. The entertainment was ok,as it was October we didn’t expect too much anyway,but the team worked hard and we saw a couple of good shows.We didn’t see any daytime entertainment happening so can’t comment.The wasn’t really many sheltered places to sit and as the weather wasn’t brilliant we mainly sat in the outside tented area where they did the entertainment and it was a little cold but plenty of seats and a pool table. The pool area was ok,too cold for us to go in but some did and the snack bar there had a nice good selection of pizza,sandwiches and toasties and you could even have a plate of crisps.The staff were friendly and helpful. The hotel is right next to the beach with easy access so that is a plus and there is a beautiful coastal walk that takes you into the new town that is very picturesque although very hilly and has some bits that are narrow but well worth it if you are able.The bus to the old town only had room for 8 and as there were usually a lot more it had to keep doing lots of journeys but is ok if your willing to wait and is free from the hotel. All in all this isn’t a hotel we would return to,although it may be better in the summer. The rooms weren’t up to standard and the food definitely needs to improve but the staff were friendly and worked hard and the location was good.