Abora Buenaventura

We recently stayed here for two weeks at the start of the school summer holidays.

​The Good: The hotel is massive and boasts great facilities, including two main pools, a couple of kids' pools, and a fantastic splash zone. There are plenty of bars, a play area, and a few reasonably priced on-site shops. The kids' club staff were absolutely brilliant, kids can have breakfast with the mascot, Panchi, which happens twice a week.

​The Bad: Unfortunately, the service was highly inconsistent. Many staff members in the shop, reception, and dining areas were quite abrupt, though there were a few lovely exceptions in the main restaurant a d kids clubs. It definitely felt like the hotel was short-staffed. ​Housekeeping was also a letdown. The cleaners seemed rushed, effectively only changing the towels rather than actually cleaning. We kept the room tidy ourselves, but the floors weren't properly cleaned, and our bedding wasn't changed once during our entire two-week stay. Furthermore, we noticed some favoritism, with Spanish guests who were not all inclusive frequently receiving free drinks while other nationalities were charged. As half-board guests, we were also frustrated to be charged completely different prices each time we ordered milk for the kids.

​Hygiene & Wildlife: The hotel grounds have several resident cats that the hotel feed. While this might seem nice, the cats frequently wander into the indoor and outdoor dining areas. Because they are effectively wild animals, they hunt on the property; we unfortunately came across a few dead birds left around the children's play areas, which is a bit of a health and safety concern for families.

​Entertainment & Dining: The entertainment was hit-and-miss. The kids' disco runs five nights a week, but the mascot only showed up three times, which disappointed the kids since it’s heavily advertised. As for the food, it became very repetitive. The children's options were incredibly poor, and even as a fish lover, I struggled with the selection. Popular items ran out quickly and were rarely replenished.

​Facilities & Location: The advertised launderette is just two washers and a dryer hidden away, costing €5 to wash and €4 to dry. There is a free beach bus, but it gets so crowded that it turns into a battle to get on; if you don't want to fight for a space, you'll have to walk a mile (which takes a while with kids) or pay for a taxi.

​Summary: The hotel is a bit dated in areas and needs some TLC. It has the potential to be really good, but management seriously needs to focus on basic service, staffing levels, and hygiene standards.

We stayed at the hotel for one week in June with family and overall had a really good stay.

The pool area was lovely, with plenty of space and no issues getting sunloungers, which is always a bonus. The food was acceptable — it didn’t particularly wow me, but it was fine and there was plenty of choice. The restaurant itself is huge and very open-plan, but it is also very loud and noisy. Thankfully, there is an outside terrace, which was much quieter and made meals far more enjoyable.

The drinks machines in the restaurant were a bit hit and miss, and didn’t always seem to be working. I think this may have been linked to the setup for non-all-inclusive guests, but either way it could probably be improved.

A special mention has to go to the lifeguard — the gentleman who wears a hat and long sleeves/leggings to protect himself from the sun. He was an absolute saviour. My partner was doing handstands in the pool and unfortunately his shoulder came out. The lifeguard knew exactly what to do, acted quickly and calmly, and managed to put it back in place, saving us from what would no doubt have been an entire day spent at the hospital. We honestly couldn’t thank him enough.

The rooms were good, although it is worth noting that the hotel is massive. Depending on which building you are allocated, there can be quite a bit of walking involved to get to and from your room.

Overall, I would definitely stay again. It is good value for money, large enough to enjoy without feeling overcrowded, and there is plenty of space throughout the resort. A few small improvements could be made, but overall it was a top-notch stay.