Gloria Palace San Agustin Thalasso and Hotel

Overall experience: Unfortunately, our overall experience wasn’t great due to what happened at the spa. Because of this, I wouldn’t return to this hotel. I also don’t feel the price reflects the quality of the stay, and I think there are nicer hotels in the San Agustín area for the money.

Cleanliness: The hotel was very clean throughout our stay. Every morning the pool area was thoroughly cleaned, and the restaurant was always kept clean and tidy.

Room quality: The beds were very comfortable, although they were two single beds pushed together rather than a double. The room was nicely decorated with only minor signs of wear and tear. The bathroom was modern with a lovely, powerful shower, although water tended to splash out and leave the bathroom floor quite wet. The air conditioning worked perfectly.

Staff and service: Overall, I found the hotel staff pleasant and friendly. However, when sitting outside for lunch or dinner, we often had to wait quite a while for someone to take our drinks order. Service indoors seemed much more attentive.

Location: The location isn’t bad. Taxis and buses are easy to access if you want to visit the busier nearby towns. We particularly enjoyed Addio Mare restaurant and Helamore dessert shop in the San Agustín Shopping Centre. One thing to note is that the local area may not be ideal for those with mobility issues, as there are some very high kerbs at pedestrian crossings.

Amenities: We found the pool quite small considering the number of guests the hotel accommodates, meaning it was often too busy to actually swim.

There was also an issue with sunbeds. When we first arrived, guests were reserving them from as early as 5am, so by around 10am it was difficult to find two together. Halfway through our holiday, the hotel introduced a rule preventing guests from using sunbeds before 9:30am. While this stopped people reserving them so early, it also meant those wanting an early morning sunbathe couldn’t do so.

The thalasso spa is where our holiday took a negative turn. We first booked the two-hour spa circuit, which was excellent, with a wide variety of pools and hydrotherapy jets. We later booked a 50-minute couples massage.

When booking, we weren’t asked whether we had a preference for a male or female therapist. I assumed I would have a female therapist and my partner would have a male therapist. Instead, my partner’s name was called and a male therapist took us both into the treatment room. We were instructed to remove all of our clothes and cover ourselves with a towel. Unlike other massages I’ve had, disposable underwear wasn’t provided.

Neither therapist asked about any medical conditions, areas to focus on, areas to avoid, or preferred massage pressure before beginning the treatment.

During the massage, both therapists worked very high up the legs. On multiple occasions, my therapist repeatedly made contact over my outer genital area while massaging my legs, both when I was lying on my front and again when I turned onto my back. I found this extremely uncomfortable and not at all relaxing. I was too anxious and embarrassed to say anything at the time.

Initially, I wondered whether this was simply standard practice in Spain. However, after speaking to other guests who had also received massages at the hotel, none described a similar experience. I therefore raised my concerns with both hotel reception and my holiday provider, and the matter is currently being investigated.

The spa later left a letter in our room stating that this was their normal massage practice. For anyone considering booking a massage here, I would strongly recommend specifying whether you would prefer a male or female therapist beforehand and being aware that the massage may involve work very close to intimate areas.

Value for money: In my opinion, this hotel doesn’t feel like a four-star property. I’d rate it around 3.5 stars if half-star ratings were possible. Although the hotel itself is attractive, I don’t think the quality of the food and drinks matches the price, particularly if you’re paying for the all-inclusive package.

Problems:

• If you’re staying on one of the higher floors near the Gorbea rooftop restaurant, be aware that it turns into a nightclub on Friday evenings, with music continuing until around 1am. The rooms block some of the noise, but you can still hear it.
• Many of the hot breakfast items were only lukewarm rather than properly hot.
• The alcoholic cocktails were incredibly strong, to the point where I found them unpleasant to drink, so I didn’t have any alcoholic drinks for the rest of the holiday.
• “All-inclusive” doesn’t really mean everything is included. Many drinks incur an extra charge, and nothing at the rooftop area is included, including food, drinks and sunbeds.

Highlights: The sea view from our seventh-floor room was beautiful and was definitely one of the highlights of the stay.

Who I’d recommend it to: I’d say this hotel is better suited to families, as there were lots of children around the pool throughout the day. If you’re looking for a peaceful, relaxing holiday, particularly around the pool area, this may not be the best choice.

Great hotel, excellent food, friendly staff, plenty of sun beds Great holiday

Stayed here as a family of four in a two bed family room. The room was very nicely decorated as was the bathroom which had a big walk-in shower. The pool area is very nice and we never had a problem getting sunbeds. They also have cabanas which are free of charge and really comfortable. The only negative thing I would say about pool area is that the umbrellas are not secure in the stands and took off with the wind. I saw this happen many times during our stay and have no idea how someone wasn’t seriously injured on one occasion an umbrella took off and landed on steps leading down to the pool, if someone had of been walking on the steps at the time the would have been pushed down the steps by the umbrella and seriously injured. We were all inclusive and found the food to be of good quality and a good choice at all mealtimes. The snack bar was great in between mealtimes with food cooked to order. Spirits were branded with large measures and served in proper glasses as opposed to the plastic glasses you get on a lot of all inclusives. The rooftop bar was lovely to get away from it all with amazing views. Drinks are not included in AI there but they’re not expensive. The thalasso spa was also very nice. The evening entertainment was not great.Another thing that is lacking is an area for kids to play football. On the day we were leaving the cleaners burst into our room at 8.30am without even knocking waking us up. We had intended to have a lie in as we had a very late flight that night. I read reviews about this happening to other people too. I complained about this issue at reception but they seemed totally uninterested and I didn’t even get an apology which I consider to be very poor customer service. I requested a late check out which depends on availability but they couldn’t facilitate this. All in all I think this is a great hotel and very good value for money. I would return to this hotel but not the area as there wasn’t much around.