Sol Palmanova-Mirlos Tordos

Peak Season Family Stay — Honest Review

We stayed here during peak season with our two children, so I want to give a balanced and honest review. There were definitely things we enjoyed about the hotel, particularly the pools, activities and the friendliness of many of the staff. However, there were also some issues which I feel are important for other families to know about before booking.

The room and balcony door

Unfortunately, our stay got off to a very unsettling start.

On the first day, we discovered that the balcony door in our room did not close properly and could not be securely locked. With two young children, this was a major safety concern. It wasn’t simply a case of the room being a little dated — I was genuinely worried about someone being able to access the room from the balcony, as well as the possibility of my children getting out onto the balcony during the night.

I initially reported it to reception, but the staff could only tell me that they had put a message onto their system. I wasn’t given a clear idea of when it would actually be fixed, and unfortunately we couldn’t be moved to another room because the hotel was fully booked.

That first night I was extremely uncomfortable. I ended up barricading the balcony door so that, if somebody did manage to open it from outside, the resulting noise would hopefully wake me up. It really wasn’t the way I wanted to spend the first night of our holiday.

Because I felt the situation was serious, I eventually wrote an email to the hotel in Spanish explaining exactly why I was concerned. Thankfully, a technician fixed the door the following day.

The bedding itself was comfortable and the room was cleaned every day, with fresh towels provided daily.

Air conditioning

The hotel is quite dated and, in my opinion, is in serious need of updating.

The air conditioning was one of the biggest issues. It was extremely ineffective, and at times it felt as though there was barely any air conditioning at all.

The hotel is split between two areas, SOL 1 and SOL 2. From what we experienced, the air conditioning seemed to work better in the SOL 1 dining area. In SOL 2, however, the dining area became extremely hot and uncomfortable, particularly during busy meal times. It made eating there rather sweaty!

I can’t comment on the air conditioning in the SOL 1 rooms because we stayed in SOL 2.

The pools

The pools were one of the highlights of our stay.

There are three main pools — a deep pool, a long graduated pool and a children’s pool/splash area. There were lifeguards present throughout the day, and they did a good job of supervising the pools and managing behaviour.

Overall, the pool area was a really enjoyable experience for our family. The only downside, which I’m sure many people will recognise from holiday resorts, was the usual morning sunbed/subbed hogging!

Activities and entertainment

There was plenty going on throughout the day for both adults and children.

One thing I particularly liked was the children’s entertainment team. They genuinely appeared to be enjoying themselves with the children rather than simply going through the motions, which was lovely to see.

Our children didn’t use the kids’ club because we prefer to spend our holidays doing things together as a family, but it looked like a really good option for families who do want that.

The staff

Considering this was peak season and the hotel was extremely busy, the majority of the staff were great. They were working in very busy conditions and, generally, we had good experiences with them.

There was one aspect, however, that I felt uncomfortable with.

I heard comments between some members of staff referring to British/white guests as “blanco” and “guiri” (pronounced roughly “gee-ree”). I also noticed what appeared to be jokes between staff members which, from my perspective, could potentially be interpreted as racial or national stereotyping.

I’m not fluent in Spanish, so I can’t claim to have understood every conversation or the intention behind every comment, and perhaps there is a cultural context that I’m unaware of. I did, however, notice that staff sometimes seemed particularly friendly towards guests who attempted to speak Spanish.

At one point I confronted a staff member by jokingly saying, “This white person is learning Spanish, be careful!” Their reaction suggested to me that they knew exactly what I was referring to.

I’m not suggesting that every member of staff behaved this way — far from it — but it was something I noticed during our stay and felt was worth mentioning honestly.

Food and all-inclusive

The all-inclusive offering was, overall, good.

What’s not to love about having breakfast, lunch and dinner included, as well as snacks available from the pool bar?

The food was generally perfectly edible and there were plenty of options. My only real complaint was that whenever I chose the rice at dinner, I found it extremely salty.

The all-inclusive ice cream selection was also fairly limited, which was a little disappointing when travelling with children.

One thing I thought was particularly good was the reusable cup system. You receive a token when you arrive, exchange it for a reusable cup and then return the cup when you leave to receive your token back. It’s a simple idea but a really good way of reducing waste.

Location

The location was fine for us.

You can’t see the sea or beach from the hotel, but it is only around a 2–3 minute walk away, which is very convenient. There is also a children’s playground near the beach, which was a nice bonus when travelling with children.

Overall

Overall, I’d describe this as a perfectly enjoyable family holiday with some significant shortcomings.

The pools, activities, location and generally friendly staff were all positives, and our children had a great time — which is ultimately what matters most to us when we’re away.

However, the balcony door issue was a serious safety concern, particularly with two young children, and I don’t think guests should have to spend their first night worrying about whether their room can be securely locked. The lack of effective air conditioning and the dated condition of parts of the hotel were also noticeable.

I think it’s important to remember that we travelled during peak season, so the hotel was extremely busy, and that inevitably affects the experience.

Would I say we had a good holiday? Yes. The children had a fantastic time and there were plenty of things we enjoyed.

For us, it’s a case of great family facilities and plenty to do, but with areas that need improving and updating.

We have just come back from here with our daughter, son in law and grand daughter. All i can say is take some of the negative reviews with a pinch of salt. The comments in regards to the sunbeds are not fair. We came down at around 8.30 - 9am every day and could always get 5 sunbeds. Yes there are the daft people that come out in the middle of the night because they must have the 'perfect spot' but we always managed to find somewhere and thats having a little one with us too by the pool. The food was varied and tasty. Could be a bit samey but had no problens with what we had. The staff were absolutely amazing, and I mean ALL the staff. They were really friendly and the bar and dining room staff were incredibly efficient. People saying about queuing for drinks. I can say we waited no longer than 3 or 4 minutes for drinks. We went in half term too so not out of season. Plenty of daytime activites for people to get involved in. The entertainment staff were brilliant and seb was a real highlight . So full of life and super smiley and friendly. We loved it so much that we have already booked to come back next year!!