SBH Taro Beach

3/5 stars

SBH Taro Beach is overall a good hotel. The food was tasty, plentiful, and varied. The rooms are simple but have everything you need. The location is beautiful, right on the beach, and Costa Calma is a great place to stay. The staff is generally friendly, there are a few resident cats around the property, and there is plenty to do for guests of all ages.

Unfortunately, our experience was overshadowed by a disappointing incident. During our stay, items were stolen from our room: €37.50 in cash and two gold rings. None of these items were left in plain sight, which suggests that someone actively searched for valuables.

When we reported this to the reception desk, we were very disappointed by the response. Instead of concern or surprise, we were mainly asked, “Did you close the door?” When I asked whether this kind of thing happened often, the answer was, “Not often, Spain changed.” That was essentially the end of the conversation.

That same evening, we met another couple staying at the hotel who told us that money had also disappeared from their room. This made the situation even more concerning.

I do not expect miracles when something like this happens, but I do expect a hotel to take responsibility and treat such reports seriously. The following day, I returned to reception because the situation continued to bother me. I asked the receptionist to take the matter seriously, but the lack of interest and the casual attitude made me realize that pursuing it further would likely be pointless.

My advice to future guests: do not leave any valuables in your room. Rent a safe or leave valuable items at home.

Overall, we had a good holiday and the hotel certainly has many positive aspects. However, the way this situation was handled was extremely disappointing and left a negative impression on an otherwise enjoyable stay.

First of all, I honestly don’t understand why this hotel has so many negative reviews.

From the moment we arrived, we had a really positive experience.

The reception staff were incredibly helpful. Nothing was ever too much trouble. They even upgraded our family’s room after we asked if we could stay closer to our relatives, which we really appreciated.

The rooms are spacious and many have beautiful sea views.

One of the biggest advantages of this hotel is its direct access to the beach. Being able to walk straight from the hotel onto the beach within seconds was something we absolutely loved. The beach itself is beautiful and was definitely one of our favourite parts of the holiday.

Cleanliness: this is probably the only small negative point. During our 14 night stay, our room wasn’t cleaned on four occasions. However, our family’s room was cleaned every day, so I think we were just unlucky. It wasn’t a huge issue for us, although with children there’s always sand everywhere, so having a broom in the room would have been really helpful. The rooms could definitely do with some refurbishment, but considering how many rooms the hotel has, that would be a massive investment.

Food: absolutely delicious. There was always plenty of choice and everyone in our family found something they enjoyed. We’re a family of four with two children who have completely different tastes, and one of them is a very picky eater, yet she always found something to eat.

As in many Spanish hotels, tea and coffee aren’t included during lunch and dinner. It would be lovely if coffee and tea were available with lunch as well, but it wasn’t a big issue because you can always go to the snack bar afterwards for a coffee.

We also used the snack bar a few times when we missed lunch, and everything there was great too. I actually liked that they served simple, familiar food that everyone enjoys.

The restaurant staff and waiters were absolutely wonderful. Always smiling, friendly and very helpful.

The bar deserves a special mention. The bartenders were fantastic, especially two of them, whose sense of humour made every evening even more enjoyable.

The only suggestion I’d make concerns the paid drinks after 11 pm. The signed drink receipts should also be available at reception and included with the final bill at check out. We witnessed guests being charged for drinks they believed they hadn’t ordered (ot is hard to say who was right) so I think this system could be improved to avoid any confusion.

We only used the swimming pool once because, unfortunately, there were too many people smoking around the pool area. I understand that smoking rules in Spain are different, but it did make it less enjoyable for us.

Another thing we noticed was the sunbed reservation problem. People were reserving loungers very early in the morning and then not returning for another two or three hours. In my opinion, the hotel should enforce its “no reserving sunbeds” policy. Towels left unattended for a long time could be removed and collected from the lifeguard. We’ve seen this system in other hotels and it works really well.

The same applies to the non smoking areas around the restaurant terrace and snack bar. Although they exist, many guests simply ignore them and smoke there anyway. It would be great if the hotel enforced these areas more consistently.

Overall, we had a wonderful holiday. The location is fantastic, the direct beach access is amazing, the staff are exceptional and the food exceeded our expectations. We would happily return and would like to thank everyone who helped make our stay so enjoyable.