Sandos Atlantic Gardens - Adults Only

This was our fourth visit in 5 years, after a years hiatus of we were so looking forward to our stay, unfortunately it was disappointing. The cleanliness around the pool area was non existent with spilt drinks left and even after the 'big clean' on Wednesday the area was still dirty and cluttered with broken sunbeds and parosells (where did the good old coconut shys go?) Also the lifeguards were about 5 foot and one just sat messing on his phone, the other one seemed a bit better but spent most of his time looking for shade. Cleanliness in the rooms had also taken a turn for the worse, although the linen was changed 4 times during our 2 week stay the floor was mopped once and after the cleaners had been in we kept finding clusters of other people's hairs on the floor and around the bathroom (dirty broom and cloth we assume) This time we were in the 200 area where despite being close to the pool the wifi did not work at all in the room (you had to walk to the end of the path outside the bungalow for a signal) never had this before in area 1 or 3? The head waiter in the restaurant had left as had the lady that used to be in charge at breakfast, this led to dirty or wet plates and disorganisation unless Hugo was about. The food standard had dropped and the lack of aircon in the buffet (none of the units seemed to work anymore) meant we found ourselves eating out much more than we had planned. The aircon issue was also a problem in the bar area (there used to be fans on the wall?) making it very uncomfortable (we have been previously in July-Sept) with the only option to sit outside or next to the windows at the back. The entertainment was mixed, one night nothing at all happened and no one new why? The second week the animation guy never changed the schedule so everyone was left guessing, the old animation guy was much better. The reason I am still giving this 2 stars is what I am calling the OG's in the staff, lovely Victor, Diego, Mikel, Hugo and Manuel who work so hard with no aircon and some younger staff who were useless. I think the hotel would need a refresh in order for us to consider returning and maybe look at a room/drink package upgrade like the sister hotels in Benidorm and Ibiza (both of which we have stayed)

We arrived here last Friday. What a shock we got. The whole place is in dire need of renovation. The bungalow is spotlessly clean and linen etc lovely. However it’s in a shocking state of disrepair. On tne bright side the food is very good but no air con in public areas. There are 3 units in the restaurant but they don’t work. Staff at front desk could t care less. Just said it’s an unusual heatwave and basically put up with it. We would not recommend this place e to anyone. It’s not fit for purpose and their customers do t matter to them. The bar are has no air con at all and it was impossible to sit in there with the heat. Such a shame as with a lot of investment and updating it could be lovely. . The pool are is very quiet and relaxing but a huge shortage of sunbeds. You had to be quick to get one.

Review

Hello, we have just returned home after ten days at Atlantic Gardens and I thought it would be helpful to give an honest review. I was a little worried after seeing lots of negative reviews but I didn’t need to be. We really enjoyed it and for what we paid thought it was really good value.

Hotel: the hotel grounds itself are absolutely beautiful. It’s so tranquil and peaceful and just what we wanted for a very chilled holiday. Yes some parts of the hotel could do with modernisation however it has a nice charm to it and it is only a 3 star so I don’t think you can expect more. I saw lots of reviews saying the pool area is dirty. My opinion is that it could be cleaner however it’s not filthy and I didn’t have a problem with the glass around the pool being dirty because I wasn’t eating my dinner off it 😂. There is a lot of calima at the minute so it would be very hard to keep that clean.

People are correct that there is no music around the pool. When we first arrived we thought a low calm music would have been nice but actually after a few days I enjoyed the quiet! They did have a musician one day round the pool which was nice and there was always music on in the restaurant.

The hotel has a really friendly, community feel to it and everyone is very friendly to each other which was just lovely.

Entertainment: they have entertainment each night however on a couple of occasions it was listed and didn’t happen. Didn’t really bother us as we just enjoyed a quiet drink and a game of cards. The singers we did see were great. There was a young male singer and another young female singer, both brilliant and created a good atmosphere getting people dancing. Didn’t go to any of the daytime entertainment but I did see they had some unusual activities more than the generic ones you usually see.

Rooms: the bungalows are great and much more spacious than your usual hotel room. Could they do with a bit of an upgrade, yes. But they do the job and the maids keep them very clean which is more important to me. The air con isn’t the most powerful but does the job. Ours stopped working half way through our holiday but we reported it to reception and the next morning it was fixed. These things happen however I can’t complain at how quickly it was sorted.

Staff: I can’t say enough positive things about all the staff. They all work incredibly hard (and fast) every day and they are the most friendly and pleasant staff I have met in any hotel. The maids, servers, reception… every single person, were all amazing.

Food and drink: We really enjoyed the food. There was plenty to choose from at each meal time and it was all hot and tasty. Is it al a carte, no, but we have been to a lot of all inclusive hotels and it’s up there with 5 stars we have been too. The snack bar in the afternoon where you order fresh from the bar is great if you’ve wanted a quick/ early tea if you’re going out. The drinks were pretty much as you’d expect for a 3 star all inclusive. Some of the cocktails were ok but I loved the sangria in the evenings (Diego makes the best!).

Special shout out to Victor, Roberto on reception, Miguel and Diego. Genuinely work so very hard and the most polite and pleasant people ever. I’m not sure how Victors face doesn’t ache all day because he never ever stops smiling!

Thanks Atlantic gardens for a fabulous holiday, I am sure we will be back 😀