Hovima Jardin Caleta

Our stay at the hotel was good overall, but I wanted to share our honest experience as it may be helpful to future guests.

We arrived at around 12:30am and were given our key and directions to the room. When we arrived, the heat in the room was quite intense — uncomfortably so. It was at this point that I realised there was no air conditioning. We hadn’t been aware that our particular room didn’t have AC.

There was a standing floor fan in the room, but it was very old and underpowered. I went to reception to ask about air conditioning and was told that only some rooms have AC. I was given a brochure for a third-party company that supplies portable AC units for £85 per week. With the room being unbearably hot, I really had no option but to book one. Thankfully, it was delivered the following morning at 11am.

Not exactly the best start to our holiday.

Once the AC issue was sorted, things definitely improved. The room itself is very basic — I would say three-star at best. We had two teenage children with us, and the room for four people was quite small. That said, it was very clean, and the housekeeping team did a great job of keeping it that way throughout our stay.

The hotel staff were professional, although I felt they could have been a little friendlier. On a few occasions, I felt like I was bothering them when asking a question, which wasn’t particularly welcoming.

We booked full board for a week, and overall it was more than adequate. Breakfast, lunch and evening meals had enough choice to suit the whole family. The morning coffee from the machines, however, was not good. I really missed having a decent coffee and ended up going out to get one. The fresh fruit juices were also disappointing. My kids love orange and apple juice, but unfortunately both were quite poor quality.

One thing I really loved about the hotel was the quiet and peaceful atmosphere around the pool. There were always plenty of sunbeds available, so there was none of that early-morning rush to claim a bed. Thank goodness for that!

The hotel also had a lot of Spanish guests, which I always think is a good sign.

The poolside area and sunbeds, however, were noticeably dirty and in need of a good clean. Each morning there would be rubbish left behind from the previous day, which was off-putting. I think the cleanliness around the pool area definitely needs some attention.

The location of the hotel is fantastic. It sits right next to the beach and the beautiful town of Caleta. This little seaside town is honestly close to perfection. Every evening we would take a stroll into town, visit the restaurants and bars, and have a few drinks. It was one of my favourite things about the holiday.

Caleta also doesn’t feel like it has been completely taken over by tourism. If you want to get away from the noise and huge mass-tourist resorts, it’s an ideal location.

It is, however, quite an upmarket area, with lots of smart hotels and apartments surrounding it. As a result, our hotel did look a little old-fashioned in comparison.

BIG TIP: Get a taxi to the hotel and back to the airport. The journey takes around 90 minutes, and Hovima is the last hotel on the TUI bus route. We got a taxi back to the airport on the way home. It cost €40 and took around 15 minutes, compared with what would have been roughly a 90-minute bus journey. For us, it was absolutely worth it.

Would we stay at the hotel again? Yes, we would.

It meets the basic needs, and for the price, it does the job. Next time, though, we would definitely try to book a larger room with air conditioning included.

If you’re looking for a more affordable holiday and don’t need luxury, this hotel really does the trick.

One final comment regarding checkout.

Our checkout time was 12 noon, and we were given a complimentary lunch ticket for the family. As our flight wasn’t until 8:30pm, we assumed this would cover us for lunch and perhaps an evening meal. Unfortunately, it was just lunch, meaning we had to go out and buy dinner before heading to the airport.

It was a small thing, but after an otherwise decent stay, it felt like a disappointing end to the holiday and, in my opinion, wasn’t great customer service.

Stop here for 10 day all-inclusive and hotel out dated but clean but food offered is shocking fish and pasta and not much to choose from allso cake area for kids and adults 4 option off cakes the worse place ive stopped and eat at and heard load didnt have air con that's bad if your payed a lot of money to go all inclusive

Hotel rooms very dated, broken floor tiles which mt daughter hurt her foot on, they did offer to move us, but the rest of the family were in the next room so didnt want to be split up. damage in the bathrooms also. Mini fridges weren't always topped up, once we only got two cans of drinks, when it was meant to be also topped up with water also. One rude bar man, the rest was lovely. Pools were great, and always a sun bed. Buffet food wasnt great, did love the bbq tho. Evening entertainment wasnt great apart from the michael Jackson night. The hotel is in a very nice quiet area tho. Overall disappointed in my stay. I dony think its good value for money at all for the experience we got