The Reef Coco Beach

I recently stayed at this hotel with my 8-year-old daughter as a single parent. Overall, we had some enjoyable moments and there were definitely positives to our stay, but unfortunately there were also several issues that left me feeling that this property is closer to a 3-star than a 4-star hotel.

On arrival, the first thing I noticed was the car park directly opposite reception, which was also being used as a dumping/storage area with diggers and other equipment. It was quite an eyesore and not the first impression I would expect from a 4-star property.

The check-in itself was smooth, and I have to say the reception staff were extremely helpful, friendly and polite. The bellboy also helped us with our luggage and showed us to our room, which was much appreciated.

Unfortunately, the room was where our biggest problems started. I had paid for a Superior Double with Pool View, but our room was directly opposite a construction area that had been covered with a screen. Despite this, it was very noisy, and workers would regularly come through the rear entrance directly opposite our room to access the construction site. I found this particularly disappointing during the peak summer holiday period.

The room itself also had a very unpleasant smell. I'm not sure whether this was damp or possibly related to the seaweed, but the ceiling had visible black mould, which was extremely concerning. I went back to reception and asked if we could move rooms, but was told there were no rooms available and to return the following day to see if anything had become available.

The beds were also extremely hard and uncomfortable, while the pillows were very lumpy and felt like they had seen better days. On a positive note, the minibar was stocked with drinks, which was a nice touch.

The pool area was definitely one of the highlights. It was lovely, and the staff worked incredibly hard to keep everything clean and tidy and to help guests with sun loungers.

The pool bar was a little more mixed for me. Rosembi was brilliant, always smiling, friendly and happy to help. Unfortunately, I can't say the same about one of the other men working at the bar.

On several occasions, he would take my order and then simply walk away without serving me to serve someone else. On one particular occasion, my daughter and I were sitting in the pool at the bar and seemed to be the only foreign tourists waiting to be served. He came over and took everyone's order around us except ours. He then came back and took another round of orders, again completely ignoring us. At this point, the lady sitting next to me noticed what was happening and asked if I was still waiting. I said yes, and she spoke to him. I'm not sure exactly what was said, but he made a hand gesture and walked away. In the end, my daughter and I had to get out of the pool and walk around to the front of the bar so that someone else could serve us.

The hotel does also allow day-pass guests, and unfortunately I experienced some behaviour from other guests that made me feel very uncomfortable, particularly as I was travelling alone with my young daughter.

On one occasion, while my daughter and I were in the pool, a guest sat on our sunlounger. When we returned, they didn't apologise, move or even acknowledge us, despite us standing there waiting. They simply continued sitting on our towel talking to their friends on the lounger next to ours.

On another occasion, we had reserved one of the four-poster loungers. We briefly returned to our room, and when we came back, a group had placed their bags and towels on top of ours. Initially, I assumed they had simply put their belongings there temporarily while looking for another spot. However, one of the women then came over, dried herself with her towel and threw it directly over my daughter's towel and belongings before walking away.

My daughter later came back to dry her hands and accidentally used the woman's towel, as it was covering hers. A man then started shouting at me from the pool before storming over and continuing to rant while gathering his belongings. I tried to explain that we had reserved the lounger and that they had placed their things on top of ours. I found the whole situation incredibly intimidating, especially as I couldn't understand what was being said but could tell from the shouting and body language that it wasn't pleasant. I've never experienced anything like this at any other hotel.

The animation team were fantastic and deserve a special mention. Borris and his team were friendly, welcoming and always made an effort to involve guests. There were plenty of fun activities throughout the day and some good evening shows.

One word of caution regarding the fire show: it takes place on the steps in front of the restaurant, and unfortunately while watching the show, someone stole my purse from my handbag. Obviously this isn't the hotel's fault, but it's something I'd strongly recommend guests are aware of and take extra care with their belongings.

The restaurant staff also deserve a mention. Roberto and the other members of the restaurant team were all very friendly, polite and welcoming throughout our stay. The buffet itself had a good variety of food and we generally enjoyed it. We also tried the Italian restaurant, but personally found the main buffet restaurant to be better, so we didn't try the other speciality restaurants.

I don't want this review to focus entirely on the negatives, because there were genuinely some very good aspects to the hotel. There were friendly and hardworking staff members, the pool area was lovely, the animation team were great and the food was good.

However, it is difficult not to mention the negatives when you've saved and spent a significant amount of money on what is supposed to be the holiday of a lifetime. You don't expect everything to be perfect, but you do expect the basics — a clean, comfortable room, reasonable service from all staff and to feel comfortable and respected during your stay.

Unfortunately, some of the situations we experienced are things I have never encountered at other hotels, and they did have an impact on our overall experience. For a hotel advertised as 4-star, I expected a higher standard and based on my experience, I personally wouldn't recommend.

This is a small property, but the staff is excellent, and the beach is beautiful, with the exception of the brown seaweed that covers much of the water in August.

The biggest downside was the food. The dinner restaurants were great, but the poolside lunch options and buffets were subpar. The wait staff, however, was excellent.

One thing to be aware of is that the Japanese restaurant is not included in the all-inclusive package. Apparently, there are different levels of all-inclusive packages, which we were unaware of when booking. Access to the Japanese restaurant required an upgrade, a $35-per-person, per-day additional charge, or attending a timeshare presentation.

Overall, this is a decent hotel, especially if you don’t mind going elsewhere for food. You’re also very close to 5th Avenue, which has plenty of excellent restaurants. Based on my experience, I would recommend skipping the all-inclusive package and eating out instead.

The whole experience was great especially coming back here as a member of LVC. We enjoyed samurai restaurant because of Brenda and Francisco. Excellent service for both. They keep the energy alive and very helpful.