Hotel Safari

My main issue with this hotel is that it gives an entirely false image of itself on hotel booking sites. We picked it based on the pictures of its pool area and grounds. The images give the impression that it's a larger and a more chic hotel than it actually is. It's a no frills hotel, and that's fine if that's what you know you're getting. And it was not the cheapest option either. The location is good, just three streets from the beach, and it was clean but the breakfast is basic and not very appealing. Not worth booking in for breakfast. It says that it has a gym, it does not. It claims to have poolside parasols, well at one end of the site it does but actually by the sun loungers it's bare and exposed and nothing to help shade you - not great when it's hitting 40. It also claims to have a garden - again it does not - it has a couple of planters with a couple of palm trees. The room we had was basic but fairly clean. The bathroom lacks shelving and towel hooks, so not very practical for a family - there's little space to hang up wet swim stuff or put your toiletries. Also, be aware that if you have small children there is not a separate pool - there is a shallow section at the end of the main pool and it's not very large so again not the most practical space and it gets very busy. Twice I raised the difference from the booking site information and the reality with the reception - but all I got was first, someone being rude and the second time someone just looking embarrassed! If you are looking for a basic space to just sleep in while you explore Gandia, and you get it at a reasonable price, then fine. However, if you want a hotel you can hang out in then I would avoid it.

Large spotlessly clean and modern room overlooking the huge pool. Staff on reception and restaurant friendly, courteous and efficient. Food fabulous but slightly limited choices different menu each meal. Could not fault our stay in any way. We will be back!

We choose the hotel as the outside areas looked spacious and also it appeared to have nice areas inside to use, including a restaurant. On arrival, we discovered the reality did not match the pictures. The hotel is basic, and the staff are friendly and that in itself is ok - the problem is you think you're getting somewhere more swish as the hotel has put up several images of areas that do not exist. The impression is that the building and grounds are far bigger than they are and there is more than one outside area. The hotel claims to have a 'garden', the reality is two large planters on a tiled area. We suspect someone hired it for a wedding, made it look far better than it is, and the hotel has used these images. Another claim is there are poolside parasols and that is not true. This is important because it was so hot guests were fighting over the shaded areas - I left our lounger for 30 minutes - when I came back the receptionist had removed our stuff because another guest wanted to be in the shade. The hotel claims to have a fitness centre- that's now closed and not re-opening. The breakfast is like Aldi catered it, coffee from a vending machine and lots of low quality cake. This is a 3 star hotel so we didn't expect luxury but you can do reasonable rates and a decent breakfast. Also, lifts are tiny so if you're on the top floor waiting time is around 10 to 15 minutes at busy times. If you want to know what it was like to holiday in the 1980s then stay here.

(Photos only)