Sandos Papagayo

We have just returned home from this hotel with friends, we found the food to be good with a varied choice, and the food was always hot never cold, the fusion restaurant is definitely worth a visit for the themed nights. All the staff were friendly and worked hard. Our room was in block H and was sizable with comfortable beds., which was cleaned every day. Supermarket and a selection of bars and shops only a 5 minute walkaway, the marina roughly around 20 minute walkaway, with shops restaurants ect. We enjoyed our time at this hotel and we would definitely stay at this hotel again, we thought it was value for money, and the weather was glorious

How could I have got it so wrong! Everyone loves their Holidays and looks forward to them and I pride myself on research. Either via, Trip Advisor and/or Travel Blogs on You Tube. I thought that I was booking a top end 4 Star with an All Inclusive Package and was so looking forward to it. The last time I looked on TA, I think the Sandos Papagayo was rated as a 4 Star Hotel, a Trip Advisor rating of 4.2/5 and rated the 5th best 4 Star out of 15 in the whole of Playa Blanca. Incredibly, It had a higher rating than the new Barcelo Lanzarote (where I stayed in Jan '25)!! They say first impressions last and this is unfortunately true as we arrived at 2200 hrs on our first night. First of all, to find the room was like the Krypton Factor. You'd need a Ball of String! For us, the Hotel layout appeared incredibly confusing. To go down, you sometimes must go up and to go up you sometimes have to go down. Stairs everywhere so thank goodness we're fit and able. Back to the first night and we'd just missed the Restaurant and we were directed to the snack bar which we had to wait until 2300hrs to when it opened. We were starving. What we were greeted with was, in my opinion, nothing short of appalling. Some sort of soup and some sandwiches. We left immediately and went to bed hungry. On the way to our Room, we thought we would get a drink and I ordered a Beer and a Pinot Grigio White Wine. The Bartender had no clue what this was before I was then told that it's House Wine only that is served! The accommodation blocks are huge. Carpet and pine in the hallways are old and dated looking. It's all very dated. I believe the Hotel was built in the early Noughties and in my opinion it shows. The room is aged and needs upgrading with holes in the Blinds and an awful unsecure "Snib" hook to close the Patio Door. I struggled with the Safe and never managed to get it working during our stay. We survived the first night and went to Breakfast. The food was bang average at best and it took 5 attempts to select a clean glass for Fruit Juice!! The Coffee Machine also needed cleaning. Just basic cleanliness was sadly lacking. Some of the fruit selection was out of Cans and the food for me was just very average. Honestly, I was close to checking out on the first full day and to go elsewhere but it was my Wife who talked me out of it. So, we just stuck with it. Around the Main Pool area, cleanliness was sadly lacking again. It's incredible what a good power wash would do around the pool and sunbathing area . As well as this, a lick of paint here and there. Litter and used cups were strewn around and the Management needs more cleaning staff around the entire complex. Even though we were AI, we only had Breakfast and 1 x Lunch. We never took an Evening Meal and chose to eat out elsewhere at night. We just couldn't face it. Location is an issue as you need to get a taxi to Playa Blanca Town. You can walk 15 mins to the Rubicon area for Bar

Me encuentro muy a gusto en este hotel y era la tercera vez que iba Y nunca se puede decir nunca jamás Muy buena animación la comida muy buena también Y donde le veo una pequeña pega es que para los que no podemos comer azúcar podrían pensar un poco más en nosotros