Elba Sara Beach and Golf Resort

Wonderful holiday from start to finish! I went as a single parent with my 2 sons (16 and 9) and we all had a blast! Best bits: •The staff! They are so friendly and helpful and as a single mum I felt super safe and welcome! I emailed reception a couple of times before my stay and the wonder Daniel was always so quick to respond and help with any queries. The animation team is unreal! So much fun and great activities every day (for adults too e.g.mojito making/sampling!). My youngest loved the foam party and the incredible bar staff made amazing cocktails including non-alcoholic ones for my sons. •The food was excellent - plenty of variety and we enjoyed the different theme every night. Yes it's busy in the Albatros restaurant but the staff work so hard and food is replenished regularly. The Mexican restaurant à la carte meal in The Toucan restaurant was fantastic with the best chocolate coulant ever! Staff in there were also incredibly professional and it made a lovely more relaxing change from the busier buffet restaurant. •The room - this was far larger than a standard room we've ever stayed in (32m²) so felt we had loads of space for the 3 of us (twin beds and a seperate single). All bedrooms have a seaview and ours was unreal! Housekeeping staff came every day to tidy and remake beds and they were all lovely. •Location. - best of both worlds - beachfront location away from the main centre was beautiful and quieter, yet only 20min walk to the main Caleta de Fuste centre with bars and shops etc. Also only being 10mins from the airport was fantastic. Directly outside the hotel is a rocky beach (great for rockpools!) But a 2min walk left takes you to La Guierra beach which is soft and and crystal clear water. Apparently it's brilliant for snorkelling around the bridge walkway but it was always a bit choppy in the sea when we tried. But the fun we had jumping in the waves was amazing and more than made up for it! Brilliant for swimming too. Another 15mins walk left takes you directly to Caleta de Fuste harbour and Castillo beach which is beautiful! Also directly next to the hotel is the Atlantico Centre which has a variety of shops/bars/play area with trampolines etc for kids. •Sunbeds - yes it's busy but we rarely got down to the pool before 9/9.30am and always found beds. Even at 11.30am we found beds so I don't understand why other reviews say it was a nightmare and you had to be up at 7? Maybe because we only needed 3? •other good bits - my sons loved the free use of the football pitch onsite! We arrived at midnight after a flight delay but they still put on a fantastic cold buffet for us when we got there! We also didn't fly back until 10pm and were allowed to make use of all the facilities (including all meals!) after checking out at 12md on our last day. Many hotels stop you using the facilities and ask you to pay for the food. Not here! This made our last day so much easier and relaxing. We also had use of a shower room to freshen up before our flight. My kids also loved seeing the chipmunks and the huge red crabs on the rocks by the sea! The inflatable aquapark by the harbour is a must - so much fun, even for big kids like me!

Only thing that could be improved would be more shade around the pool but you could buy a little sun brolly if needed.

We would definitely stay here again!

We stayed at the Elba Sara during peak season in August. Overall, there were some genuinely good aspects to our stay, but unfortunately a number of issues—particularly around housekeeping and how busy the hotel felt—took the shine off the experience.

Arrival and check-in were very straightforward. We were checked in quickly and our room was clean, comfortable and initially presented to a good standard.

Unfortunately, the fridge in our room wasn’t working when we arrived. It took a few days for this to be resolved, and there was no water or other amenities inside the fridge. These were never restocked during our stay.

For the first few days, housekeeping was very good and the room was cleaned to a high standard. However, from Wednesday onwards the service deteriorated noticeably. Our room went two days without being cleaned until we raised the issue. Housekeeping then arrived at around 6:15pm, just as we were getting ready to go out for dinner, which was obviously far from ideal.

By Saturday, the tea and coffee supplies in the room still hadn’t been replenished. Although the beds had been made/turned down, the room itself had not been cleaned to an acceptable standard. We eventually raised the ongoing housekeeping issues with reception.

The biggest issue with our stay was just how busy the hotel was. Obviously, travelling during peak season in August means you expect a busy resort, and we were prepared for that. However, it frequently felt as though the hotel was oversubscribed for the facilities available.

Sunbeds were particularly difficult to get, with guests reserving them from around 6am.

Unfortunately, the same problem continued at mealtimes. Queues for the main restaurant could be extremely long, and we quickly learned that you needed to arrive as soon as it opened or potentially face a significant wait for a table or for food.

On one particular evening we left the restaurant at around 7pm and the queue stretched the entire length of the lobby (see photo).

This became one of the biggest frustrations of the holiday. It felt as though you were constantly queuing for something—the restaurant, the bars, food or other facilities—and it severely tainted the overall experience.

For a hotel accommodating this many guests, having effectively one main buffet restaurant simply didn’t seem sufficient. There are two à la carte restaurants, but these were extremely difficult to book. We were only offered the opportunity to visit one of them right at the end of our stay.

One area that deserves particular praise is the activities/entertainment team. They worked extremely hard throughout the day around the pool and provided plenty for guests to get involved with.

They also put on some enjoyable evening shows, with the Lion King performance being a particular highlight.

Unfortunately, capacity was again an issue. The Broadway Bar was absolutely packed during evening entertainment, with people sitting all the way back towards the doors and even in the aisles. It simply didn’t feel large enough for the number of guests staying at the hotel.

The children’s playground was fairly basic but our youngest enjoyed using it. That said, it is clearly in need of some investment, updating and a good lick of paint (see photo).

The gym is modestly equipped but adequate for getting a basic workout in. However, its opening hours of 8am–8pm were disappointing.

An 8am opening is far too late for guests who prefer to train early before breakfast or before heading out for the day. A 24-hour gym, or at least a much earlier opening time, would make it on par with other similar resort hotels. There was also no air conditioning in the gym, making workouts extremely hot and uncomfortable.

One of the positives is the hotel’s access to the promenade and nearby beaches. There are several very nice beaches within easy reach, and the promenade makes exploring the coastline straightforward.

Hoppy electric scooters are also available nearby through their app and proved a really useful way of travelling further along the promenade quickly.

We also walked to the nearby market, which took around 20 minutes. Personally, we didn’t think it was particularly worth the trip—it was largely filled with the usual tourist-market souvenirs and similar items.

Overall, the resort was ok, but nowhere near the standard of other resorts we’ve stayed at, at this high price point, so we wouldn’t return.