Hotel Simbad

The air conditioning in the rooms does not go below 24 degrees/75 degrees in the middle of the summer so it is very uncomfortable. The beds are hard like sleeping on a rock and have only sheets no blanket. The breakfast buffet was gross with flies everywhere. This is a 1 or 2 star hotel that has a water view and they charge 5 star hotel prices. I tried to check out after my first day because of the air conditioning but was told I would be refunded for my second night if I stayed. Then, the Director, a man named Alvaro wrote me and said because I did not check out I would not be refunded. I say all this to say the people who work here are dishonest on top of all the facts I laid out above. Find somewhere else to stay, trust me.

Really nice hotel and rooms. What spoiled it for me was the swimming pool - and I came here to relax by the pool. It seems from what management have replied below to a few people that the hotel's pool is some sort of municipal pool that anyone can use. They should state this on their website. When I was there in July the pool was packed with people who were not staying at the hotel. I had paid about 300 euros a night and expected a relaxing experience by the pool. But the pool had lots of screaming kids and their parents - none of whom were staying at the hotel, all using the pool. It was like being in a loud kids club and there was no respite from the public swimming pool loudness on the balcony - and way beyond 8.30pm before the pool closed. Other guests commented on this to me and abandoned the pool. It's disingenuous for the hotel not to state on their website that anyone can use the pool - even though there are signs around the pool that state "Hotel Guests Only". I would not have stayed here if I'd known the law states that anyone can use their pool. And anyone does. Lots of them. Taking up the seats and taking over the pool. Disappointing and ruined my holiday.

This was my fifth stay in eight years at the usually brilliant Simbad. The staff are all lovely, particularly restaurant staff and cleaners. The breakfast buffet is extensive, the rooms are comfortable, the hotel is modern and clean and the view is incredible. We have kept coming back - including a visit with 15 friends last year for a special birthday - because everything has always been great. Until now. It’s no exaggeration to say our holiday was ruined this year and we will think twice about returning again. The only issue is the bizarre pool policy that seems to allow countless non-residents to use the facility whenever they wish, despite a sign saying the pool area is exclusively for the use of guests only. What should be an oasis of calm and restfulness looking out over the beautiful Talamanca bay is now ruined by scores of people who aren’t staying at the hotel using the pool. In a response to another review complaining about this, the hotel director replied seeming to imply there’s nothing they can do about it as the pool is on public land. Maybe something there is lost in translation - I don’t see why someone couldn’t operate an entrance gate to control numbers and noise. The problem was bad during the day while we were there, but particularly awful during the afternoon/evening from about 4-8pm. The pool used to close at 6pm, which seemed odd but maybe this helped, as it’s now open well past 8pm. I appreciate this complaint may sound petty or entitled, but I simply think that the pool should be for the use of residents only, in line with any other hotel I’ve stayed in all over the world. Unfortunately the current situation sees people turning up in droves, failing to use the showers and jumping straight in the pool. I twice saw babies with their nappies being taken off on sun loungers then put into swimming attire without swim nappies, then going straight into the pool. The noise level from children screaming, shouting and repeatedly jumping into the pool is totally unacceptable and not only punctuates the calm around the pool area but also across the front of the whole hotel, including the lovely bar and balconies. The pool area capacity is stated as 40 - yesterday evening I counted 32 non residents, the day before there was 22 children in the pool. You can see from the website it’s a very small pool area. At one point this meant there wasn’t enough loungers for residents and being around the pool was akin to being at a kids club throughout the evening. This isn’t the usual and understandable sound of a few children playing in a swimming pool on holiday, it’s like a whole classroom of children all set loose at the same time There was even a visible divide with residents at one end of the area, as far away from the noise as possible, and everyone else at the other end. If anyone wonders how you can tell this is non-residents - they arrive without hotel pool towels and pack up and leave without going to the hotel. I can’t believe this situation isn’t resolvable, but if it’s not then expect your peaceful summer holiday to be ruined by noise from around the pool, even when trying to enjoy your sea view balcony. The hotel’s website states: “The Simbad is much more than just a hotel: it is a place for you to relax and enjoy all the services we offer,” but there was nothing relaxing about our four days here. A lifeguard was on duty at the weekend but worked 10-6pm, and wasn’t present on Monday or Tuesday, not that it helped control the situation. I’ll be very interested to see what excuse management comes up with to explain this away.