Servatur Playa Bonita

We booked this week long holiday package through easyJet before the end of December 2024 in order to give us something to look forward to before the end of winter. Unfortunately our outward flight was delayed so when arrived at the hotel it was after the restaurant was closed for the day. However after locating our room which was on the top floor of one of the 4 towers that comprise the guest accommodation, we were able to go to the outdoor seating area and have a drink. Our room was very spacious; indeed I think that all rooms, of which there must be almost 300 in total across the 4 towers, were designed and furnished in a similar manner with an big comfortable bed. The following morning we discovered to our disappointment that we had no view facing the sea which was in any case some 400 metres away. Our view was of a motorway with hills beyond. Thankfully with the balcony door and window shut we heard no external noise so we could always get a good night’s sleep. We enquired about being transferred to another room with a better view which was possible but only if we paid an additional charge so we accepted where we were. Breakfast is provided in a self service/buffet style in the restaurant and in the adjoining external covered area close to the swimming pool. The range of food on offer was extensive and of excellent quality included cereals, fresh fruit, cold meats and salad, bread, toast, croissants and other pastries, as well as elements of the traditional British fry up. As well as fried and scrambled eggs there was a cook on duty who made omelettes to order although, as he could only make a couple at a time, there was invariably a queue for these. There was always bacon available and sometimes sausages along with cooked tomatoes and a local form of hash browns. My personal regret was that they never seemed to have mushrooms at breakfast. Churros and chocolate sauce was also available for those with a sweet tooth. One disappointment at the start of our holiday was the weak quality of the ‘Americano’ coffee from a dispensing machine but I learned to copy what another guest was doing which was to put an ‘Expresso’ into the mug first then top it up with an Americano. This gave it some body and taste. We had excellent weather throughout our week at the hotel and after breakfast we usually sat in the central outdoor area for an hour or so soaking up the sun or reading a book. We didn’t always have lunch in the hotel as we went out most days including day long trips by the regular bus service to Las Palmas and the beautiful village of Magon. When we did have lunch we kept it light mainly having pieces of the excellent range of local cheese, dried fruits and bread rolls followed by the range of small desserts that were provided. Dinner proved to be another excellent experience. There was always a lot of choice with roast meats, casserole dishes, vegetarian options, etc with dishes changing daily. They were accompanied with 2 or 3 styles of cooked potatoes, rice, pasta, etc One evening there were two huge salmon that had been baked whole in a salt crust. It was truly excellent. Children were also well catered for with pizzas and various dishes that would appeal to them along with chips. When it came to desserts there was always a wide selection of pieces of cake and glasses full of sweet items. Once every few days there was a chocolate fountain on the dessert table, and on other days a cook preparing sweet waffles. There was usually a queue at the waffle station. We were impressed by the frequency we witnessed of staff replenishing the food set out by removing trays that were almost finished and replacing them with fresh trays. One day I spoke with Tito, the restaurant manager about this, and he explained that the policy was to routinely replace trays of food that had been out too long and so might be drying out, and thereby becoming unpalatable. Oh, if only other hotels were as thorough as this in providing food in a buffet style. The speed with which staff cleared dining tables, cleaned them, and resetting them for other diners was ongoing throughout all meals. All the staff are obviously trained to a high standard in how to undertake their duties. We found them all to be very pleasant and helpful. If there was a slight downside to dinner it was the poor quality of the self service wine on tap from a point within the restaurant. However it was possible to buy bottles of wine to accompany dinner. Many days we bought bottles of a red wine from the Navarra region of Spain which as ‘Wine of the week’ was only 10 Euros a bottle. Cleanliness was another point where the hotel scored highly. Not only was our room thoroughly cleaned to a high standard but all the communal areas were regularly cleaned and the external planted areas tended to on a daily basis. In summary we really enjoyed our stay at the Playa Bonita hotel and would recommend it to others.