Sun Club El Dorado - All Inclusive

Firstly this is NOT a hotel. It is an All Inclusive complex….I’d compare it to Butlins or a Pontins holiday complex here in the Uk. Booked an economy room….approximately 9” x9ft….and the bathroom is tiny, my pantry at home is bigger. Sitting on the loo, my knees literally touched the wall, you have to practically step over the toilet to get out of the shower. Two single beds, a TV on the wall, and a small desk. If your two pensioner ( young ones) adults as, we were, you’re going to struggle. We eventually managed to find our room around 2am, after booking in at the main reception. The lady that booked us in made me feel like a pupil at infant school. Told us how to get to our room in a very derogatory way, asked me if I was listening…….I was not amused at her tone of voice . The long path and concrete steps were barely lit up, about 20 minutes down hill, broken unsafe pathways. And very unsettling for us both. This is an old complex, around 30 years old. Needs a lot of money spent on it, Pathways , concrete steps broken, and cracked. However, if you’re a young couple, with family, and all you want to do is sit by the pool with your kids, it’s perfect. There are two shops, Three pools, one restaurant, with three sittings. You have to purchase a plastic cup , one per person, €1 , when you book in. If you want a drink at any of the bars, you need the plastic cup. The only place you don’t need the plastic cup is the restaurant. The food a basic, and the same every night, just mixed up. Pork or chicken, salami ham meatballs and fish. Salads, pasta…remember this is only a two star. So don’t expect to much. You cannot get food at any of the bars. Only drinks. Tea and coffee is only served in cups and saucers at breakfast. You can get hot drinks at the bars by the pool, but you have to use your plastic cup. My hubby upgraded our room to a beautiful bungalow the next morning, at an extra cost. The bungalow was spacious, sea views, with a veranda , and very clean. And was similar to the photos he had seen on the very misleading website. But still very hilly, and lots of concrete steps, and lots of areas cordoned off. I really struggled with the steep inclines. If you have even the slightest disability this place is defiant not suitable. There are buses to the seaside , about every half and hour, and takes roughly 45 mins. Getting a return bus is a bit of a nightmare, we ended up getting taxis. There is a lovely lady called Shirley, who works for side tours in reception almost every hour of every day. There are trips arranged , but she’s also full of info about how to get to different areas, what buses to get, timetables ect. She is a lovely lady, and very understanding to our needs. Although she took a lot of stick from people complaining, But she worked hard and did her very best. I think Shirley deserves a medal to be honest.

Last minute cheap deal so wasn’t expecting much from previous reviews!! But a pleasant surprise stayed in a room one row back from the sea so had a great view, room was clean and tidy lovely mattress walk in shower was very hot and powerful.staff very friendly and helpful . Food again was more than we expected always something hot, had mussels,paela,fish and chicken being freshly cooked salads were always good breakfast was fine again good selection. All the pools and surrounding area’s were cleaned every day. The best bit till last the drinks beer nice and cold lots of cocktails and great measures for the spirits couldn't fault the service,shame they don’t get more tips as providing a great service, yes a bit steep in places but its build on the side of a hill

28th April - 3rd May 2024 I had read some negative reviews after I'd booked this holiday, so I was a little worried, especially being my first holiday abroad. I was really pleased with our room. It was cleaned and towels changed twice during our 5 night stay. Plenty of variety at meal times. Cocktails were amazing, lots of soft drinks and hot beverages available. All the staff we came across were friendly and helpful, many of them being able to speak different languages and go fluidily from one to another with ease, if they were unable to speak your language they got a colleague to help you. Make sure you check out by 12pm as they will send someone to find you! From what I could see, most of the accommodation is little bungalows, but I also saw 2 story buildings but didn't see what this accommodation was like. You will definitely do a lot of walking, depending where your accommodation is, as the resort is quite hilly. The only thing we missed really was not having brew making facilities in the room, we just made sure we had some water or juice when retiring for the evening. There are a few vending machines around the site where you can purchase drinks and snacks. There are a couple of onsite shops too, some items are a little expensive but what you would expect with the convenience of being on site. It's easy to catch a bus at the top of the road, if you fancy a day out. There's a lovely beach at S'Arenal with a good amount of shops for souvenirs and other shopping as well as various restaurants including a couple of well known places to get a burger. We booked shared transfer from the airport which was a nice way to view the local area. We were lucky on the way to Sun Club that there was only a few drop offs, Sun Club is the last drop off but the first pick up on the way back to the airport, this return trip had a few more stops but again we used it as a way to look around. Overall I am very pleased with to have stayed here and will definitely book again. I've included photos of our room, the view from our door and a gorgeous sunset. Also is a picture of a cup, you pay €1 as long as you keep your receipt you can hand the cup back and get your €1 back. We couldn't gong our receipt but happy to take home an additional little memento. I read a previous review which said something along the lines of don't expect champagne on lemonade prices, I totally agree with this statement but feel it is worth more than it's 2 stars.